Dal Makhani Creamy Lentils

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.

For more info on how to cook beans and lentils in your pressure cooker, check out my guide on How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot!

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. Add dal, bay leaves, and water to your Instant pot and cook for 30 minutes under high pressure. Allow to naturally release.

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 remaining 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.

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