A creamy mildly spiced dal that calls for a handful of ingredients!
Dal Palak (Spinch Dal)
Dal Palak, also known as spinach dal, is a creamy, soupy, mildly-spiced dal.
It requires a few ingredients and takes little effort to make. This dal is especially easy to whip up if you have my Garlic Paste and Ginger Paste prepared.
“Hi Ashley! I made this for a family dinner, and my mother took a bite and said, “Oh this is a new dish…hmm..lets try some..OH MY GOSH!! WOWWW!” Enough said. Mother-approved. It was da bomb! Thanks for another slam dunk recipe!”
Maneesha
Spinach Dal Ingredients
- Moong Dal: small yellow lentils
- Oil
- Cumin Seeds
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Serrano Pepper
- Spices: salt, coriander powder, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala
- Water
- Greens: baby spinach or whatever greens you’d like to add
You can add any greens to this dal. I’ll use whatever I have on hand – baby kale or fresh methi leaves are great options. I’m sure it’ll taste great with whatever greens you have at home. I already have a Dill Dal recipe, but I bet this dal would taste good with fresh dill or another herb too.
Make this a meal by serving it with Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice, a side of yogurt/Raita, and a salad. If you have some achar (spicy pickle), serve that on the side too!
“Absolutely excellent dish! You knocked it out of the park Ashley! Approachable and yummy recipes.”
Lora
More Simple Dal Recipes to Try:
Instant Pot Spinach Dal
Instant Pot Spinach Dal
Ingredients
- 1 cup small yellow lentils moong dal, soaked for 15 minutes
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ Serrano pepper or green chili minced
Spices
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Pinch of cayenne optional
- 4 cups water
Add Later
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Cilantro garnish
- Ghee for serving (optional, but highly recommend this!)
Instructions
- Soak the small yellow lentils (moong dal) in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button. Add the oil, and allow it to heat up for a minute. Add the cumin seeds to the pot. Once they turn brown, add the garlic, ginger and Serrano pepper. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the spices. Give everything a quick stir, then add the water and lentils.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Stir in the garam masala and the spinach leaves. Once the leaves begin to wilt, garnish with cilantro and serve with a spoonful of ghee on top.
Shiela says
Even when I’m not feeling up to cooking this is so easy to throw together and delicious!
Thank you Ashley.
I have enjoyed making a number of your recipes and loved each one:)
Jennifer says
Such delicious and comforting food. Have made this several times for the family. I feel like this would also be a great dish for when you are feeling under the weather and need a meal that’s nourishing, comforting and easy on the stomach.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jennifer, I’m so glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you and your family 🙂
Lora says
Absolutely excellent dish! You knocked it out of the park Ashley! Approachable and yummy recipes.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Lora! I’m so glad you liked this one 🙂
Cyndi says
Another great recipe, thank you Ashley
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you, Cyndi! Glad you like it 🙂
Beth W says
So easy, so good. Perfect for weeknights when I’m short on time ❤️
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Beth, so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this 🙂
Sharon says
I made this using finely chopped swiss chard greens from my garden instead of spinach and it is so incredibly delicious – and such an easy recipe. I have run out of Onion Masala and this recipe does not need it. Yum!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Sharon, that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this 🙂
Audrey m says
Tried this last night for the first time. Ended up great. Even wayyyy better for lunch today (refrigerator overnight allowed the flavors to meld more).
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Audrey, I’m so glad you liked it! And yes, I always love Indian food the day after I make it for that reason! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Kim says
I am making this for the second time and both times it has taken forever for the instapot to come to pressure. Is that normal for this recipe? It’s sealed.
Love your recipes. Thank you so much.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Kim, I’m not sure how long it takes to come to pressure, but if the seal is on and the valve is closed I can’t imagine more than 10 minutes? I hope that helps, and hopefully it doesn’t take as long next time!
Arya says
flavor is average. would not make again.
My Heart Beets says
Arya, sorry to hear that you didn’t like it! Just want to make sure your spices are all fresh? That can really make a difference. That said, this is meant to be a milder dal – for something more flavorful, give my masala dal a try 🙂
Karen says
I think there’s way too much water and it turns out bland. Personally I always just double the amount of water, so 1 cup lentils/2 cups water, or even 2.5 cups max. We prefer a thicker dal though, not a soupy consistency.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Karen, thanks for your feedback, you can definitely adjust the amount of water to taste! This is meant to be a mild dal, but if you’d like something with more flavor, you can try my masala dal or dal makhani. Hope that helps!
Bitha says
This recipe was so yummy and so very easy. Perfect for a quick weekday lunch! Thank you !
My Heart Beets says
Bitha, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this dal 🙂
Sindhu says
Turned out great. So easy and healthy. Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Sindhu, awesome! Great to hear 🙂
Bhavna says
Can you use split moong dal for this recipe?
Deb says
I make this without spinach, but the recipe is perfect! Such an easy standalone lunch, or a dinner with rice and veggies on the side! Reminds me of my mom’s daal 🙂 Thanks Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Deb, I’m so glad to hear that! Happy to hear that it reminds you of your mom’s dal 🙂
Liz says
Did not work at all for me. I just ended up with partially cooked lentil floating in way too much water. Not edible.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Liz, the dal should have definitely cooked in this amount of time. Can you check the seal on your IP? Was the valve closed? If you don’t think there’s an issue with the appliance then it could be that the dal is very old… sorry!
