North Indian comfort food, Dal Makhani is a lightly spiced creamy lentils dish that is cooked to perfection with just a few warm spices such as garam masala and turmeric. Traditionally slow-cooked for hours, this quick & easy Instant Pot recipe with pot in pot brown rice options delivers finger-licking good authentic flavors in no time.
Madras Lentils
A few weeks ago, while I was shopping at my local Costco, I saw a table with "Tasty Bites Madras Lentils" for tasting. I am usually good at staying away from pre-packaged foods but that day, shopping at lunch hour on empty stomach, made it harder for me to resist. Plus I LOVE South Indian food and the word "madras" really made me more curious.
Anyway, I tried a few spoonfuls of it and it reminded me of the traditional north Indian "Dal Makhani"! Except I did not taste too many spices in the Costco Madras Lentils making them a bit lighter yet very flavorful.
I took a picture of the package to see the ingredients with a plan to try making them at home. The ingredients list from the packaging were - water, tomatoes, lentils(adzuki beans), onions, red kidney beans, cream, butter, oil, salt, ginger, cumin, and chilies.
Dal makhani
So here is the basic difference between Madras Lentils and my Daal Makhani recipe:
- Daal Makhani recipe, in addition to the above ingredients from Madras lentils, also has fresh garlic, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.
- Daal Makhani has whole Black Gram Beans and Red Kidney Beans while the Costco Madras Lentils had adzuki beans and red kidney beans.
So with these basic differences in mind, I decided to try the recipe with just the ingredients from the Madras Lentils package. With the magic of the Instant Pot, the madras lentils were cooked to perfection with all the spices infused so well in about 45 minutes!!
I did sprinkle a little bit of garam masala in the end but that was more of a personal choice. I also used black gram beans instead of adzuki beans and I think whole brown lentils (masoor) will also work well in this recipe!
Soaking Beans - Rinse and soak black gram beans {whole urad} and red kidney beans in 3 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight.
Instructions
Step by step easy Madras Lentils / Daal Makhani in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:
Set Instant Pot to Sauté (more) and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and onions and mix well. Add turmeric powder, fresh ginger, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, and beans. Mix well (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. Rinse and drain brown rice. Add rice, 2 cups of water, and salt in a stainless steel container. Place 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 container and the trivet. Mash the beans with the back of a spoon for a creamier consistency. Stir in cream, garam masala and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy hot with brown rice and naan (photos 5 - 6)
Tips
Here are my best tips to make authentic dal makhani:
- Add ½ tablespoon of cumin powder, ½ tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic along with ginger and red chili powder.
- Add 1 tablespoon kasoori methi {dried fenugreek leaves} along with fresh cilantro in the end.
- You can also add more or less red chili powder and garam masala to adjust the spice level.
Variations
How to make vegan Madras lentils/dal makhani:
- Replace ghee with oil
- Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend ½ cup of cashews in ½ water to make a smooth paste)
Can I use dry beans?
Absolutely! I prefer soaking the beans overnight. But you can cook them unsoaked, by simply increasing the cooking time to 60 minutes and adding an extra cup of water.
Check out the recipe notes for details on how to easily adjust this recipe for a more authentic Daal Makhani recipe!
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Recipe
Instant Pot Dal Makhani with Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup black gram beans or adzuki beans or whole brown lentils
- ⅓ cup red kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon oil **
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger grated
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup light cream **
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Optional Pot in Pot rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 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 turmeric, fresh ginger, tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, and beans. Add water and mix well.
The next step is to make a pot in pot brown rice (optional)
- Rinse and drain the rice. Add rice, water, and salt in a stainless steel container. Put a tall trivet over the beans. Place rice container on the trivet.
- Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (Hi) for 30 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release.
- Open Instant Pot and set to sauté mode. Carefully take out the Rice container and the trivet. Stir in cream, add garam masala (optional) and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy hot!
Video
Notes
- Add ½ tablespoon of cumin powder, ½ tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic along with ginger and red chili powder.
- Add 1 tablespoon Kasoori methi {dried fenugreek leaves} along with fresh cilantro in the end.
- You can also add more or less red chili powder and garam masala to adjust the spice level.
- Replace ghee with oil
- Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend cashews in water)
- If using dry beans, add an extra 1 cup of water and increase the pressure cooking time to 60 minutes
Nutrition
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InspiresN says
Love this dish , great comfort food as well!
Archana says
Thank you! A perfect recipe for cool weather.
Linda McBratney says
How much water do you add when you add the beans? I can't see it in the recipe?
Archana says
Hi Linda! You need to add 2 cups of water
Megala says
Delicious mouth-watering recipe!
Archana says
Thank you!
