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    Home » Beans and Lentils

    Dal Makhani Recipe | Madras Lentils

    Published: May 31, 2022 · Modified: May 9, 2023 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 110 Comments

    6804 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    dal makhani served with naan and rice

    The recipe was originally posted in Oct 2017 and has been updated with new photos and video

    Jump to:
    • What is Dal Makhani
    • Ingredients for Dal Makhani
    • How to make Daal Makhani in Instant Pot
    • How to serve Dal Makhani
    • 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 Stove Top Pressure Cooker?
    • More Indian Recipes with Lentils and Beans
    • Recipe

    What is Dal Makhani

    Dal Makhani or Makhni is a North Indian(Punjabi) dish made by slow-cooking whole black urad dal (black gram beans) and rajma (red kidney beans) for hours with butter, onion, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, and spices. This restaurant-favorite dish is easy to make at home, especially in the Instant Pot which uses this mostly hands-free recipe that is cooked in just 50 minutes. A protein-packed, gluten-free, and vegetarian meal that the whole family will enjoy.

    Dal Makhani in a white bowl

    Ingredients for Dal Makhani

    • Whole Urad Dal and Rajma - Traditionally the black gram beans and red kidney beans are soaked overnight which reduces the overall pressure cooking time. But 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
    dry and soaked beans in bowls

    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).
    steps showing adding onions, lentils and tomatoes to Instant Pot
    • 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)
    steps showing how to cook pot in pot lentils and rice
    • 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)
    pictures showing cooked rice in pot and madras lentils in Instant Pot

    How to serve Dal Makhani

    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 or Chilla. In India, the restaurant-style Dal makhani is often served with Roti or Parathas, and Jeera rice.

    daal makhani in a white bowl

    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

    1. Don't have time to soak the beans? - Add an extra one cup of water and pressure cook for 60 minutes
    2. Stove Top Recipe - Pressure cook for 45 minutes on medium heat and allow the pressure to release naturally
    3. Vegan Dal Makhani  - Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend cashews in water)Variations
    4. 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 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. 
    Can I use dry beans?

    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.

    Can I use canned kidney beans to make Dal Makhani?

    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

    • Spinach dal
    • Black eyed peas curry
    • Rajma Masala
    • Matki Chi Usal
    • Chana Masala
    • Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

    Recipe

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    Dal makhani served in a white bowl
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    4.66 from 98 votes

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani with Brown Rice

    A creamy lentil dish cooked with whole black lentils and kidney beans, lightly spiced to enjoy as a chili or over rice!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time50 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 328kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
    • Tall Trivet
    • Stainless steel pot

    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 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.

    Video

    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  - Replace ghee with oil. Use coconut cream or cashew cream(blend cashews in water)
    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

    Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 1185mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 471IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. Peregrine says

      May 19, 2019 at 5:38 am

      Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
      I made it tonight for dinner, and I'll definitely be making it again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 19, 2019 at 3:01 pm

        Thank you for your lovely feedback

        Reply
    2. Jesse says

      June 03, 2019 at 4:48 am

      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?5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 03, 2019 at 10:02 am

        It will cook brown rice very soft.

        Reply
    3. Brooke says

      June 05, 2019 at 3:09 pm

      I'm so excited to find this recipe! I bought some of these Tasty Bite madras lentils off amazon recently, and they were such a hit with the kids I wanted to make some. This is just what I was looking for-- thanks for being so detailed with the various options for making it more like the packaged option vs. the authentic version.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 05, 2019 at 8:41 pm

        Hi Brooke! Thank you. You will love thsi recipe.

        Reply
    4. Chicago mom says

      November 27, 2019 at 8:33 am

      delicious! I used extra spices and the entire family loved it.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 27, 2019 at 11:35 am

        Thank you for the feedback! So nice when the whole family enjoys a meal.

        Reply
    5. Jen says

      December 03, 2019 at 7:55 pm

      I've made this twice now. I love Tasty Bite, but wanted to make my own to reduce cost and waste. This is the recipe I was looking for! This tastes just like Tasty Bite but BETTER - more flavor and spice. I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh diced. I could not be happier to have found this recipe! Thanks!!5 stars

      Reply
    6. M says

      December 29, 2019 at 7:44 pm

      Delicious but I cannot have this much sodium in a serving. Is this an error?5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 31, 2019 at 12:17 am

        Thank you! I doubled checked the sodium and its accurate as it also includes the sodium in the rice. You can always make rice without salt. Also I feel the serving size is a bit generous for the amount of daal this recipe will make. Additionally you can add only half the salt while cooking and then add more only if you need it. Hope this helps.

        Reply
    7. Elaine Tsai says

      January 19, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      So glad I found this! Made from scratch and I know what went into it. It tastes so much better than than Tasty Bite and easy to make too! It tastes fantastic and the flavors are amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe and this is an absolute keeper.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 22, 2020 at 11:14 am

        Thank you for your feedback.

        Reply
        • Tracie says

          February 22, 2020 at 2:53 pm

          Hello! I would love to make this recipe! It sound delish, and I love Tasty Bites Madras Lentils! but I don’t have a instapot. Do you have a modified recipe without using one?

          Reply
          • Archana says

            February 22, 2020 at 3:56 pm

            Basically you will have to cook covered on medium heat for 45 mins to an hour. Also you may need extra cup of water and adjust salt and red chili powder for that.

            Reply
            • Tracie says

              February 22, 2020 at 5:56 pm

              Great thank you! I’m so excited to try this!

    8. Danita Day says

      February 28, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      Hi. I have some split black lentils i need to use. Do i need to soak those? Also will instant pot cook time be the same as the whole lentils?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 28, 2020 at 7:53 pm

        Yes, Same pressure cooking time as the red kidney beans will needs more time to cook.

        Reply
    9. Archana says

      May 02, 2020 at 11:24 am

      Rice is not supposed to be submerged in the curry. What type of rice did you use? Have you cooked it before in the Instant Pot? For most brown rice 30 minutes of pressure cooking is more than enough.

      Reply
    10. Marilou says

      May 12, 2020 at 11:13 am

      Hi, I'm wondering what exactly is in the plate of raw vegetables accompanying the daal on the pictures? Is it raw onion, cucumber, lemon and cilantro? Recipe looks great, thanks!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 14, 2020 at 9:26 am

        yes! Its a quick kachumber with onions, cucumber, cilantro and a sprinkle of salt.

        Reply
    11. Rebekah says

      June 14, 2020 at 11:16 pm

      Delicious! We always make it following the notes at the bottom and including more cumin, coriander, and garlic. Fantastic!5 stars

      Reply
    12. SC says

      June 22, 2020 at 9:40 am

      I made your chana masala yesterday it was the BEST I'd ever had! I want to try this next, but was wondering if I wanted to cook this more traditional style - could I cook just the lentils and beans in the instant pot, and then transfer over ... and if so, how long for cooking just the lentils and the beans? It is so hard to convert recipes that say "x amount of whistles"

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 24, 2020 at 10:18 pm

        Yes you can cook just beans and lentils. If you have them soaked cook for 30 mins. If you are using dry beans cook for 60 mins. These timings will cook really soft beans that are needed for this recipe. If you like a bit firm reduce the cook time by 5 to 7 mins. Basically 1 whistle is roughly equivalent to 3 mins of pressure cook time.

        Reply
    13. Bre says

      August 25, 2020 at 7:10 am

      I can't seem to find dried kidney beans but I can find canned. Could I use these? Would I need to adjust the recipe at all if I planned on soaking my beans before cooking?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        August 26, 2020 at 1:04 pm

        You can stir in canned kidney beans along with the black beans. For soaked beans 30 mins pressure cook, as the recipe explains.

        Reply
    14. Vai says

      September 10, 2020 at 10:07 pm

      This recipe looks yummy and very do-able. Can you sub the coconut cream with coconut milk? Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
      • Archana says

        September 11, 2020 at 10:58 am

        Sure you can. I you keep the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator the cream will thicken up and rise to the top. You can then add the creamy portion to the dal.

        Reply
    15. Paul says

      October 04, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      Made this tonight and it was outstanding. Everyone said, "Double it next time." I used uncooked, unsoaked green lentils, and added coconut milk at the end instead of coconut cream. Added a dash of cumin and coriander as suggested. Wouldn't change a thing.

      Reply
    16. Luella says

      October 17, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      Do you use all three: gram beans, adzuki beans and brown lentils and a cup of each or just gram beans?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        October 17, 2020 at 8:28 pm

        Basically 1 cup of any one of the 3 beans.

        Reply
    17. Jessica Warfield says

      December 23, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      Thank you for this great recipe. I added in all of the seasonings, and it got a bit spicier than I expected. My husband and I loved the spice, and for the kids we just added a dollop of sour cream which made the spice almost nonexistent. Thank you again espeically for the great tutorial and notes. I also added a bit of tomato paste which was good too.5 stars

      Reply
    18. Heidi says

      February 06, 2021 at 2:09 pm

      I have made this twice now because this was really good! I add all the spices (but only half of the fenugreek), and double the recipe in my 6 quart Instant Pot. Works really well. I omit the heavy cream and add a dollop of Greek yoghurt when I eat.
      Awesome to have in the fridge for a healthy winter lunch on weekdays. Thanks for the recipe.5 stars

      Reply
    19. Sana says

      February 12, 2021 at 10:45 pm

      I made this a few days ago and it was a hit! I followed the extra recommendations at the end of the recipe and used the cashew cream instead of dairy . It tasted amazing. I will be saving this recipe to add to our regular rotation.5 stars

      Reply
    20. Jane says

      February 14, 2021 at 12:27 pm

      Making this recipe for the first time this morning. Misunderstood the directions 🙁 There was an * for dry beans to add another cup of water & cook for 60 minutes. Upon reading the comments, I now understand you meant to do the * directions IF the beans weren't soaked. I also didn't have dry kidney beans and planned on adding a can at the end - in the comments it states that I should have added them with they dry. Anyway, I'm sure it will still be edible 😉 Thank you!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 16, 2021 at 10:15 pm

        You can always stir in canned beans in the end.

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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