Make restaurant-style Indian Dal Makhani at home in your pressure cooker. Smooth, creamy, spicy, and hearty plant proteins for great taste, and good health.
Instant Pot Dal Makhani in 30 Minutes
Unless you LOVE to spend all day cooking so that you can eat everything you made in five minutes, you will want to make dal makhani according to my super simple recipe.
Dal Makhani has traditionally required hours and hours of very slow cooking to get the lentils to a perfectly soft, creamy cooked stage. Thankfully, the Instant Pot does a fine job of this, although it does take a bit.
I made 1/2 a cup of lentils for about 2-2.5 cups of finished dal and I set the lentils to cook for about 30 minutes. They were perfect when they were done.
What Type of Urad Dal is Needed for Instant Pot Dal Makhani
You need a particular kind of dal for this called Urad Dal. To add to the confusion, Urad dal can be either split or whole. You need the whole kind. Here’s what it looks like.
And here’s why you can’t just tell me “Oh I love dal” or “I hate dal” Because I’m going to ask you, Which KIND of dal do you love/hate? These are just a FEW of the dals I have at home.
So the one to the left, labeled Urad (pictured below)? (Actually, I just realized I labeled it Udad, doh! I need to fix that). The creamy white one? Yeah, it’s this same black Urad I have up there, except split and the skin has been peeled off (don’t ask me how, I don’t know).
Hard to believe they’re the same right?
Anyway. This is one of those dals that’s quite thick, but it gets its thickness, not from the typical onion masala that thickens many Indian dishes, but rather from some of the dal itself breaking down and adding a thickness to the finished product.
There are many complicated recipes for this dal on the internet, but I like to keep it simple, yet authentic. Most of us with jobs, families, children just really don’t have the time to do all the steps most of the recipes call for.
Watch the Video on Making Pressure Cooker Dal Makhani
Garam Masala Needed For Dal Makhani
But there is one thing I’d urge you to consider taking the extra step for here, which is making the Punjabi Garam Masala. This is a little different from the other Garam Masala recipe I’ve posted here, although both are super easy and only require you to grind dry spices together. This one is different in that it provides what we refer to in my house as “chest heat”.
This dal is a particular favorite during winter, so warming your chest with the spices makes sense I suppose.
I can tolerate a lot of “mouth heat” from the cayenne. But I actually can’t tolerate as much “chest heat” (from cinnamon, cloves, etc), or “nasal heat” (from horseradish, wasabi etc.). If you’re just not sure if you’ll love this dal, then just use whatever Garam masala you have or make your own with this recipe.
Tips and Tricks for Making Pressure Cooker Dal Makhani
- Use whole black urad dal. If you need to use split urad dal, cook for 10 minutes under pressure.
- You do not need to soak the ural dal. You can just cook it from dry without any prep.
- I ask you to mash the dal with the back of a spoon. This is so that you can have a nice, thick, creamy dal.
- If you are vegan or dairy-free, you can use soy yogurt, coconut oil, and coconut cream in place of the yogurt, ghee, and half and half. We know this works because Joey Leone made it and I saw the video of the finished product and it looks perfect! (Thank you, Joey!)
- This dal freezes very well, and tastes even better the next day so make extra!
- Ideally, you would use Punjabi gram masala for this recipe. If you don’t want to, you can use my regular Garam Masala recipe for it. If you don’t want to make it, I recommend this one.
- If you’re trying to be dairy-free, you can sub soy yogurt that’s been drained instead of the yogurt below, cashew paste for the half and half, and earth balance for the ghee.
Other Dal Recipes you May Enjoy
- Definitely watch the video and the method for making Pressure cooker dal and rice at the same time.
- If you like creamy dals (which I ADORE btw), then you want to make this fantastic Pressure cooker Langarwali dal for sure.
- If you want a light soup that’s more Western than Indian, try this Instant Pot Red lentil soup.
