Dal Makhani Recipe (Restaurant Style)
Updated: April 28, 2023, By Swasthi
Dal Makhani Recipe with stovetop and instant pot instructions. Dal Makhani is a classic North Indian dish made with whole urad dal, rajma, butter and spices. It is one of the most popular lentil dishes originated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. This Punjabi Dal Makhani recipe is a keeper. One bite of this flavorsome lentil goodness, your family & guests will be amazed! I am sure you will love how rich, creamy, flavorful and delicious it tastes!
About Dal Makhani
Dal makhani is a popular North Indian dish where whole black lentils & red kidney beans are slow cooked with spices, butter & cream. Dhal or Dal refers to lentils and Makhani translates to buttery. Dal Makhani literally means Buttery dal.
Traditionally Dal Makhani is prepared by cooking lentils on wood/coal fire for several hours. This slow cooking for prolonged hours yield a creamy, thick and best tasting buttery dal.
Making a good Dal Makhani is easy & needs only a few ingredients but it does take time as the lentils need to be slow cooked. So this is an amazing dish to make for a weekend or special festive meal.
Serve this Dal Makhani with fluffy Basmati Rice, Jeera Rice, garlic Butter naan, Tandoori Roti, Chapati or roti.
It is believed that Dal Makhani was invented by Kundal Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral, who were Punjabi Hindu immigrants from Peshawar. After a roaring success with their Butter Chicken, they were keen to come-up with a vegetarian version.
Since urad dal was a popular staple among the Punjabis, they made the dish using the same. Dal Makhani was first served in their own restaurant named Moti Mahal in Delhi.
Later as years passed by, it became popular and now it is one of the most ordered special lentil dish across India. Others were inspired with this and came up with similar specials like Dal Bhukara and Dal Maharani.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Lentils – I use black lentils (whole urad dal) and red kidney beans (rajma). For 1 cup urad dal I use ¼ cup rajma. Many people also add a small quantity of chana dal (Bengal gram) for texture. If you prefer you can use 2 tbsp in the recipe or may substitute rajma with chana dal.
Cream – Cooking cream, whipping cream, heavy cream or homemade malai (cream) works well. If using homemade malai, then blend it well in a small blender jar until smooth. Then transfer this to a small cup and stir together a few tbsps of dal makhani. Then pour that to the pot. This way cream will not split.
Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves – A small quantity of kasuri methi makes a huge difference here. However if you do not have you may skip it. There is no substitute.
Similar recipes
Brown Lentils (Whole Masoor Dal)
Red Lentil Curry
Kadhi Pakora
Chole recipe
Chana masala
Rajma recipe
Photo Guide
How to Make Dal Makhani (Stepwise Photos)
1.Soaking lentils: Add 1 cup urad dal (black lentils) & ¼ cup rajma (red kidney beans) to a large pot and rinse thoroughly a few times. Drain the water and pour 3 to 4 cups fresh water. Soak them for at least 6 to 8 hours. To speed up the soaking process you may pour boiling water and soak for 4 hours.
2.Cooking lentils: After they are soaked well, drain the water and pour 4 cups fresh water. Pressure cook on a medium heat for 10 whistles. It takes about 35 to 40 mins. If using an Instant pot pressure cook for 20 mins. If cooking in a pot add more water as required and cook until they become tender. This is how they look after pressure cooking them.
3.Check if cooked well: When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid and check if the dal is well cooked. Both rajma and urad dal have to be softened. Press down a rajma and few urad dal in between your thumb and fore finger. They should get mashed very well easily. They should not be aldente or even slightly hard.
If they are under-cooked, add half cup more hot water and cook for a little longer about 3 to 4 whistles.
While the dal cooks, chop 1 medium onion finely. Make 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. Chop 210 grams of tomatoes (about 1 heaped cup chopped). Puree in a blender. We will need 1 cup tomato puree here. Measure it and keep aside.
Make Masala
4.Heat a heavy bottom pot. Add 1½ tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon ghee. If using whole spices (optional), add 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom and 2 green cardamoms. Saute them for half a minute. Then add 1 medium onion finely chopped. Saute until golden or light brown.
5.Then stir in 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Saute for 1 minute until the raw smell disappears.
6.Next add 1 cup tomato puree (210 grams) and saute for a while.