Tracy says
What size is the stainless steel container, for the rice?
Archana says
Hi Tracy, It is 6-1/2" X 3" stainless steel container
Tracy says
Thank you! I will be making this. It looks so good!
Archana says
Tracy, you are welcome! Let me know how you like it!!
chefkreso says
Delicious, great autumn recipe!
Archana says
Thank you!
Kellie says
I first saw this recipe on the FB Instant Pot page...I posted that I'd try the recipe soon. Well, made it yesterday. A wee bit of heat (fine with me!) and wonderful flavour! Really enjoyed; will go in regular rotation at my house. Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Kellie! So happy to hear that you tried and enjoyed this yummy recipe! Thank you for your lovely comments! It is on repeat in my home too 🙂
Kalbap says
Archana, loved this flavorful lentil dish. It is wholesome and without the grease and cooked without the sweat, thanks to the Instapot!
Archana says
Hello Kalyani! Thank you for your lovely comments. I am SO happy you enjoyed this dish and are using your Instant Pot!
Laura Serrano says
If you don't soak the beans overnight, do you still add 2 cups of water or more?
Archana says
Add extra 1-2 cups of rice for unsoaked beans.
Stefanie says
Would the cooking times differ if you don't cook the rice?
Archana says
I like the soaked kidney beans to cook really soft, so 30 minutes is a good cook time for me. You can always reduce it to 25 mins for slightly firmer kidney beans. Hope this helps.
S says
This might be a silly question but thought I would ask anyways! I have a HUGE tub of leftover Sour Cream - can I use this instead of the cream? or would that not work and/or curdle? any other tips on how to use this leftover sour cream is greatly appreciated 🙂
PS: I tried your palak paneer and it came out wonderful! I am so happy because it seemed like a big task before but now with the IP it is so easy and delicious!!
Archana says
Sour cream will not taste the same. What you can do is stir in a little in the end, taste and if you like the taste add more. IT will not curdle if you stir it in the end. AndI am so glad that you enjoyed the palak paneer. I make it often with chopped frozen spinach and its a breeze!
SR says
I made this the other day and it came out very well. I had to use an immersion blender to get it more to the consistency I wanted but the taste was very good! Thank you.
Archana says
Thank you for your lovely feedback. I am glad you enjoyed the flavors. And I love your idea to using immersion blender to make it creamier.
Shalvini says
Superb recipe!
Hit in my home... hubby loved my this valentine gift
Archana says
Oh yay!! Thank you for the feedback!! Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️
Elena says
Hi Archana, I’m planning on making this tomorrow night. Can I use yogurt at the end instead of cream?
Archana says
Hi Elena, Yes yogurt works. Just make sure you add some of the cooked beans to the bowl of yogurt and bring the temperature of the yogurt up. Then stir in the yogurt in the daal. Doing this prevents yogurt from getting curdled. Let me know how you like it.
Audree says
This sounds really good, but what if you don’t have an Instant Pot? How long do you cook for in a regular Dutch Oven Pot? Do you cover it? At what temp would you cook it at? Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Audrey, it will come out delicious in Dutch oven too. I would cook on medium low heat until the beans are soft are mushy. I would say about an hour. And yes covered will cook faster. You may need to add extra water.
Nabiha says
Look so delicious! I don’t have a hand held blender, though. What do you suggest?
Archana says
Hi Nabiha, you can mash the lentils using back of a spoon or even skip that step since the beans are cooked so soft.
Jitha says
Hi. I love your recipes.
If I use bean mode, the time remains same or do i change it?
Thanks in advance
Archana says
Same time!
Archana says
Assuming you are using soaked beans?
Jitha says
Yes. I soaked in the morning tocook in the evening.
Thank you for prompt reply
Archana says
You are welcome!
Dinesh says
Amazingly easy recipe and made it. Have to take a few pictures once I put it into a bowl.
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback!
Q says
Hello! I'd like to double the recipe, should I also double the water?
Thanks
Archana says
yes!
Katy says
My wife and I both had seconds and loved it! So easy to make, and I just made rice on the stove since I don't have the type of trivet and bowl you need to do the rice in the IP. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe -- I have already recommended it and will try a lot more from your site!
PS: I accidentally put in WAY more turmeric than the recipe called for. It was still great!
Archana says
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words! I am so glad you enjoyed the flavors. Can’t wait to hear what you make next
Peregrine says
Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
I made it tonight for dinner, and I'll definitely be making it again.
Archana says
Thank you for your lovely feedback
Jesse says
If you are using unsoaked beans and increasing the cooking time to 60 min, can you still cook the brown rice on the trivet without it over-cooking?
Archana says
It will cook brown rice very soft.