Dal Makhani That Tastes Like You Spent All Day Cooking

Q: What Is Dal Makhani?

Dal Makhani is a dish that originates from the Punjab reason. It quite literally means “buttery lentils.” Whole black urad dal (black lentils) and rajma (red kidney beans) are cooked with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and aromatic spices commonly used in Indian cooking, such as garam masala and cumin seeds. We’re going to cook in ghee, butter and cream to make this dish so flavourful and luxurious.

Q: Can You Make Dal Makhani Vegan?

Yup! All of the ingredients in dal makhani are vegan except for the ghee, butter and cream. Simply use a plant-based oil, such as olive oil, for cooking instead of the butter and ghee. To replace the cream, I recommend using full fat coconut milk or coconut cream to garnish your dish.

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About this recipe

Rich, creamy Dal Makhani made restaurant-style in your Instant Pot. A hearty Indian lentil dish perfect for weeknight dinners with minimal effort and maximum flavor.

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Dal makhani is a rich and satisfying Punjabi recipe that’s packed with royalty! This was one of my favorites to enjoy at restaurants! It’s not typically made at home, but I’ve tried my hand at making this restaurant favourite. Check out my traditional Restaurant-Style Dal Makhani recipe! But now it’s time to adapt this classic to an Instant Pot recipe!

Bowl of creamy dal makhani topped with fresh cilantro and cream swirl on gray surface.

What Is Dal Makhani?▼

Dal Makhani is a dish that originates from the Punjab reason. It quite literally means “buttery lentils.” Whole black urad dal (black lentils) and rajma (red kidney beans) are cooked with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and aromatic spices commonly used in Indian cooking, such as garam masala and cumin seeds. We’re going to cook in ghee, butter and cream to make this dish so flavourful and luxurious.

What Makes This Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe Great?

Creamy orange dal makhani in an Instant Pot with a ladle holding a portion, showing the buttery, spiced lentil curry.

This Dal Makhani is:

Creamy and buttery - just like the restaurant
Costs less than $1.00 CAD per serving.
Great with rice, roti or naan.
Instant Pot Friendly

Not to worry if you don’t have an Instant Pot. This recipe can easily be adapted to be prepared just as well without one. All you need is a pressure cooker to cook the lentils, or, boil the kidney beans and the urad dal/black lentils on low heat until they mash easily.Check out the recipe here!

Why Make Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot?

As a busy guy, the Instant Pot really comes in handy! Yes, cooking is probably my favourite thing to do (apart from eating!), and I love making my favourite dishes in their traditional ways. However, there’s so much work that goes into getting these recipes up for you guys! Of course there’s the actual cooking involved, but I have videos to edit, these posts to write, Instagram to catch up on, just so much goes on!

The thing is, traditionally we have to soak the lentils and kidney beans for quite some time before cooking. It also takes time to sauté them before making the rest of the dish. I love to eat delicious food no matter what, so sometimes the shortcuts to greatness are necessary! That’s exactly what this one-pot dal makhani recipe is - a shortcut to deliciousness!

How to Prepare Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot?

For the Lentils

1. Add the lentils and kidney beans to the Instant pot with the rest of the ingredients, salt to taste and 3-4 cups of water.

Black lentils and orange kidney beans in a stainless steel pot with water before cooking.

2. Close the lid and set the knob to Sealing mode. Set the Instant Pot to Bean/Chili setting and cook for 45 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.

Instant Pot Duo Plus displaying 45-minute cooking timer for Bean/Chili setting during Dal Makhani preparation.

3. Once cooked set the pot aside with the water, do not drain the cooking liquid. Lightly mash the lentils with the back of a serving spoon.

Cooked dal with lentils and reddish-brown cooking liquid in an Instant Pot inner pot after pressure cooking.

Cooked lentils and kidney beans being drained in a slotted spoon over an Instant Pot pot.

For the Tadka

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee, cumin seeds and hing. Cook until cumin seeds turn reddish brown and are aromatic.

Cumin seeds and hing tempering in ghee in a pan, seeds turning reddish-brown and fragrant.

2. In the meanwhile, add ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.

Smooth red ginger-garlic-tomato paste in a bowl during dal makhani preparation

Food processor bowl filled with chopped ginger, garlic, red peppers, green chilies, and tomato ready to blend into paste for dal makhani.

3. Add the puree to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and deggi mirch and cook, while stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture releases oil or appears dry.

Tomato paste being cooked in a pan with masala base for Dal Makhani

Tomato paste being added to a simmering red masala sauce in a dark pan for Dal Makhani.

4. Add tomato paste to the centre of the pan and cook for about a minute. Stir the tomato paste into the masala and turn off the heat.

Tomato paste being added to the center of a simmering red masala in a pan during Dal Makhani preparation.

For the Dal Makhani

1. Add the cooked tadka to the Instant Pot with the cooked lentils and cooking water and mix well. Change the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on Low and bring lentils up to a simmer.

Red spice tadka being added to lentils in Instant Pot on sauté mode for dal makhani.

Instant Pot Duo Plus on sauté mode with timer showing 00:30, cooking dal makhani.

2. Crush the kasoori methi between your hands and add to the Instant Pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Crushed kasoori methi being added to a pot of dal makhani in an Instant Pot on sauté mode.

