Quick Dal Makhani
This dal makhani recipe is rich, creamy and loaded with flavor. It’s also lighter and quicker to make than other recipes! Ready in 1 hour.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
Are you familiar with dal makhani? It’s a rich, spiced, lentil-based stew made for special occasions in India (especially in the Punjab region in northern India). Someday, I hope to travel there and taste it for myself. Maybe next year, if I’m lucky.
For now, I’ll enjoy this dal makhani at home. Dal makhani traditionally takes quite a long time to make, starting with soaking the lentils and then cooking them for hours on the stove (or more quickly in a pressure cooker). It’s often reserved for special occasions, like birthdays and holidays.
I couldn’t find traditional whole black lentils (urad dal) in grocery stores, so I used regular black lentils instead, which cook much faster. I also used canned kidney beans rather than dried, so this dish only requires about 45 minutes on the stove.
Dal makhani is generally made creamy with lots of butter and cream, but I stole a trick from my favorite lentil soup to make this creamy—I blended up about two cups of the cooked stew and stirred it back into the pot. The starchy lentils get nice and creamy that way.
You’re welcome to stir in cream (or coconut milk) at the end, if you’d like, but it dulls the flavor a bit. If you order this dish at a restaurant, it will probably arrive with a beautiful swirl of cream on top.
Since this dish is rich, the spices in this recipe are more subtle. Garam masala is a warming spice blend made with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper and coriander. Indian cooking typically starts by dry-toasting whole spices, but I cheated and used a ground spice blend.
Frontier Co-op’s blend smells and tastes so fresh that I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Great spices really do make a difference, and I feel so spoiled with a spice drawer full of Frontier products.
Ground coriander (made from the seeds of the cilantro plant) and cumin liven up the dish, and a splash of lime at the end works wonders. If you’re craving a creamy, curried, satisfying stew, this is exactly that!
Quick Dal Makhani
This dal makhani is rich, creamy and loaded with flavor. It’s also lighter and quicker to make than other recipes! Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Frontier Co-op garam masala*
- ½ teaspoon Frontier Co-op ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Frontier Co-op ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (preferably the fire-roasted variety), with their juices
- 1 cup uncooked black lentils (also called beluga lentils)**, picked over for debris
- 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
- 5 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus additional lime wedges for serving
- Optional (for additional creaminess): half-and-half, or regular or light coconut milk
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Suggested accompaniments: cooked brown basmati rice or toasted naan
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the garam masala, cumin, coriander and salt. Season generously with black pepper. Cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 more minute, while stirring. Add the lentils, kidney beans, water and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the lentils are nice and tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf. Transfer 2 cups of the mixture (make sure to get some liquid with the lentils) to a blender. Securely fasten the lid. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute, being careful to avoid the hot steam rising from the blender lid.
- Transfer the blended mixture back to the pot and stir to combine. Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt (I usually add ½ teaspoon) and pepper. If you would like to temper the flavor and make the mixture even more creamy, stir in a splash of half-and-half or coconut milk, to taste.
- Serve in bowls, with chopped cilantro and a lime wedge on top. If desired, serve rice or naan on the side. Leftovers keep well, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Use coconut milk instead of half-and-half, or use none at all.
*Change it up: While untraditional, I also love this recipe with regular curry powder instead of garam masala.
**Lentil note: This recipe is not designed for traditional urad dal (whole black gram lentils), which take forever to cook. Standard lentils (the brownish/greenish kind) will work in place of the black lentils. Just keep an eye on them, since they may be done cooking about 5 to 10 minutes sooner.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Frontier Co-op and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Thank you! What a yummy, easy, recipe. I prepped per your instructions, I just let it (slow) cook a little longer… delish! My partner and I love it. I’ll be making more of your recipes in the future.
Thank you for your review, Belinda!
This has become a weekly meal in our house! It’s so easy and delicious, and I think it’s helping me lose weight as part of my meal planning! Gotta love all that fiber. On my third go of this, I ended up adding 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder in addition to the garam masala and it really took it to the next level. I also splurged and added a tablespoon of butter for creaminess (we don’t have a blender), and my husband and I were practically licking our plates clean. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love that! Thank you for commenting, Stephanie.