7.Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ to 1½ teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Adjust the chilli powder to suit your taste. I use 1½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder. If you are using hot chilli powder then cut down . I used this punjabi garam masala. Please ensure you use a good one.
8.Saute until the masala cooks well and turns thick. The masala begins to smell good when done.
9.Mash the cooked lentils slightly and transfer to the pot along with the stock. Stir well and add 1 cup hot boiling water.
Slow Cook Dal
10.Stir and continue to cook on the lowest possible heat stirring often to avoid burning. After 60 mins, you will need to add another half cup hot water each time and cook until the dal thickens. I add about 2 cups water in total (1 + ½ + ½).
11.Continue to cook on a low flame for a total of 80 mins stirring every now and then to prevent the dal sticking at the bottom.
12.Taste the dal makhani. Add more salt as needed. Take ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and crush it in between your palms. Then add it. This brings out the flavor.
13. Stir in ¼ cup cream and continue to cook for another 10 mins. If you are making ahead for later use, you may add cream, butter and kasuri methi when you reheat it. So just make the dal makhani without all of the 3, cool and refrigerate or freeze. When you reheat add all of them.
14.This was the consistency I got after 90 mins of total cooking. Thick, creamy & flavorful. Then stir in 1½ tablespoon butter. Turn off the heat.
Smoke Dal Makhani (Optional)
Please avoid this if you are a novice cook. Dal makhani tastes good even without this step.
Place a tall steel cup or bowl in the center of the pot. Ensure it doesn’t get submerged in the dal. Hold a piece of wood coal with a tong over direct fire. For extra safety use a stove lighter or a candle instead of a larger source of fire.
After a few minutes, the coal will turn red & hot. Then carefully place it inside the cup and pour ¼ teaspoon of ghee. You will immediately see fumes emitted by the coal. Cover the pot immediately and leave for 3 to 4 mins.
You may repeat pouring another ¼ teaspoon ghee to smoke for longer. Smoking too long will leave a very strong flavor so 3 to 4 mins is good enough for our taste.
Dal makhani goes very well with Indian breads like butter naan, roti, tandoori roti and even with jeera rice or plain Basmati Rice. Garnish dal makhani with cream or butter before serving.
Pro Tips
Soak black lentils and rajma for at least 8 hours. Well soaked lentils cook up to a creamy texture which is very important to make a delicious dal makhani. To speed up the soaking process, you may soak them in boiling hot water for 4 hours.
Precook the lentils well before adding them to the makhani masala. Even slightly undercooked dal will not work well here.
Butter is the key ingredient to make a flavorful dal makhani. Be generous & use a good amount of butter. In India, cultured butter is used which actually brings an amazing flavor. You can also use the regular butter like the way I did.
But be generous & add a good amount of it. If you are on a low fat diet, cut down your portion size instead of making a low fat dal makhani.
I prefer to use half butter and half ghee for cooking the masala as using only butter burns quickly. You may use one for the other.
Slow cooking lentils on a lowest heat brings out the best flavors. Dal makhani served in restaurants is so much flavorful as the lentils are cooked overnight or whole day on slow fire.
Without simmering you won’t really get the essential flavors in your dal makhani. I suggest simmering for at least 90 mins after adding the cooked lentils to the tempering or masala.
More Tips
Spices are used in minimum quantities here to keep the flavor of slow cooked black lentils dominant. Most standard Indian restaurants use whole spices like bay leaf, black cardamoms & green cardamoms especially in the tempering.
These spices make a huge difference as they release a unique aroma to the dal when slow cooked for several hours. However you may use either whole spices or ground spices or a mix of both. More in the recipe notes.
Smoking dal makhani – Traditionally made dish is cooked on coal fire for long hours which naturally imparts a smoky aroma to the dish. To some extent the smoky flavor can be recreated at home by smoking the final dish. This step is optional. I have shown it in detail in the video you may take a look.
If you prefer to smoke your dal makhani, ensure you use wood coal that has no additives or fuel added to it. Many people also add liquid smoke to the dish to get that strong flavor.
Faqs
Dal makhani is made with whole black lentils, unsalted butter, spices, tomatoes, onions, herbs & cream.
Sabut urad dal is used in dal makhani. It is also known as black lentils or black gram.
Just skip the onions and follow the recipe as is. There will be no change in the taste.
Though the major flavors come from slow cooking the lentils, a small quantity of whole or ground spices do elevate the flavors of the dish. So for best flavors, use the spices as mentioned.
