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. 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.
Table of contents
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 (200 grams Indian black lentils) & ¼ cup rajma (55 grams red kidney beans) to a large pot and rinse thoroughly a few times. Drain the water and pour 4 cups fresh water. Soak them overnight, uncovered. 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.
4. While the dal cooks, prep up the following ingredients
- Fine chop 1 small to medium onion to make about ½ cup chopped (65 grams)
- 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste (18 grams). Alternately you may grate 4 to 5 garlic cloves (9 grams) and 1 inch ginger (9 grams) to make ¾ tbsp each grated.
- 1 cup tomato puree (220 grams bottled like passata or chop 2 to 3 medium tomatoes & puree in a blender).
Make Masala
5. Heat a heavy bottom pot with 2 tablespoon ghee. If using optional whole spices, add 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom and 2 green cardamoms. When they begin to sizzle, add the half cup chopped onions. Saute until golden or light brown, for 7 to 8 mins.
6. Stir in 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Saute for 1 minute until it smells aromatic.
7. Pour 1 cup tomato puree (220 grams) and saute for 3 to 4 mins.
8. Stir in
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ to 1½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or use paprika). Adjust to your preference. I use 1 to 1½ teaspoon. If you are using hot chili powder cut down.
- 1 teaspoon garam masala. I use this punjabi garam masala. Please ensure you use a good one.
9. Saute until the masala cooks well and turns thick, for another 4 mins. The masala begins to smell good when done.
10. Mash the cooked lentils slightly and transfer to the pot along with the stock (dal cooked water). Stir well and add 1 cup hot boiling water (240 ml).
Slow Cook Dal
11. Stir and continue to cook on the lowest possible heat stirring often to avoid burning. After 60 mins, you will need another half to 1 cup hot water (240 ml) and cook until the dal thickens. I add about 2 cups water in total (1 + ½ + ½).
12. Continue to cook on a low flame for a total of 90 mins stirring every now and then to prevent the dal sticking at the bottom.
13. Taste the dal makhani to adjust salt & garam masala (half tsp more if you want) to your preference. Crush 1 tablespoon kasuri methi and crush in between your palms. (This brings out the flavor). Add it here.
14. Stir in ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream (60 to 80 ml, cooking cream/whipping 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. Add them when you reheat.
15. This is the consistency I got after 90 mins of total cooking (apart from the initial pressure cooking). Thick, creamy & flavorful. Then stir in 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (cultured if you can). Turn off the heat.
Smoking 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 disposable aluminum foil 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.
Expert 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 cook dal
- 1 cup (200 grams) urad dal (Indian black lentils/ whole black gram)
- ¼ cup (55 grams) rajma (red kidney beans, or sub with urad dal)
- 4 cups (960 ml) water to pressure cook the dal (more to cook in pot)
To Temper/ Masala
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) ghee (or use oil)
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter (cultured butter if you can)
- ½ cup (65 grams) onions (fine chopped 1 small to medium)
- 1 tablespoon (18 grams) ginger garlic paste (or ¾ tbsp. (9 grams) each grated)
- 1 cup (220 grams) tomato puree (bottled or 2 to 3 medium tomatoes pureed in a blender)
- ¾ to 1½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to preference, I use 1 tsp)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (+ ½ tsp more if you want at the finishing stage)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (adjust as needed)
- 2 cups (480 ml) hot water (to add later)
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup (60 to 80 ml) heavy cream (cooking cream or whipping cream, more to garnish if you want)
Whole Spices (optional)
- 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom
Instructions
Preparation
- Add urad dal and rajma to a large bowl and rinse them rubbing very well. Drain and repeat the rinse thrice. Soak in 4 cups of water, overnight. Later drain, rinse well and drain again.
How to make Dal Makhani (stovetop)
- Pour 4 cups fresh water to the dal and pressure cook for 10 whistles on a medium heat or in the instant pot for 20 mins (high pressure). If you don’t have a cooker, cook in a heavy bottom pot until soft and tender, adding more hot water as needed.
- Both urad dal and rajma must cook down 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 ghee. Add the whole spices if using and let them sizzle for a minute.
- Stir in the onions and saute until golden, for 7 mins. Stir in ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Pour the tomato puree and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in salt, chili powder & garam masala. Saute well until the masala smells good and turns thick, for 4 to 5 mins.
- Mash the cooked urad dal slightly and pour it along with the stock (lentil cooked liquid). Pour 1 cup hot water & mix.