- If you want spinach and lentils together, you will like this Instant Pot Lentil soup
Updated Recipe
I decided to be #lazyefficient and mix the spices in to the dal itself and cook it that way. You can follow what’s in the video (same as the cookbook), or my more streamlined instructions below, and still get a wonderful Dal Makhani either way.
I should mention that I updated this recipe since it was first published in my Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, and since this video was made.
THE STEPS TO MAKING PRESSURE COOKER DAL MAKHANI ARE:
1. Cook the Dal with spices and water at high pressure for 30 minutes.
2. Once the dal is cooked, mash it with theback of a spoon. You are doing this to make the dal very creamy and thick.
3. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt with the spices.
4. Heat a small saucepan or a tadka ladle and add ghee. To the hot ghee, add cumin seeds, and tomato paste and cook for a little bit.
5. Add the tomato paste mixture to the dal.
6. Add the yogurt and half and half mixture to the dal.
7. Add a little water if needed, and serve with rice, chappatis, or basmati pilau.
8. ENJOY! Make this, and tag me on IG.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate.
Equipment
- measuring cup
Ingredients
Boil Together
- 1/2 cup whole black urad dal (see picture)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon Punjabi garam masala (see recipe below) or ordinary garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1.5 cups water
Mix Together
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (or drained soy yogurt)
- 1/2 cup half and half cream, or alternative milk of your choice, or cashew paste
For Finishing
- 2 teaspoon Ghee (Earth Balance for non-diary)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
Instructions
- Wash the dal well and drain.
- Add ginger, garlic, bay leaves, salt, Punjabi Garam Masala, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne, and water.
- Set the Instant pot or pressure cooker to high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
- Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, and milk/cream of choice.
- When the dal is ready, open up the Instant Pot and using the back of a spoon, gently mash in some of the dal to make a thicker dal, leaving most of the dal intact.
- Turn your Instant Pot onto its Keep Warm Setting, adding a little water if needed.
- Heat a small saucepan or tadka ladle, add ghee when hot, and add in the cumin seeds which will start to sputter.
- Put in the tomato paste and cook it for a while, until it absorbs all of the ghee.
- Pour this paste into the dal and mix well.
- Pour in your yogurt mixture and mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro if desired, and serve with naan, chappatis, or rice, or eat plain by the spoonful, which is what I do.
Notes
- Use whole black urad dal. If you need to use split urad dal, cook for 10 minutes under pressure.
- You do not need to soak the ural dal. You can just cook it from dry without any prep.
- I ask you to mash the dal with the back of a spoon. This is so that you can have a nice, thick, creamy dal.
- If you are vegan or dairy-free, you can use soy yogurt, coconut oil, and coconut cream in place of the yogurt, ghee, and half and half.
- This dal freezes very well, and tastes even better the next day so make extra!
- Ideally, you would use Punjabi gram masala for this recipe. If you don’t want to, you can use my regular Garam Masala recipe for it. If you don’t want to make it, I recommend this one.
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Whole Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 3 pieces of Indian Cinnamon Cassia Bark broken up
- 3 Bay Leaves broken up
Instructions
- Grind together in a spice or coffee grinder.
- If you’re up to it, toast these spices lightly in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes until they’re a little toasted but not brown. They continue to cook after you take them out of the pan for a while, so if in doubt, undercook, don’t overcook them.
- Lay them out on a plate or a paper towel to cool. Grinding hot spices together is a sure-fire way to get a clump of paste rather than a powder.
- When they’re cool, grind them together and store in a cool, dark, place. Or you know. On your regular spice rack. Which is what most of us do.
Nutrition
Erin
I made the recipe from the book, so definitely ended up too watery… but i see you’ve made the correction here. So I’ll definitely try it again.
URVASHI PITRE
Thank you! Yes the mistake was corrected in the kindle book and I believe later print editions. I have a list of errata in the cookbooks section of the blog as well
Ayesha
Hi there!