Just bought your book and loving it!! For this recipe I had a question about whether or not to use a lid.Usually when I cook lentils I put on a lid after it has come to a simmer. For this recipe do you use a lid after you have brought it to a simmer and reduce the heat?
I’m so glad you are loving my cookbook! No need to cover for this one. I hope this helps!
I made this recipe last night and absolutely loved it. Even one of our guests who did not like Indian cuisine enjoyed this dish, and no one could believe that it was vegan! We’re in the mountains, so we made do with red lentils (4 cups of water instead of 5, and it finished a bit quicker than this recipe calls for). This recipe is definitely a winner!
I’m happy you loved it, Katherine! Thanks for your review.
Easy, delicious, almost like the “real” thing! I added a bit extra spice and two jalapeños.
Thank you, Michelle!
Thanks for the great tips, will be sure to get on this right away!
Hi – I appreciate your efforts and the cultural flexibility for other traditional cuisines but being an Indian I can tell daal makhani is a very specific and prominent dish and it is not how u have described . Definitely you have tried to follow to the best you could but it’s a recipe so specific like a heritage and I did hate to see a regular daal recipe under the name of daal makhani.
Thank you for your feedback, Sonia. I appreciate it.
Served it up over quinoa with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Out of the park. Thanks for another keeper.
You’re welcome, Scott!
Lovely Dahl recipe thank you and a Happy new year
Love from Maria Sean and our mini daschund Monty in Armagh Northern Ireland.
I love this blog, but this recipe missed the mark! Took a long time to cook, way too watery (should only have 2-3 cups of water, not five) and lacked flavor (I put many things in to try and compensate). Sad because I really wanted to love this!
I’m sorry to hear that, Kristen! Thank you for your review and feedback.
Made this along with three other (veggie) curries for friends yesterday (with green lentils)… And this was the favourite all around. As we didn’t have any vegan I added some soured cream that I needed to use and a knob of butter at the end… It was super tasty (but tried it before adding the extra stuff and it was yummy). Loving the blending trick, it’s making it to my list of favs !! Thanks a lot for sharing !!
This was absolutely delicious, and yet so uncomplicated to make! I’m adding this recipe to my favourites list.
Thank you!
Great to hear, Vanessa! Thanks for your review.
I was craving a nice creamy dal makhani but didn’t want to put the effort into a two hour cooking slog. This was tasty and enjoyed by all. I did add a half can of coconut milk but I think the blending technique at the end allows for the cream to be an optional ingredient. I did choose to up the heat with a bit of cayenne and smoked praprika.
I’m happy you enjoyed this version! I appreciate the review.
This was so wonderful and hit the spot for my family. Didn’t have kidney beans so used a can of black beans and the French lentils. Just so satisfying and yummy!
All your recipes look wonderful. Is it possible to make this without the tomatoes? What could I add to replace that ingredient? I am allergic to tomatoes. Tomatoes are in sooo many recipes!
Hi Laura! I think you could omit the tomatoes, or add some chopped roasted red pepper for additional flavor. Since this recipe includes the tomato juices, you may need to add another cup of water or so. I do have a listing of tomato-free recipes here (some require modest substitutions). Hope it’s helpful!
Thank you!
Hi,
Tonight, I made this recipe. Just as I was finishing cooking, we had friends (unexpectedly) come to the back gate to say hi … respecting the 6 foot rule … I served them this meal, with brown basmati and a bottle of tempranillo. Everyone said it was the best, most comforting meal they’d had in days. Made to spec, except I close to doubled the cumin and coriander and added a half tsp of hot sprinkles (a/k/a red pepper flakes).
Thank you Cookie and Kate for letting us feel somewhat normal over some yummy food tonight. XO
I’m glad this has brought you some comfort! I appreciate your comment and review. Stay safe!
