This Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe is a delicious vegan black lentil dal featuring black beluga lentils, red kidney beans, flavorful Indian spices, and quick cashew cream for a rich and satisfying main dish. No Instant Pot? No worries: stovetop instructions are included.Ā
I often refer to this rich, creamy black lentil dal (dahl) as 'company dal.' It always gets rave reviews, doesn't take hours of prep or cooking, and can be made a day or two ahead of time.
Along with mung bean curry, black bean curry, and red lentil sweet potato dal, it is one of my favorite Indian curry recipes!Ā
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It is rich, creamy, and flavorful, made from healthy plant-based ingredients with no added oil.
- Great for meal prep and freezer-friendly.
- āIt's Instant Pot and stovetop tested.
- A fan favorite that can be made mild or spicy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Black Lentils. Whole black lentils, also known as black gram or whole urad dal, are tiny, like whole red lentils. Now, I know I recommend French (Puy) lentils as a substitute for making black lentil salad, but when it comes to dal makhani, mung beans or whole red lentils are a better option.Ā
Kidney Beans. Ā½ cup of rinsed, dried red kidney beans will cook to 1 Ā½ cups. For soaked kidney beans, reduce the cooking time to 35 minutes. If you substitute with a can of kidney beans, pressure cook the dal for 20 minutes.
Cashews. Homemade cashew cream, blended raw cashews and water, adds a final creamy touch. As an alternative, add 1 cup of coconut milk or my favorite coconut milk substitution: plant milk with coconut extract. Ā
Fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek is a favorite curry spice, which can be found as soft 'seeds' or ground (use 1 teaspoon). Substitute fenugreek with 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard seeds.
Coriander and Cumin Seeds. Substitute with 1 teaspoon of ground coriander or ground cumin.
Chili Powder. Use Indian-style red chili powder or Ā½ - 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or ground chilies. As much as I love Mexican chili powder, it adds flavors that don't complement this recipe.Ā
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
Spinach isn't included in the traditional recipe, but you can add it at the end of cooking.Ā
Step-by-Step Instructions
Toast the whole spices in the Instant Pot or small skillet for 1-2 minutes. Grind using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.Ā
Set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the onions, jalapenos, and crushed spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, ginger, and ground spices. Stir for 30 seconds.
Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the tomatoes and water or vegetable broth. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, clear the bottom of the Instant Pot.Ā
Stir in the black lentils and kidney beans. Cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes with 15 minutes of natural pressure release (NPR).Ā
Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and blend with Ā½ a cup of water.Ā
After the dal is done, stir in the cashew mixture.Ā
Pro Tips
- The sauteeing process goes quickly: Before cooking, prep and measure all the ingredients, except for the cashew cream you can make while the dal is cooking.
- If the kidney beans need more cooking time, set the Instant Pot to saute and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add more water or veggie broth if necessary.
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How to Avoid the 'Food Burning' Notice
It's SO annoying! Some Instant Pots can be very sensitive and will trigger the dreaded food-burning alert. This can happen if there is insufficient liquid or ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Here's how to avoid it:
- If onions or other ingredients start to stick, add water a tablespoon at a time.Ā This is specific to oil-free sauteeing.
- Stir the ingredients after adding liquid and clean the bottom of the pot using a wooden spoon or another non-abrasive utensil.Ā
- Turn the Instant Pot off between the Saute and High-Pressure cycles.Ā
Stovetop Instructions
- A Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot works best for this recipe.
- Follow the same sequence for pressure cooking.
- Canned kidney beans work best for stovetop because cooking takes about 35 minutes. If you use dried, unsoaked beans, it will take about 60 minutes or longer.Ā
- āStir a few times during cooking and add more water if needed.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve dal makhani with sweet potato flatbread, naan, or potato tortillas. You can also serve it as a black lentil curry over rice. Garnish with lemon wedges and a little chopped cilantro.
