Dal makhani recipe – One of the most popular lentil dishes originated from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Dhal or dal refers to lentils and makhan refers to butter. Dal makhani literally translates to lentils cooked with butter.
Traditionally dal makhani was prepared by simmering lentils on coal fire for several hours. This slow cooking for prolonged hours yield a creamy, thick and best tasting buttery dal.
This Punjabi dal makhani recipe is a keeper and has never failed to amaze my guests. I am sure you will love how rich, creamy and delicious it tastes!
Chana masala, rajma recipe, dal tadka and dal makhani are some of the most common dishes made with legumes in Indian cuisine. These are not only popular on restaurant menus but also in North Indian households.
Enjoy dal makhani with Jeera rice, plain basmati rice,Ghee rice, plain paratha, butter naan or roti along with some onion and cucumber slices.
For more punjabi recipes
Punjabi egg curry
Dum aloo
Punjabi samosa
Butter chicken
If you have a slow cooker, you can use it. Just need to adjust more water depending on how many hours you are going to slow cook it.
You may like to check these similar recipes,
Masoor dal recipe
Moong dal recipe
Chana dal recipe
Dal fry recipe
Punjabi dal makhani recipe
Dal makhani recipe | How to make punjabi dal makhani recipe
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for dal makhani
- ½ cup whole black lentil or sabut urad dal or black gram
- 2 to 3 tbsp rajma or red kidney beans (substitute with black gram)
- 2 to 2½ cups water for pressure cooking – more for pot
- 1 small bay leaf or tej patta (optional)
Tempering ingredients for dal makhani
- 2 to 3 tbsp unsalted butter or oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes fine chopped deseeded or ¾ cup tomato puree
- 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste or 2 tsps finely chopped or crushed well
- 1 green chilies slit optional or hari mirch
- Salt as needed
- 1 to 1 ½ cups water to add later (half cup each time while simmering)
- 3 to 4 tbsps cream
Whole spices (or substitute with ¼ tsp garam masala)
- ¼ to ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 2 green cardamoms or elaichi (optional)
- ½ inch cinnamon piece or dalchini (optional)
- 2 cloves or laung (optional)
- 1 small black cardamom or badi elaichi (optional)
Spice powders
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder or haldi
- ½ to ¾ tsp red chilli powder or lal mirch powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder or daniya powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves (optional)
- 1/8 tsp hing or asafoetida (optional)
For garnish
- 1 tbsps butter or 1 tbsp cream
How to make the recipe
Preparation
- Wash urad dal and rajma together several times and soak overnight or at least for 4 to 5 hours.
- Rinse both the lentils a few times.
- Then drain and add them to the cooker or pot. Also add bay leaf. Pour 2 to 2½ cups of water.
- Pressure cook for 8 to 10 whistles on a medium heat. You can also cook in a pot until soft and tender adding more water whenever needed.
- 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 water and continue to cook for another 3 whistles on a medium heat.
How to make dal makhani
- Heat a heavy bottom pot / pan or handi with butter or oil.
- Add all whole spices – cumin, cardamoms, cloves & cinnamon. All spices are optional except cumin. Allow to crackle.
- Then add hing, ginger garlic and green chilli. Saute until aromatic.
- Next throw in the onions and fry until they turn golden.
- Then transfer tomato puree, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder (optional) and salt.
- Saute well until the masala leaves the pan.
- Pour the cooked dal or lentils along with the stock.
Slow cooking dal makhani
- Stir and cook on a a low flame until the dal thickens. I cook for about 60 mins stirring often in between to prevent burning the bottom. Slow cooked dal tastes best.
- You will need to add half cup water when ever the dal thickens. It may need about 1 to 1½ cup water more as and when needed.
- You will be left with a thick creamy dal makhani. Sprinkle kasuri methi if using. Pour cream and stir. Turn off the stove & keep it covered.
- Garnish dal makhani with butter or cream, coriander leaves & ginger juliennes. Serve dal makhani with naan, basmati rice, roti or jeera rice.
Dhungar method or char coal smoking dal makhani (optional)
- Place a small piece of foil on the dal makhani. Hold 1 to 2 inch piece of natural wood charcoal with a tong and burn it on fire until red hot. Then place it on the foil kept over dal. Quickly pour half tsp ghee on the hot coal. Immediately cover the dal and allow to smoke for 1 to 2 mins.
NUTRITION
Notes
To get the authentic taste you can cook the dal for as long as 4 to 6 hours on a low flame.
Keep stirring consistently to prevent burning.
Roughly adapted from: Taruna’s Easy food smith.
