Vegan Richa

Vegan Food Blog with Healthy and Flavorful Vegan Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • (new) Recipe Filters
    • Popular Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch / Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Indian
    • Instant Pot
    • Burgers
    • Pizza
    • Recipe Index
  • Videos
    • Instant Pot
    • Dessert
    • Holidays
    • Easy Vegan Meals
    • All Recipe Videos
  • CookBooks
    • Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen (Print & Digital)
    • Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen (Print & Digital)
  • Resources
    • How To Start A Food Blog
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
    • Vegan Subs & Resources
    • Our Vegan Journey and FAQs
    • Indian Pantry
    • Indian Dal / Lentil Names
  • Shop
  • About / Contact

Vegan Dal Makhani – Creamy Buttery Black Gram lentils and Kidney Beans. Glutenfree Recipe

August 28, 2013 By Richa 111 Comments

Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. Vegan gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Instant Pot Option. 
Jump to Recipe   
Vegan Dal Makhani - Black Gram and Kidney Beans in Creamy Buttery Gravy

 

Hi you all. I am also sharing this yummylicious restaurant style Dal at Vedged Out today! I discovered Somer via Kristy and have been hooked to Vedged Out since. All the positive energy, amazing food, her personality, keep me visting her for more and more. Wish you a consistent and good recovery Somer. Thank you for opening up your space to us.
 
Beans and lentils, are what we eat pretty much everyday as a part of Indian meals. They end up on the plate usually in a Dal preparation. Some other days in Burgers, pizzas, and more too. Dals are my comfort food, as well as something I would serve as a part of an Indian meal at an event. Amp up the earthy lentils with some specific spices, non dairy milk/butter, different methods of Tadka/Tempering and there you have a delicious hearty bowl of goodness. 
 
Today, I am bringing you my Mom’s Dal Makhani. The lentils used are Whole black gram and Kidney beans. Makhani means creamy and buttery. The non vegan version of this Dal contains a good load of cream, ghee(clarified butter) and butter. Mom is now quite adept at vegan-izing things. So when I asked her what she was going to do about the Makhani part, she said just wait and watch and added some almond milk and cashew milk for a similar taste and it worked perfectly. I served the Dal with a teaspoon of Earth balance on top per bowl. And you should have seen the bliss on my Dad’s face:)  My omni brother also guzzled down bowls and bowls full of the Dal.
 
If you cant find the lentils used for this Dal, use any similar sized lentil or bean as a substitute from your local store such as black caviar lentils, green or brown lentils, green moong beans. Substitute black beans for kidney beans or just add more lentils. 
 

Lots more Dals, Bean/Lentil Stews here

Black gram/ Urad Whole (Black Matpe Bean)


Black gram is different than black lentils. Black gram looks like a black mung bean, fat and cylindrical, while black lentils(beluga) are black colored flat lentils. You can use black lentils or other lentils in this recipe if you don’t have black gram. I have only seen it in Indian stores and online, so it can be difficult to come by.
Whole Urad Lentils in a bowl for our Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Red Kidney Beans


Dry red kidney beans in a bowl for our Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Whole Urad lentils, Vigna mungo, black gram or black lentil are these pretty lentils which look like black Mung beans. The beans are available as whole or split or split+skinned like most whole lentils in India.

Urad lentils are also extensively used in South Indian culinary preparations, such as dosa crepes, idli – steamed lentil cakes, vada – savory doughnuts, and Papad/Papadum (Ground into flour or soaked and fermented etc).

Step by step photos:

Tempering/Tadka Ingredients.

Ingredients for our Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Heat oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant.

Add garlic, ginger, chili and cook until golden.

Onion and garlic getting cooked in a skillet for our Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Add onions and cook until translucent.


Onion and garlic getting cooked in a skillet for ourVegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Add tomatoes, asafetida, garam masala and cook until tomatoes are tender.


Onion, tomato getting cooked in a skillet for ourVegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Add tempering to cooked beans. Add milks, mix well.

Cook until the beans are mushy.

Urad lentils cooked for our Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani


Serve hot topped with a dollop of vegan butter or olive oil. The pictured Dal is cooked in a pressure cooker that breaks the beans down really well. If using slow cooker or crockpot to cook the dal, mash some of the dal with a spatula. 


Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani

See below for Instant Pot instructions in the Recipe notes. 

