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Home » Recipes » Lentil & Beans

Butternut Squash Dal (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Published: Aug 25, 2020 · Modified: Apr 29, 2022 by Bhavana Patil ·This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Butternut Squash Dal recipe is a comforting and easy dal made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker with toor dal (split pigeon peas lentils), butternut squash, tomatoes, Indian spices and cooked with pot-in-pot rice. This butternut squash lentil curry is vegan, gluten-free, and pairs well with rice, quinoa, roti.

instant pot butternut squash dal in a bowl with lemon wedge on side and piece of squash

What is Dal?

Dal also called Daal, Dhal, or Dahl basically are dried pulses that can be whole or split. Dal is naturally Vegan and Gluten-free and is a great source of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and many essential vitamins and minerals. Every region in India makes dal in different ways. Dal is frequently eaten with flatbreads such as rotis or chapatis or with rice.

Other Indian Butternut squash recipes from my blog to try are Butternut squash Soup, Butternut squash pasta, Butternut squash stirfry with coconut, Butternut squash paratha, Butternut squash coconut curry.

indian butternut squash lentil curry served in a plate with steamed rice with instant pot on the side

How to Make Butternut Squash Dal in Instant Pot

Firstly, soak toor dal (split pigeon peas) for 15 minutes in hot water.

Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Then add ginger garlic paste, asafetida, green chili, chopped onion. Saute till onions turn light brown in color.

step to saute onion and ginger collage

Add tomatoes along with dry spices turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.

step to cook tomatoes with spices collage

Then add diced butternut squash, rinsed & soaked lentils or dal, salt, water and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage.

step to add toor dal butternut squash pieces in to the water collage

Once you add all ingredients for Butternut squash dal in the instant pot, place the trivet and then the bowl of rice with water. This way they will both cook together.

step to cook dal with rice pot in pot collage

Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. If you don't have time to soak the dal, then increase the timer to 8 min high pressure.

Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally(NPR) for 10 minutes.

Lastly, add cilantro and lime juice, mix well. Serve instant pot lentil butternut squash curry hot with boiled rice, quinoa, or roti.

butternut squash dal in instant pot insert

Accessories needed for this Dal and Rice Pot-in-Pot recipe

  1. Tall Trivet
  2. Stackable Steamer Insert Pans, or any oven-safe bowl
squash lentils served in a bowl with tempering on top and butternut squash piece on the side along with instant pot

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

Follow the steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 2-3 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Butternut Squash Dal (lentil) curry with steamed rice, roti, or chapati. But can be eaten with quinoa, brown rice!

Tips & Variations for Butternut Squash Dal

  1. The size of the pieces of butternut squash is very important, try to dice each piece of 1.5 inches so that the squash won't get mushy and dissolve in the dal.
  2. Today I have used toor dal (split pigeon peas) for this butter squash recipe but you can use any kind of dal/lentils like red lentils (masoor dal), chana dal, split yellow moong dal, or a mixture of toor, masoor, and moong dal.
  3. Don’t skip out on soaking the toor dal for at least 15-20 minutes – toor dal takes a longer time to cook than butternut squash. Soaking softens the lentils and cooks faster, hence butternut squash will not turn mushy.
  4. You can also add bottle gourd, zucchini, or pumpkin to this dal.
  5. To make a simple no onion-no garlic dal, you can also skip onion and garlic.

If you liked this recipe do checkout Lentil/Beans recipes from my blog

  • Dal Tadka – Dal cooked with toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas).
  • Green Lentil Soup – lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and Indian spices.
  • Spinach Dal / Palak Dal – Dhal cooked with spinach leaves.
  • Whole green moong dal– Dal cooked with whole mung beans.
  • Panchmel dal – Dal prepared with five varieties of lentils.
  • Raw Mango Dal – Dal cooked with Raw Mango.

Explore more Lentil recipes for your family gathering.

Tried this recipe?Don’t forget to give a ★ rating below
Butternut Squash Dal served in a bowl topped with tempering and a piece of butternut squash on the side

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Dal

Bhavana Patil
Butternut Squash Dal recipe is a comforting and an easy dal made in Instant Pot pressure cooker with toor dal (split pigeon peas lentils), butternut squash, tomatoes, Indian spices and cooked with pot-in-pot rice.
4.93 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings: 6
Calories : 259
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop
Prep Time : 15 minutes
Cook Time : 15 minutes
Total Time : 30 minutes

Equipment

  • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
  

Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml

  • 1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
  • 2-3 cups butternut squash peeled and diced in to 1.5 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon ghee (or oil)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • a pinch asafetida (hing)
  • 1 green chili finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 large tomato finely chopped
  • salt adjust to taste
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon

Dry Spices:

  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
  • ½-1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder

For Basmati Rice

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1.5 cups water
  • a pinch salt (optional)

Extra Tempering (optional)

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
  • a pinch asafetida (hing)

Instructions
 

Instant Pot Method:

  • Firstly, soak toor dal (split pigeon peas) for 15 minutes in hot water.
  • Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
  • Then add ginger garlic paste, asafetida, green chili, chopped onion. Saute till onions turn light brown in color.
    step to saute onion and ginger collage
  • Add tomatoes along with dry spices turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.
    step to cook tomatoes with spices collage
  • Then add diced butternut squash, rinsed & soaked lentils or dal, salt, water and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage.
    step to add toor dal butternut squash pieces in to the water collage
  • Once you add all ingredients for Butternut squash Dal in the instant pot, place the trivet and then the bowl of rice with water. This way they will both cook together.
    step to cook dal with rice pot in pot collage
  • Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. If you don't have time to soak the dal, then increase the timer to 8 min high pressure.
  • Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
  • Lastly, add cilantro and lime juice, mix well. Serve instant pot lentil butternut squash curry hot with boiled rice, quinoa, or roti.
    butternut squash dal in instant pot insert

Stovetop Pressure Cooker:

  • Follow the steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 2-3 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.

Notes

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.
  1. The size of the pieces of butternut squash is very important, try to dice each piece of 1.5 inches so that the squash won't get mushy and dissolve in the dal.
  2. Today I have used toor dal (split pigeon peas) for this butter squash recipe but you can use any kind of dal/lentils like red lentils (masoor dal), chana dal, split yellow moong dal, or a mixture of toor, masoor, and moong dal.
  3. Don’t skip out on soaking the toor dal for at least 15-20 minutes – toor dal takes a longer time to cook than butternut squash. Soaking softens the lentils and cooks faster, hence butternut squash will not turn mushy.
  4. You can also add bottle gourd, zucchini, or pumpkin to this dal.
  5. To make a simple no onion-no garlic dal, you can also skip onion and garlic.
 
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 9gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 62mgPotassium: 300mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5254IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
Keyword butternut squash recipes, indian lentils, instant pot butternut squash dal
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Comments

  1. Jane says

    September 20, 2021 at 2:36 pm

    You didn't put the measurements for the dry spices.

    Reply
    • Bhavana Patil says

      September 20, 2021 at 10:08 pm

      Hey Jane, Thanks for highlighting it, I have updated it now.

      Reply

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