This Ethiopian-inspired lentil stew is made with spiced red lentils simmered with hearty potatoes and tender spinach. It’s healthy comfort food at its finest, and it all comes together in one pot. Serve it with rice or injera for a scrumptious vegan dinner that’s totally doable on a busy weeknight!
If you go to an Ethiopian restaurant, you'll probably see something on the menu that resembles this dish, but it would be called misir wat. It's incredibly delicious! Creamy red lentils, warming spices, and a little heat make it one of my favorite stews ever. I had no idea when I first tried it how easy it was to make at home, but it turns out it's one of the simplest, most fuss-free meals ever. With that in mind, I used it as the inspiration for this Ethiopian-inspired red lentil stew.
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It shouldn't really come as a surprise. Red lentils are kind of a kitchen superstar when it comes to simple, delicious meals. My red lentil soup, red lentil dal, and red lentil chili are a few of my favorite weeknight dinners.
So let's talk about this particular Ethiopian lentil stew! It's a little different from traditional misir wat. I added some extras — juicy tomatoes, hearty potatoes, and spinach are always welcome additions to my dinner. I also served it in a nontraditional way. Misir wat is normally served with injera, a fermented Ethiopian flatbread that I LOVE. But it can be challenging to make and even harder to find.
If you can get some injera, definitely enjoy it with your stew! If not, pair it with another bread or rice. I'm using simple basmati rice cooked with a pinch of turmeric and vegan butter, if you'd like to recreate what you're seeing in the photos.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. You can use another neutral, high-heat oil if you'd like.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Fresh ginger.
- Berbere spice. This is a signature Ethiopian spice blend. It's a warming, slightly spicy mixture including paprika, cayenne pepper, cardamom, and cumin, among other things. I've included a link to the brand I use in the recipe card.
- Cayenne pepper. This is optional. Just use it if you'd like a little extra heat, and keep in mind that berbere already contains some cayenne.
- Vegetable broth.
- Split red lentils. You can use whole red lentils, but they'll need a little extra cook time and won't get as creamy.
- Red potatoes. Feel free to substitute a russet potato, yellow potatoes, or even a sweet potato.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Fresh spinach.
- Salt and pepper.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the onion. Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes to start softening it up.
Step 2: Add aromatics. Stir in minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, berbere spice, and your cayenne pepper, if you're using it. Cook the mixture briefly while stirring the entire time.
Step 3: Simmer. Add your broth, red lentils, and potatoes. Get the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer until the lentils and potatoes are both very tender. The lentils will break down and get creamy.
Steps 4 & 5: Add tomatoes and spinach. First add your tomatoes and let the stew simmer for a few more minutes, then add the spinach and cook the stew just until it wilts.
Tip: Check out my guide on how to cook red lentils if they're a new ingredient for you.
Step 6: Finish the stew. Take the pot off of heat and season your Ethiopian lentil stew with salt and pepper to taste. You can also add more spices at this point as well, if you'd like.
Step 7: Serve. Serve your stew on its own, with rice, bread, or however you like!
Variations
- Traditional misir wat. For something closer to traditional misir wat that you'd get in a restaurant, simply omit the potatoes, tomatoes, and spinach.
- Veggie swaps. You can really add any vegetables to this stew. Try winter squash, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, or kale.
- Ethiopian red lentil wraps. I had this once at a restaurant and it was so good! Continue cooking the mixture until it gets very thick, then stuff it into warm tortillas (or better yet, injera, if you can get it) with vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! It includes no gluten-containing ingredients.
It is! Berbere is quite spicy, so even if you omit the cayenne pepper, it will have some heat. If you're not into that, give my red lentil dal a try instead.
You can, although the look, flavor, and texture will be different. It should still be delicious, though! Also expect the lentils to take an additional 10 to 15 minutes to cook.
Leftovers of this stew will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Global Stew Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon berbere spice blend, plus more to taste (up to 2 tablespoons if you like a lot of spice)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups dried split red lentils
- 3 medium red potatoes, about ¾ lb. total, diced
- 1 (15 ounce/425 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped and lightly packed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, berbere spice, and cayenne pepper (if using). Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, lentils, and potatoes. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender and the lentils are very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and let the stew continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and let the stew continue cooking just until the spinach wilts, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a bit more berbere and cayenne, if desired.
- Serve.
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I made this with the berbere spice blend here: https://www.daringgourmet.com/berbere-ethiopian-spice-blend/
It was very tasty. Was even better after about an hour after it had cooked, seems the spices had time to infuse a bit. Will definitely make this again!
Yay! Glad you like it! Thanks so much Jacob!
Made this stew in my Instant Pot. Sautés the garlic (sauté mode) and added the garlic, ginger and spices..sautéed for another minute. Then added the split red lentils, broth, tomatoes, and cubed potatoes and switched to manual pressure for 10 minutes. After NPR, I turned the Instant Pot off and added a handful of Spinach and stirrednit in. Served with Basmati Rice that was seasoned with turmeric and Garam Masala (which is the Indian version of Berbere). Delicious. You will love your Instant Pot!!
Yay!! Thanks so much for the detailed instructions - I'm sure lots of readers will appreciate that! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Question did you use whole red lentils or split red lentils. They look red so am assuming they are split red lentils. I am going to make this tin my Instant Pot so I appreciated other Instant Users’ comments that they cooked the stew for 10 minutes (manual pressure). What was the NPR (Natural Pressure Release) time? I am thinking 10 minutes. I will also make Basmati Rice with Garam Masala and turmeric to go with the stew.
They're split - thanks for asking! I just noted that in the recipe. I'm not sure about the Instant Pot method, but I plan to get an Instant Pot soon, and I'll be sure to experiment with this recipe when I do. :)
This sounds great! But how can you say prep time is 5 minutes? It can take 20 min to a half hour to chop up potatoes and peppers etc.Confused about the math with prep time as it's nice to know the actual realistic prep time for your meals.
I made this ahead of the cold front scheduled for tomorrow. It is sooooo good. It might not make it till tomorrow 🤗
I'm glad you like it!! Enjoy!
Made this tonight for dinner. First time I've used the berbere spice that I bought a few months ago- not sure why I waited so long. Amazing! A lovely warm spice with a hint of hint. Loved it and loved the recipe. Thank you for posting this! A definite repeat recipe!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this recipe. I add a few more potato’s, more spinach and an extra can of tomatoes. I made it inthe IP as instructed by another in the comments and 10 minutes on manual worked perfectly!
Glad you enjoyed it! I'll have to get my hands on an Instant Pot soon so I can try. :)
I absolutely love this recipe, thank you. I moved to a rural area over an hour away from Ethiopian restaurants. Although this doesn't feel super traditional over rice, with potatoes, etc. the flavors are exactly what I wanted and it is hearty enough to be perfect for fall.
I made a batch as written this morning for my family (but in my Instant Pot) and I am making a double batch now for lunches and freezing. After sauteeing the onion for 5 minutes and spices for 1 minute I added the remaining ingredients, put the lid on, and cooked for 12 minutes on high pressure. I did have to reduce the broth in a doubled batch just a bit to get it under the 4L line for pressure cooking in the 6L pot.
Did you cover while cooking?
Nope!
Made this last night. Subbed a cup of green lentils along with the 1/2 cup of red. Also used baby kale since it's what I had on hand. Used Brown Basmati rice as well. It was delicious. Posted pics on my The Elf in the Kitchen FB page along with the link to your recipe.
Sounds like a delicious variation on the dish! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Can I substitute with regular lentils?
Thanks
It should work, but the texture will be different and it might need a bit of extra cook time. Enjoy!
Can you sub baby kale for spinach? I used up all my spinach last night and would like to try this recipe tonight!
I think that would work great! Enjoy!
I just made this but left out the potatoes as forgot to keep some back yesterday when cooking roasties.
This is VERY good, but my mouth is on FIRE after using 2 tbsp. Berbere and half a tsp cayenne. I'd say it is between a madras and a vindaloo when this much is used ! I had to add extra tomatoes which haven't made a huge difference. I will definitely make this again but with less spice . Great recipe - thanks,
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It can get pretty spicy though, especially if you use a particularly hot berbere blend. Thanks Victoria!
Hi, I made this tonight and it was very tasty! My red lentils got rather mushy though. Any suggestions? I used dried red lentils.
Hi Jill! Red lentils pretty much always fall apart when you cook them. If you'd prefer firmer lentils you could try subbing green or brown!
I discovered this wonderful stew on Facebook earlier this summer, and I love it. In fact, I'm cooking it again right now. I like to add more ginger and spinach because, well, I love lots of ginger and spinach, and this time I'm adding three sliced carrots, which I think will be delicious.
Sounds delicious! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!
Hi, I’m looking forward to trying this. Is there a way to convert this to cook in an instant pot?
I'm sure there is, but I don't have an instant pot so unfortunately I'm not sure how to go about it. If you can make it work I'd love to hear about it!