How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe #glutenfree #veganricha #vegan
Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

Vegan Dal Makhani - Black lentils and Beans in creamy buttery gravy

How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Instant Pot Option in notes
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time2 hrs
Course: dal
Cuisine: Glutenfree, Indian, Vegan
Keyword: butter lentils, dal makhani recipe, pumjabi dalmakhani, vegan dal makhani
Servings: 4
Calories: 233kcal
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Lentils:

  • 1 cup (200 g) whole black gram , Urad Whole or use black lentils(see first paragraph for sub options)
  • 1/2 cup (88.5 g) kidney beans , Rajma
  • 3.5 cups (875 ml) water
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) red chili powder or cayenne or to taste

For the Tempering:

  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2-3 (2 ) green chilis finely chopped I use Serrano chili pepper
  • 1 inch ginger finely chopped
  • 5-6 (5 ) garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 medium size onion chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) asafoetida hing
  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) turmeric powder
  • 2 medium size tomatoes chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala regular or punjabi
  • 1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves Kasoori methi, or Use a 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds-Optional
  • 2 Tablespoons Almond milk
  • 1/3 cup (78.9 ml) Cashew milk Blend 3 tbsp cashews in 1/3 cup water until smooth.
  • Vegan butter such as Earth Balance as needed

Instructions

  • Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
  • Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles (25 minutes at high pressure once pressure has reached).
  • Or use a slow cooker to cook urad beans and keep ready. Kidney beans cannot be cooked in a slow cooker from raw state, so use 1 cup cooked canned beans.
  • In a large pan, add oil and heat on medium-high heat.
  • Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
  • Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
  • Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
  • Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step).
  • Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
  • Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix, taste and adjust salt.
  • Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
  • Simmer on low heat till the dals/beans are totally soft. Mash some of the lentils with the spatula. 30 minutes.
  • Or Pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure once the pressure has reached. (1 whistle + simmer for 5)
  • Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
  • Serve with Roti/Naan flatbread or Rice Pilaf or other cooked grains like Quinoa, millet.

Notes

Instant Pot: 
  1. Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
  2. Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally. 
  3. In a large pan or a cleaned out instant pot, add oil and heat on medium-high heat or saute mode in the IP.
  4. Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
  5. Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
  6. Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
  7. Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step). Deglaze with 2 tbsp of water if needed.
  8. Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
  9. Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix really well to pick up any stuck bits, taste and adjust salt.
  10. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
  11. Pressure cook for 5 to 10 mins, Or simmer on saute for 30 minutes.(depends on your preferred consistency of the beans). Mash some of the lentils with the spatula. 
  12. Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
 
There are several types of pressure cookers. Some have different pressure settings. The one I use has a whistle top which acts as the pressure regulator(this model ). And it only has setting for high pressure. When the pressure inside builds up to high pressure, the pressure regulator automatically releases a little pressure at intervals to keep it maintained at a safe high pressure. That release sounds like a whistle because of the sudden steam release, which is counted to time the cooking as I have learnt from mom :).
Nutritional values based on one serving

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Dal Makhani - Black lentils and Beans in creamy buttery gravy
Amount Per Serving
Calories 233 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Sodium 606mg26%
Potassium 267mg8%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 13g54%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 585IU12%
Vitamin C 16.4mg20%
Calcium 76mg8%
Iron 4.8mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
 

Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani

Filed Under: daal, gluten free, Indian Vegan Recipes, Instant Pot, instant pot vegan indian recipes, main course:India, soy free Tagged With: pressure cooker, vegan



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

« Masoor Dal Tadka – Red Lentil Soup. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe
Triple Ginger Molasses Soft Cookies. 100% Spelt. Vegan Recipe »

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. talli says

    October 11, 2019 at 11:27 am

    hi richa, i would like to make this dish using your instant pot instructions but i have one question with step 11.
    i pressure cook 5-10 min and then mash. then it simply says 30 min. 30 min what? pressure cook again or wait ?
    thank you in advance, i absolutely love allo of your recipes

    Reply
    • Chad says

      November 19, 2019 at 7:13 pm

      Did you get an answer to this? I had the same question

      Reply
    • Richa says

      November 19, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      ah the simmer instruction got missed, its either pressure cook for the5-10 mins or simmer for 30 mins. just like the stove top instructions above.

      Reply
      • Rekha says

        February 3, 2020 at 7:27 am

        Hi! Sorry, I’m just not getting it! I tried cooking black lentils before and it came out hard as rocks!

        Do you set manual pressure cooking mode on instapot to 10 minutes??