Preparation for dal makhani recipe
1. Wash sabut urad dal, rajma and chana dal thoroughly several times. I have not used chana dal and can be skipped if you do not favor it. Soak it for overnight or at least for 4 hours. I soaked it overnight.
Pour water and add 1 bay leaf to a pressure cooker. Cook for 8 to 10 whistles on a medium flame. You will have to add more water as needed if cooking in a pot. Do not cook on a high flame, slow cooked dal tastes the best. I cooked for about 35 to 40 mins in a pressure cooker on a medium flame.
2. Next when the pressure goes off, open the lid. Dal has to be soft cooked. When you mash the dal and rajma with a spoon they must get mashed well easily. The color of the cooked lentils may be different at this stage depending on the ingredients.
How to make dal makhani recipe
3. Heat a heavy bottom pot or pan with butter or oil. Make sure you use a heavy bottom utensil to prevent the dal sticking at the bottom during the slow cooking process. Add cumin and saute for a min or two. You can also add 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 2 cloves & half inch cinnamon.
4. Sprinkle hing and add ginger garlic paste. You can also use grated ginger garlic instead of fine chopped. Saute until they turn aromatic.
5. Transfer finely chopped onions.
6. Saute until the onions turn golden.
7. Add tomatoes, green chili, salt, turmeric and chili powder.
8. Saute until the tomatoes turn soft. If needed you can also cover and cook.
9. Add garam masala and coriander powder. Give a good stir and saute well until the masala leaves the pan.
Cooking dal makhani
10. Transfer the cooked dal along with the stock.
11. Stir well and begin to cook on a low flame stirring often.
12. You will need to add half cup water each time the dal thickens. Stir and continue to cook on the lowest possible heat. You can use about 1 to 2 cups water and simmer for 60 to 90 mins on a very low flame. Remember to keep stirring and add water whenever needed.
13. This was the consistency i got after 90 mins. Thick and creamy. If serving right away, you can add cream and turn off. It tastes good even without the addition of cream.
14. If having it the next day or later, you can refrigerate. Heat up when ever needed by adding little water. When it comes to a boil, add cream and stir well.
Dal Makhani can be served with butter topped and garnished with coriander and ginger Juliennes.
Dal makhani tastes best the next day. So you may refrigerate and have it the next day.
Serve dal makhani with plain rice, naan or roti. You can also garnish with cream and coriander leaves.
Shrikant P says
Believe it or not, I didn’t know anything about Dal Makhani until very recent times. I am 75 year old and living outside India for last 50. By the way, I am from Maharashtra. I love cooking. Recently, one of my young female friends prepared Dal Makhani and it was out of this world. She gave me her recipe, but I lost it. While googling, I found your recipe and I prepared accordingly. It turned out great and all of my friends who have knowledge of Dal Makhani loved it. Thanks for sharing. I will definitely try your other recipes. Wonders of the internet are immeasurable.
swasthi says
Hi Shrikant sir,
You are welcome. Glad your dal makhani turned out good. Thank you so much for the comment. Yes you are right about the internet.
Sam says
Can we use green urad instead of black? 🤔
swasthi says
Hi Sam,
Dal makhani is always made with black gram as it imparts a unique aroma when slow cooked and then turns thick & creamy. This cannot be achieved with any other dal. But if you are looking for a good green dal recipe, then yes you can use this recipe by reducing the cook time and doubling the spices. You can also use coconut milk instead of cream. Green dal is good to cook after a 4 hours of soak instead of overnight. Hope this helps.
Debbie says
Although you have noted that you do not often use the Chana Ot is very healthy & I would like to put it in this meal. How much Chana Masala should one use?
swasthi says
Hi Debbie,
This recipe does not need chana masala. It will become too strong and alter the flavors completely. Just use garam masala
Jamila says
Is it ok to use skinned urad dal. I mean.. Are u using the white urad dal. Which we use for dosa batter?
swasthi says
Jamila,
Please use whole urad dal with the skin on. Skinned urad dal is not good for this recipe. We use black urad dal for this recipe
Anthony says
Turned out excellent. I didn’t know anything about types of lentils but found a jar of brown ones in the pantry. Soaked that, and when I ran my fingers through it, the skins peeled off so I spent some time getting rid of the skin.
Didn’t put any chili because of small children… And just went for the garam masala instead…
Crock pot was taking way too long to soften the lentils so I moved it to the Dutch oven.
swasthi says
Hi Anthony,
So glad to know your dal makhani turned out good. Yes the skin peels off on some variety of black lentils. Next time just cut down the soaking time to 4 hours this prevents the peeling. Yes dutch oven cuts down the time. Thanks a lot for the comment.