3. Then, add in the butter, garam masala and mix well.

4. Gradually pour the cream and stir until you get a light brown colour. (If you add too much cream, the dish will turn white, which won't look as appetizing and it will just be cream!). Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils thicken and coat the back of a spoon.

5. If the lentils become too thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust consistency. Once ready, you can leave the lentils in Keep Warm mode.

Dal makhani simmering in an Instant Pot with cream being stirred in, showing a rich brown color with visible lentils.

Creamy dal makhani in an Instant Pot with light brown color and visible bubbles during cooking.

Creamy dal makhani with rich brown color and visible spices, being stirred in a pot with a wooden spoon.

Enjoy the dal makhani with steamed rice, naan, or roti. Check out some of my recipes for rice and breads that go well with this delicious dal makhani:

Dal Makhani in white bowl topped with cream swirl and fresh cilantro garnish on dark countertop.

Can You Make Dal Makhani In Advance?▼

You sure can! This would be a great recipe to make for when you have a vegetarian crowd come visit your home! The Instant Pot is great because you can cook many portions, depending on what model you have! To avoid a mess, you can keep your prepared Dal Makhani in the pot of the Instant Pot, and leave the entire pot in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Be sure to cover the pot with plastic wrap.

Can You Make Dal Makhani Vegan?▼

Yup! All of the ingredients in dal makhani are vegan except for the ghee, butter and cream. Simply use a plant-based oil, such as olive oil, for cooking instead of the butter and ghee. To replace the cream, I recommend using full fat coconut milk or coconut cream to garnish your dish.

For another rich North Indian legume, try my rajma masala.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Restaurant Style Dal Makhani - Instant Pot Recipe

Rich, creamy Dal Makhani made restaurant-style in your Instant Pot. A hearty Indian lentil dish perfect for weeknight dinners with minimal effort and maximum flavor.

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7 min

Prep

1 hr 10 min

Cook

1 hr 17 min

Total

servings

medium

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

For the lentils

(45 g) urad dal(soaked for 4-6 hours)Shop →
(23 g) red kidney beans · make your ownShop →
bay leafShop →
(2.5 cm) cinnamon stickShop →
salt(to taste)Shop →

For the tadka

(14 g) butter
(3 g) cumin seedsShop →
garlic cloves
(2.5 cm) ginger(roughly chopped)
green chillies(optional)
medium tomato(roughly chopped)Shop →
(1 g) saltShop →
hingShop →
(4 g) deggi mirchShop →
(8 g) tomato paste

For the dal makhani

(8 g) kasoori methi(dried fenugreek leaves)Shop →
(28 g) unsalted butter
(1 g) garam masalaShop →
(240 ml) half and half cream (10%)
salt(to taste)Shop →

Instructions

For the lentils

1
Add the lentils and kidney beans to the Instant pot with the rest of the ingredients, salt to taste and 3–4 cups of water.
Add the lentils and kidney beans to the Instant pot with the rest of the ingredients, salt to taste and 3–4 cups of water.
2
Close the lid and set the knob to Sealing mode. Set the Instant Pot to Bean/Chili setting and cook for 45 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
Close the lid and set the knob to Sealing mode. Set the Instant Pot to Bean/Chili setting and cook for 45 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
3
Once cooked set the pot aside with the water, do not drain the cooking liquid. Lightly mash the lentils with the back of a serving spoon.
Once cooked set the pot aside with the water, do not drain the cooking liquid. Lightly mash the lentils with the back of a serving spoon.

For the tadka

1
Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee, cumin seeds and hing. Cook until cumin seeds turn reddish brown and are aromatic.
Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee, cumin seeds and hing. Cook until cumin seeds turn reddish brown and are aromatic.
2
In the meanwhile, add ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
In the meanwhile, add ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
3
Add the puree to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and deggi mirch and cook, while stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture releases oil or appears dry.
Add the puree to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and deggi mirch and cook, while stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture releases oil or appears dry.
4
Add tomato paste to the centre of the pan and cook for about a minute. Stir the tomato paste into the masala and turn off the heat.
Add tomato paste to the centre of the pan and cook for about a minute. Stir the tomato paste into the masala and turn off the heat.

For the dal makhani

1
Add the cooked tadka to the Instant Pot with the cooked lentils and cooking water and mix well. Change the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on Low and bring lentils up to a simmer.
Add the cooked tadka to the Instant Pot with the cooked lentils and cooking water and mix well. Change the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on Low and bring lentils up to a simmer.
2
Crush the kasoori methi between your hands and add to the Instant Pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Crush the kasoori methi between your hands and add to the Instant Pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3
Then, add in the butter, garam masala and mix well.
Then, add in the butter, garam masala and mix well.
4
Gradually pour the cream and stir until you get a light brown colour. (If you add too much cream, the dish will turn white, which won't look as appetizing and it will just of just cream!). Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
Gradually pour the cream and stir until you get a light brown colour. (If you add too much cream, the dish will turn white, which won't look as appetizing and it will just of just cream!). Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
5
If the lentils become too thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust consistency. Once ready, you can leave the lentils in Keep Warm mode.
If the lentils become too thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust consistency. Once ready, you can leave the lentils in Keep Warm mode.

Nutrition per serving

251

Calories

Protein

19g

Carbs

16g

Fat

Fiber

Sugar

1571mg

Sodium

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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen

What Makes This Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe Great?

Why Make Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot?