Are lentils vegan?

Lentils are the edible seeds of Lens culinaris, an annual plant belonging to the legume family. They are harvested from pods, dried, and often de-hulled or split during post-harvest processing. Grown extensively worldwide, common varieties include brown, green, red, yellow, and black lentils. Food manufacturers use them whole, split, or milled into flour across a wide range of products, such as canned soups, pre-packaged curries, pasta substitutes, dry meal kits, and plant-based meat analogues.

Lentils are classified as vegan because they are entirely of plant origin. The agricultural production and basic processing of raw, dried, or canned lentils involve mechanical harvesting, threshing, cleaning, and sorting, which do not require animal-derived processing aids or animal ingredients. Because they contain no animal tissue, secretions, or byproducts at any stage of production, lentils are inherently vegan.