Excellent recipe. In this time of self-quarantining, I didn’t have all the ingredients — so I used Puy lentils not beluga, black beans not kidney beans, a can of green chillies instead of a fresh jalapeno — and no lime, so I crossed my fingers and used a dash of lemon. And I used heavy cream to finish it off. And instead of 5 cups of water I knew I needed to cut it down — and even the 3 and 3/4 cups I used was too much. Might I suggest you cut down from 5 cups, or at least say add gradually, so one can decide? And, though Puy lentils call for 20 minutes til done, and your recipe calls for 35 — I cooked for 45-50 minutes to cook out the liquid. Once doing that, and for sure blending 2+ cups, it was delicious — and the Puy lentils are such high quality they didn’t become mush. Good level of spice (could be hotter; next time!), good consistency. Oh — and because no naan available anywhere — I used tortillas! I will definitely make again, maybe with the “correct” ingredients — but what I used was fine.
Look at you being creative in your kitchen! Thanks for sharing how you were able to work with this recipe to use what you had. I appreciate the feedback and review.
I made this last night, also throwing mung beans into the mix. It’s wonderfully tasty, and easy and inexpensive to cook. Thank you for another great recipe!
In the picture there are veggies; looks like diced carrots and peas but here is none in the recipe.
It doesn’t seee, to be as rich as I wanted it to. What can I add?
The tomatoes and jalapeño pepper may be tricking you! You could add more spices if you like. I always like to add more olive oil at the end for richness in soups. That might help!
Just eating this tonight….it’s delicious…..glad I tried it!
This was fantastic, thank you so much! Adding a bit of cashew cream at the end (in addition to the puree trick) worked incredibly well. The brightness of the lime is absolutely essential!
You’re welcome, Asna!
Thank you – made this for my family last night and everyone liked it.
I’m happy it was a hit, Tammy! Thanks for sharing.
Tasted yummy! Mine came out watery though. Maybe I didn’t simmer it on high enough heat? The flavor is great though.
That would be my assumption, too!
Somehow I ended up tripling the lentils and tomatoes (feels like there’s another version of this recipe I called up on my phone while cooking that surprised me?). Fortunately, I stopped short of tripling the water at 10 cups – it was still a little soupier than I would like, but that’s easy to adjust next time. With so many lentils, I had to tweak the spices, but I ended up with a delicious, fragrant, easy dal I’ll make again and again, and all that water meant blending it a bit more than suggested to get a thick and creamy texture – all easy to toggle next time. My son ate his rolled in garlic naan with rice like a burrito. I’m gluten-free, so I ate mine in a bowl over brown rice. Props to you, Kate, and to Frontier – I followed your recommendation on the garam masala, and am glad I did. Years ago, I had a can of garam masala from an Indian grocery that I loved, but this was a very close second!
Oh no! I’m happy you were able to still enjoy it. Thank you for your review, Maggie!
This was tasty though not much different than your lentil soup. I was expecting more of a stew consistency. Perhaps 5 cups of water is too much? I think 2 – 3 would have been enough.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Nancy! I appreciate your review.
Made this tonight and only after finishing my dinner did I realize I used black quinoa instead of lentils!!! This is what I get for putting everything in mason jars. It still tasted good but explains a lot.
This is goooood. I was less excited about it until I saw that I’d forgotten the lime which was a game changer on the taste. Next time I’ll hopefully find black lentils to make it again.
Thanks for sharing, needs some work. Substitute vegetable broth for the water, and try 3 cups instead of 5. It’s far too bland and thin.
My husband and I spent 2 amazing weeks in India. Literally the day we returned, with spices bought in New Delhi, we attempted to make your version of easy Dal Makhani. It was delicious!! We couldn’t believe how comparable it was to what we had eaten throughout our stay in various restaurants and street food vendors. It has become a favorite of ours.
Hi Kate,
When you get to the point of letting everything simmer on medium low heat to cook the lentils, am I supposed to do this with my pot uncovered do the extra liquid evaporates? Or do I have to cover the pot with a lid for the 35 min. time?
Thanks for your prompt reply, I am cooking it as I write you right now!!☺️
Hi! Yes, this is all with pot uncovered. I hope that helps!