How do I double this recipe? Do I double the ingredients and keep the cooking time the same? Please let me know!
matthew
thank you for the recipe, Urvashi! i bought your cookbook yesterday and made this dal as per the instructions here. (tasting the dal from the fridge before i re-heated it today, i thought maybe i ended up with a smidge too much cinnamon in my punjabi masala, but it’s less obvious once reheated).
in the head notes, you suggest we look at the video on pressure cooking dal and rice together, which i did. for that dal, you cooked the rice and dal for 10 minutes. i’d love to cook the rice at the same time – but this recipe cooks for 30 minutes under pressure. do you think it will overcook the rice, or would you use brown rice? maybe brown rice PIP wouldn’t cook thoroughly enough in 30 minutes (I know it’s 22 when in the liner)?
thanks —
URVASHI PITRE
That’s a great question. I too wondered if brown rice would cook in that time, I need to try it. If I did try it however, I’d let it release pressure naturally ALL the way, to add to the time that the brown rice could cook in the residual heat.
URVASHI PITRE
That’s a great question and I wondered about that as well. I need to try it. I would however, let the pressure cooker release pressure all the way through naturally rather than just 10 minutes of NPR if I did that, to allow the brown rice additional time to steam and cook in the residual heat.
Jana Jagtiani
HI Urvashi. Thanks for this recipe. When i tried it last, I am not sure if I put too much greek yogourt as the daal was more white in colour and had a bit of a bitter taste. Any recommendations? I still ended up eating it after a night of sitting in the fridge (bitter flavour settled down a bit). Looking to make this again tonight but would like to avoid the same thing happening again!!
URVASHI PITRE
Hmm not sure why it would be bitter? Was it your yogurt you think?
Anjana Agarwal
Urvashi- Is there a reason that you add the salt, turmeric, the Garam masala and cayenne pepper to the yogurt mix and add them in at the end?
I typically add them into the dal when it is pressure cooking. I also start with the Sauté and add ghee, the cumin seeds, brown some minced onions, and then add tomato paste, and then the dal with all spices and garlic and ginger and water and pressure cook. The only thing that I add in the end is the half-and-half and the yogurt. I Purchased your book for my daughter who is always calling me for recipes, and she asked why all the spices were added in the end, and I don’t know the answer.
Christine
Oh thank goodness someone asked the setting question! I wish all IP recipe writers/publishers would specify the settings — pressure cook manual or pre-setting, pressure level, time, etc. Otherwise, we are left guessing. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
URVASHI PITRE
Every pressure cooker has different settings so specifying that for every recipe, for every different type of cooker is not easy nor really feasible. I think it’s safe to assume that unless otherwise specified, you’re to use the appropriate high pressure setting. I hope that helps!
Priya
This is one keeper! I have made dal makhani before but this was something else.. easy, and delicious.
Thank you!
Elaine Tsai
The flavors are excellent but there has to be an error on the amount of water called for in the recipe. I followed the recipe in your book and used 2 1/2 cups of water. It was too soupy especially after adding the yogurt mixture. I also had to cut down on the cayenne and it was still too spicy for me.
URVASHI PITRE
You are correct and I’m sorry. It’s 1.5 cups of water. It has been adjusted in the Kindle version of the cookbook. My apologies
Bella
Urvashi, maybe you can help me out here: I had a major disaster with the ghee, cumin seeds and tomato paste – i was waiting for ghee to start shimmering and , i guess, it got TOO hot – when I put the tomato paste, it basically splattered all over the stove… as a result, the color of my dal is far from what’s in the picture… plus I put too much water following the book..
Any advice on how to prevent it in the future?
URVASHI PITRE
I wonder if you need a deeper container for the ghee and tomato paste? That might keep it from splattering?
Bella
Yeah, maybe I will use another pan, more like a pot.. and probably should not heat it that much… it just wasn’t simmering…????♀️
Looking forward to making it again, with proper amount of water… but Chana Masala first! I finally got a little bit of amchoor, so that’s next!
Rick G
Wow – this recipe has made my wife and I very happy. Just a wonderful combination of flavors, and very satisfying!
URVASHI PITRE
Glad to hear it!