How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. Vegan gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Instant Pot Option.
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.
Red Kidney Beans
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.
Heat oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant.
Add garlic, ginger, chili and cook until golden.
Add onions and cook until translucent.
Add tomatoes, asafetida, garam masala and cook until tomatoes are tender.
Add tempering to cooked beans. Add milks, mix well.
Cook until the beans are mushy.
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.
See below for Instant Pot instructions in the Recipe notes.
Recipe Card
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
Servings: 4
Calories: 233kcal
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:
-
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 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
-
In a large pan or a cleaned out instant pot, add oil and heat on medium-high heat or saute mode in the IP.
-
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). Deglaze with 2 tbsp of water if needed.
-
Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
-
Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix really well to pick up any stuck bits, taste and adjust salt.
-
Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
-
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.
- Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
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.
Jeanne
Could you give me some clarification on what beans you are using please…
I went to a local Indian grocery store for black gram/whole urad assuming they are the same bean (as you implied), but they had both, and they are VERY different. The whole urad looked as you described, like black mung beans. The black gram however was totally different. They looked like very dark brown mini garbanzo beans.
Richa
i have pictures in the post. The black mung bean looking ones are the ones used for the recipe. Those others were prob brown chickpeas (kala chana or kala gram). Kala translates to dark, so they might have used black as the closer translation. It is generally labelled brown chickpeas.
Thats why i have the pics:)
Joan Friedman
what is the timing for an instant pot?
Richa
Same times as pressure cooking times mentioned above. 25 mins high pressure for the beans then 5 mins again later inthe second to last step.
Joan
Thanks! Making it tomorrow
Nina
Do you have more detailed instructions for the instant pot? Can the tempering be done on saute in the pot before adding the beans/ lentils and pressure cooking, and if so, how does that change the pressure cooking time? And should the release be a natural release or quick release? Thanks!
Richa
Hi Nina, Iupdated instant pot instructions in the notes section now.
Mandy
Really enjoyed this. Did it all on a standard stovetop as don’t have a pressure cooker!
Steven Douglas
I’m curious how there is dietary cholesterol? I thought that no plant-based foods contain Cholesterol?
I’m going to give a try, but will try and reduce the fat content for Heart Disease… thank you!
Richa
The widget is probably defaulting to dairy cream in calculation, let me check
Richa
yep, it was using regular butter instead of vegan. updated
Sonali
This is the best dal makhani recipe I’ve tried. I love your Garam Masala recipe too. Thank you so much!
Abe
This is a lovely recipe. With this unusually long Winter into late March I made a double batch last night to eat all week. Sure, I did eat a bowl before bed and had a dream I was running a garage sale for Yoko Ono. We were trying to sell an accordion. The house still smells amazing this morning. This is the first of your recipes for me. Great job.
Joi Straaten
I love this, and have made it twice in 2 wks, with a few tweaks!
Question: Those look like black mustard seeds in the photos?
Richa
Yes, sometimes I add some either accidentally or for a change in flavor. Thats my mum’s hands cooking when i took the photos and she must have added some. We both cook Indian food with a general outline which we change a bit here and there
Maureen
Hi Richa,
I so love your recipes, posts, and cookbook. I send lots of peeps to your site! I am going to try this recipe since this is my all time favorite dal and have tried to make it twice a home from another person’s vegan recipe and it was a disaster.
Reading thru your recipe, i have a question. If I use cooked red kidney beans, do I throw them in with the raw black lentils for 25 mins? I’m confused about that. Please clarify. Thank you for all that you do!!
Heean
Is vegan butter essential? I would totally love to try this recipe since chicken mahkni was one of my favorite food when I was an omnivore. But where I live, vegan butter is not found in marts. 🙁
Richa
you can use oil instead. Also the dal makhani sauce uses a different method and sauce recipe than the chicken or paneer makhni, Make the sauce from this recipe and add veggies or tofu or fake chickin https://www.veganricha.com/2013/06/gobi-musallam-whole-roasted-cauliflower.html
Alex Graybow
Made this last night and it was so delicious … and so authentic. Thank you 🙂
Ryan
Hi Richa,
I love you site and your cookbook. I make this recipe about once every two or three weeks and love it.
I thought I would share with you- I recently bought a bunch of chili pepper seeds and got a free packet of Ghost Pepper powder for free. I decided to add a little Ghost Pepper powder to this recipe (not sure exactly how much it was as I used the end of a paring knife to measure it out- I would say about 1/8th tsp or maybe a little less)- it is freakin amazing! Highly recommended if you love spicy! One thing I love about this dish is how well it does regardless of the level of spicy heat.
Gira
I made this last night and it is wonderful! Taste just like a restaurant but with a lot less salt! Thank you so much for this excellent recipe!
Richa
Awesome! you can always adjust salt to preference. Fenugreek has a bitter salty flavor profile, so sometimes that adds unexpected saltyness to the dal as well.
abc
Hi Richa,
My dal makhani was very light in color and not dark like yours. I like dark colored foods.
