This easy Instant Pot dal is the ultimate vegan comfort food. Made with red lentils and richly seasoned with Indian spices, it's thick, hearty, and filling. The Instant Pot makes it even easier to make!
This easy red lentil dal has been a popular recipe on the blog, and I'm happy to share this even easier Instant Pot version! The same amazing flavor in less time, and with no need to stir and babysit a pot on the stove.
Creamy, hearty, and rich, this Instant Pot dal is bursting with warm flavor and spices. It's packed with plant-based protein and works great for meal prep or easy weeknight dinners. Portion out leftovers for easy reheat meals, or freeze for later.
This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and made with healthy, wholesome ingredients that you likely already have on hand in your pantry. This red lentil dal is perfect for scooping with naan bread or mixing up with rice! Make this your go-to Instant Pot meal when 5 o'clock rolls around, and you realize you forgot to thaw something from the freezer.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- It features warming spices and lots of flavor, for the perfect cozy weeknight meal
- Each serving packs 13 g of plant-based protein, making this a great recipe for vegan/ vegetarian meal prep
- It's an easy one-pot meal that cooks up quickly in the pressure cooker!
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how to cook this recipe! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel and Facebook page.
What is Dal
Dal is an Indian soup made from split pulses (lentils, peas or beans), and varies greatly by region. I was introduced to it when I visited Nepal, and it was love at first bite: rich, thick, and full of spices!
While the traditional way to cook it is on the stovetop, we wanted to share a method for how to make dal in the Instant Pot that cooks up quickly and effortlessly. Not only is it simple, but it is also made with pantry staples that are easy to find here in North America.
Ingredient notes
- Red lentils - are a cost effective plant-based protein source for this vegan dal! We always keep this pantry staple on hand for easy vegan and vegetarian meals. This recipe this recipe was developed specifically for red lentils; if you substitute for green lentils, you'll need to adjust cook time and possibly liquid ratios.
- Stock - using stock infuses even more flavor into the lentils as they cook. Use vegetable stock if making this recipe vegetarian or vegan, or homemade bone broth or chicken stock if not.
- Aromatics- taking the time to sauté the onion, garlic and ginger first is important in building flavor into the recipe.
- Tomatoes - one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (juices included).
Step By Step Directions
Sauté Onions
Select the sauté function. Add oil and onion to the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot, and cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and soft.
Add Garlic and Spices
Make a space in the middle of the onions, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute. Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently until spices become fragrant.
TIP- toasting dried spices intensifies their flavor by drawing their oils to the surface. Do not skip this step!
Deglaze
Add the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits stuck. Add the lentils and diced tomatoes.
Important - scraping all the bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot is important to avoid triggering a burn warning
Pressure Cook
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the 'sealing' position, and pressure cook on high pressure for '0' minutes. When the pot comes to pressure, allow for a 5-minute natural pressure release before carefully transitioning the valve to the 'venting' position to release any remaining pressure.
Serve
Serve this Instant Pot dal over rice with naan and fresh cilantro!
Tips For Success
There are two very important steps for building flavors in this dal recipe:
- sauteeing the aromatics - we start by sauteeing an onion, and then add in garlic and ginger at the end so they don't burn
- sauteeing the spices - this is key to building flavor in this dal recipe! Toasting your spices for a few minutes really helps to enhance the flavors.
FAQ
This recipe works in both 6 and 8 quart pressure cooker models. Leave us a comment below if you try it in a mini or any other type of pressure cooker!
YES! It freezes and thaws really well. This dal can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. See the storage section for how to store and freeze.
This recipe is not spicy at all and is kid-friendly; I used a medium curry powder. You could make it spicy by adding in a chile when you add the stock; alternatively, you could play around with cayenne to add some spice (not traditional, but I find it easier to control spice levels with cayenne versus fresh chiles)
You sure can! See this easy red lentil dal recipe for directions on how to cook it on the stovetop.
No, red lentils do not need to be soaked before cooking in the Instant Pot. However, it is recommended to rinse them before cooking. If you do soak the lentils, it may reduce the cooking time - however, we have not tested it.
Unfortunately the cook times are not complimentary, and so the pot in pot method for cooking rice and dal together will not work for this recipe.
In general, we use a 1 lb lentil : 5 cups liquid ratio (see perfect , however after experimentation, we settled on a 1 ½ cups dried red lentils and 3 ½ cups liquid ratio for this recipe.
Storage
- Fridge - portion out with rice into 2 cup meal prep containers. Store in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - portion into reusable plastic freezer jars. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw - thaw completely in the fridge.
- Reheat - reheat until steaming hot in the microwave. Enjoy!
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Instant Pot Dal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoons ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups stock
- 1 ½ cups red lentils * see note 1
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes including juices
Instructions
- Sauté onions- Select the sauté function. Add oil and onion to the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot, and cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and soft.
- Add garlic + spices- Make a space in the middle of the onions, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute. Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently, until spices become fragrant.
- Deglaze- Add the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits stuck. Add the lentils and diced tomatoes.
- Cook- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the 'sealing' position, and pressure cook on high pressure for '0' minutes (see note 2). When the pot comes to pressure, allow for a 5 minute natural pressure release before carefully transitioning the valve to the 'venting' position to release any remaining pressure.
- Serve- Over rice with naan and cilantro.
Tips:
- this recipe was developed specifically for red lentils; substitute at your own risk
- the lentils cook while the pot comes up to and down from pressure
- to make the cooking process easier, measure out all spices in a bowl before you begin cooking
- scraping all the bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot is important to avoid triggering a burn warning
- Fridge - portion out with rice into 2 cup meal prep containers. Store in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - portion into reusable plastic freezer jars. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw - thaw completely in the fridge.
- Reheat - reheat until steaming hot in the microwave. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition Information
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Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.
Teresa says
Thank you so much! What a quick, easy, and flavourful meal! I added a large 28 oz tin of diced tomatoes by accident and it still tasted so good. Will definitely be on regular rotation.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Teresa, we're delighted to hear that you enjoyed! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review 🙂
Lauren says
I’m allergic to lentils…can I substitute for white kidney beans?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Lauren, peas or chickpeas might be a more similar substitute to lentils than kidney beans. However, we have not tested them and this recipe was developed specifically for red lentils; so other beans/ pulses may require a longer cook time.