This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. Vegan gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Instant Pot Option.
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. 

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

5 from 20 votes
By: Vegan Richa
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours
Servings: 4
Course: dal
Cuisine: Glutenfree, Indian, Vegan
How to make restaurant style non-dairy Dal Makhani. gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Instant Pot Option in notes
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.


Ingredients 
 

For the Lentils:

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

For the Tempering:

  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2-3 green chilis finely chopped, I use Serrano chili pepper
  • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
  • 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 medium size onion, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida, hing
  • 1/2 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 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.

Video

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

Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 3g, Sodium: 606mg, Potassium: 267mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 585IU, Vitamin C: 16.4mg, Calcium: 76mg, Iron: 4.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe #veganricha #vegandalmakhani #instanpotdalmakhani

About Richa

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.

You May Also Like

5 from 20 votes

Leave a comment

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

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.

136 Comments

  1. marcus7w says:

    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!

    1. Richa says:

      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.

  2. Glue and Glitter says:

    Beautiful, as always, Richa!

  3. Randi says:

    I so have to make this! Looks incredible.

  4. coconutandberries says:

    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 🙂

    1. FEROZA SAEED says:

      what is oat cream?

      1. annu says:

        yea how to make oat cream?

  5. veganmiam.com says:

    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!

  6. Joey says:

    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!

  7. Divya Shivaraman says:

    so beautiful clicks…wonderful daal makhni

  8. coconutandberries says:

    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 🙂

  9. Annie says:

    Mmmm, “buttery gravy”…

    1. Richa says:

      thats the closest translation.. Its difficult to find the exact translation for makhani:)

  10. Happys Cook says:

    healthy and yummy recipe..

    1. Richa says:

      Thank you:)