I added cashew milk (1/4 cup cashews+1/4 cup water). Should I use less cashews next time?
Thanks
Richa
Was the dal dark before you added cashew milk? you can also simmer it longer with the cashew milk as the urad and rajma color eventually takes over, or add a bit less cashews (thinner cashew milk with 2 to 3 tbsp cashews)
abc
When to add cashew cream/milk? Thanks
Richa
with the dried fenugreek.
J
Would it be OK to soak everything for the lentils overnight in the slow cooker and then add the canned beans (instead of raw) and other ingredients the next day? I don’t have a pressure cooker. If so, does it cook in the slow cooker for 25 minutes as well or should it be all day/something else? Thanks!
Richa
I don’t know anything about slow cookers unfortunately.
Patricia
This recipe looks so good. Did you add black mustard seeds (see onions image)? Thanks,
Richa
Hi Patricia, yes there are some mustard seeds in the pictures. 🙂 My mom adds just cumin or both cumin and mustard. These are pictures from one of her visits when she made the dal and I clicked the steps. You can use just cumin or 1 tsp cumin + 1/2 tsp mustard as well.
Nina
I made this dal yesterday. I was grocery shopping and I saw whole black lentils lying there. I was like huh…. take them with me, I’m gonna make me some dal baby 😀 … It turned out great, was very delicious. I made some aloo paratha to go with it. I had some potato stuffing left, baked it and put a spoonful in my dal. It actually worked as a binder. And it tasted extra good 🙂 🙂
Richa
Awesome! you mixed the potato filling in the dal or the dal in the potato filling?
Nina
I mixed the potato filling in the dal. Just like three tablespoons in the middle of my plate with dal. Was very good!
Richa
Awesome!
Michelle
Just had this for dinner tonight, it is absolutely delicious!
I used the black lentils because I couldn’t find black gram, I also added chopped carrots and parsnip to get some veggies in there. I also forgot to keep the water from the beans and lentils but I added about 1 litre of plain water and it was no drama. It turned out a lot less runny than the pics, assuming because of the veggies, but that’s still definitely not a negative.
I served it with some brown basmatti and a glass of red and was sent to heaven!
Thanks for the recipe Richa, it has served me well.
Krista
Hi Richa,
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious. I couldn’t find urad dal in my neighbourhood, so I used plain brown lentils, and it still turned out great! Not as authentic due to the different lentils, but it still tasted so rich and flavourful! I didn’t have a pressure cooker, so I made it on the stovetop instead; it just took a bit longer. I will definitely make this again, and I’ll make a trip to the punjabi market here in Vancouver to find some urad dal. Can’t wait for your cookbook!
Richa
yay! so glad it turned out great! Yes, do try urad (whole black urad lentils for this recipe). All of the different types of lentils/beans have a distinct taste and texture and they work so beautifully in some particular recipes!
Jenny
Hello!
I was wondering where to find black gram? I am actually also in Seattle and would prefer to avoid ordering online if it can be found in store.
Thanks!
Richa
you can find it in all the Indian grocery stores.
like Mayuri in 2560 152nd Avenue Northeast
Redmond, WA
Apna Bazaar 2245 148th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98007
r & M grocery in Udistrict 5501 University Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98105
or find one near you here https://thokalath.com/grocery/
some of the listings on this link are just spice stores. call them before going.
Catherine Sultana
Hi Richa,
I wound up here looking for a recipe that uses flour made from black gram lentils.
I inadvertently bought bag when I was looking for chickpea flour!
Since I like the idea of low fat, vegan, Indian cooking, I found you!
Can you direct me? Thanks a lot!
Richa
Catherine, you can use it like chickpea flour to make crepes like this https://www.veganricha.com/2011/11/chilla-puda-chickpea-flour.html
you can also use it to make dosa crepes. use black lentil flour + rice flour, let is ferment a bit and then make the crepes. Like these. https://www.veganricha.com/2012/04/dosa-lentil-and-rice-crepes-vegan.html
Cadry
This looks so good! Do you have a garam masala recommendation or a recipe you use to make your own? I have a jarred garam masala, and I kind of hate it. It is way too heavy on cloves and they overpower. Maybe I could use a favorite curry powder instead?
Richa
I usually use Deep or Swad brand Whole garam masala.(https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=whole+garam+masala&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awhole+garam+masala)
I blend up small batches and store for a month or so. the whole spices keep the masala fresh for longer, upto a year.
Richa
*grind small batches of the whole spice blend.
maureen
No I didn’t add the tomato while cooking. I will use the split urad now! To cook the whole ones in the crock pot is 8-10 hours on HIGH with over night soaking! I buy them at Patel Brothers so I know they are fresh. Thanks for your recipes! I love them!