For best flavors, cool it immediately, transfer to smaller freezer safe glass bowls & freeze within 2 hours of cooking. This way the flavors are retained to a maximum extent. When you prefer to use, thaw it in the fridge overnight or for 10 to 12 hours.
To reheat, transfer to a pot and cook until bubbling & very hot. If needed pour little water. Alternately transfer to a steel bowl and reheat in instant pot (PIP) on a high pressure for 3 to 4 mins. I do not add any water for reheating in the IP.
How to double the recipe?
To double this recipe, double all the ingredients. Pressure cook the lentils for the same amount of time. I slow cook the dal makhani for longer than 2 hours after adding the cooked lentils to the masala.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Dal Makhani Recipe (Restaurant Style)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
To Pressure Cook
- 1 cup whole black lentil (200 grams black gram – whole urad dal)
- ¼ cup rajma (red kidney beans) (optional)
- 4 cups water for pressure cooking – more for pot
To Temper/ Masala
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided – 1 ½ tbsp + 1 ½ tbsp)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (65 grams)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup tomato puree (210 grams)
- 2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
- ¾ to 1½ teaspoons red chilli powder (adjust to taste) (I use 1½)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (use fragrant spice blend)
- 2 cups water (preferably boiling hot)
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
- ¼ cup cream (more for garnish, heavy cream, whipping cream)
Whole Spices (optional)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 2 green cardamoms (optional)
- 1 black cardamom (optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Add urad dal and rajma to a large pot and rinse them well a few times. Drain the water and soak them in 3 to 4 cups of water for 7 to 8 hours. To reduce the soaking time, you may soak them in boiling hot water for 4 to 5 hours.
- Later drain the water and rinse them well.
How to make Dal Makhani
- Pour 4 cups fresh water and pressure cook for 10 whistles on a medium heat. You can also cook in a pot until soft and tender adding more water as needed. If cooking in instant pot, pressure cook on high pressure for 20 mins.
- Both urad dal and rajma must cook to very soft. When mashed with a spoon the dal and rajma must be soft and get mashed well easily. If not then pour another half cup hot water and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 whistles on a medium heat.
- Heat a heavy bottom pot with butter & ghee. If using whole spices, add them and saute for half a minute. Then add onions and fry until they turn golden.
- Stir in ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Then transfer tomato puree and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thick.
- Add salt, chilli powder & garam masala. Saute well until the masala smells good and turns thick.
- Mash the cooked urad dal slightly and pour it along with the stock. Pour another 1 cup hot boiling water & mix.
- Cook on a low flame until the dal thickens stirring often in between to prevent burning the bottom. After 60 mins, the dal thickens.
- Add another ½ to 1 cup hot boiling water and continue to cook until thick. This takes another 30 mins. Totally cook for about 90 mins from the time you added the cooked dal to the pot.
- Then add kasuri methi and pour cream. Stir and cook again for 6 to 8 mins until it becomes thick and creamy.
- Taste and add more salt if needed. Add butter and mix well.
Dhungar – Smoking (optional)
- Place a small piece of foil or a tall steel cup on the dal makhani. Hold 1 to 2 inch piece of natural wood charcoal with a tong and burn it on direct fire until red hot. Then place it on the foil kept over dal or in the steel cup.
- Quickly pour ¼ tsp ghee on the hot coal. Immediately cover the pot and allow to smoke for 3 to 4 mins. For stronger flavor, add another ¼ tsp ghee on the coal and repeat the smoking.
- Garnish dal makhani with butter or cream & serve with fluffy Basmati rice or naan.
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
- Press SAUTE button on the Instant pot. Add ghee and butter to the steel insert.
- Once the butter melts, add onions and saute until transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tomato puree, red chilli powder & garam masala. Saute for 3 to 5 mins.
- Drain the water from the lentils and add them. Pour 3 cups water and deglaze the pot by scrubbing the bottom with a wooden spatula.
- Press CANCEL button. Secure the Instant pot with the lid. Position the steam release handle to sealing.
- Press PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 30 mins.
- When the IP finishes it will beep. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the lid. You will see the dal being runny at this stage. Add salt & slightly mash the urad dal, not rajma.
- Press SAUTE button. Adjust the setting to LOW by pressing the saute button twice.
