North Indian comfort food, Dal Makhani is a lightly spiced creamy lentil dish that is cooked to perfection with warm spices such as garam masala and turmeric. Traditionally slow-cooked for hours, this easy, hands-off Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe delivers authentic flavor and creamy texture in less than an hour! The best part is that you can also cook brown rice at the same time using pot in pot method.
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The recipe was originally posted in Oct 2017 and has been updated with new photos and video
Jump to:
- What is Dal Makhani
- Ingredients
- How to make Daal Makhani in Instant Pot
- Serving
- Storing
- Variations and Substitutions
- What are Madras Lentils
- Difference between Madras Lentils and Dal Makhani
- How to make Madras Lentils in Instant Pot?
- How to Make Dal Makhani on a Stove Top Pressure Cooker?
- FAQ's
- More Indian Recipes with Lentils and Beans
- Recipe
What is Dal Makhani
Dal Makhani, a beloved North Indian (Punjabi) classic, is made by slow-cooking whole black urad dal (black gram beans) and rajma (red kidney beans) with butter, onion, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and a fragrant blend of spices. Traditionally, this dish simmers for hours to develop its rich, creamy texture and depth of flavor. However, with an Instant Pot, you can easily recreate this restaurant favorite in just about 50 minutes, making it a mostly hands-free and approachable recipe for home cooks.
This protein-packed, gluten-free, vegetarian meal is perfect for the whole family to enjoy. If you're interested in exploring more plant-based protein dishes, try recipes like Whole Masoor Dal, Green Moong Dal, Rajma Masala, or Dal Bukhara for a variety of wholesome options.
Ingredients
- Whole Urad Dal & Rajma - Traditionally, the black gram beans and red kidney beans are soaked overnight, reducing the overall pressure cooking time. You can cook them unsoaked, by simply increasing the cooking time to 60 minutes and adding an extra cup of water.
- Veggies - Onion, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic paste
- Spices - cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala
- Garnish - Heavy cream, cilantro, and dried fenugreek leaves
How to make Daal Makhani in Instant Pot
- Rinse and soak black gram beans (whole urad) and red kidney beans (rajma) in 3 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and onions and mix well.
- Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, tomatoes, and beans (photos 1 - 2).
- Add 2 cups of water and give a quick stir.
- For optional pot-in-pot brown rice, place a tall trivet over the beans. Add rice, 2 cups of water, and salt to a stainless steel container. Place the rice container on the trivet (photos 3 - 4)
- Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 30 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. Open the Instant Pot and set it to sauté mode.
- Carefully take out the rice bowl and the trivet. Mash the beans with the back of a spoon for a creamy texture. Stir in cream, garam masala, and garnish with cilantro. (photos 5 - 6)
Serving
Serve the Dal Makhani with brown rice with a side of beet raita or cucumber salad. If you are gluten-free, you can also pair it with Jowar Roti, Bajra Roti, or Chilla. In India, the restaurant-style Dal makhani is often served with Roti or Parathas, and Jeera rice.
Storing
Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days making it perfect for meal prep. This is also a great make-ahead recipe as the flavors continue to develop over time. I often cook Dal Makhani the night before especially when I have to serve it for a party or get-together.
You can also freeze Dal makhani - I would recommend leaving out the cream and adding it just before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
- Don't have time to soak the beans? - Add an extra one cup of water and pressure cook for 60 minutes
- Stove Top Recipe - Pressure cook for 45 minutes on medium heat and allow the pressure to release naturally
- Vegan Dal Makhani - Use coconut cream or homemade cashew cream
- Diced tomatoes can be substituted with store-bought tomato puree
What are Madras Lentils
Have you tried Costco's "Tasty Bites Madras Lentils"? They are similar to the North Indian Dal Makhani except lighter on spices. And if you are curious, here are the ingredients on the package - water, tomatoes, lentils(adzuki beans or "chori" in hindi), onions, red kidney beans, cream, butter, oil, salt, ginger, cumin, and chilies.
Difference between Madras Lentils and Dal Makhani
So here is the basic difference between Madras Lentils and my Dal Makhani recipe:
- Whole black gram beans are used to make Dal Makhani, while the Costco Madras Lentils have adzuki beans
- Dal Makhani also has garlic, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.
How to make Madras Lentils in Instant Pot?
