Dal makhani is Indian comfort food at its finest that your family will love. Thanks to the Instant Pot, it is quick and easy to make. This dal curry is perfect for cool days, days when you need a pick me up, and days when you just want to have something that tastes delicious. Some recipes are universally loved by every foodie and geographical boundaries don't matter. Dal Makhani is one such recipe that is loved across the world.
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This recipe was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated with Simpler Stove to and instant pot instructions , pictures, new video and pro-tips.
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What is Dal Makhani ?
Dal Makhani is a very popular Indian curry made of lentils and butter. Dal means “lentils” and Makhani means “butter.” It is a creamy, rich comfort food found all over the world in Indian restaurants.
Ingredients to make Dal Makhani
To make this delicious comfort food, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Black gram dal or whole urad dal
- Kidney beans or rajma
- Ghee/ Olive oil - you could use another oil if you have it on hand
- Cumin seeds
- Dry bay leaves
- Onion - white onions are best for this recipe
- Garlic and ginger- grated or crushed
- Chopped cilantro
- Turmeric powder
- Red chili powder
- Tomatoes - crushed
- Cumin or coriander powder
- Kasoori methi
- Salt - add to taste, but you can omit if you are watching how much salt you eat each day
How to Make Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot
- The Instant Pot is our preferred way to make this recipe because it makes it super easy and fast. The whole dish is ready in about 45 minutes or less. Here’s how to do it.
- Start by cleaning the black lentils of any debris. Wash and soak the udad dal/ lentil for about an hour. This will help aid digestion and cut down on the cook time. Once they have soaked, drain the dal /lentil completely and keep it aside.
- Turn on the Saute function on the Instant Pot . When HOT add the ghee or oil . Then add the bay leaf and cumin seeds let it crackle . Add in the fenugreek leaves , garlic, and ginger and give it a quick stir.
- Once the spices have cooked, add the onion. Saute them for about 2 minutes or until the onions have started to soften. Next add in the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin (or coriander powder), the dal/ lentils and water.
- Stir it all together and cancel the Saute function on the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the pot and set it to pressure cook on manual for 35 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for about 5 to 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure using the quick release valve.
- Carefully open the lid and stir the dal well. Add in the canned kidney beans .Use a potato masher, ladle, or other hard spoon to smash up some of the dal and beans. This will add creaminess to the dal. If the dal seems to dry, add in a small amount of water and stir it well. Add a dash of heavy cream if desired .
- Serve hot with roti, naan, Jeera rice, or your other favorite dishes.
How to Make Dal Makhni on the Stove Top
- Soak the urad dal. This will help aid digestion of the beans. Once they have soaked, drain the dal completely.
- Place the dal, beans, water, onion, ginger, salt and turmeric powder in a stove top pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles 15 - 20 minutes. After the fourth whistle, set the burner to low and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- When the pressure has released, open the lid. Make sure the dal is fully cooked and tender. Add canned rajma and give it a quick stir .(If you didn’t soak the dal, cook until the pressure cooker reaches 4 to 6 whistles and keep it on low to medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes.)
- To make the tempering, heat butter or oil in a large skillet or pan. When the butter has melted or the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sputter, add the garlic and tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes are soft and breaking apart.
- Next, add in the red chili powder, coriander powder, and dried Kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves. Saute the mixture until the oil oozes out from the masala or till the tomato becomes mushy.
- Once the tempering is done, pour in the cooked dal from the pressure cooker. Simmer on low heat until the dal is soft and well-blended with the tempering.
- Serve the dal hot with roti, naan, rice, or your favorite dish.
Tips and Tricks for Easy Dal Makhani
Here are some tips and tricks to help you make the best Madras Lentils.
- Soaking lentils ahead of time helps aid digestion and reduces cooking times
- Use white onions for the best flavor, but yellow works too if needed
- Don’t add cream or butter if you want to keep the recipe vegan
- Use fresh ingredients like ginger, garlic, and tomatoes
- You can make your own tomato puree instead of using tomato paste for even better flavor
Is Dal Makhani Gluten Free?
Yes! This recipe does not use any flour or ingredients that contain gluten.
Do I need to soak the dal overnight to make this recipe?
No! One of the best parts of using the Instant Pot is that you don’t have to pre soak your lentils or beans the night before. If you did already, that’s not a problem either! The Instant Pot can handle cooking both soaked and unsoaked beans and lentils.
Is this dal recipe vegan?
We use both cream and butter to help enhance the creaminess and flavors of this recipe. But if you want to keep this vegan, you can by omitting the butter and cream. The dal makhni will still be creamy. The creaminess comes from the split lentils added into the curry.
What can we eat with dal makhani?