- Cook on a low flame until the dal becomes thick, stir 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 really thick. (This takes another 30 mins. Totally cook for about 90 mins from the time you added the cooked dal to the pot. The cook time may vary depending on your pot and stove)
- Crush kasuri methi in your palm and add it. Also pour the cream. Stir and cook again for 6 to 8 mins until it becomes thick and creamy. Taste and add more salt or garam masala if needed. Add butter and mix well.
Dhungar – Smoking (optional)
- Place a small piece of foil or an aluminum foil cup 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, for 3 to 4 mins. Then place it on the foil/cup kept over dal.
- 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 more butter or cream & serve with fluffy Basmati rice or naan.
Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot
- Heat ghee in the instant pot and add onions. Saute until they turn golden, for about 5 mins.
- Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato puree, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Saute for 3 to 4 mins and add the soaked & drained lentils.
- Pour 3 cups water and pressure cook for 30 mins. Wait until the pressure drops, for about 15 mins and open the lid.
- Mash some of the urad dal, not rajma and press saute mode. Pour 1 cup hot water, mix and continue to cook on saute mode for 12 to 15 mins (switch bet low saute to med saute & vice versa as required)
- (Optionally if you want you may add 1 more cup hot water & cook for 12 to 15 mins more – I found this way it tastes exactly as the stovetop version)
- Taste test and adjust salt. Stir in the crushed kasuri methi, cream and more garam masala if you want. Add the butter and turn off.
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.
- 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
You are my trusted source for Indian recipes and this dal makhani never fails me even when I make for a crowd. I’ve a lot of whole spices bought for biryani and chettinad dishes. So I threw in a cinnamon piece apart from those mentioned in the recipe. It made a huge difference to my dal makhani but wish we had more. Thank you Swasthi
Excellent dal makhani! Your recipes never fail! Did you upgrade this recipe recently? I have been making it for 2 years and it was always very good. But this time we felt it’s luxurious & so so good. You are an amazing cook, Swasthi..
Thank you so much for the kind words Mrs. Sharma. Yes this recipe has been upgraded in June 2025. It’s only a slight change but that makes a huge difference to the final dish. Thank you for letting me know how the recipe went for you
Have had Dal Makhani from several good Indian restaurants. This recipe beats them all – by a lot. I cooked the dish on low for 3 hours (as instructed) and the flavors melded perfectly into a creamy, rich broth. I wasn’t sure because my kids don’t like beans and lentils all that much, but they went for 2 heaping servings and raved about it. A++
Wow! I highly appreciate your share Katherine. Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m very happy to know your kids loved it.
I make your chole often and love it. I knew you will have a great makhani dal too. Made it on the weekend and it was a huge hit. I also smoked it and doubled the butter at the end. Thank you, it tasted amazing
Thank you for trying & sharing back Divya. Glad to read that. Yes you can always add more butter, more garam masala or even cream to your liking.
Hi- I was wondering, could I make this recipe without a pressure cooker? What could I do differently?
Hi Anit,
Soak them overnight and drain the water. Add 4 cups fresh water and bring to a rolling boil on a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until they become tender and soft. Add more hot water if required. You don’t need to make any changes to the recipe. Hope you get to try!
Love this makhani dal! My house smells amazing every time I make this. Have made it many times. I’ve read some recipes & disagree with low spices. Don’t change a thing and follow as written in this recipe. The first time I made it, I thought less spices would be better and cut down the garam masala. I put more next time as mentioned in this recipe and gave it enough time to simmer. It was fabulous!
That’s lovely to read Cristina. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. That’s going to help others. Appreciate your time.
Always amazing recipes 👌👌👌🥂
Thank you Mita
Hi Swathi, I am new to indian cooking but loved your tikka masala recipe as my first try. This might be an obvious question, but do you still need to soak the dal if you’re cooking in an instapot? In other cuisines normally the instapot negates the need for soaking legumes but wanted to double check. Thanks
Hi Ally,
Thank you! Yes soaking urad dal is very important to achieve the creamy consistency. Else you will end up cooking too long. Also urad dal causes lot of stomach gas if not soaked well. Hope you enjoy the dish
Ji Swathi., thank you so much for the wonderful dal makhani receipe.
Can you let mer know if I need to cover the dal to slow cook or is it uncovered.
Thanks
Hi Beena,
Yes cover the pot partially, leaving a ladle/spoon in the pot.
