Make Restaurant quality Dal Makhani using Instant Pot with this easy recipe. Dal Makhani is Indian comfort food loved by all. It's a flavorful mixture of lentils and herbs simmered together in creamy delicious makhani curry sauce. This Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe with step by step instructions shows how easy and convenient it is to make this classic Indian Curry in electric pressure cooker.
Similar to Rajma Masala ( Red Beans Curry) , Aloo Matar ( Potato and Peas Curry) and Chana Masala ( Chickpea Curry ) this delicious Dal Makhani is Indian soul food. This curry dish is served with plain basmati rice is full of satisfying comfort vibes
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Dal Makhani Recipe Highlights
- Vegan,
- Gluten free,
- Soy free and dairy free
- Full of plant Protein, fiber and nutrients
- Easy to make at home
- Budget friendly and cost effective
- Taste like restaurant's
What is Dal Makhani?
Dal Makhani is delicious North Indian Curry is popular in Punjab region, Delhi and surrounding areas. It is also served by roadside street food vendors called "Dhaba".
Dal Makhani is made with combination of whole black lentils (Black Gram Matpe Beans) and red kidney beans. A tangy tomato based Makhani Sauce make this recipe very delectable. Simple home-made food at it's best !
In literally translation, Daal Makhani means lentils /beans with cream sauce. However, in this recipe , I am not using any cream. When cooked well, the urad dal will give more than enough rich creamy texture. No need to add unnecessary extra cream and the high calories that go with it.
Other Names
Dal Makhani can be spelled as Daal Makhani or Dahl Makhani. You will find this curry sold as Madras Lentils in ready to serve boxes in the grocery stores. It often is served in Indian Buffet Restaurants. You find it served in large gatherings, parties and weddings too.
This earthy rustic Restaurant Style Dal Makhani is very easy to make at home. You will notice substantial cost savings compare to ordering it from restaurants or buying it in ready made pouches. Most ingredients are easy to find in Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
Vegan Dal Makhani Ingredients
The Lentil / Daal Mix Ingredients
- Whole black urad dal ( Black Gram Matpe Beans) Soaked in water overnight.
- ½ cup red kidney beans , soaked in water overnight.
💡💡Hint : In case you forget to soak the beans and lentils, don't worry. Instant Pot will still cook it tender and mushy . Just add more time and water while cooking.
The Makhani Sauce Mix :
Onion and Tomatoes : I prefer to use 1 small red onion. Use a can of tomato puree or 3 fresh tomatoes chopped in fine cubes. For richer color, you can use 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste as well.
Cooking oil : Traditional recipes use ghee ( clarified butter ) You can use cooking oil to make it vegan and dairy free.
Spices and seasoning : We spice the dal makhani with bay leaf, ginger garlic paste along with whole cumin seeds, teaspoon Garam Masala, Cumin-Coriander powder, cinnamon powder and ground green cardamom seeds .
For the spices, use red chilli powder. Finish off the makhani sauce with dried fenugreek leaves ( called Kasuri Methi ) This dry herb brings out the unique flavor to many Indian curries.
How to make Instant Pot Dal Makhani
Soak the whole urad dal and red kidney beans in cold water overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside. Soaked beans and lentils more than double in size. They absorb the flavors better and cooking time is reduced. ( As mentioned earlier, if you are cooking un-soaked beans, please increase the water in cooking by another cup )
Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot. Let it heat up for a minute. Add the oil and the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle and brown, add all the ingredients listed under Makhani sauce. Stir well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
Cancel SAUTE. Your quick Makhani sauce is ready.
Add the soaked lentils and beans to the pot in the Makhani sauce , add 1 cup of water and mix well. Close the lid, place the valve on sealing and press the BEAN setting.
Takes about 30 minutes at high pressure once InstantPot comes to pressure. Once it's done cooking, let it NPR ( natural pressure release). Once the silver pin drops, open the lid. Mix everything well.
Mash the lentils and beans with a spoon to get the thicker butteriness and creamier consistency.
Stir well . Crush some dried fenugreek leaves on your palm and add them to curry. Mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and extra dried fenugreek leaves if desired. Serve warm and enjoy !
Serving Suggestions
Daal Makhani pairs well with Jeera rice. You can also eat it with garlic naan, paratha, roti , bread, quinoa or couscous.
A side of cut raw onions and lemon wedges are typically served to get the perfect rustic feel. You can just eat bowlful like a chili with variety of toppings also.
You can double this recipe. It freezes well. You can use it for meal prep. You might have to add little water while reheating.
You can use optional Smoking method called Dhungar. Heat up the charcoal over medium flame stove-top. Put it in the small container and pour 1 tsp. of oil over cooking hot coal. Put the hot coal container in the dal makhani serving bowl and immediately cover the pot and allow to smoke for 5 mins.
Our Popular Instant Pot Indian Food Recipes
- Turmeric Lemon Rice
- Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
- Easy Palak Paneer
- Ssamosa Chaat Recipe
- Kutchi Dabeli
- Pav Bhaji
- Stuffed Okra in Air Fryer
- Tava Pualo
- Easy Ragda Pattice
- Coconut Rice KheerT RICE KHEER
- Instant Pot Dal Palak
★ If you make this INSTANT POT DAL MAKHANI RECIPE do let us know how you like it by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
Equipment
Ingredients
The Lentil / Daal Mix :
- 1 cup whole black urad dal Black Gram Matpe Beans , Soaked in water overnight.
- ½ cup red kidney beans soaked in water overnight
To make Makhani sauce :
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil traditionally butter or ghee is used. If you are not vegan you can use it
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 cup tomato puree or 3 medium tomatoes crushed
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger and garlic
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 Tablespoon cumin-coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder adjust per taste]
- 1 Tablespoon sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust per taste
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves called Kasuri Methi
Instructions
- Soak the black urad daal and red kidney beans in cold water overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside. Soaked beans and lentils more than double in size. They easier absorb the flavors and cooking time is reduced.
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot, once heated, add the oil or butter and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds and once they start to brown, add all the ingredients listed under Makhani sauce. Stir well and let it cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring. Cancel Sauté. Your quick Makhani sauce is ready.
- Add the lentils and beans to the pot with Makhani sauce , add 1 cup of water and mix well. Close the lid, place the valve on sealing and press the Bean setting. Takes about 30 minutes at high pressure once InstantPot comes to pressure. Once it’s done cooking and beeps, let it NPR ( natural pressure release)
- When the silver pin drop, open the lid. Mash the beans slightly with a spoon to get the thicker consistency.
- Stir well. Crush some dried fenugreek leaves in your pinch and mix well. garnish with cilantro and dried fenugreek leaves if desired.
- Serve with rice of your choice, any choice roti , quinoa or couscous. You can just eat bowlful like a chili with variety of toppings also.
Notes
Nutrition
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Adding few Amazon Affiliate links to get the pictured Ethnic Indian Copper Serving Bowls From Amazon. These serving bowls are useful to serve biryani, curry and daal. You can use these unique bowl for all types of cuisine. They are easy to maintain and clean.
Nolwenn Petitbois
Are the black urad dhal the same as the "beluga" lentils? thanks 🙂
admin
They are not exactly the same but they do work for this recipe.
Anisha
This recipes looks great and I would like to try it but I didn’t have time to soak the dal or Rajma. Above, I saw it said to add one extra cup of water if that’s the case and cook longer. How much longer should I cook it for. Also, it’s my first time I’ll be using my insta pot. So just a little nervous.
admin
Anisha, cook at least 15 minutes longer. Rajma can stay tough though. Hope it turns out well for you
ellen
Hi. I bought canned kidney beans instead of dry. Can I use those? And if so, how would you suggest I adjust the water and cook time? Should I just use the ‘pressure cook’ button instead of the ‘bean’ button, since I don’t have to cook the beans from scratch? I am using dried black lentils, but only have a short time to soak them. Thank you!!
admin
Hi Ellen, yes just use pressure cook button for 15 minutes if you have canned kidney beans
ellen
Thank you for your quick reply!
Linda G
This sounds very good – I love the generous spices in this combination! It reminds me a bit of a ‘dal’ we used to get at a restaurant in Houston (Haveli). However, their version used split black dal, kidney beans and the ‘orange’ dal — with both dals being about equal, and the kidney beans about half of those two (in the finished dish). It also tasted quite a bit like Texas style chili – with a lot of cumin flavor, and I don’t recall the cinnamon and cardamom flavors being very distinct. In addition, I suspect it had much less tomato – maybe a single small can of tomato sauce, but I have no idea. Based on this, can you suggest a recipe adaption that might come close to the dal we used to love!?! Thanks! Meanwhile, I’ll try this recipe — it sounds really delicious!
admin
Linda, orange dal ( Indian term Masoor dal) will help make it even more smooth. This recipe is vegan. Most resturants use butter and heavy cream or cashew paste to thicken so if you use either that, you can reduce tomato sauce. Also if you use Garam Masala, you can skip cardamom and cinnamon. 1 teaspoon or more garam masala will bring out very prominent flavors. Hope this helps. Do let us know how it turns out when you make it.
Linda G
Thanks so much. I'll give it a try. ;D
Lisa Croddy
@admin, your response here is very confusing. The recipe calls for Garam Masala AND cardamom and cinnamon. But in your note you say if you have Garam Masala, you don't need cardamom and cinnamon. I am about to make this and I don't know which I should do. Please advise.
admin
The recipe clearly mentions to all the Makhani Sauce ingredients that includes garam masala, cardamom and cinnamon powder. " Add the oil and the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle and brown, add all the ingredients listed under Makhani sauce"
Louise
This was absolutely delicious! Hearty and filling. My meat-loving boyfriend and Mum both devoured it as quickly as I did. It’s gojng to be a regular in this house now. I had only put it on in the instant pot as a trial because I don’t always have luck with new recipes, and my actual dinner plan was a disaster so this totally saved the day.
admin
Thank you for your comment. So glad this was loved by all. Happy Instapotting with this recipe !!
Annissa
Love that this is a healthy and hearty recipe! Looks so delicious!
Ben Myhre
This Indian dish looks delectable and super tasty. As you suggest, Daal would be a great thing to serve with this and I look forward to trying it.
Ellen
I am not familiar with this dish but we love lentils! Sounds yummy.
Jenna
I moved to a town without a great Indian restaurant, and I've been looking for a lentils recipe! Thanks!
Kelly Anthony
Loving how healthy but also comforting this meal is. I am a big fan of comfort food so this dish is right up my alley.