Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Ethiopian Lentil Stew is a deliciously healthy and spicy vegetarian lentil recipe with homemade berbere spice, spiced butter, and satisfying lentils. Every spoonful of this delectable meal will have you sighing in pure delight. And you won’t even miss the meat!
Here in California, there are excellent Ethiopian restaurants. And they really know how to spice up food. Especially their Ethiopian lentil stew. No boring food here!
Rich layers of complex flavors make it one of my favorite Ethiopian side dishes. And my family never complains when I put this exquisiteness on the table. It goes excellent with injera, rice, or quinoa. Yum!
What Is Ethiopian Lentil Stew?
Ethiopian lentil stew is a classic with wholesome ingredients and warm flavors. It has also been called misir wot, mesir wot, and yemisir wat (wat or wot means food in Amharic). But, whatever you call it, the unique taste is its signature.
Berbere spices give this lentil stew its classic Ethiopian flavors. Making my own allows me to customize it because you know I can’t leave it alone. 😉 And don’t forget super easy Ethiopian spiced ghee. It adds incredible flavor to these stewed lentils, but you can switch it to coconut oil if you want a vegan-friendly meal.
Recipe Ingredients
Stewed lentils make a simple dish with simple ingredients, so it’s easy and satisfying!
- Lentils – These tiny legumes are great nutritionally because a cup boasts 16 grams of protein and a ton of fiber. Oh yeah!
- Spices – Aside from the usual onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, and parsley, berbere sauce really ramps up this lentil recipe!
- Tomato Paste – Adding tomato paste thickens the stew while adding a lovely combination of sweet and sour.
- Broth – Vegetable broth will make it deliciously vegetarian, while beef or chicken broth will add protein. It just depends on your preferences.
How to Make Lentil Stew
Four Easy Steps
- Soak – Wash your lentils, then let them soak while you prepare the seasonings. (Photos 1-3)
- Sauté Spices – Heat a large saucepan with oil and spiced butter, then add onions, berbere spice, garlic, ginger, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. (Photos 4-5)
- Add Lentils – Then add the soaked lentils and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add stock, broth, or water and season with salt. (Photo 6-11)
- Simmer – Bring to a boil and let it simmer until it thickens. It might take about 30 minutes, depending on how you like your lentils. Throw in some parsley, adjust for salt and pepper, and adjust the stew’s consistency. (Photo 12)
- Serve warm with injera.
Recipe Variations
- Broth Swap – You can choose from vegetable or chicken broth. Use vegetable broth to make it completely vegan or chicken to add more flavor. If you want a stronger taste, use beef broth instead.
- Meaty Additions – If you want to add meaty protein, sausage, chicken, or beef are excellent choices.
Tips and Tricks
- Brown lentils taste earthy; green is peppery; red and yellow are sweet. Choose depending on your liking, but my go-to is red or yellow. It’s the family’s fav!
- Homemade berbere spice is best, but you can purchase it from an Ethiopian market or online.
- Soaking the lentils for about 2 hours may save cooking time, but it’s not necessary.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can soak the lentils while prepping the other ingredients, such as onion, garlic, and ginger, then proceed with the recipe. Let the finished lentil stew cool and store it in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag in the fridge or freezer for another day. Just heat them when you’re ready to serve.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve it warm after throwing parsley and adjusting the taste. Go for a whole Ethiopian meal experience by serving it with injera.
You can refrigerate the leftovers for five days or freeze them for three months. Reheat on a stove or microwave when ready to serve. You may add more water or broth as needed.
FAQs
The earthy flavor is mild on its own, but it gives a meaty texture to any dish. Which is one of the many reasons vegetarians and vegans enjoy this dish. Spicing it up works well because of its mild flavor, making it an ideal base for vegetarian hamburgers.
Lentils are legumes that are relatively smaller and quicker to cook than beans, so most recipes don’t require soaked lentils. But soaking the lentils saves cooking time and makes them easier to digest.
Lentils are very nutritious and versatile, so think of these like white paint that goes well with any color. It can absorb varied flavors of spices and seasonings. Thus, it mixes well with onion, garlic, homemade spice mix, and more!
What to Serve With Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Aside from injera, you can also try it with these side dishes below for a fantastic fusion of cuisine.
More Delicious Ethiopian Recipes to Try
Conclusion
This deliciously spicy lentil stew is so easy and satisfying for a stress-free weeknight meal. Does your family do a meat-free day? Tell me in the comments what your menu choices are when you do. ❤️
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in December 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons (14-28g) spiced butter (or coconut oil)
- ¼ cup (60ml) cooking oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1½ tablespoons (14g) berbere spice
- 2 teaspoons (6g) garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon (1g) fresh ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon (2g) coriander or cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons (2-4g) smoked paprika
- 1 cup (200g) lentils, soaked for 2 hours
- 1 tablespoon (14g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (475ml) broth (beef, vegetable, chicken, or water)
- 2 tablespoons (8g) parsley, chopped (or cilantro)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your lentils, then let them soak while you prepare the seasonings.
- Heat a large saucepan with oil and spiced butter, then add onions, berbere spice, garlic, ginger, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Then add the soaked lentils and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add stock or water and season with salt.
- Bring to a boil and let it simmer until it thickens. It might take about 30 minutes, depending on how you like your lentils. Throw in some parsley, adjust for salt and pepper, and adjust the stew's consistency.