Richa
that is indeed odd. maybe a bad batch of the urad then. you can try cooking just the whole urad in a pan, covered, 3 cups water for 1/2 cup whole urad, on high heat on stove top for an hour and see if they get tender at all. if they don’t then it is a bad batch.
the split urad will cook much faster and will also have a lighter color. the taste of the dal makhani should be similar though.
maureen
see above
maureen
Richa,
I would love to make this but I don’t have a pressure cooker. I have a hard time cooking black lentils in the slow cooker since they take all day! What am I doing wrong? This is my favorite dal of all time! How do I cook the lentils in the slow cooker? I also bought a bag of split black lentils and now I am confused on what to do with them. I got them because the whole ones took all day even with overnight soaking!! Really!
thank you for your advice! Maureen
Richa
hmm. did you add the tomato etc to the beans while cooking? the acid can prevent the beans from breaking down.
overnight soaked whole urad breaks down quicker than kidney beans.
you can use the split urad to make dal as well. use it anywhere where it calls for red lentils or yellow mung dal.
Acacio
Richa, do not cook this dish in a slow cooker if you’re starting with raw kidney beans, as they produce Phytohemagglutinin when not cooked in high-enough heat. Phytohemagglutinin is very toxic and may even cause death. If you must use a slow cooker, boil the beans for a while before putting them on the slow cooker. You can make a web search on safe methods to cook kidney beans.
Richa
Thanks for letting me know. I will add that info to the post. I love my pressure cooker for making dals.
Pravina Parikh
Best recipe good for lunch or diner thank you for posting
Pravina Parikh
Best recipe good for lunch or diner thank you for posting
Eric
What do you mean by pressure cooking to x number of whistles? My pressure cooker doesn’t whistle… 🙁 Just minutes?
See:
Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles.
Richa
Hi Eric, there are several types of pressure cooker. some have different pressure settings. the one i am using has a whistle top which acts as the pressure regulator. (this model https://hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp) 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 to keep it maintained at a safe high pressure. that release sounds like a whistle because of the sudden steam release. I should change the instructions on the post for other types of pressure cookers.
for cooking the black gram and kidney beans, keep the pressure regulator at high pressure for 10 minutes at high heat, then reduce the eat to low-medium and continue to cook for another 10.
For the step when the beans are being cooked with the curry, cook on low-medium heat with the pressure regulator at high pressure for 20 minutes.
Hope this helps.
thanks
Kelly L
Thanks for the explanation. My pressure cooker doesn’t ‘whistle’, either. I have not used it much because all recipes that I come across using the pressure cooker talk about ‘whistles’. Looking forward to making this recipe!
Anonymous
This is truly EXCELLENT. I have tried many different dal makhani recipes, and this one is the most authentic and the most delicious one out there. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Melanie
This is truly EXCELLENT. I have tried many different dal makhani recipes, and this is definitely the best-tasting and most authentic one out there! Thank you!!!
Richa
Thank you Melanie! i am so happy you love it
marcus7w
One more question, Have you shared a recipe for garam masala?
Richa
not yet,. soon:)
marcus7w
Hello Richa,
Can you explain the flavor or how essential of asafoetida to a dish? I bought it once, but as soon as brought it into my home, the odor completely took over the house. sorry it smells like my son’s socks after a football game. I had to remove it immediately from my home & never used it. I can’t imagine it tasting different than it smells. As I learning to cook Indian traditional recipes, I ofter wonder if I’m missing important ingredient. Thanks for so much for sharing!
Richa
You can eliminate it in most dishes. it gives a somewhat garlic type of flavor to the dish and also helps degas the beans and lentils. the quantity used is quite less so the difference in taste with or without it is not very noticeable.
Glue and Glitter
Beautiful, as always, Richa!
Randi
I so have to make this! Looks incredible.
coconutandberries
I made this tonight, along with your naan(and a cumin spinach + potato dish) and it was fantastic. I used oat cream for the milks specified and it was wonderfully rich and flavourful. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
FEROZA SAEED
what is oat cream?
annu
yea how to make oat cream?
veganmiam.com
I love the word, “buttery gravy.” I like wet foods, i.e., curry, soup, noodle soup, moist baos, etc. Congrats with the guest post at Vedged Out, I like her blog, too. I will check out your recipe!
Joey
Do you know, I’ve been meaning to make dal makhani for ages, and never got around to it, mainly as it all seemed a bit vegan unfriendly. Thanks for changing my mind!
Divya Shivaraman
so beautiful clicks…wonderful daal makhni
coconutandberries
Thanks so much for this Richa. My Mum bought me a bag of black gram a while ago (she knows I love food presents!) but I haven’t looked into how to use it. Now I have a recipe! It looks great, and I even have some oat cream in my fridge to use up which I’m sure would work fine instead of the almond/cashew milk 🙂
Annie
Mmmm, “buttery gravy”…
Richa
thats the closest translation.. Its difficult to find the exact translation for makhani:)
Happys Cook
healthy and yummy recipe..
Richa
Thank you:)