This is a very versatile dish. You can serve it with basmati rice, roti, or naan. You could also serve it with this homemade Kulcha. But if you are really looking to elevate your experience eating this dal, you should try it with chutney, aachar, chilled pineapple lassi, or chilled mango lassi.
How do you store the Dal Makhani?
Though foods always taste best freshly made, you can store this curry for later use or to send with your family for a quick, warm homemade lunch.
To store, allow the dal makhni to cool down to room temperature. Once it has cooled, spoon it into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. You can store this for about 4 to 5 days if you did not add extra cream. If you have added cream, you can store it for about 1 to 2 days.
You can also freeze the dal. To do this, allow it to cool and place it in a freezer safe container. You can freeze the dal for up to 6 months. To reheat, allow it to defrost and microwave for a few minutes until warmed through or cook over low heat on the stove top in a pan.
If you want, you can reheat in the microwave still frozen, just add additional cook time to thaw and heat the dal.
Are you an vegetarian Indian food lover? Then you will love our recipes
What does dal Makhani taste like?
Dal Makhani is buttery and melts in your mouth without a bit. The Dal is fille with rich flavors of butter or ghee and a blend of Indian spices .
Can you freeze dal makhani?
Yes you can , however it's best to freeze the dal before adding cream to it. To do this, allow it to cool and place it in a freezer safe container. You can freeze the dal for up to 6 months. To reheat, allow it to defrost and microwave for a few minutes until warmed through or cook over low heat on the stove top in a pan.
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Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe
Dal Makhani is Indian comfort food at its finest that your family will love. Thanks to the Instant Pot, it is quick and easy to make. This dal curry is perfect for cool days, days when you need a pick me up, and days when you just want to have something that tastes delicious.
Ingredients
- Black gram dal / whole urad dal - 1 - 1/2 cup
- Kidney beans - 1 canned
- Ghee or oil -2 tbsp.
- Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
- Dry bay leaves - 1
- Medium onion/ finely chopped-1
- Fresh chopped ginger-1 tsp
- Garlic cloves/ chopped- 4
- Chopped cilantro- 2 tbsp.
- Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder - 2 tsp
- Tomatoes/ finely chopped - 2 medium or 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Cumin/coriander powder - 2 tsp
- Dried fenugreek leaves /Kasoori methi - 1 tbsp.
- Salt to taste
- Water- 4 cups
- Cream- 1/4 cup- optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Wash and rinse the whole urad dal / lentil and keep it aside.
- Turn on the saute function. when hot, add the ghee, bay leaves, cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seed crackles, add ginger, garlic, dried fenugreek leaves and give it a stir.
- Add in the chopped onions
- Saute for a couple of minutes until the onion becomes soft.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and cumin /coriander powder and stir to mix.
- Add the lentils / dal Stir well to mix and then add water .
- Cancel the Saute function on the Instant Pot, and put on the lid.
- Press the Pressure cook function on the Instant Pot which sets it to pressure cook for 35 minutes.
- When done, do a Natural release .
- Open the lid . Add in the canned / cooked kidney beans. Stir the dal well.
- Use a ladle to mush some of the dal and beans, making it creamier.
- If it appears too thick, add some water to get the desired consistency, and turn the saute function until it heats through.
- Add the cream
- Serve it with hot paratha, naan, Jeera Rice or Roti.
Stove top instructions
- Place the dal, beans, water, onion, ginger, garlic, red chilis, salt and turmeric powder in a stove top pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles 15 - 20 minutes. After the fourth whistle, set the burner to low and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- When the pressure has released, open the lid. Make sure the dal is fully cooked and tender. Add canned rajma and give it a quick stir.
- To make the tempering, heat butter or oil in a large skillet or pan. When the butter has melted or the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sputter, add the garlic and tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes are soft and breaking apart.
- Next, add in the red chilli powder, coriander powder, and dried Kastoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves. Saute the mixture until the oil oozes out from the masala or till the tomato becomes mushy.
- Once the tempering is done, pour in the cooked dal from the pressure cooker. Simmer on low heat until the dal is soft and well-blended with the tempering.
Notes
- If you forgot to soak the dal/ lentils pressure cook the lentils on high pressure for 45 minutes with natural pressure release.
- Add tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes
- You can use garam masala instead of dried fenugreek leaves.
- Double the recipe in a 6qt or 8qt Instant pot easily by doubling the ingredients. The time remains the same .
Recommended Products
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Paul Williams says
I accidentally used coriander instead of cumin! Turned out a little weird, but still pretty good. Next time I'll try to make it the right way. No complaints from the kids.
Sankalp packaged food says
This dal makhani recipe is pure indulgence! Creamy, rich, and bursting with flavors, it truly brings the restaurant experience to your home.