Madras lentils are simply a less spicy version of Dal Makhani. So if you are trying to make Madras Lentils at home you can follow this same recipe with the following modifications:
- Use Adzuki beans instead of black gram beans
- Skip garlic and garam masala
- Add some butter along with cream at the end
How to Make Dal Makhani on a Stove Top Pressure Cooker?
- Use soaked beans and follow the same steps as the Instant Pot recipe.
- Pressure cook for 45 minutes on medium heat.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally.
FAQ's
Absolutely! I prefer soaking the lentils overnight. But you can cook them unsoaked, by simply increasing the cooking time to 60 minutes and adding an extra cup of water.
You can use canned kidney beans. Since they are already cooked, I would recommend adding them after the pressure cooking cycle has been completed along with the heavy cream and garam masala
More Indian Recipes with Lentils and Beans
Recipe
Instant Pot Dal Makhani with Brown Rice
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup black gram beans (adzuki beans or whole brown lentils) **
- ⅓ cup red kidney beans **
- 1 tablespoon oil (ghee or butter)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup light cream **
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional
Optional Pot in Pot rice
- 1 cup brown rice rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse and soak black gram beans and red kidney beans in 3 cups of water. Overnight or 6-8 hours. Drain the water after soaking and keep the beans aside.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add cumin seeds to the oil and allow them to sizzle. Add onions and mix well.
- Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, tomatoes and beans. Add water and mix well.
- To make pot-in-pot brown rice (optional step)- Add rice, water, and salt to a stainless steel container. Put a tall trivet over the beans. Place the rice container on the trivet.
- Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (Hi) for 30 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. See notes for stove top method.
- Open Instant Pot and set to sauté mode. Carefully take out the Rice container and the trivet. Stir in cream, add garam masala and garnish with cilantro and dried fenugreek leaves.
Notes
- Don't have time to soak the beans? - Add an extra one cup of water and pressure cook for 60 minutes.
- Vegan Dal Makhani - Use oil instead of ghee and coconut cream or cashew cream for garnish.
- Variations - If using dry beans, add an extra 1 cup of water and increase the pressure cooking time to 60 minutes.
- Stove Top Recipe - Pressure cook for 45 minutes on medium heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- No Pressure Cooker? - Cook covered on low-medium heat in a heavy bottom pot until the lentils are soft and mushy. This may take two to three hours. Add one to two cups of water as needed and adjust salt, red chili powder, and garam masala to taste.
Nutrition
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Sarah says
What size Instant Pot do you use for this recipe? I have an Instant Pot Mini (3 qt) and would like to know if it’s necessary to halve this recipe. Thank you!
Archana says
Hi Sarah. This recipe will work well in 3 QT Instant Pot. You do not need to halve it. I would recommend cooking the rice seperately.
Resh says
This recipe was delicious. All of your recipes are so easy to follow and make seemingly difficult dishes approachable for inexperienced cooks! Quick question, it was a bit watery when I opened the instant pot. Was it too much water from the tomatoes? Should I reduce the amount of water I add next time? Thanks!
Archana says
It does look a bit watery when you first open the Instant pot but should thicken up pretty quickly. Usually Dals do have a bit thick soup like consistency. You can reduce the water next time, but I am pretty sure the dal thickened up over time.
Tripti Gupta says
Will the rice not get overcook in instant pot if kept for 30minutes ?
What ratio of water and rice you used ?h
Archana Mundhe says
Hi! Brown rice cooks nice and soft in 30 minutes. Please check the recipe card for optional pot in pot rice details.
Charles Kelm says
In your description, you say that this recipe has "cumin powder& coriander powder" but I don't see them listing in the ingredients list.
Archana says
Yes. The traditional Dal Makhani does have cumin and coriander powder. My original recipe was for madras lentils that is much more basic. You can add 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and 2 teaspoons of coriander powder in step #3.
America and Norman Laverty says
very delicious !
Deep says
Tried last weekend and it was delicious.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for the feedback!
Jen says
I know it’s not authentic, but I’ve been trying to eat more lentils, while still making high protein recipes. If you were to add chicken to this, when would you do it?
Archana Mundhe says
That’s a great idea! While it’s not traditional, adding chicken is a delicious way to boost the protein in Instant Pot Dal Makhani. You can add boneless, skinless chicken thighs(recommended) or breasts (no need to cut) before adding the lentils and water.
The chicken will cook perfectly during the pressure cooking time and become tender, flavorful, and infused with all the rich dal makhani spices. Once done, shred the chicken for best texture and then garnish. Hope this helps. Let me know how it comes out.