I’m sharing a delicious recipe with you guys today! It’s for dal makhani made in an Instant Pot! It calls for lentils. You might be wondering why a mostly paleo blogger would do such a crazy thing like use lentils in a recipe. But here’s the dal deal: not all of my readers follow the paleo diet. Some are vegetarians (shoutout to my bro!) and some are just Indian food lovers looking for authentic, easy-to-make Indian recipes.
I haven’t been able to make dal makhani sans legumes… because um, the entire dish is made of legumes. Maybe some day… but for now, if you can’t have lentils but want something similar to this, then try my mulligatawny soup. And if you’re mad at me for sharing a recipe that calls for legumes, visit my recipe index and click “paleo” for recipes that do follow strict paleo guidelines. 
Now that I’ve said all of that, let’s talk about dal, baby.
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 those buttery lentils – I was always on board. One of my favorite meals: dal makhani, roti, spicy achar (pickle) and dahi (yogurt). So simple but so tasty. Just thinking about that meal 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” if you’re a millennial like me (even though I feel super awkward and a bit too old using that phrase IRL). The best part is, you can make this in your handy dandy 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.
If you can tolerate rice or grassfed yogurt, then I highly recommend serving this dal alongside those two things. If not, make my paleo roti or paleo naan recipe.
- 1 cup whole and split lentils (I used a combination of whole black lentils, whole mung beans, red lentils), soaked in water overnight
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ inch ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne, adjust to heat preference
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons ghee or grassfed butter, add more according to taste
- Cilantro leaves, optional
- Soak the lentils in water overnight. Drain.
- Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot and add the oil and cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seeds start to splutter, add the onion and bay leaf.
- After 8-10 minutes or when the onions begin to turn golden, add the garlic, ginger and spices. Stir briefly, then add the tomatoes.
- Cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down.
- Add the drained lentils to the pot along with the 3 cups of water.
- Mix well, cover and lock the lid. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot, then press the “Bean/Chili” button to begin the pressure cooking. It will automatically be set for 30 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is closed.
- Once the stew is done, the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” mode. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the pot, stir in the ghee and garnish with cilantro.
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Try these:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot Saag
Instant Pot Carne Guisada
Instant Pot Habanero Chili
Goat Curry in a Hurry
Instant Pot Texas Beef Chili
Instant Pot Ground Lamb Curry
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
I only have Moong and Masoor daal at home…. will those work?
Yes, that’ll work!
This recipe couldn’t be any easier or tastier!! I had it with the paleo naan… so delicious!
Happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for ya, Sabin!
Sounds amazing! How long would you cook it if using a crock pot? I don’t have a pressure cooker. Thanks!
Jessica, I haven’t tried making this with a slow cooker yet but I’d guess 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. If you try, will you please let us know?
Hi,
Do you use equal proportions of each of the three types of lentils?
Hello! I just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post. They are so perfect for my family. Not only am I trying to eat healthier and have a love for my Instant Pot, but my husband and children are Indian as well, so I try to incorporate the cuisine in our dinner rotation. Whenever I ask my mother in law for recipes, she has no clue about measurements of spices and only counts in Indian pressure cooker whistles, haha. So far, we’ve tried the egg curry, carne guisada, baingan ka bharta, and sarson ka saag. All were so wonderful and delicious! Thank you for posting such easy and tasty recipes.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jen!! And I completely understand – my mom used to give me directions in whistles too, lol! I’m really happy to hear that you’ve tried and liked so many recipes on the blog – makes my day
Hi,
You mention tomatoes in recipe instructions but not in ingredient list. ??
Do you use fresh? Canned?
Hi, they are in the ingredients list too
It says 2 tomatoes, chopped – I use fresh.
Another perfect recipe!!!
Instant pot is certainly on my list “to buy”
Thanks, Shwetha!!
Do you have to soak the beans overnight, or could you cook them in the instant pot first?
Well, I don’t have 24 hours before serving, so I guess I will try it and find out!
This recipe looks wonderful. I don’t have an Instant Pot, how long would you cook with a regular electric pressure cooker? Would you use the high setting? Thanks so much.
Literally my first attempt with the instant pot and it was so easy and turned out great!