Nalena says
Thank you! very nice instant pot version. I make my own cashew cream instead of cream at the end. :)
Judith Kashyap says
Hi Im going to make this this weekend and I am unsure how many servings this recipe is for? There will be 6 adults. I'm also making, peas pulao, beans curry and butter chicken. Thank You!
Shilpa says
I made this today and it was absolutely divine! I did add some garam masala, some whole dried red chilli, and I wanted it slightly thicker so I let it sauté for a bit. And I like some tang, so added some lemon juice. It was so easy to make! Thank you! I gave it to my friends and they all loved it!
Soniya Saluja says
So glad to hear that!
Jon says
I started using your earlier recipe and noticed the cinnamon, cloves & cardamom have disappeared. It appears other spices now call for half the amounts they did before.
Is all that part of the 'simplification', or did I mistakenly double the spices without doubling the lentils?
Elena says
Thank you for an authentic Dal recipe. We had it last night and it turned absolutely perfect. I am following gluten-free diet and this is a great addition tp my weekly routine. Thank you! :)
Soniya Saluja says
So glad to hear that Elena!
Ron Snider says
I made the instant pot Recipe today, it turned out great! I happened to have a cup and a half of frozen diced tomatoes and it looked like that was about the same volume as what was suggested, so I use it. For salt I used 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt, it seems about right. I had all the spices on hand including the Kashmir red pepper. The dish was perfect… not too hot! Sometimes these Internet recipes are a little too spicy, but this was just perfect. I ran the drained and rinsed can of kidney beans through the little Ninja chopper, rather than trying to mash them manually. After stirring that in, I used a hand blender to blend up the whole thing until it looked about right. Thanks for a great (instant pot) recipe!!
Ami says
Can I use uncooked kidney beans from a bag instead of canned kidney beans? How much would I add and would it be added with the black lentils at the same time to cook? Thank you.
Huda says
Should the tomatoes be peeled or unpeeled?
Soniya Saluja says
Hi Huds, no need to peel the tomatoes.
Dawn says
Sorry but it was very bland. I followed the recipe exactly.
SS says
@Dawn. Bland?? Are you sure you don't have covid and your taste buds are dead?
Sarah says
@Dawn, did you use the wrong chili powder?
Geeta says
Wow My first time making this in the instant pot and wow it turned out so amazing! I did make to tweaks to it first I added a tablespoon of butter to the pot For extra creaminess. Then when I opened up the pot I added about a heaping tablespoon of tamarind paste and heaping tablespoon of brown sugar because I felt the dish was missing tanginess to it - I can’t believe how awesome it tasted after I added that! I would highly recommend that versus adding lemon. Next time I will make it with the tamarind paste in the pot to cook with it. Thank you so much for this recipe you made it so easy for me!
I do suggest you update your recipe so that the coriander leaves are added at the end- not while cooking. And differentiate the coriander leaves from the coriander powder. I would just call it cilantro for the fresh leaves.That is confusing a bit for anyone who doesn’t regularly cook Indian food.
Joy Touchstone says
Hello!
Is there a substitute for the fenugreek leaves? I. Having a difficult time finding them. Thanks for clarifying the amount for the crushed tomatoes. It wasn't in the recipe.
Soniya Saluja says
Hi Joy, there is no substitution fir dried fenugreek leaves. You can skip it if you can't find it easily. Hope you find it coz it's a very aromatic herb used in Indian cooking. Hope this helps
Diwakar Mishra says
Wow delicious ? recipe with all well defined steps and images of Punjabi Dal Makhani Recipe
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks,Diwakar!
Sue says
How is Urad dal different from the green lentils I usually use? Can I use the green lentils in this recipe?
Toni Dash says
This is so good!! Love how flavorful it is!!
Irina says
My family feels like eating Indian curry from time to time, and your curry recipe is just what I want to make to surprise my guys. It sounds delicious! Making it tonight.
Priya Lakshminarayan says
That's my absolute favorite..will try your recipe
Noelle says
I love instant pot recipes! It was so simple to make and the flavors were great, thank you for sharing!
Gail Montero says
I love using my instant pot and it is such a breeze to make this tasty Dal Makhani in it!
April Sears says
I don't have the specific kinds of beans you list as the first 2 ingredients, but I do have lentils. Can I make this recipe with just plain old lentils?
Soniya Saluja says
Hi April, if you dont have red kidney beans/rajma you can skip the And still make this lentil or can canned red kidney beans once the lentils are cooked. if you by any chance have heavy whipping cream I your refrigerator you can add a 1/4 cup in the e d once the lentil cooked.(optional)
JoAnne Lowe says
This Dal is pure comfort food! When I make it, I freeze in single portions to pull out and pop in the microwave. The blend of flavors is perfection. Love, love it.
Josh says
Two questions:
When do I put in the other half of the methi?
