Instant Pot Easy Dal Makhani! Looking for something ultra-comforting and flavorful? We’ve got just the wholesome dish for you!

Hearty, satisfying, and bold, this Instant Pot Easy Dal Makhani is brimming with aromatic Indian spices, protein-packed whole urad dal (whole black lentils), and creamy red kidney beans. This incredibly creamy and spicy dish is easy to make and full of flavor.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

This Instant Pot Easy Dal Makhani has tons of flavor and heat! Definitely not for those who aren’t willing to walk on the wild side of heat!  Indian Red Chile Powder is prominent in this dish.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This dish was inspired by Dal Makhani and has been converted to a Whole Food Plant Based compliant recipe.  The flavor profile of this dish is a very spicy/heat-packed and earthy flavored Indian dish where the spicy/heat is traditionally tempered with coconut cream.  If you are looking for a heat flavor explosion, then this Indian inspired recipe is for you.
• Tomato Paste: Make sure you take an extra minute to smash the tomato paste and try to incorporate it into the liquids.  This will help accidentally tripping the “Burn” feature on the Instant Pot.
• Pureed Petite Diced Tomatoes: The petite diced tomatoes need to be pureed in a food processor to avoid the “Burn” feature on the Instant Pot.
• Black Lentils (Whole Urad Dal): This recipe was specifically designed to use black lentils; we do not recommend substituting with other types of lentils.
• Instant Pot: The use of the instant pot provides excellent results.  After cooking in the IP for 35 minutes, then when removing the Instant Pot lid, it may appear that the lentils soaked up all the liquids.  Do not worry, once you add the lite coconut milk, kidney beans, and sea salt at the end and give it a good stir, you will end up with a lusciously thick dal.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to help speed up the cooking process when combining tomatoes with lentils. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity.
• Spices: Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your personal preferences.
• Indian Red Chile Powder: This recipe features Indian red chile powder which are red chilis sourced from Indian farms, then ground into a vibrant and hot red chili powder.  It is not the same as regular chile powder which is typically associated with Southwestern dishes.  Feel free to use less than ½ teaspoon; however, this dish is traditionally meant to be spicy and hot. Taste test for flavor a minimum of 3 times before making a decision on the amount of Indian red chile powder as it builds on the palate.
• Light Unsweetened Coconut Milk: Dal Makhani is a very spicy Indian Dal that traditionally uses coconut cream to temper the Indian Ground Red Chile powder. You can also use unsweetened plain plant milk, but you will need to adjust the spices (not use as much) as canned light coconut milk (what we used) is thicker and has more flavor than plain unsweetened plant milk.  We tried the recipe both ways and definitely preferred using light unsweetened coconut milk from the can over the plain plant milk. Light Unsweetened Coconut Milk is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, while full fat coconut milk and coconut cream are not.  Additionally, feel free to add more than 1 ¼ cups of light unsweetened coconut milk if you like.
• 15-Minute Rest: It is important to allow this dish to rest for 15 minutes to let the flavors marry.  You will find that that spicy/heat will mellow as the dish cools.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.  Reheating can be done on the stovetop or in the microwave.

This dish can be frozen.

Pantry Products Used:

• Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
• Red Chili Powder:   We used Pride of India Red Chili Powder.  Feel free to use your favorite red chili powder. 
• Whole Black Lentils (Whole Urad Dal):  We used Deep Urad Whole Polished.  Feel free to use your favorite whole black lentils.  You can typically find them in most Asian Food Markets for approx. $4.00 (+/-) for a 2 lb. bag.
• Garam Masala:  Garam Marsala spice blends vary greatly with some accenting different spices over others.  We really enjoy using a Garam Masala-Punjabi Style.  Feel free to use your favorite spice blend of Garam Masala. We had family members enjoying various amounts of garam masala.
• Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Equipment Used:

• Food Processor (to puree the petite diced tomatoes)
• Instant Pot [or Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch Oven or similarly large stock pot]

If you try this aromatic dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Instant Pot Easy Dal Makhani

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 35 Minutes +Rest Time (IP)
• Total Time: 50 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Instant Pot, Stovetop
• Cuisine: Indian
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Hearty, satisfying, and bold, this Instant Pot Easy Dal Makhani is brimming with aromatic Indian spices, protein-packed whole urad dal (whole black lentils), and creamy red kidney beans.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion, fine dice
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste *
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes, pureed *
• 1 cup dry whole black lentils (whole urad dal) *
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin (+/-)
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon red chile powder (+/-) *
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ to 1 ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *

Other Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups light coconut milk (from can) *
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Other Optional Ingredients:

• Steamed rice
• Chopped cilantro
• Flatbread

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Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf and sea salt) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. Place all the Base Ingredients (except the lentils and baking soda) into the Instant Pot. Stir well to incorporate the tomato paste into the mixture, then add the Herb/Spice Mix, black lentils, and baking soda.  Stir well.  Tuck in the bay leaf.
3. Set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 35 minutes. When finished, press Cancel and allow to sit for 15 minutes, then do a Quick Release.  Unplug the Instant Pot.
4. Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid, add in the sea salt, canned kidney beans and lite coconut milk. Stir well to combine.
5. Allow to rest for 15 minutes to let the flavors marry.
6. Discard the bay leaf. Taste test for flavor and add any additional seasonings at this time. Serve with your favorite rice, chopped cilantro, and/or flatbread.

Stove Top Instructions

1. Rinse and soak the black lentils in 3 to 4 cups of water overnight. Drain the next morning and place the black lentils in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a rolling boil, immediately reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, approximately 60 to 70 minutes. Drain the water, set aside.
2. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf and sea salt) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
3. Place all the red onions in a deep stock pot, sauté until tender, approx. 7 to 9 minutes.  Add a splash of water if needed to prevent burning, then add the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste, sauté for 1 minute.
4. Then add all the remaining Base Ingredients (reduce the water to ½ cup +/-), Spice/Herb Mix, and bay leaf, stir well to combine, heat to boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Add the sea salt, cooked black lentils and kidney beans. Simmer for 30 minutes, monitoring to see if more water is needed.
5. Add in the lite coconut milk, stir well to combine.
6. Allow to rest for 15 minutes to let the flavors to marry
7. Discard the bay leaf. Taste test for flavor and add any additional seasonings at this time. Serve with your favorite rice, chopped cilantro, and/or flatbread.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used. 

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings: 4 to 5

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