• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spice Up The Curry
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category
    • By Ingredients
    • Festivals
    • Collections
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Festivals
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Ingredients
    • Festivals
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe

    Published: Jul 17, 2018 · Last Modified: Aug 21, 2022 by Kanan Patel / 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Black lentils w/ Brown Rice)

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe - the popular Indian restaurant dish is very easy to make at home. So no more take outs or going to the restaurant.

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Creamy Black lentils with Brown Rice)

    What is Dal Makhani?

    This is staple dish in Punjab, North India. This flavorful, creamy, rich black lentils are usually served with rice or naan, paratha. The Punjabi meal is not complete without dal makhani - rice or dal fry (instant pot) - jeera rice.

    Here Makhani means ‘Buttery’. As the name says, the good amount of butter is used while making instant pot dal makhani.

    Speaking of dal (lentils), we are using the mixture of whole black lentils (Urad) and red kidney beans (rajma). Black lentils are used in more quantity while kidney beans quantity just a little.

    The traditional method of making dal makhani (the way it is made in dhaba) is very time consuming. It takes hours of cooking on stove top. It is quicker to make in pressure cooker. And easier to make in Instant pot.

    It taste better when simmered slowly on stove top for hours. But nowadays who has that much time, we are using the quick route here but we are not compromising on taste here. Trust me, it tastes equally good as made traditional way.

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Creamy Black lentils with Brown Rice)

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe Rundown:

    • Taste & Texture: Rich, creamy, buttery, lightly spiced with soft, melt-in-your-mouth lentils
    • Pros: made quickly vs traditional method without compromising taste and flavors. Vegan friendly (Options included below)
    • Cons: buttery goodness is not good for health. But who cares? Though healthy option included below.

    Few Notes on Instant Pot Dal Makhani:

    • It requires overnight or at least 8 hours soaking. So always plan ahead.
    • Soaked black lentils take 25 minutes to cook in Instant pot. And brown basmati rice also takes almost same time to cook. So why not make both together using PIP (pot-in-pot) method. See below.
    • The amount of butter and cream used here is not good for everyday cooking and health. So the vegan option is the wise choice for daily meal.
    • Vegan option: Use oil instead of butter. Skip the cream. The black lentils are little creamy itself, so no need to use any vegan cream.
    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Creamy Black lentils with Brown Rice)
    Step by Step Photos AboveWant to make it perfect first time? Don't forget to check out Step-by-Step photo instructions and helpful Tips & Tricks !!
    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Creamy Black lentils with Brown Rice)
    Print Pin Save Saved!

    Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe (Creamy Black lentils with Brown Rice)

    4.75 from 4 votes
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and/or give ★ ratings
    The popular Indian restaurant dish, dal makhani made in instant pot. This is creamy, rich, heavenly delicious and loaded with flavors.
    Author: Kanan
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: North Indian
    Calories: 353kcal
    Servings 3 servings
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml) See details

    Ingredients  

    Soaked overnight:

    • ¾ cup Whole Urad dal (Black lentils)
    • ¼ cup Rajma (Red kidney beans)

    For dal makhani recipe:

    • 2 tablespoons Butter
    • 2 Cloves
    • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
    • ½ cup Red onion chopped
    • 1 tablespoons Ginger garlic paste , or chopped or minced
    • 2 small Tomatoes Pureed
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
    • 3 cups Water
    • 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
    • 1 teaspoon Garam masala
    • 2 tablespoons Heavy whipping cream
    • Cilantro or coriander leaves for garnishing

    For PIP brown rice:

    • 1 cup Brown basmati rice
    • 1 ¼ cups Water
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions 

    Preparation:

    • Combine black lentils and kidney beans in a colander and wash under running cold water till water runs clear.
    • Take into bowl, add enough water (2 inches above the lentils) and soak overnight or at least 8 hours.
    • At the time of making, prep rest of the ingredients e.g. chop onions. Make ginger garlic paste or finely chop or mince fresh one or use store-bought one. Roughly chop tomatoes and make smooth puree into blender.
    • Discard the soaking water from lentils and keep it aside.

    Making instant pot dal makhani recipe:

    • Turn on the saute mode in instant pot. Once hot add butter and let it melt.
    • Add cinnamon and cloves, fry for a minute and you will get nice aroma of the spices.
    • Add chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes or till they becomes soft.
    • Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30-40 seconds.
    • Add pureed tomato and cook for 3-4 minutes. Most the water evaporates and becomes thick.
    • Add salt, red chili powder and mix.
    • Add soaked beans, fresh water and stir.
    • If cooking brown rice together than put the rack and rice container.
    • Cover the lid with valve to sealing. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.
    • Do the NPR (natural pressure release), once pin drops open the lid.
    • Add kasoori methi, garam masala and heavy cream.
    • Mix well and it is ready to serve.
    • Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with rice or naan.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.1g | Protein: 17.3g | Fat: 12.7g | Saturated Fat: 7.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 699mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 19.1g | Sugar: 3.8g
    *Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
    Did you make this recipe?Snap a pic, mention @spice.up.the.curry or tag #spiceupthecurry. I would love to see.

    Similar Recipes

    • Jeera Rice
    • How To Boil Potatoes In Instant Pot?
    • Instant Pot Chana Masala (Chole)
    • Instant Pot Pulao (Veg)
    1918 shares
    • Facebook343
    • WhatsApp

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Sim

      September 20, 2020 at 10:28 am

      How much water to put in instant pot ?

      Reply
      • Kanan Patel

        September 21, 2020 at 9:52 am

        Already mentioned in the recipe 3 cups of water.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Kanan

    Hi, I'm Kanan Patel. I share easy, delicious vegetarian recipes (mostly Indian) and Eggless baking recipes that you can sure count on!

    More about me →

    Indian Spice Box

    Indian Spice Box

    Top Recipes

    • Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • World’s BEST Eggless Brownies
    • Punjabi Shahi Paneer (Restaurant Style)
    • Chipotle Sauce
    • Eggless Banana Muffins Recipe
    • Frankie Recipe (Bombay Veg Frankie Roll)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Kanan
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates. Plus get a bonus cooking tips!

    Resources

    • Conversion Chart
    • Glossary
    • Recipe Index
    • Contact

    As Featured In

    Spice Up The Curry Featured in sites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Spice Up The Curry