Instant Pot Mujadara Lentils Rice

What is Mujadara?

Mujaddara consists of cooked brown or green lentils together with rice (or bulgur), and garnished with a generous amount of caramelized onions. Mujadara is a popular dish across the Middle East and is served in various forms and known by different names, depending on where you are. It has many alternative spellings in English like mujaddara, mujadarra, mujadarah, majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra. Also, try my lentil soup from my blog.

Mujadara (Lentils and Rice Recipe) Ingredients

Here is a list of ingredients required to make an Instant Pot mujadara recipe.

Lentils: Brown or Green lentils work best for this rice recipe. They will hold their shape and texture. I have used brown lentils today. It’s easily available in grocery stores, like Whole Foods, Sprouts. Rice: I prefer to use long-grain white basmati rice. You can also use bulgur or cracked wheat in place of rice. Onions: White or yellow onions are best for this recipe. You will need to cut onions into 2 ways. Finely sliced onions to caramelize and serve on top of mujadara/mudardara and finely diced cook along with mujadara. Garlic: I have minced fresh garlic in this recipe. Vegetable broth (or water): use vegetable broth if you want vegetarian or vegan lentil rice. If you don’t have any, you can simply use water. Spices: I have used bay leaf, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, red chili powder, and salt. Oil: you can use any vegetable oil of your choice.

How to Make Mujadara in Instant Pot

Wash and soak the Brown/Green lentils overnight or for at least 5 hours in hot water. Press Saute on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it’s hot, add sliced onions and saute till they caramelize, i.e., till they turn golden brown, it takes about 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can saute onions on the stovetop pan. Once done, take them out in a bowl. Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil, then add bay leaf, garlic, and chopped onions. Saute till the onions turn translucent. Then add ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, red chili powder. Cook for another 30 seconds. Add Basmati Rice, soaked lentils, and water (or vegetable broth), salt, and give a quick stir. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid, and garnish with some fried onions and cilantro. You can enjoy Instant pot mujadara lentils and rice with yogurt or Tzatziki sauce and some salad on the side.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

Follow the same steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 2-3 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.

Stovetop Pot Method

Follow the same steps from the instant pot instructions. In a Heavy Bottom pan or Dutch oven, cook mujadara for about 12-15 minutes or until rice and lentils are cooked perfectly. You may have to increase the water.

Serving Suggestions for Mujadara

Mujdhara can be served with Greek yogurt and salad. Goes well with dips like creamy hummus, tzatziki sauce, or tahini sauce, too.

Storage Suggestions

Fridge: You can store the leftover mujadara in a refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Freeze: If you want to freeze mujadara, store them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat: Sprinkle some water and reheat the rice in the microwave or stovetop until it warms.

Tips & Variations

Type of lentils: You can use either brown or green lentils for this recipe. But do not use red/orange lentils. Their texture is softer and will lend themselves to a mushy consistency for the mujadara (mudardara) recipe. Type of Rice: Tastes best using long-grain basmati rice. Brown Rice: You can make mujadara with brown rice instead of white basmati rice in an Instant Pot. In this case, you do not have to soak the lentils. Increase the water ratio to 3 cups instead of 2 ¼ cups. Pressure cook on High for 22 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure manually.