That’s great!! Happy to hear that!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I did sit down and do an approximate carb break-down of it for anybody who’s interested. I came up with a total of 71g carbs and approximately 20.6g fiber for the entire recipe, so 50.4g net carbs. If you do this as 4 servings (I didn’t see a number of servings mentioned but that’s what I’m going to ballpark it as) that’s about 12.6g carbs per serving. I’m on a low-carb diet and I’m definitely looking forward to making this as a treat! I love dal makhani so so much and I was worried I’d never be able to eat it again, so thank you so so much for posting this recipe! I don’t have a Instant Pot or a pressure cooker, so I’m going to try it out in a crock pot/slow cooker.
Thanks for the breakdown, Jana! I hope you love the recipe
So I am making this tonight. Put the lentils to soak overnight. I will let you know how it turned out. Going to serve it with cauli rice and plantain rotis.
Awesome! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you
So I was being too quick with it all and realize that last night I didnt soak the whole urad daal but instead did a mixture or gree/yellow/red split/whole lentils hahaha. So lets say this was quite the same but turned out great. I also didnt use fresh tomatos but tomato paste instead. GREAT!!! What surprise me the most is that 1 cup of dry lentils made THAT much food!!! Dinner for two at least twice around here. https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfRCY5i5oC/?taken-by=paleo_tomek
Love the picture!! I’m really glad you liked it
I don’t usually soak red lentils or moong dal(split mung beans) what happens if you don’t soak?
Because they are not whole lentils,right? Will they work? I don’t have black lentils.
Linda, you don’t have to soak the split daal – I keep these three types of lentils mixed together in one big container so it’s just easier for me to soak them all at the same time.
Thanks so much for a great recipe. This is actually the first recipe I used in my brand new Instant Pot! I made the following modifications: 1/3 c french green lentils (didn’t have black lentils), 1 regular sized can of diced tomatoes instead of 2 whole tomatoes. I will say the 1tsp of cayenne was very spicy, but my boyfriend loved it! The ghee at the end transformed this dish into pure luxury! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
I’m so glad you liked it!! Hope you’ll let me know what else you try from the blog!
Nice recipe, would like to see it fully adapted to the Instant Pot to avoid having to soak the lentils overnight or for 24 or 48 hours or whatever. The Instant Pot is supposed to speed up and simplify cooking, not make it longer and add steps.
You can always skip the soaking part and cook it longer if you want. I soak lentils to reduce phytic acid – according to this article by Chris Kresser, soaking legumes can remove 30–70 percent of phytic acid. Also, it cooks pretty quickly and in a single pot, so it’s still faster than traditional cooking methods imo.
Hi! I am so great full for finding this site for Indian recipes using instant pot!! I just bought one and I am looking forward to making healthier meals for my family. I will be trying this recipe tonight! By the way, Would you happen to have a recipe for rajma?? Thanks for this website and I am looking forward to more of your instant pot recipes!!
Hi Rhoda! Glad you found my website too
I don’t have a rajma recipe using the Instant Pot yet, but I’ll add that to my list of things to make!
I wanted to offer up a comment to the “soaking the lentils overnight” issue. I made this recipe (or one very similar to it about a month ago) and it turned out just ok. A good friend of mine who is from India and has been using pressure cookers since way before the IP was around said that regardless of the fact we are told there is no need to soak the beans for Dal, it just turns out better if you do. I’m soaking my lentils (combination of whole black lentils – Urud – and some split red lentils) and will let you know how the consistency compares to non-soaking.
Perfect, we loved it! I didn’t persoak my beans otherwise followed the directions and it came out perfectly done and flavorful.
Tiffany, that’s great to hear!! I’m so glad you loved it
Loved this recipe. I had tried other recipes, but this was simpler, easy to follow and turned out great. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out
Hi there!
I’m planning on trying this next week, would subbing ground cumin be totally crazy (new to cooking Indian food) I always have it in the house.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Denise, cumin seeds when spluttered in hot oil have a really unique flavor – one that’s different from ground cumin. I’d suggest getting cumin seeds if you can! Can’t wait to hear how this turns out for you
Dear Ashley,
Just dropped in to say thank you for this delicious recipie. I’veven just tried it on my brand new instant pot. It was my first experience with pressure cooking, which turned out quite successful. I was bit hesitant to buy a pressure cooker, due to various accidents we hear, but I think it’s quite safe, if we follow the instructions.
I’m going to try other ‘desi’ recipes too. I wonder if you’ve got one for mutton karhai?
Best regards
Hi Ali, I’m so glad you like the recipe! I have a few desi IP recipes and will be adding more soon! Here’s a link to my Instant Pot Goat Curry recipe: https://myheartbeets.com/goat-curry-in-a-hurry-instant-pot-recipe/ Let me know if you try it
Dear Ashley,
I am in love with most (if not all) of your recipes and have tried many already: the n’oatmeal bowls and naans have even become a staple in my house!
I just got myself an instant pot and I am loving it, but i am quite new to cooking with it. I can’t wait to try this recipe but I have one, perhaps silly question: when you say one cup of lentils, soaked overnight, do you mean one cup of dry lentils – which are then soaked and thus increased by weight – or one cup of lentils equivalent to cooked lentils – which will obviously be much less lentils due to all the absorbed water? thank you so much for all the inspiration and delicious recipes!!
Hi Sarah! Glad to hear you like my recipes
There are no silly questions! I mean one cup of dry lentils (which are then soaked overnight) 
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. My son and I made this for our lunch today. It turned out fantastic!
Susan, that’s awesome! Happy to hear that
Can you make this with canned lentils?
I made this last night with my stovetop pressure cooker. I cooked it on high for 7 minutes with a quick release after soaking it for almost 18 hours. I didn’t click on the black lentil link in the recipe and used beluga lentils (whoops!) with red and mung beans instead and it still turned out great! We aren’t paleo, so I served it with some pressure cooked white rice and yogurt and my kids 7,5, and 2 loved it (I did leave out the cayenne). We aren’t Indian, but kids are always suckers for Indian food and we love your recipes.
Katie, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad your kiddos liked the recipe!!
Just discovered your blog. We are a quasi-paleo family and Indian food lovers. Excited to try this and many of your other recipes!
Hi Alli! I’m glad you found my blog! I think it’s becoming quasi-paleo too haha. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe
Thank you for sharing your mom’s delicious recipe. I love lentils but every time I make them, my kids start moaning and groaning. Not tonight – everyone gobbled them up!
Hi Alli! Wow, that’s so great to hear!! Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you all!
EXCELLENT recipe. I ended up using some homemade chicken bone broth in place of water and a little less than a can of diced tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes (it’s January in the PNW). Thank you – it was a great introduction to the Instant Pot! (the first meal I’ve tried) Thank you for your generosity in sharing:)
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you
I made this vegan by substituting Earth Balance in place of ghee! It turned out great but definitely a bit thin. Thickens up nice with flour but will use less water next time.
Also, the “print” icon on the recipe appears to be broken!
Would just green lentils work?
How many servings is this would it feed 5 if served with rice and a vegetable?
Yes, I’d suggest doubling the recipe to be safe – and if you have leftovers, just freeze what’s left for a rainy day. I do this all the time. Hope that helps!
I’ve heard with the IP you don’t need to soak lentils or other beans. Have you tried that?
I soak beans to remove phytic acid: https://chriskresser.com/are-legumes-paleo/
Urad dal and mung I would sure soak. Would I soak the red lentils that long too? Want to make this today!
I soak everything together because it’s easier and it turns out just fine – the red lentils are going to “melt” while cooking anyway
Let me know what you think!
Which Brand and model instant pot(pressure cooker) are you using.
Hi Harry! I link to my model in the blog post!
Hi, I love your recipes and am looking forward to making this one. I can’t seem to find the amount of tomatoes needed in the recipe. Did I miss it?
Hi Romaida, the recipe calls for 2 tomatoes (it’s listed right above the water in the ingredients section). I think I saw that you got the answer to this question in the Instant Pot for Indian Food group on Facebook. Sorry for the late reply – I was on vacation last week
is there any way to “fix” the dish if it’s too salty? freak accident with salt shaker thx to hubby not tightening the lid
Hi Mara, this is probably too late of a reply (my baby keeps me so busy!), but I really hope you were able to save the dish! You can add potatoes to the dish! Or try topping it with some sour cream. And if you want to make a second batch then just leave out the salt the second time around and combine the two batches.