If you're looking for side salads, I recommend crispy Fattoush salad, a simple Indonesian cucumber salad, tomato bell pepper salad, or cucumber bell pepper salad.Ā
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick-soak kidney beans in the Instant Pot by adding them with about 1 inch of water above the beans. Close the Instant Pot lid, set the steam handle to Sealing, and cook the beans on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Use a natural pressure release until the float valve returns to the down position (15-30 minutes).
If you are sensitive to nuts or want to avoid cashews, you can substitute with 1 cup coconut milk or plant-based milk with a few drops of coconut extract.
Store dal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze it for 3 months. Reheat it on the stove on low heat with a little added water if needed. You can also reheat in the microwave.Ā
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š©š»āš³ Recipe
Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds - or 1 teaspoon ground, see note 1
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds - or 1 teaspoon ground
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds - or 1 teaspoon ground
- 1 cup black lentils - rinsed
- Ā½ cup dried red kidney beans - rinsed, see note 2 & 3
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 1-2 medium jalapenos - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon ginger - minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons chili powder - see note 4
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 Ā½ cups water - or vegetable broth
- 1 can tomatoes - crushed or diced, 15-ounces/400-grams
- Ā½ cup raw cashews - see note 5
- Ā½ cup water
Instructions
- To toast the cumin, coriander, and fenugreek seeds, heat the Instant Pot to saute or use a small skillet on the stovetop. Add the spices and stir constantly for about 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from the heat, then transfer the seeds to a spice grinder or mortar. Grind the seeds until they are broken down. Note: if you substitute any whole spices with ground, add them with the other ground spices in step 3.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the High SautƩ function and add the ground spices, onions, and jalapenos. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook for 30 seconds and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the water or vegetable broth and tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon or another non-abrasive utensil to clear any stuck-on ingredients from the bottom of the pot.
- Mix in the lentils and kidney beans. Secure the Instant Pot lid. Set the pressure handle to Sealing, then set the timer for High Pressure for 40 minutes, turning off the warming function.
- Once the Instant Pot timer goes off, let the steam naturally release for 15 minutes before unsealing the steam handle and removing the lid.
- While the dal cooks, soak the cashews. Add them to a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and add them to a small blender or spice grinder with Ā½ cup of water. Blend until smooth. If the cashews are gritty after blending, add more water and continue blending.
- Stir in the cashew cream. If the dal is too thick, add more water. If it's too thin or the beans aren't done, allow it to sautƩ for another 5-10 minutes or more with the lid off.
Video
Notes
- The best substitute for fenugreek seeds is yellow mustard seeds.
- If your kidney beans are older or you suffer from stomach upset from cooked beans, you may want to soak them overnight before cooking them. You can also soak them in the Instant Pot by covering them with water and cooking them at high pressure for 5 minutes, then letting the steam naturally release until the silver float valve is completely depressed (15-20 minutes). If you use soaked beans, reduce the pressure-cooking time to 35 minutes.
- For canned beans, use 1 can, rinsed and drained (15 ounces/400 grams). Reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes in the Instant Pot.
- Use Indian-style chili powder, ground red chili, or cayenne pepper. Mexican chili powder has a different flavor profile that may not complement this recipe.
- Substitute 1 cup of coconut milk or 1 cup of plant milk with coconut extract for the cashew cream.
- Store leftover dal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze for 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Vickie
Can this be made in the 3-quart instant pot mini? Thank you for the recipe. I look forward to trying it.
Denise
Hi, I made this in a 6-qt, but given the amount of liquid, I think you could indeed make this in a 3-quart. My IP ended up only half full if that helps you with gaging it. Cheers, Denise
Darlene
Is there anything I can substitute for fenugreek seeds? Thank you
Denise
Hi, if you can find ground fenugreek, use 1 teaspoon. If not, yellow mustard seeds (2 teaspoons) would be a good substitute. Let me know if you have further questions. Cheers!