I dislike super mushy veggies so 12 minutes might not be enough for everyone but I posted my Instant Pot adaptation below. Also, i reduced the broth a little because unlike stove top with the lid off, you aren't going to get any evaporation.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for sharing your instant pot adaptation - I know that will be super helpful for some readers!
Thank you, so much! This looks really great and I am so happy you included a recipe for berbere! Is it possible to replace the red potatoes with yams?
Absolutely! I've heard from a couple of readers that did that and said it turned out great. Enjoy!
Thanks for your reply, Alissa! I am doing some reading and it says that sweet potatoes take 1 1/4 hours to cook in a stew. Maybe I should cook them first some before adding...
Super tasty, Alissa! I will be making these on a weekly basis! I sauteed the sweet potatoes for five minutes first, then added the onions, etc. Loved it! Thank you so much, for your recipe!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Carol!
What is the recipe for the rice that accompanies the lentil stew? It looks delicious.
That's just basmati rice cooked with a pinch of turmeric! It doesn't change the flavor much, but it adds some nice color and anti-inflammatory benefits. :)
This dish was absolutely delicious, there is soooooo much flavour. I made the Berbere as per your recipe minus 1 or 2 spices, thank you so much for this flavoursome recipe, I make this once a week for my vegan daughter and the rest of the family love the flavours. I'm now looking to try some other delicious recipes on your website, thumbs up from me :) Julie
Thanks so much Julie!! I'm so glad you and your family are enjoying this one!!
Can I make my own berbere spice? I'm having trouble finding it with kosher certification
Yup! Give this one a try - https://www.daringgourmet.com/berbere-ethiopian-spice-blend/ :)
Hello, is this 300 calories per cup?
300 calories per serving, which is approximately 1 1/2 cups (1/6 of the recipe). :)
Just finished making this. Waiting patiently for the rice to finish. I used extra Berbere as I like spicy. Smell wonderful. Thank you for posting.
Thanks Sherry! I hope you enjoy it!!
Thank you! I did it with ras el hanout as I didn´t have the berbere spice blend and it was delicious! :)
That sounds excellent! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Making this right now, smells so good, didn’t have fenugreek or cardamom but added curry powder and onion powder instead. I am a spice freak so fenugreek and cardamom are on my grocery list! Can’t wait to eat this gem!
I hope you enjoy it!!
I’m making this now in the instant pot with purple and sweet potato I didn’t have spinach so added fresh peas which I thought may sub well, also got the rice goiing. Smells so good ! Thank you
That sounds delicious!! Enjoy!
I would love to make this in my Instant Pot!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was so delicious when I made it AND fast. It tasted better the 2nd day and on. I didn't have berbere spice, but I looked up a recipe online and just cobbled together my own version with what spices I had on hand and what amounts I wanted. Also, I added some maple syrup and balsamic vinegar at the end because that's how I roll. AND I had a delicious lunch for work for several days after.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I really like this one as leftovers too. :) Thanks Shireen!
I’m not a fan of red potatoes could sub them for white or even sweet?
Yup! Either should work just fine. :)
Hey Alissa !! this recipe is awesome.. just tried this day before yesterday using Indian Garam Masala with brown rice and the result was superb !! my hubby who isn't too adventurous with food also loved it.. thank you..
Yum!! I bet this was great with garam masala! I'm glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks Astha!
I love this recipe so much, I'll eat it with naan if I can't buy injera anywhere and it's so good! My favorite recipe for these lentils so far. I love the added potatoes to make them more filling
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I've actually used naan instead of injera too! :)
Can this be frozen? I'm about to have a baby soon, and would love to make this, then freeze it and re-heat when we're back home.
I think so, but I'm not sure how the potatoes will hold up - I've heard that freezing them messes with the texture. You could always err on the side of caution and leave them out.
Just made this and it is delicious! My toddler helped me! I used about half the berbere spice and it was still spicy. I bet golden raisins could be good in this too. To the rice I added some turmeric for color. Thanks for sharing an easy, healthy and yummy meal!
You are welcome! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! You can adjust the seasoning to taste - let me know it you try the golden raisins!
Can this be made in a crockpot?
It looks so delicious!!
I'm sure it can, but I haven't tried it so I'm not sure about the cook time. I'd love to hear how it works out if you try it!
I would really like to make this recipe but I gave not managed to find the Berbere spice as yet. I noticed some say that they have made their own. Are you able to let me know how please so I can give it a go. I can't wait as this recipe looks right up my street.
Yup! Here's a link to a recipe for the berebere spice: https://www.daringgourmet.com/berbere-ethiopian-spice-blend/ Enjoy!!
Penzey's Spices has it , too.
Amazon. Great selection and orice.
Do you peel the potatoes?
I don't, but that's really a personal preference. Feel free to peel them if you like them better that way. :)
Thank you for this delicious recipe! we really loved it and almost ate the hole pot at once. will be a regular from now on. greetings from Germany.
I'm so glad it was a hit!! Thanks so much Marc!
DELICIOSO! GRACIAS POR LA RECETA, SALUDOS DESDE CHILE.
Does that say one can (14oz)of chopped tomatoes?
Thanks
Yes, that's correct!
Made this tonight in the instant pot. Sautéed onions in sauté mode, then cooked everything on high pressure for 10 minutes. Released the steam and stirred in the spinach. Sooo..... if anyone asks if they can use their instant pot, the answer is YES!
Yay! I'm glad to hear it worked out!! Thanks Anna!
Ooh, wish I had read your comment sooner. I really wanted to use my Instant Pot but didn't know how long to cook it. But this is great for next time! Thanks.
I just made this tonight and it was incredible :O I made my own spice mix as I didn't have the one listed. Will be a new regular meal! Any other vegan Ethiopian dishes you suggest?
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I only have one other Ethiopian-inspired recipe on my site: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/ethiopian-berbere-spiced-chickpeas-polenta/ (You can use the same spices!) And here's one that I've had bookmarked for a while: http://www.veganricha.com/2014/07/atakilt-wat-ethiopian-cabbage-potato.html - I haven't tried it but it sounds delicious. :)
Not sure how to make spice or even know what the one they suggest is
I just tried this tonight and am sooo thrilled with the results! I no longer live anywhere near am Ethiopian restaurant and was fiending for this dish and I can't tell you how happy I am with how this turned out :) the potatoes really added to it since I sadly have no injera.. I'm so excited that it was so easy to make a big batch for multiple dinners! Thank you!!
Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm working on homemade injera - it's tricky!
I made this dish at Easter for a pot luck at work. Many of the women I work with are from Ethiopia and the Sudan. They were saying that during Easter they only Vegan food and were worried that there would be nothing for them to eat. I said I would make them this dish and turmeric basmati rice. I went to the local African Food Mart and purchased the berbere spice. I followed your recipe to the letter as I didn't want to over spice the dish.
Well, the gals loved it and were thrilled that a Canadian white woman could make a dish they would be thrilled to serve to their families. They haven't had this dish with the potatoes and spinach before so they all took some home to share with their families ... along with the recipe!
Thank you so much for this deliciously wonderful recipe. I made a batch for myself and put some single servings in the freezer. I have been challenged by the women to try making Ethiopian Injera Flatbread. Do you have a recipe?
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know it was a hit! I don't have an injera recipe - I tried to make it once a few years ago but wasn't successful. If I can get it to work I'll definitely post the recipe. :)
What type of rice did you use?
I used basmati rice. So good!
I made this tonight. I made my own spice mix. It was wonderful and SPICY. I followed the recipe almost exactly. I added some peppers that needed to be used up. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable because that is what I had. So wonderful with rice and naan....we eat a lot of Indian food and it had a very Indian flavor to it, but I did go heavy on the cardamon. Thanks for sharing.....so yummy.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to let me know! :)
Is this made with canned or dried red lentils?
thanks
Dried - I just updated the ingredients list to clarify. :)
Do I cook the lentils before I add them ? Thanks
Nope! Just add the dried lentils - I updated the ingredients list to clarify.
This recipe is amazing! I had a project for class where I had to take something Ethiopian and it was loved by everybody! I still make this for myself and it's so delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
Awesome! I had to to a project like that for a cooking class once (Moroccan food!), and it made me smile to hear that you used my recipe for what sounds like a similar project. :) Glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Berbere spice blend is so similar to Garam Masala found in India
It does have some of the same spices and I think this would be delicious with garam masala too. :)
Thanks Alissa!!! Very yummy and a nice hearty winter meal. I actually bought the berbere spice a while ago but haven't used it until now - so this recipe came just in time! :-)
I used 2 Tbsp. Berbere and a little more cayenne because I also like it a bit more spicy. I turned the stew into a soup as I added more veggie broth. Before serving I added a little freshly squeezed lemon juice, which goes really real with red lentils. Will add this recipe to my personal recipe book - next time I will go with the stew / rice version. :-D
Nice! I was considering making it into a soup too. Glad you enjoyed it!!
What a delicious and comforting dish.
Hooray! Ethiopian food is one of my favorites, but I always seem to miss the mark when I recreate it at home. I'll have to give this one a go!