Instant Pot Spinach Dal / Dal Palak

Spinach Dal (Dal Palak) is an easy, healthy one-pot Instant Pot pressure cooker recipe prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, spinach, assorted spices. This can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. This is a Vegan & Gluten-free recipe.

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.

Instant Pot Spinach Dal Video

During my childhood days, we stayed right next to a National Highway. Dhaba food was gaining a lot of popularity back in those days. Food served in these dhabas, was generally wholesome and full of rustic flavors. Roti, curry, dal tadka & masala fried rice, used to be our regular order. One day, one of my friend ordered Dal palak instead of the regular dhabha style dal tadka, and this is how I got introduced to this wonderful dal palak recipe.

Ever since then, I have been a fan of this easy & healthy North Indian style spinach dal recipe. My mother usually makes soppina saaru or palak soppina sambar at home & uses sambar powder, instead of garam masala for this palak dal recipe. You can also replace palak with kale or any greens based on your choice. Whenever I feel bored of eating regular rasam or sambhar, I prefer to cook dal palak along with Spinach Corn Pakoda for our dinner.

I love this dal palak recipe and is prepared at least once a week. I have made this recipe by adding baby spinach along with dal and then pressure cooked. But if you like you can also add spinach after the pressure cooking and boil the dal till the spinach leaves wilt.

How to Make Spinach Dal in Instant Pot

Wash and rinse the dal, keep aside. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it's hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Add minced garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, and saute till the garlic turns golden brown.

Then add chopped tomato and mix. Cook for a minute.

Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and cook the tomato mixture for 1-2 minutes, till the tomato turns soft and mushy.

Add chopped spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

Now add the rinsed dal, water, garam masala and give a stir.

Close the lid on the pot, and turn the pressure valve to SEALING position. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and timer to 10 minutes. Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.

Remove lid away from you, add cilantro and lemon juice. Also, adjust the consistency of the dal at this point.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Spinach dal/Dal Palak is ready and serve hot with boiled rice, quinoa.

Serving suggestions

Spinach Dal is served traditionally roti, chapati, jeera rice, or steamed rice. But can be eaten with quinoa, brown rice! or even eaten as a lentil soup.

Tips & Variations

• Don't have garam masala? No worries, replace it with half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
• If you are in a hurry, Once 10 minutes of cooking time is up and you hear a beep, wait few minutes (5-6 minutes) and then release the pressure by yourself. You would still see the same results as above.
• If your lentil dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode in Instant pot and cook for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
• You can also use a combination of toor dal and masoor dal.
• You can also replace spinach with kale or any greens.

More Indian Spinach Recipes

• Palak Paneer
• Palak Paratha
• Spinach Raita
• Palak Biryani

If you liked this you may also like

• Dal Tadka – Dal prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, assorted spices.
• Green Lentil Soup – lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and Indian spices.
• Whole green moong dal – Dal cooked with whole mung beans.
• Panchmel dal – dal prepared with five varieties of lentils.
• Aloo beans – Potato Beans stir fry with few spices.
• Potato Sagu - Potato curry in south Indian style.
• Carrot Beans Stirfry - stir fry recipe prepared with carrots, beans, fresh coconut and tempered with few spices in Indian style.

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