A light and zesty dip perfect for snacking, this 5 minute green lentil dip is healthy, vegan and incredibly quick to make, yeay!

Lovely Lentils

I really think that the humble lentil is extremely underrated. Packed full of protein, inexpensive and extremely versatile, There’s just so much you can do with them! Curries, stews, salads, soups and of course… dips. The possibilities are nearly endless.

This is exactly why I’ve chosen them for this light and refreshing 5 minute green lentil dip. It’s perfect for sharing as a dip with friends, for spreading on a sandwich or jazzing up a slice of toast. I love to keep several tins of green lentils in my pantry ready to pop them easily into a recipe when the inspiration takes me.

Dips and pates also lend themselves perfectly to quick recipes. Im a huge fan of something you can make in just a few short minutes by throwing all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, whizzing for a few seconds and then serving! Such recipes make brilliant quick snacks or lunches and this 5 minute green lentil dip is no exception.

For some other quick dip and pate inspiration, check out some of these other gems, including my Best 5 Minute Guacamole, my Best 5 Minute Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and also my 5 Minute Smoked Mackerel and Beetroot Pate. All delicious, healthy and oh-so quick to whip up effortlessly!

As I mentioned, one major benefit of green lentils are that they are so fantastically healthy. In fact, they’re thought to be one of the world’s oldest ‘health foods’, being enjoyed in the middle east as far back as 10,000 years ago!

Just half a cup of green lentils packs a potent 12 grams of protein along with other super important nutrients including calcium, iron and folate. A single serving of lentils also provides you with about 1/3rd of your daily intake of fibre, which is so important for gut health and so often neglected in Western diets.

Lentils are also really inexpensive making them perfect for those of us seeking healthy, meat-free sources of protein that won’t break the bank. You can buy a big bag of dried lentils for very little cash. These have an excellent shelf life and last a long time. Of course though, dried lentils do need to be cooked which can take a fair bit of time. Not great for quick recipes unfortunately.

Happily though, it’s so easy to get hold of tinned lentils which are pre-cooked and absolutely perfect to use in a whole variety of different quick recipes. This is exactly why you’ll find them in this 5 minute green lentil dip!

Ok so despite how great they are, I’ll admit one big drawback to lentils are the fact that they’re pretty bland in flavour. But that’s really not a problem! The beauty of so-called ‘bland’ foods such as lentils is that they happily take on board whatever flavours you combine them with. This means you can get really creative in flavouring them however you want. There’s so much flexibility!

I’ve used this flexibility to my full advantage in this 5 minute green lentil dip, and chosen to combine the lentils with some fresh and zesty other ingredients to create a vibrant and moorish dip that’s not overly filling.

Ingredients

Now that we’ve taken a look at the humble lentil, lets take a peek at some of the other essential ingredients in this 5 minute green lentil dip and how they combine to make the perfect finished dish….

Coconut cream is one of the essential additions to this green lentil dip. Not only does it add a delightfully cool and nutty flavour, it binds everything together to give the perfect, smooth texture.

It’s important to know the distinction between coconut cream and it’s more liquid cousin, coconut milk. Coconut cream has less water and more fat. This gives coconut cream a richer and thicker texture and flavour than coconut milk. If you use coconut milk instead of cream in this 5 minute green lentil dip, you’ll find the texture all together too watery. The flavour also isn’t quite as potent. So make sure to use coconut cream and not milk!

A final, fabulous thing about coconut cream is of course, it’s vegan friendly! So many of us are trying to reduce our intake of animal products and boost our consumption of plant-based foods these days. Coconut products really fit the bill for ingredients that you can use in so many different types of dish. Such ingredients are also becoming increasingly available in stores these days so it makes sense to take advantage of them!

Speaking of creamy ingredients, another important addition to my 5 minute green lentil dip is plant based spread (or, as we used to call back in the day, ‘margarine’…!) The spread is important to increase the fat content of the dip slightly to add some extra richness. Butter would work perfectly well too of course, and you can feel free to use this instead if you like. However, I’ve chosen to make the recipe entirely vegan – it just means more people can enjoy it, so why not?

Spring onions are another great addition to this 5 minute green lentil dip recipe. They add a sharp, punchy flavour that really helps to stamp out any ‘blandness’. I love popping spring onions into so many of my quick recipes as the mild flavour means they don’t require any cooking and they’re much smaller than most other types of onion so can be chopped up quickly and easily in a blender.

I think that coriander (cilantro) has to be my all-time favourite herb. It’s just so yummy! I feel like so many savoury dishes are improved with the addition of these vibrant, citrusy, green leaves. I’m not surprised that coriander is incorporated into so many different types of Asian dish because of this. I’ve included it in this quick green lentil dip recipe because of its lovely fresh flavour AND its gorgeous green colour-which nicely enhances the green of the lentils.

The juice of half a lime also helps enhance that delightful, zesty flavour in this recipe which is why I’ve included it here. (Oh, and it adds a nice dose of vitamin C which can’t be a bad thing either!)

Now I do realise that some people really dislike the taste of coriander leaves. I’ve been told by some friends that to them, it tastes like dish soap(!) If that’s you, then feel free to omit this particular herb from your dip.

I’ve also included a sprinkling of ground coriander seed in this recipe for good measure, to add some rich and aromatic flavour. Another spice that I adore features in this 5 minute green lentil dip – sweet smoked paprika. This gorgeous, dark red powder has (as you would expect) a potent smoky flavour to it. This makes it perfect to add some extra vibrant flavour to many types of recipe. However be cautious with it – it’s very powerful! Only a small amount is needed. I’ve put in 1/4 tsp only. Any more and the flavour would drown everything else.

A final word now on the garlic. This features frequently in my quick recipes and regular visitors to my blog will know that I really love pre-minced garlic that you can buy easily in jars or in squeezy tubes. This staple ingredient is key in so many of my quick dishes which means I keep several jars of it in my cupboard, ready to use on a regular basis.

Why spend lots of your previous time squashing and finely chopping your own fresh garlic bulb when you could just pop some pre-minced garlic straight into your recipes without any fuss or drama? Life is surely too short!

Finally, a word on how to serve your freshly-made 5 minute green lentil dip. This recipe comfortably serves 4 people so I’d recommend grabbing crackers, nachos, breadsticks, veggie crudités (such as red pepper and cucumber) and just get dunking! Alternatively, this dip makes a lovely sandwich spread, a great filling to a wrap or a light and tasty topping to a slice of toast.

ENJOY!