        Thanks!
        Rekha

        Reply
        • Richa says

          February 3, 2020 at 11:29 am

          They are cooked twice. First time — Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally. And then second time with the spices for 5 minutes.

          Reply
        • Rekha says

          February 3, 2020 at 5:10 pm

          Thank you!!!

          Love you and all your recipes, Btw!!

          Reply
  2. Genevieve says

    October 26, 2019 at 7:05 am

    Do you cook the beans and lentis together in the instantpot?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      November 12, 2019 at 11:47 am

      yes, i refer to the lentils as lentils or black gram interchangeably. I’ll update it to use lentils for whereveer they are referred

      Reply
  3. Lilia says

    November 1, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    I made it without chili – my preference – and I simply cooked the beans in the instant pot with the sauteed onions and spices instead of boiling them ahead of time. It’s absolutely delicious.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      November 1, 2019 at 7:07 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  4. Suzanne says

    November 18, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    5 stars
    This dal makhani is so delicious, thank you! I love your recipes, and so does my non-vegan Indian-food-loving husband!

    Reply
  5. Shalena says

    March 2, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe. Simple to make and delicious!

    Reply
  6. E. says

    June 22, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    Can I use the split urad (chilka)? Also, I can’t find asafoetida anywhere: can I skip it without sacrificing flavor? And i also have frozen fenugreek leaves: can I substitute 1:1 for the dried leaves? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      June 22, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      Yes you can use it. Cook time would reduce by 10 mins. Omit asafetida. And yes soak it for atleast an hour

      Reply
  7. E. says

    June 22, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    PS. Would you soak the split urad overnight? Thanks much.

    Reply
  8. Carry Shamblin says

    October 5, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much!!!
    One of the best things I’ve ever HAD!!! You are brilliant and I BOW to you!!!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 5, 2020 at 7:48 pm

      ❤️❤️

      Reply
    • Valerie says

      March 4, 2021 at 5:49 am

      I don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker or slow cooker yet. How would you adjust to make this just on the stove?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support says

        March 8, 2021 at 11:35 am

        You can cook the beans in a saucepan with additional 1 cup of water until they are tender to preference. They might take an hour or longer

        Reply
  9. Sandra says

    October 11, 2020 at 7:21 am

    I love your recipes and this is one of my favorite Indian dishes. Can I get a recipe for this on a stove top? I don’t have an IP.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 11, 2020 at 7:39 am

      You can cook the beans in a saucepan with additional 1 cup of water until they are tender to preference. They might take an hour or longer

      Reply
      • Sandra says

        October 13, 2020 at 6:25 am

        5 stars
        OK. So I made this yesterday on my stove top and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I don’t think I’ll ever order this out again. Thank you, thank you, , thank you.

        Sandra

        Reply
  10. Diane says

    December 28, 2020 at 8:44 am

    Can this be made on the stovetop?

    Reply
    • Vegan Richa Support says

      December 30, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      sure just cook the beans in a saucepan with additional 1 cup of water until they are tender to preference. They might take an hour or longer

      Reply
      • Valerie says

        March 4, 2021 at 6:02 am

        Oh I see your reply here now so I’ll do that.

        Reply
  11. Michelle Harris Abramson says

    April 11, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    We made this along with your pan roasted Brussels sprouts. Both were fabulous! Thank you for your wonderful recipes.

    Reply
« Older Comments

ORDER TODAY!

Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen Cookbook Now Available everywhere where Books are Sold | VeganRicha.com
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // BAM! // Chapter Indigo // International

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options. Read more about me and the blog...

Lets get Social! Join 1Million followers and friends

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Vegan Richa 's Indian Kitchen Cookbook
Amazon || Barnes & Noble || BAM! || IndieBound || Details & International

Affiliate Links

All content on this blog is owned by Vegan Richa LLC.  Links on some posts are affiliate links for e.g. we are participant in Amazon services LLC Associates program. Vegan Richa is monetized in part through the use of such affiliate links. More Details

LINKSPOPULAR POSTSKEEP IN TOUCH
My Favorite ThingsBuffalo Chickpea PizzaYouTube
Recipe IndexLentil Quinoa LoafFacebook
Advertise, Work With MeCrispy Orange CauliflowerInstagram
Privacy PolicyPumpkin Cinnamon RollsPinterest
Terms Of UseSweet Potato Peanut BurgersTwitter
Copyright and Disclaimers
Copyright © 2021 Vegan Richa LLC