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!
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 I was always on board when it came to eating buttery lentils. 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 (#IndianKidProblems). 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
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
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 to matoes 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.
Video
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!
Like this recipe? Then check out my cookbook: Indian Food Under Pressure for more Indian Instant Pot Recipes!
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
Denielle says
I couldn’t find ghee at the store I went to and don’t have time to shop around today. What would you recommend as an alternative? Butter? Coconut oil?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Denielle, you can use butter 🙂
Beth Romig says
Love this recipe. I make it frequently and it’s always a hit with my family. Even my 6 year old granddaughter, who didn’t want to try it, loved it and ate her whole bowl. Super easy and super delicous.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Beth, that’s so great to hear! Love that your granddaughter likes it too – that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family like this recipe 🙂
Sumita says
Thanks for a tried and true recipe! I had never made dal makhani before but since finding this recipe, I’ve made it a dozen times, each time consistently delicious!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you, Sumita! Happy to hear you like this dal makhani recipe so much 🙂
Sumita says
I never liked Dal Makhani until I tried this one! I always avoided the heavy cream but when I saw this recipe didn’t call for it, I decided to try it. Delicious! I’ve probably made this a dozen times now and it always comes out fantastic! Thanks got another tried and true recipe. It also made me try ghee again and it really does give it a warm buttery richness that I enjoy!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how much you like this!
Ben says
One of my favorite recipes of all time.
My Heart Beets says
Ben, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Samantha says
Hi Ashley, this recipe looks yummy , just like all of your other recipes. I am definitely going to try it this weekend.
I have a couple of questions if you could help me out.
1. I noticed the amount of garlic in this recipe is double than ginger, usually they are in equal proportions .
2. Also usually we add ginger & garlic before onions, but in this recipe it is in reverse order.
3. Is it important to add Bay Leaves?
Naiya says
What kind of onion and tomato should I use?
My Heart Beets says
Any type of onion (yellow, white, red) or tomato will work 🙂
Nancy says
Last year we had the opportunity to spend about 10 days in India. During our vist, I ordered Dal Makhani a few times, because it was love at first bite. I’ve tried a number of recipes over the past year trying to duplicate it, but none came close. Your rendition is excellent. I made 2 changes, blenderized about 1/2 of the recipe to make it creamier and reduced the cayenne. So glad I decided up front to double the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Nancy, that’s awesome to hear! I’m so glad you like this recipe so much – thank you for sharing!
adam says
I was only able to use red lentils and kidney beans, and I had to substitute ground spices for whole. Also had to make my own version of garam masaala, again using only ground spices, no access to whole spices except fresh cracked black pepper. I found this to help with the garam masala: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/142967/easy-garam-masala/
I’ve tried to do Dal Makhani before and always failed. This time it was a success! Delicious!! Oh, and I didn’t soak the lentils, meant to rinse them but forgot, but I think the ones I bought were sufficiently cleaned before packaging because I didn’t notice anything off.
My Heart Beets says
Adam, so glad you liked it!
UAK says
Wow, the taste is amazing! Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
I’m happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how the dal turned out for you 🙂