Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe
The BEST recipe for Dal Makhani in Instant Pot. Make this Buttery creamy and luscious Instant pot dal makhani, Black lentils and kidney beans along with minimal spices truly Indian restaurant style.
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Equipment
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Ingredients
- 200 grams Black Lentils/ whole Urad Dal
- 50 grams Red kidney beans small
- 2 Tablespoon Herbed butter salted
- 1 tablespoon ginger chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon garlic grated
- 1 cup fresh tomato puree approximately 3 medium sized tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Soak Lentils and Beans
- Rinse your black lentils and whole urad dal thoroughly.Soak them together with rajma (kidney beans) for at least 6–8 hours. This step is crucial for achieving the signature texture.
Sauté the Base
- On the Instant Pot, select “Sauté”. Warm up ghee or butter before adding finely chopped ginger, and garlic.Cook until onions turn translucent, infusing the dish with Indian spices (like cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric, and coriander powder).
Add Tomatoes and Seasoning
- Add fresh tomato purée to form a rich tomato gravy.Stir in a bit of salt and garam masala for depth.Allow the mixture to bubble for a few minutes so the flavors meld. If you do not have fresh tomatoes go ahead and use peeled tomatoes from the can but if you are using canned tomatoes mash them before adding.
Pressure Cook
- Add your soaked black lentils, whole urad dal, and rajma (kidney beans) into the pot with water or stock. Seal the lid and pressure cook for 25–30 minutes. This short window is what makes it Restaurant-style Dal Makhani in under 30 minutes possible!
Finish with Cream
- Perform a natural or quick pressure release, then open the lid carefully. Stir in kasuri methi and Butter or a plant-based alternative if you prefer a vegetarian curry version. This step transforms your dish into a truly creamy lentil stew.
- Most people add cream here but I feel it adds more heaviness than taste so I prefer to use milk you do what you like. The creamy texture will anyways come from cooking and not from cream. So I avoid too much cream.
- Dal is cooked very simply, the flavour comes from garlic and one more herb which I am using here.
- Now Dal makhani is done! Enjoy this as Dal makhani and Naan combination or Dal makhani with paratha also tastes great!
Rekha's Notes
- Soak Black Urad dal and kidney beans( rajma) for 6-8 hours. This is a must for the creamy texture of makhani dal.
- For the best Dal Makhani do not go overboard on spices, the flavour comes from liberal use of butter and slow cooking of dal.
- DO NOT be tempted to use less butter for the real deal!
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 8gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 219mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 528IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg