Instant Pot Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is a quick, appetizing, and widely loved Indian dish you can make in your Instant Pot in less than an hour.

Are you tired of making fancy dishes that take so much time and energy? Are you craving restaurant-cooked food but don’t want to go out or spend the money?

Well, this Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe is your solution to these problems and more!

It’s also totally vegan! If you haven’t tried it yet, you’ve got to try this recipe.

Recipe Video

Why This Recipe Works

This Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe is great because there’s no need to pre-soak the lentils! Simply wash and rinse them before adding to the pot.

As you can see in this Instant Pot lentils recipe, making lentils in the Instant Pot takes less than 10 minutes. On this recipe we are cooking them for 30 minutes so it’s more than enough time to get them nice and tender and soak up all those flavors 🙂 If you were to make this dish on the stove top, it would take hours!

This Instant Pot Dal Makhani is so creamy that with just one bite you are going to love it. The first thing you'll notice will be its velvety smoothness, followed by the vibrant flavors of spices used. For a vegan dish, you won’t miss the meat at all! It’s so savory and has such deep flavor from the spices.

Recipe Ingredients

Lentils - You are going to need the brown lentils for this dish. Brown lentils are also known as "Masoor ki Dal".

Ghee – you can substitute butter if that’s what you have, but it will no longer be vegan. And in my opinion, ghee makes it taste better. If you can’t find it, you can even make ghee yourself using this Instant Pot ghee recipe.

Cumin seeds – you can also use ground cumin, but I like the strong flavor that using whole seeds adds.

Garam Masala – this is a blend of spices commonly used in Indian cuisine. If you can’t find it, you can make your own version by combining cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, and black pepper.

How to Make Instant Pot Dal Makhani

Gather all the ingredients.

Take 1 onion and chop it finely.

Chop up 2 tomatoes into small pieces.

Take 3 teaspoon of Garlic and mince.

Now take your Instant Pot and set it to Saute for 7 minutes.

Take 2 tablespoon of Avocado Oil and pour it into Instant Pot.

Put cumin seeds, chopped onions, and bay leaf into the Instant Pot and mix well.

Now add all the other remaining ingredients into the instant pot and mix well.

Add 3 cups of water.

Put the lid on and set it to Manual High Pressure for 40 minutes. Do a quick release of pressure.

Add Cilantro, 2 tablespoon ghee, and mix well.

Voila, your Dal Makhani is ready to be served.

Recipe Notes

• This recipe is meant for dried lentils, rather than canned lentils. Do not substitute canned lentils or they will turn out mushy.
• One of the great things about this Instant Pot Dal Makhani is that it’s vegan. BUT… if you’re not concerned about that, you can finish this dish with a pat of butter or a splash of heavy cream. This will add a much-welcomed richness 🙂

How to Serve Dal Makhani

This dish is traditionally served over Instant Pot Jasmine rice or brown rice.

It's also one of the best Naan Bread Side Dishes so you can have a complete meal in no time.

Recipe FAQs

What is Dal Makhani?

"Dal" means lentil where "Makhani" means buttery. It is a very similar flavor profile to Instant Pot Butter Chicken, also known as Chicken Makhani.

Are lentils healthy?

Lentils are widely known as one of the healthiest foods and it stands number 2 for being richest in protein. They’re also naturally gluten-free!

More Instant Pot Lentils Recipes

Cooks everywhere praise lentils for how its inconspicuous flavor makes it the ideal vessel for different fixings and flavors. For more ideas on how to use your Instant Pot to make innovative lentil dishes, try out this Instant Pot Lentil Curry or this Instant Pot Lentils and Rice.

For more ideas, you can check out our Instant Pot bean recipes.