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t have the spiced butter? You can switch it out with coconut oil.
- Brown lentils taste earthy; green is peppery; red and yellow are sweet. Choose depending on your liking, but my go-to is red or yellow. It’s the family’s fav!
- Homemade berbere spice is best, but you can purchase it from an Ethiopian market or online.
- Soaking the lentils for about 2 hours may save cooking time, but it’s not necessary.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I am not familiar with spiced butter. We are a vegan household. Do you have any suggestions for making a spiced plant-based butter? Thanks so much!
I can’t say for sure . Maybe someone can answer this . If all fails replace with oil.
To make it vegan, I just omitted butter altogether. I don’t cook with oil either, but it didn’t need it. This recipe was AMAZING. I will be adding it into the regular rotation! I used red lentils and did not soak them. I just added veggie stock and mixed as needed, until they were cooked through. I also added some African hot pepper powder for more heat!
Thank you for sharing, Taylor!
This was my first time making Ethiopian food and it did not disappoint. It was close to being too spicy for me but it really was delicious and a change of pace from the Indian lentil dishes I tend to make.
Made it many times, we love it!!
I hooked this one up tonight…great kick from the Berbere spice and still very flavorful! Served it with some brown rice and some whole wheat pita bread (I’ll try the injera bread next time). Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was delicious!
Beautiful food, super light and such wonderful flavours
Aww thanks!
I have made this recipe a few times and each time I have made a double batch. I store them in round restaurant containers and we take it for work. reheats great in microwave. cannot keep enough of this stuff around. so delicious. I made the Berebere with my children and it has been fantastic. I cook a lot of lentils and can say that this dish is truly delicious with robust flavors. I even made a batch for our thanksgiving meal (in addition to a fully traditional turkey meal).
In general, lentils do not cook well in salt and in acid (and if they are old). The soaking seems essential to ensure soft, well cooked lentils.
Hi Jurgen! Glad it worked out well! Thanks for taking time out to share these tips with us. Happy Holidays
This is delicious, easy to make and very healthy homemade meal. The first time I made, I followed the recipe but modified it the second time by adding a 2 Table spoon of peanut butter and it turned out delicious as well. This is my best winter comfort food and I always have the required ingredients in the house. Excellent! Thanks for sharing!!
Total winner. I use coconut oil instead of nitter kibbeh which makes it vegan and waaaay easier on the old digestive tract. Also, subbed veg stock for chicken, and used about 3 x the amount of berebere than called for.
So. Darn. Good.
Thank you for the feedback, Carmen!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious. I made with brown lentils and it took longer to cook, will make next time with red lentils.
I adored this. Served with the injira I made using the recipe on this site. What a spectacular and easy meal.
Thanks so much.
I agree with the reviews. This is the best lentil recipe! The whole family agreed.
Thanks for the feedback.
I made this tonight served over quinoa with a side of sautéed spinach and it was shockingly delicious considering how little time it took to make. I used red lentils, I left out the butter and oil and I left out the parsley/cilantro. Even with the omissions it was one of the best lentil recipes I have ever tasted.
I’m glad that you loved it!
I loved this recipe! It turned out perfect. The flavor is great. Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback.
I made this last night in the Instant Pot and it was so good! I’m definitely going to try more of your recipes in the future.
Tjis looks delicious! Cam I make this in the slow cooker?
Hello! Is this with green/brown lentils or red ones? Thanks!
Hello!
Any would do fine. I used the yellow ones for this recipe.
I never comment on food blogs, but this recipe is quite special for me. I make it ALL THE TIME. It is literally a joy to make and eat. Thank you to introducing me to berbere. I have been making it for years. And the collard greens are amazing too. Thank you from New York!
Ethiopian food is my favorite food in the world. After having eaten at lots of mediocre Ethiopian restaurants and a few really good ones, I imagined that Ethiopian food would be difficult to make at home. However, since I am not leaving the house during the Covid 19 pandemic, there is plenty of time to experiment.
I bought the berbere on Amazon and waited eagerly for it to arrive. Everything else I had on hand. This dish is very inexpensive, which is nice since I am currently unemployed.
Anyway, as I said I didn’t expect much but I was pleasantly surprised at the fullness of flavor in this recipe. I wish I had used a smaller onion, and my berbere was spicier than I expected, but I eased the heat with a little bit of butter. I also added a couple dashes of ground cloves and a tiny bit of sugar. I will definitely use this recipe again with a smaller onion. Thank you!
Coming from a fellow sister.. I am humbled. Thank you!!!!
Thank you Imma for this recipe!! It was absolutely delicious and so easy to follow. I’m from Melbourne in Australia and have recently discovered Ethiopian food. My local fruit market started selling Injera bread and my husband has been nagging me to try my hand at a dish! Thanks to your recipe it was a hit!
Hi Nathalie, I am from Melbourne too! Just wondering which market you get your injera from?
Why ¼ cup cooking oil?
I thought it’s either niter kibeh or coconut oil.
I had lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant for the first time and my favorite food there was their lentil stew so I Googled its recipes and your site came up. I like how your readers have actually tried your recipes and posted comments not just mention how they should try it because it looks good. Anyhow, I had all the ingredients to make your berbere spice mix from scratch and I used it to make your lentil stew. I have to say yours tasted SO MUCH better than the one I had at the restaurant. I love your spice mix. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Thank you so much for the kind words and for taking the time to let me know.