You no longer have to go to an Indian restaurant to enjoy a bowl of delicious dal makhani. This pressure cooker dal recipe is quick and easy to make in an instant pot!

Instant Pot Dal Makhani: buttery lentils cooked in delicious Indian spices by Ashley of MyHeartBeets.com

This popular Punjabi dal is so easy to make in an instant pot! Dal makhani is a rich and creamy dal recipe that calls for a combination of lentils: whole lentils that maintain their texture and split lentils that melt together to create a creamy dal. Stir some ghee into the dal before serving to give it a rich buttery flavor and you’ve got the perfect bowl of lentil soup.

I’ve been eating dal makhani for as long as I can remember. I was a pretty picky eater as a kid but when it came to eating buttery lentils – I was always on board. A favorite childhood meal: dal makhani, roti, spicy achar (pickle) and dahi (yogurt). So simple but so tasty. Just thinking about it makes me nostalgic.

Speaking of nostalgia, that’s pretty much the whole reason I’m even sharing this recipe. My mom makes the best dal makhani and right after I got married, she made sure to share her recipe with me. By her recipe I mean, “Ash, just use a pinch of this, a handful of that and a few scoops of this.” In the past, her directions would overwhelm me… but now I think I’ve got the hang of converting “mom’s measurements” to actual measurements (#IndianGirlProblems). Even though mom’s cooking is always the best, I have to say this dal makhani is absolutely spot on – or “on fleek” (wow… I feel super awkward and way too old to be using that phrase IRL. same with IRL…). The best part is, you can make this in your Instant Pot – a magical electronic pressure cooker that’ll have the dal done in no time at all. Trust me, this dal is restaurant-quality for sure.

Serve this dal with basmati rice and dahi (yogurt). You can make my plain basmati rice, jeera rice or matar pulao.

Instant Pot Dal Makhani

★★★★★ 4.9 from 45 reviews

Author: Ashley Thomas
Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup whole and split lentils (any combination of whole black lentils, whole mung beans, whole masoor beans, red lentils, red kidney beans, etc), soaked overnight
2 tablespoons neutral oil (I like avocado oil)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoons minced ginger

Spices

1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne

2 tomatoes, chopped
3 cups water
2 tablespoons ghee, adjust to taste
Cilantro, garnish
Drizzle of heavy cream, optional garnish

Instructions

Soak the lentils in cold water overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds and once they start to brown, add the onion and bay leaf. Stir-fry for 6-7 minutes or until the onion begins to brown.
Add the garlic, ginger, spices and stir, then add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down.
Add the lentils to the pot along with the 3 cups of water and mix well.
Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Stir in the ghee and garnish with cilantro if desired.

Notes

Feel free to add more ghee to this recipe! Ghee is what gives this dal its delicious buttery flavor. You can also add a bit of heavy cream if you prefer!