Kath says
Hi swasthi
Love your Indian recipes. I plan to make this on the weekend. How different would it taste if I skip the whole spices? TIA
swasthi says
Hi Kath
Thank you very much. Yes you can skip the whole spices and add 1/4 tsp extra garam masala.
Kath says
Fantastic dal! Turned out 👍 I left out the whole spices still very good
swasthi says
Thank you so much for the comment
Jeet says
Hi
I made dal makhani using your recipe. It turned out awesome. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
swasthi says
Welcome Jeet
Thanks for trying
Anjali says
Hi swathi can I use green gram instead of whole. Black urdu dal
swasthi says
Hi Anjali
Dal makhani is made with black urad dal as it gives a thick texture to the dal. But you can also make it with green gram the taste may be different.
balashekar Karem says
very good presentation to cook and understand 100 out of 100
swasthi says
Thank you so much.
Mamtha says
So delicious. You made our festive meal very special. Dal makhani, jeera rice, gajar ka halwa, paneer cutlets and gobi 65. Thank you. Much Love.
swasthi says
Welcome Mamtha
So happy to know you enjoyed the food. Thanks a lot! Happy Dushhera
🙂
Shushma says
I always hop over here to make yummy food. Tried many recipes from here. Your palak paneer, butter chicken, aloo gobi, dum aloo were the best i made in the last few weeks. I am here to make the dal makhani. Sure its going to be awesome. Can’t thank you enough!!
🙂
swasthi says
Hey Shushma
Thank you so much for trying the recipes. Very happy reading your comment. Thanks again. Have a lovely weekend.
Victoria ben says
Dear Swasthi
This was amazing and delicious. Much much easier than what I assumed to be. I started cooking dal in the afternoon and had it ready for dinner. Both my girls and Indian husband loved it with your ghee rice. Thank you so much. Keep inspiring us!!!
swasthi says
Hi Victoria,
You are welcome. So happy to know you all liked dal makhani. Thank you so much
Ratna says
Dear Swasthi
I am a dummy in cooking. After a friend suggested me your blog i have been cooking for sometime from here. I am really thankful for the stuff you put up here. Really amazing!! Your butter chicken, paneer butter masala, your biryani and many many I made with great results. A note of thanks to you. May god bless!
swasthi says
Welcome Ratna
Thank you very much for trying the recipes. Happy to know the food turned out good. Thanks again for the wishes.
🙂
Diana says
Hi I made your dal with jeera rice and tandoori chicken. We had a hearty meal. Food turned out awesome!! Thanks for the good work
swasthi says
Welcome Diana
So glad to know the food turned out good. Thanks for the comment
Jennie Faatoafe says
This was absolutely delicious! Served with the curried califlower “rice” mentioned and some garlic roasted potatoes. Oh my! Thank you so much!
swasthi says
Welcome Jennie
So glad to know dal makhani turned out well. Thanks a lot for the comment. Have a great weekend!
🙂
Rinku says
Dear swasthi
you make cooking simple with your awesome recipes. We love your chicken makhani, aloo gobi, idli, dosa the list is endless. I made this dal makhani with tomato puree. It was awesome. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes.
swasthi says
Welcome Rinku
I am very happy to know you tried so many recipes. Thanks a lot for trying the recipes.
🙂
Jamie says
The best dal makhani I ever made. thank you so much.
swasthi says
Welcome Jamie
Thanks a lot for trying!
Nidhi says
Hi,
I tried the dal makhani. It came out very very delicious. But the water you mentioned in the recipe wasn’t enough so I had to add a lot more. I cooked it on low fire for 2 hours apart from pressure cooking. On the whole Awesome! Thank you so much.
swasthi says
Hi Nidhi,
You are Welcome. Thanks a lot for the comment. Yes it may take more water if cooked for longer.
🙂
Eunice says
Dear swasthi I love to try this dal makhani recipe. Is there any other substitute to kidney beans ? I would prefer to use butter beans. Suggest me how much butter beans can I use. I am keen to try this soon. TIA
swasthi says
Hi Eunice
Thank you. You can skip kidney beans. Dal makhani is usually made with black gram, kidney beans or bengal gram. You can also make it with just black gram. I am not sure if butter beans is going to change the taste and flavor. Hope this helps.
Ruchika says
Yummy will be trying this soon
swasthi says
Hi Ruchika
Thank you. Yes do try
Suprita says
Loved dal makhani very much. Turned out osum.
swasthi says
Thanks for trying suprita