Can I use canned crushed tomatoes? If yes, how much?
Soniya Saluja says
Hey Josh, Answer to your 1 St question the first half is with the spices and the second half goes in the end after it's cooked.
2 question: yes you can add crushed can tomato( small 14oz) or tomato paste( 3Tbsp).
Do share your feedback with us after you try it!
Josh Gleason says
Thank you! I will let you know how it goes. I'm cooking it tomorrow. One last question-do you soak both dals along with beans? Whole and skinned?
Soniya Saluja says
Yes, wash and soak both the lentil and the beans.
Josh says
Thank you. Making it now but a few things I'm unclear on:
-How long do you cook cumin seeds/bay leaf before adding onion?
-Does this recipe need cumin OR coriander powder, or both? Wasn't sure what "cumin/coriander powder" meant.
-When do you add the coriander leaves?
-Can you do a quick release at the end or must it be a natural release?
Thanks so much! Can't wait to let you know how it came out.
Soniya Saluja says
Sorry I missed this part earlier.
1 you don't have to cook the cumin and bay leaf.just dump the and stir once.when you add the onion. Saute it for few minutes. Keep an eye so it doesn't burn.
2 you get cumin and corriander powder mix in Indian stores.. but if you just have any one that's fine too.
3 Coriander is another name for cilantro. That's in the end.
4 wait for 5 mins then you can do a quick release.
Josh says
And is there a recommended amount of salt? Sorry for all the questions!!
Soniya Saluja says
Hey Josh, not a problem ? you can add 1tsp initially . After the Dal is done taste and add more if needed. We can add more salt but we cannot reduce salt? happy cooking ?
Sara Welch says
This looks like a really great meal option. It is packed with all the good flavors!
lynsire says
This looks so good to eat! Not only I love Indian food, but I'm vegan. So this is the perfect recipe for me to try :)
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks, hope you give it a try soon !
Leah says
Love Indian food! Love even more this is an instant pot recipe!!
Madeline Hall says
Yum looks great! Would love to try this!
Food and DIY says
I don't have an instant-pot but this recipe looks SO GOOD!! Seriously making me hungry right now!
Heather C. Watson says
That looks delicious!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
This looks so good and flavorful! I love that it's made in an instant pot!
Madison Pollard says
This looks phenomenal and I love that it's gluten free! Where would you recommend looking for the first couple of ingredients?
Sheree says
This recipe looks delicious, I haven't had Da Makhini before but I am very intrigued now, thanks for sharing!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
Raising Sugar Booger says
This looks super yummy! I'm pinning this to try for a family gathering coming up :)
catcandothat says
Yum - one of my favourite dishes, so much so I also have a blog post on it!
confettiandbliss says
Oh my goodness! My tastebuds have been activated with these gorgeous yummy images! I can hardly wait to try this Instant Pot Dal Makhani. Mmmmm....
Lauren Berger says
This looks delish! I pinned this for later :)
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks, hope you get a chance to try this soon :)
Antonet Roajer says
Yummy!! Going to make this for dinner.
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks, that's great... Do share your experience with us!
Soniya Saluja says
Glad you found this Dal Makhani useful! Hope you give this version of cooking lentils soon :)
Soniya Saluja says
That's great to hear! Who doesn't love Dal Makhani and instant pot ;)
musingsbycj says
I am a Punjabi and I know how much time dal makhni takes... the word instant in front of dal makhni got me interested... i think it is worth trying the recipe for sure... :)
Soniya Saluja says
Hello there,Instant pot sure simplifies the process by removing thet guess work of is it ready out. Do give it a try and let us know how it went ;)
Soniya Saluja says
I am sure that you ans your family will definitely love this flavorful Dal makhani.. :) Thanks for stopping by !
Tami Nieto says
I'm looking for ways to cook vegetarian/vegan AND for ways to incorporate lentils to more dishes! This helps me out a lot! Thank you.
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter says
My family would absolutely love this for dinner tonight! Thank you for a great recipe.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I've been thinking about getting an instant pot and this recipe has me convinced! I love dal!
Soniya Saluja says
It's a nice investment.. I debated alot before buying it ;) well now I am in love with it.
cocoandash says
I've never heard of this dish but now I want to try it! It looks delicious!
Soniya Saluja says
Thanks, well as mentioned in the blog post it's a very famous and popular India lentil Dal ! Hope you give it a try someday
Traci says
Ohhh this looks scrumptious and I lovvvve the color! I just made a vegan dish in my IP last night using very similar spices...and old friend's recipe. Doncha love toasting cumin to get the party started? YUMMM! Pinning now :)
Soniya Saluja says
That sounds yum! Do give this dalnmakDal a try.. younwill fall.innlove with it :)