Koshari is a delicious, affordable, and vegan-friendly main meal. It’s mildly spiced but so savory and satisfying. It costs less than $2 per serving, making it the perfect easy meal to feed a crowd! Typically, Koshari can take a couple of hours to make, but this quick version gets it on the table in just 40 minutes.
Koshari is a delicious, accidentally vegan meal that I was introduced to by an Egyptian friend. Knowing I was vegan and coming to their house for dinner, my friend and her mum kindly made this delicious, filling, and savory meal for me. I told them how much I loved it, so they sent me home with some spices to recreate it for myself. Koshari is now on regular rotation in my house because it’s so comforting, affordable, and packed with flavor.
Because I’m such a fan, I asked my friend if I could share their recipe, and she said yes. Many other people also love Koshari, as the recipe video got over 700,000 views on Instagram!
Some Koshari recipes can be lengthy and time-consuming, but this version only takes 40 minutes and still packs a punch on flavor. I hope you love this dish as much as I do!
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What is Koshari?
Koshari also spelled Kushari or Koshary, holds a special place in Egyptian culinary heritage and cultural identity. It’s widely recognized as the national dish of Egypt, regularly served by street vendors and in homes across the country. It consists of a base of macaroni, white rice, and lentils, generously topped with a mildly spiced tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. Egyptians have been enjoying this humble yet satisfying dish that symbolizes unity and equality for over a century. Koshari’s combination of ingredients reflects the country’s history of cultural influences, blending flavors from Indian, Italian, and local Egyptian cuisine.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavor packed – Koshari is so satisfying and savory, especially for a vegan dish. The combination of tender lentils, fluffy rice, al dente macaroni, sour spiced tomato sauce, and crispy onions is a satisfying contrast of textures and flavors. I can’t stop at one bowl, so be warned, it is addictive!
- Budget-friendly – Koshari is made mainly from canned and dry goods, spices, and pantry staples. The only fresh ingredient is the humble onion, and you can make a big batch for less than $2 a serve. It’s the perfect dish to feed a crowd or as meal prep for a family.
- Simple and quick – although you do have to make multiple components, it’s very straightforward. You cook your carbs, make an easy sauce, and shallow fry onions. Some Koshari recipes take a long time to cook, but this one only takes 40 minutes, including prep time, from start to finish. It’s a great, easy meal for weeknight entertaining.
- Presentation – this may be different from traditional. Still, I love to serve this dish with macaroni, rice, and lentils in three separate sections on a large platter. This is how my friend’s mum plated it at their home. Something about the contrasting colors/stripes makes for an impressive presentation. It could also be due to the scale of a large platter, but it looks cool and feels very abundant!
- Customizable – when served on platters, everybody can serve themselves to customize the flavor profile of their meal. Self-serve means everybody can avoid any ingredients they don’t like and choose how much sauce and onions they’d like to add. Depending on the carbs, sauce, and onion ratio, your Koshari can taste unique! In addition, you can enhance your Koshari experience by offering side additions such as chickpeas, pickles, pita bread, leafy salad, or boiled eggs (if you need to be vegan).
- Freezer-friendly – the sauce and the base of rice, pasta, and lentils are friendly, which is super handy. I love having a couple of servings of Koshari in the freezer for those weeknights when you can’t be bothered cooking after work and need something quick and filling. However, I would not recommend freezing the onions as they will lose their crispy texture if frozen/reheated. However, it only takes a few minutes to prepare and fry the onion, so you can have this done and ready when it takes to microwave the rest of the meal. Trust me, for that satisfying crispy texture, it is worth doing it this way!
How to make Koshari
Making Koshari has three simple steps: cook the carbs, simmer your sauce, and fry your onions. There’s a detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post, but if you’d like a high-level step-by-step overview with images, read on.
Step One – Cook the rice, lentils, and pasta according to package instructions.
Step Two – In a saucepan, sauté garlic and spices, then add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and a splash of vinegar. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then blend.
Step Three – Coat sliced onions in flour and fry until golden and crispy.
Step Four– Serve by combining the cooked rice, lentils, and pasta. Top with the tomato sauce and crispy fried onions.
Variations and Substitutions
- Gluten-Free Option: Substitute the macaroni with your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Enhanced Flavours: experiment with additional spices or herbs such as cumin, coriander, or fresh parsley to add your twist.
- Lentils: you can swap out lentils for chickpeas or add chickpeas as an extra add-on.
- Pasta: you can use any small pasta you have on hand, like orecchiette, ditalini, orzo, or farfalle.
Expert Tips
- Flavourful Sauce: when making the tomato sauce, allow it to simmer and reduce to concentrate the flavors. Adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your preference.
- Crispy Onions: to achieve perfectly crispy fried onions, thinly slice them and coat them evenly with flour before frying. Remove any excess oil by placing them on paper towels.
Storage Instructions
Koshari will keep for 3 days in the fridge if you have leftovers. You can freeze Koshari for up to 3 months, excluding the onions. Shallow fry the onions just before serving to ensure a crispy texture.
FAQs
Koshari is complete, but you can complement it with a side salad, pita bread, pickles, tahini, or natural yogurt. Additions like chickpeas are also very common toppings.
Normally Koshari recipes can be pretty time-consuming (up to two and a half hours). However, this recipe is a quick version and only takes 40 minutes from start to finish, including prep! It’s a relatively straightforward dish to prepare.
More hearty and affordable vegan dinner ideas
I hope you love my friend’s recipe below as much as I do. We would love to know if you try it and what you think; if you tag me on Instagram, I will share your photos on stories. There are a lot of different variations on Koshari, so get creative and let us know how you customize it in your way 🙂
Egyptian Koshari Recipe (quick & easy – 40 minutes!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown lentils dry; approx. 145g
- ¾ cup white rice dry long grain; approx. 150g
- 5.3 oz macaroni pasta dry; approx. 150g
Tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp za’atar or sub with oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 5 oz tomato paste approx. 140g
- 14 oz diced tomatoes 1 can; approx. 400g
- 3⅓ cups boiling water approx. 800ml
Crispy onions
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced for crispy onions
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour for coating onions
- ½ tsp salt for crispy onions
- ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying; or any oil suitable for frying
Instructions
Cook the rice, lentils, and pasta
- In separate pots, cook the brown lentils, white rice, and macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Make the tomato sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the za’atar, salt, sugar, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and white vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add a splash of boiling water and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Stir in the tomato paste and diced tomatoes, then pour in the remaining boiling water. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed—add more sugar if too tangy, or more salt. Use a handheld stick blender to purée the sauce until smooth. Transfer to a serving jug or bowl.
Fry the crispy onions
- In a bowl, toss the sliced yellow onion with flour and ½ teaspoon salt until well coated. Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. To test if the oil is ready, drop in a piece of onion—if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
- Add the onions in a single layer and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
Serve
- Arrange the cooked rice, lentils, and pasta on a large platter—either layered or tossed together. Serve with the warm tomato sauce and crispy onions on the side so everyone can build their bowl to taste.
Samantha says
I assembled it different and topped with vegan feta. This meal is amazing!
Liz says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Feta sounds yummy.
Tiffany Castle says
I saw this dish advertising a new restaurant on Edgeware Road in London and wanted it badly. Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah says
Been trying your recipes all week and I’m hooked! This one tops the list.
Hong Nguyen says
So filling and works really well as a vegan version!