- Cook further stirring often until thick. When most of the moisture evaporates, dal turns thicker. Optional – I prefer to add 1 more cup of hot water in 2 batches, ½ cup each time. Cook further until really creamy and thick.
- Then add cream and kasuri methi. Continue to cook until creamy.
- Stir in the butter and garnish dal makhani with cream.
Notes
- You can halve the recipe to make 2 to 3 servings. Cut down the cook time to 60 mins.
- Older stock of lentils & beans (aged) often take longer to cook. So buy them from a store which sells fresher stocks.
- If you do not like to use rajma, just skip them. Keep all the quantities of ingredients same.
- You may use whole spices in tempering – 1 black cardamom, 2 to 3 green cardamoms and 1 bay leaf.
- You can use bottled or homemade tomato puree. To make the puree, chop and blend a little over 1 cup tomatoes to make 1 cup puree.
- You can cook the lentils in a pot if you don’t have a cooker. It may take about 60 to 90 mins. Add more water than mentioned in the recipe.
- Simmer the dal for at least 90 minutes to get the best texture. If you double the recipe, simmer for longer.
- Dal makhani tastes best when slow cooked on a low flame for long time. So do not cook even on a medium flame.
- To get the authentic taste you can cook the dal for as long as 3 hours on the lowest flame, adding more water as needed.
- Keep stirring consistently to prevent burning.
Video
Watch Dal Makhani Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Very good recipe! I know dal makhani is a vegetarian dish but a friend at work suggested me to add a little meat mince for a blast. I tried out first as written and it was fantastic. I had my sister’s family coming over last week so I sauteed a pound of chicken mince before adding in. I had to double all the spices including kasuri and to my surprise it was very well received. Thank you for another beautiful recipe.
Thanks for trying Tracy. Happy to know you all loved the dal makhani.
What kind of tomatoes do you use? Are they fresh tomatoes pureed in a grinder or is it tomato sauce? How important are tomatoes in this recipe and is there a substitute. I am looking forward to make it soon. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Aditi,
I use bottled tomato puree/sauce (mutti brand) but you can also use 3/4 cup fresh pureed tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes). This is not a tomato based dish so you may omit if you can’t eat them. or You may substitute with half cup yogurt. Mash 2 to 3 tbsps cooked urad dal in a bowl and whisk with yogurt very well until smooth. Add that to the onion, ginger garlic tempering and cook first until thick, before adding the rest of the urad dal and rajma. The other option is to use lemon juice at the time of serving. Hope this helps and enjoy the dish
Made it today for lunch. Tastes really good. Everyone loved it.
Thanks Sammy
Made this for a potluck and everyone who tasted loved it. I subbed heavy cream with 3/4 cup half & half because I had to use up that. Also used all the whole spices and the flavors were amazing. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper
That’s nice to know Gita. Thank you for trying
Thank you for the beautiful recipe. Turned out amazing and the best! So much better than all the dal makhani recipes I have tried before.
Very happy to read that Jyothi. Thanks for trying
Hi Swasthi,
People think I’m a fantastic Indian chef but that’s only because I follow your recipes exactly as written, ( I do let them know you are my teacher).
I want to cook this dal, I don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot, cook everything on the hob.
Would it be possible to use the slow cooker for the hours long cooking to develop the flavours????
I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes, Thank You Vanessa
Hi Vanessa,
Thank you for the kind words. Yes can make. Slow cook the soaked dal and rajma for 7 to 8 hours with 4 cups water. Mash the lentils slightly and make the tempering on the stove top and add to the dal. Slow cook for another 90 mins. Hope you all enjoy it!
Be careful with rajma in the slow cooker, rajma needs to be boiled for at least 10 minutes to destroy a toxin that they contain. so make sure to boil the mixture for a while on the stove.
Soaking rajma, draining off the soaked liquid and using fresh water to cook, is absolutely alright and safe. You should not use dry rajma (without soaking) in a slow cooker and that releases toxins. You need to discard the rajma soaked water to get rid of the toxins.
We have been a big fan of slow cooked lentils and this dal makhani is really amazing. Perfect blend of spices without too much heat! I have been making this recipe for a few years and I know I was due for a review. I am excited to share a few things that might help others here. My Mum is a vegan and making this a plant based was easier than I thought. I saute the onions in a neutral oil and use plant based cream or milk. Thanks to Swasthi for all the suggestions in the comments, it helped me try out different options. Homemade cashew cream works the best and tastes similar to heavy cream. We have also tried out with coconut cream and soya cream which left their respective flavors but still taste delicious. Oat creamer, plant based sour cream, cashew cream cheese and homemade cashew cream from boiled cashews work best. Hope this helps a lot of you!