The recipe seems do able. I am going to try it. However I have people in my home who cannot eat the black udad dal. Can we replace with akka Moong? Please let me know where I can find this option. would the recipe be the same in that case?
Hi Sue,
Thank you. This recipe is specially designed for black urad dal. I have a separate recipe to make with green moong here. Please check that. Hope your family enjoys!
Like many of your recipes, this dal makhani is fantastic. I made a test batch and loved it. I’m going to make a larger batch to serve 20 but want to clarify a few points before I proceed. What kind of tomatoes do you use? 1 cup tomato puree is pureed tomatoes or canned tomato puree? Can this be subbed with tomato paste? I have learnt to appreciate whole spices in Indian dishes. Guide me on the usage of cinnamon, cloves and star anise. At what stage would you add these whole spices?
Thanks Annie. Very happy to know that your test batch turned out fantastic. I use canned tomato puree – passata. 1 cup tomato puree mentioned in the recipe is for canned puree. You can sub that with 3 to 4 tbsps paste. Dal makhani is not a tomato based dish, so don’t use a lot. Whole spices like star anise and cloves are not used in this dish and can easily alter the flavors. The dish is supposed to have more dal flavor rather than the flavor from spices. But if you want to get experimental, go ahead adding them to the tempering before the onions. Hope this helps. Would love to know how the whole spice version goes for you.
This dal makhani is AMAZINGLY GOOD, must say ADDICTIVELY GOOD. Like every other recipe on swasthi’s, this one is excellent. I used half cup of half and half before finishing. Doubled kasuri methi and honestly it tasted fabulous! Next time I would love experimenting with whole spices.
Thank you so much for the kind words Jeka. So happy to read that!
Delicious like most of your other recipes! Made 3x to serve 14 people and everyone loved the meal. We also had your tikka masala, bharta, raita, mango chutney and frozen naans. Thank you for sharing your recipes
Wow! That’s an exciting meal. Thank you Ian for sharing back
Please let me know what dishes go well with dal makhani. I am planning for a special dinner and so far have this dish on the list. I want to make something with eggs, vegetables and a dessert. Thanks for your reply.
You can make a basmati rice dish – plain or flavored like this saffron rice or jeera rice
This egg curry or egg butter masala. For the vegetables try out aloo gobi or jeera aloo. Carrot halwa, kheer and basundi for the desserts. Please use the search button to locate the recipes on the blog. Hope this helps
I love you recipies and make them regularly, but my dal is always too runny at 60 minutes and at 90 minutes. The dal is cooked in an instapot for 20 minutes with 4 cups of water and I add 1 cup boiling at when combining with the masala and and another half cup at the 60 minute mark. What am I doing wrong!
Hi Candi,
Thank you. You either used a different kind of black lentils or they are too old, sitting in the shelves/stores for many years. Black lentils used in this recipe is the Indian variety and are labelled as Black urad dal. I assume you tried this recipe with a different kind of black lentils (like beluga) which are not suitable for this recipe. Because urad dal upon cooking well turns thick and has a viscous texture. As you cook longer (adding more water), it keeps getting thicker and thicker. If that doesn’t happen it means either the lentils are not black urad or they are too old. Some stores also carry urad dal from Africa which are not great for this recipe as they won’t thicken. Please buy them from a Indian grocery and make sure they are from India. Hope this helps
I have made so many of your recipes and everything I have tried so far is delicious. This dal makhani is a family favorite and I have got many appreciations. Last night I also made your naan and chicken pilau for a special dinner. Thank you for the beautiful recipes and clear instructions
That’s a lovely meal Sally. I am delighted to know the recipes worked well for you. Appreciate your time to share back with us.
Thanks for this great recipe Swasthi, I have made it many times and every time it was a success! I do have one question I am always wondering about!
It says to mash the cooked urad dal slightly and pour it along with the stock. However, there is no mention of stock/quantity in the ingredients list. There is only the water. Should there be stock in addition to the water or just the water?
Many thanks again! 🙂
Hi Myriam,
So happy to read that. Here stock refers to the liquid/water in which we cooked the dal. There is no additional stock used in the recipe. Hope this clears
Best recipe. Worked out really well
Came out so good in the instant pot
I needed a written recipe for makhani dal and this worked out so well. Great spice profile and I finished with little liquid smoke instead of smoking with wood coal. Thank you
So delicious! I didn’t try smoking it, but next time! I love this recipe!