Maneesha says
Hi Ashley! I made this for a family dinner, and my mother took a bite and said, “Oh this is a new dish…hmm..lets try some..OH MY GOSH!! WOWWW!” Enough said. Mother-approved. It was da bomb! Thanks for another slam dunk recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Maneesha, that’s so awesome! I’m so glad your mom loved this! Thanks for always letting me know how my recipes turn out for you 🙂
Mona says
This was great! How do I make this if I only want to make it with spinach? My husband prefers that.
My Heart Beets says
Mona, sorry I don’t understand – you mean a spinach only dish like saag?
Mona says
My mother in law makes a spinach dish with tomatoes and spices and I can’t seem to find a recipe for it anywhere. Do you make anything like this?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mona, does her dish have dal? is it a sautéed dish? Any more details you can share would be helpful!
Mona says
No dal and yes it is sautéed! Very basic shak.. spinach and tomatoes. I know there is some turmeric and other spices involved. I can never get it right. She just calls it spinach bhaji
My Heart Beets says
That sounds really good – I’m always looking for more ways to eat spinach. I’ll have to experiment – if I figure something out I’ll be sure to share 🙂
Manjini says
Delicious. No onions no tomatoes and still so delicious. I had a box of spinach, kale and chard mixed so I used two cups of that mix instead of just spinach and it was excellent. Got some veggies into my lil ones without them knowing lol. I have to say the only thing i dont like abt your blog is the video that keeps popping up. I dont know if this is becuase i am using my phone vs a laptop.
I am so glad i discovered your page. I am definetly going to buy your cookbook.
My Heart Beets says
Manjini, thank you for letting me know how you liked this! That mix sounds great 🙂
Holly says
Hello! What oil do you use/prefer for your Indian recipes? I just got an instant pot and can’t wait to try some of your recipes! Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Holly! I normally use avocado oil because it’s neutral in flavor. You can also always use ghee – that goes well with everything 🙂
B.T. says
If using frozen spinach, do I need to change anything?
The spinach come in little frozen balls.
Can I just throw in several balls at the end, as if using fresh?
Or, should I put them in with the lentils and cook?
My Heart Beets says
Add it in at the end 🙂 Enjoy!
Jay says
I found your blog when I bought my Nuwave Nutripot two months ago. All of your recipes (especially this one) come out perfectly! I’m hooked on the vegan Indian recipes.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jay! Glad you found my blog and are liking my recipes! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this dal 🙂 Just so you know, you can find all of my vegan Indian recipes here: https://myheartbeets.com/recipe-index/#vegan/indian
Anjana says
I tried this for the first time. It came out perfect. However, I think 10 min it little too much. I only did 5 min in my IP and it came out perfect.
ariana says
Could I use toor dal for this recipe? Do I need to change anything about the soaking or cooking times?
My Heart Beets says
Yup! It’ll have a different flavor though – you may also need to adjust the spices as toor dal is thicker. You can follow the directions as written though. Hope you like it!
Maggie says
Hi really want to try this recipe but don’t have a IP can I make it on the stove top. Where could I find a recipe for that?
Thank you
Hayly says
Hi would frozen spinach work for this recipe? If yes, when would I add it?
My Heart Beets says
Yup! You can add it at the end and just cook until heated through 🙂
Hayly says
Thank you, it was delicious! Your recipes are wonderful and my family is super excited to eat vegetables now 😀.
Mary says
This is absolutely delicious and so incredibly easy to make. Loving your recipes!
My Heart Beets says
Mary, I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the dal turned out for you 🙂
Alexis says
This was so easy and delicious! I’m now making it for a group – how would you double or triple it? Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks Alexis! Just double the ingredients but keep the cook time the same! Hope that helps 🙂
Isabelle Addison says
So good and so fast! Thank your for a quick and easy lunch and dinner!
My Heart Beets says
Isabelle, I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Joanne says
Would red lentils work?
My Heart Beets says
Yup! Let me know what you think 🙂
Neha Aggarwal says
After staring at my instant pot sitting in this box, I finally took the plunge and this was my first dish. Turned out perfect. Thanks a ton! Following your recipes now.
Any tips on making dry Indian sabzis would be handy!
My Heart Beets says
Neha, I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked this dal! I actually have a lot of dry Indian sabzi recipes for the instant pot on my blog! Here are a few: cabbage and peas, arbi, shalgam and you can find all of my IP Indian recipes here: https://myheartbeets.com/recipe-index/#indian/instant-pot
Jaya says
It came out very good . Can you post khichdi recipe ?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jaya! Here is my khichdi recipe: https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-khichdi-rice-lentil-porridge/
Carl Melnyk says
Hi Jaya
Thanks for your help. I don’t have a pressure pot and was wondering if I can make this in a ditch oven, your thoughts please.
Carl
Sandy says
I make the same using red lentils. Works great. Sometime I add a sweet potato to it.
santosh says
i think 15 minutes for soaked daal is a lot, i get perfect deal in 7:8 minutes
ahimsa says
Agreed. 7-8 minutes has worked well for me even without any soaking (using split, yellow mung daal).