This smelled wonderful. I soaked the whole lentils for 24 hrs and then followed directions but it turned out watery and just isn’t very good. I’m so bummed. Not sure why that happened. Any suggestions should I attempt again? Don’t soak? Or soak and less water?
Hi Rebecca, I’m surprised it’s watery – did you dump out the water the beans were soaking in and add fresh water when cooking? Also, give it a little time, lentils continue to thicken after they are cooked. If they do thicken, add ghee when serving for more flavor. Please update me and let me know how it turns out!
Thank you for responding. I did soak and then drain them and use fresh water for cooking. I did notice the lentils absorbed the water they were soaking in so maybe that was the problem. And as you said, it did thicken up but the taste was watered down. I will try again though because the base smelled wonderful. Maybe I’ll try a different brand of lentil too… Thanks!
Hi. Can you explain how to soak the lentils? When I google it, most sites I see say don’t soak more than 12 hours. Some suggest changing the water, etc. When you add the water to soak them, do you refrigerate that until it’s time to cook? Do you change the water? Should it be airtight? Sorry to be so clueless! And thanks for the great recipes! Your butter chicken is now a staple for our family! Thanks!
Hi! That’s a good question! Just put the lentils in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them sit on the counter overnight. You can change the water if you want to, but you don’t have to. Just make sure to give the lentils a really good rinse before using them (dump out the water they were soaking in – don’t keep or use that). Let me know how this turns out for you and let me know if you have any more questions
This recipe is incredible. I followed the recipe exactly but did make some additions (no revisions ) I added 2 diced Serrano peppers, one diced potato, and a cup of leftover frozen peas and carrots. It was amazing. Better than a restaurant. Will be a staple in our home! I hope you post a good Instant Pot Aloo Gobi recipe in the future! This is the fourth Indian IP recipe I’ve made of yours..all amazing! Plan on leaving more 5 star reviews
Thanks so much, Hannah! I’m so happy to hear that you liked it so much
And I love the additions – I’ll have to try that the next I make this!
May I ask if you have a 5, 6 or 8 qt Instant Pot? I am trying to determine based on cups of ingredients/cans of beans, from multiple recipes, whether I would need the largest size in order to fit all of the ingredients.
Thank you!
Justine
I have the 6 quart but I plan on buying the 8 quart next
This recipe will definitely work in a 6 quart though.
Do you mean a cup each of split and whole lentils or a cup combined of lentils? This is for your recipe Instsnt Pot Dal Makhani.
Hi Dal, you just need 1 cup total (combination of whole and split). Let me know if you have more questions!
I don’t know if I posted my question properly. Does your recipe mean a cup each of whole and split lentils or does it mean one cup if combined lentils?
Hi Dal, you just need 1 cup total (combination of whole and split). Let me know if you have more questions!
Just made this and it’s delicious! Didn’t have cumin seeds so just used ground cumin. Thank you for this great recipe
Samantha, I’m so glad you liked it!
SO SO SO GOOD!
I’m so glad you liked it!
thank you for sharing this recipe. I;ve made this multiple times and its been a hit everytime.
Radha, I’m so happy to hear that!
This was just incredibly delicious and authentic- as was your roti I made to accompany it. My husband said it was delicious about 15 times, and he is usually always very unenthusiastic about “vegetarian night”. Im not Indian but he is, and I quickly fell in love with Indian food when introduced many years ago. When we adopted a somewhat paleo- 100% gluten free lifestyle, so many Indian staples were off the table. I am just so excited to have found your site. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Amy, that makes me so happy to hear!! And lol – my husband isn’t a fan of “vegetarian night” either haha! I hope you’ll let me know what you both think about any other recipes you try/like!
I thought I followed the instructions but what I ended up with looks more like a watery lentil soup rather than a dal. Am I not using the Instant Pot correctly? How can I be sure it is sealed and pressurized while cooking? Thanks.
Was the vent set to sealing? Were the lentils cooked?
The Instant Pot I just bought doesn’t have the bean/chili option. Should I use the soup/broth, meat/stew, or multigrain button? Just discovered this site and am so excited for more indian recipes!
Hi Johanne! You can use the manual button and set it to 30 minutes. Hope that helps! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I don’t have an instant pot but do have a CrockPot. Can I use it for this recipe but cook it longer?
And if so how long?