Thank you so much for sharing back Wendy! Surely this is going to help others! I totally agree about coconut and soya cream. Thanks again.
My go to recipe! I make it once a week, the family loves it.
Thanks Brooke
Fantastic recipe! I followed the recipe exactly and included all the whole spices plus a small piece of cinnamon. My husband says this is the best makhani he has eaten. I think slow cooking for longer makes this the best. Thank you for posting this
So glad to read this Suman. Thank you for trying
How long will this keep in the fridge. I’d love to make a huge batch to eat through out the week.
Hi Rob,
It keeps good for 3 days in the fridge. After that you will notice a slight change in the taste, especially during the hotter season (even though it is refrigerated). To retain the best taste and flavors, freeze in smaller containers & thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Hope this helps.
Awesome. Thank you!
Making this now, how long does it need to be in IP on sautee at the end? It just says until dal gets thicker, but how long usualy?
Hi Manisha,
It should take you about 30 mins. hope you enjoy!
Superb recipe
We all love this dish. Thank you.
I have a quick version of Dal Makhani that is ok, but not as creamy as what I have eaten in restaurants. This was perfect! I will definitely make this again, but next time I am getting some fenugreek leaves.
Thanks Sonja. That’s really nice to know you like it!
Hi, this looks awesome and I love all your recipes that I’ve tried, so I can’t wait to try this one this evening. Do you mean concentrated tomato purée (I.e in a tube) or tomatoes that have been pureed? Thank you!
Hi, in this case, it is referring to tomatoes that have been puréed rather the paste from a tube. 🙂
Thanks Elle
Hi Smita,
Thank you so much and I am very sorry for not replying. I was travelling during those day and somehow missed it. Use fresh tomatoes that have been pureed or passata (same amount). Hope this helps
Whoops, typo in my other reply. You want puréed tomatoes (I get mine from a can) rather than the paste from a tube. The paste would be too concentrated.
Is there a way to make this without cream? Will it taste as good?
Thanks!
Hi Sonia,
Yes it still tastes good. You can omit the cream or use cashew cream (pureed cashews) if you want. Blend 15 soaked cashews (30 mins soaked) to a smooth puree with half cup water and use that if you want. Hope you enjoy the dish
Hi Swasthi- Do I need to soak the dal and rajma if I’m using the instant pot or can I put them directly in?
Hi David,
Yes soak them as instructed
Thanks! It turned out great
Love this recipe. Perfectly spiced with the right amount of butter and cream. I am thrilled I made this and everyone in the family loved it
Happy to read that Sophia. Thanks for trying
So good! I made the instant pot version, and it is so *easy*. All you need is time. (FYI, I ended up needing three hours, rather than 2, because cutting onions, grating ginger, peeling garlic, etc., takes a bit, and then the natural release is usually ~40 minutes for me.) I didn’t even do the smoking, and it was fabulous.
Hi,
Thanks for trying. Glad you like it. But 40 mins is a long time for pressure drop unless you made 2x or 3x. I think you should give a try with a slow manual release after 15 to 20 mins (for 1x recipe). Also please note there is still plenty of liquid in the IP & it can splash. So be careful when you try this. My recent experience is that a lot of times the valve is generally stuck (with little pressure inside) which can be released easily. Hope this helps.
Making Dal Makhani has always intimidated me, but every recipe I tried from your blog worked beautifully, so I decided to give this one a try, too. The result was amazing, and it’s so easy in an instant pot! I wasn’t sure which red chili I should use, so I combined Deggi mirch and Kashmiri mirch, and skipped the onion as my stomach can be sensitive to it. So delicious and flavorful.
Hi Barbara,
Glad you like it. I will update to mention it as Kashmiri chili powder. Thank you for sharing back
One question for IP, how long does natural release take? I love this recipe by the way! Made it before but was always guessing how long it would take for natural release.
Hi Maya,
It actually depends on the temperature in your kitchen. I have a open kitchen with a window nearby and it drops under 15 mins. If it is too hot, you can turn on the fan for a quicker release. I do that sometimes. Thank you for trying.