I just made this tonight and it was fantastic. I did add a couple of tablespoons of butter to get more of a “restaurant” taste, but i love that there’s a healthier option available. Thanks so much for posting!
I made this a few days ago, and it is SO GOOD. I just ate the second to last bowl for lunch and marvelled at how excellent it was. Also, you have it portioned as 4 servings, but I think it’s closer to 6! (And I am no shy eater)
I love this recipe. Thanks. Mine came out a little more “soupy” looking than the picture. I used brown lentils instead of the Beluga Lentils (didn’t have any). I think this will be an easy fix for next time. The flavor was great!!!!
Love your recipes…… and your site is easy to navigate
Had to add extra spices for my taste but overall a nice recipe :)
Loved this! Although the 5 cups of water made it too soupy, even after blending, so I cut that back to 4 cups the second time around. Also on the second pass, used mushroom broth to add umami, instead of the water. Really a simple, nice flavorful dish. Especially with the cilantro, that really ties it all together.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you were able to adjust to your tastes.
My first time cooking lentils, followed the recipe as written and it was soooo delicious! Blending the two cups made all the difference in consistency. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
This was an incredibly delicious and pretty forgiving recipe. I didn’t have fresh ginger, so I added dried; didn’t have jalapeño, so I minced a small red bell pepper; didn’t have lime, so I left it out; and I substituted low-sodium veggie broth for water, since I had some left over from another recipe. Pureeing two cups’ worth of the mixture made this super creamy without being heavy. I appreciated that it didn’t require any dairy and wasn’t too ambitious for a weeknight. Thanks!
Happy to hear you were able to make it work with what you had on hand. Thanks for sharing, Kristen!
This dish is delightful! Thank you so much. Kate
You’re welcome, Kate! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I just made this and it is delicious. Please let me know if I could freeze it. Your recipes are great! Thanks for creating and sharing!
Hi Kate,
Thinking about making a double recipe and wondering if it would freeze well?
Thanks
Hi Meg, I haven’t tried freezing this but I don’t see why not!
I made this today, absolutely delicious as per all of Cookie & Kate recipes that I’ve tried so far.
Thank you, Suzy! I’m happy you are enjoying my recipes.
Hi Kate! I made this recipe today and followed the recipe exactly with the exception of cutting the water back to 4 cups based on other comments. The flavor of the soup is great but mine is the color of black bean soup rather than the more attractive reddish brown color in your picture. I’m more about taste than appearance but do you have any idea what may have happened. Thanks, Patty
Hi Patti, that seems odd. Were any of your ingredients darker?
can i use whole black bean and add kidney bean and other yellow bean
Variations included using tinned lentils (with only 2 1/2 cups water) and way too many chilli flakes… Whoops!
It was so spicy, but so delicious, that we scoffed it down while our eyes watered.
Lesson learnt for next time, as I’ll definitely be making this again!
can i use a mix of dals , eg. whole black bean, kidney bean, chick peas, yellow dal?
Hi, you can try it although I haven’t with this recipe. I recommend it as is.
I’m not sure what I did wrong here but this turned out as a watery soup with no flavour
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you follow the quantities and add the seasonings? Were your seasonings older by chance?
This soup was so good, hope to make it again
Glass is a liquid
A delightful result from my first attempt at this recipe. Thank you for your work.
I’ve just had it for breakfast. Two bowls of it for dinner last night as well! Trouble is that it’s just too nice, one bowl is never enough….
I’m happy you loved it, Jan! Thank you for sharing.
Oh wow I am Indian, but never realized that black lentils that I use is not the same as the urad black lentil. Damn and I used to wonder why my daal makhni always tasted a bit different from my mom’s.
Love this recipe. Used a can of coconut milk.
The next day, made a cold bowl with it, and chopped up some cucumber, and cherry tomatoes to put on top. Quick squeeze of lime. It was tasty, refreshing, and really pretty. I wish I could send a picture!!
That does sound refreshing! Thank you for sharing, Paul.