This Spinach Dal (Dal Palak) is an easy, healthy one-pot Instant pot pressure cooker recipe prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, spinach, and assorted Indian spices. This can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. Vegan & Gluten-free recipe.
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 friends 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 it is prepared at least once a week. I 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.
Jump to:
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.
Ingredients for Dal Palak Recipe
- Dal: I used toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas). You can also substitute toor dal, with yellow lentils (moong dal) or red lentils (masoor dal). You can also use a combination of toor, and moong dal.
- Spinach: I used fresh baby spinach to prepare this recipe. You can also use frozen spinach (thawed with excess liquid removed).
- Oil (or Ghee): I used oil in the recipe. But dal palak fry tastes best with ghee tadka (tempering). Skip ghee if you are a vegan. You can also use a combination of oil and ghee for this dal recipe.
- Cumin seeds (jeera): They are a must in any Indian dal tempering, so do not skip them.
- Ginger and garlic: I have minced fresh ginger and garlic for this recipe. You can also use store-bought ginger garlic paste. You can skip garlic for no garlic recipe variation.
- Green chilies: I have used 2 Thai green chilies. However, you can skip reducing the heat.
- Tomato: I have used fresh ripened Roma tomato. You can also use canned diced tomatoes. For a variation, you can skip tomato and use extra lemon juice at the end for tanginess.
- Spices: I have used turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and asafoetida (hing). You can increase or decrease the spices according to your choice.
- Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
How to Make Spinach Dal
Stovetop Method
Cook the Dal (Lentils)
Rinse the dal 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
Pressure cook ½ cup of rinsed toor dal with 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot or traditional stovetop pressure cooker.
Instant Pot: Pressure cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 8 minutes with natural pressure release.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook on high heat for 2-3 whistles and wait for natural pressure release.
Then mash the dal using a whisker or potato masher.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee) in a kadai (or dutch oven), add cumin seeds, and let them splutter.
Next, add minced ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for a few seconds until the raw smell goes away.
Then add finely chopped (or pureed) tomatoes along with spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
Then add finely chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or till the spinach wilts.
Then add the cooked and mashed toor dal and mix until well combined. Add ½ to 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency of the dal as per your preference.
Simmer the dal palak for 2-3 minutes on medium-low flame.
Finally, add some garam masala, and lemon juice. Mix well. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust more salt if required.
Serve this Indian Dal fry hot with basmati rice, pickle, papad or roti, naan.
Instant Pot Method
Wash and rinse the dal, and keep it aside. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
Add minced ginger, garlic, and green chilies, and saute till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away.
Then add chopped tomato along with spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
Now add the rinsed dal, and water, and give a stir.
Close the Instant Pot with a pressure valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
Add chopped baby spinach, garam masala, and lemon juice. Give a stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes till the spinach wilts as per your preference. Also, adjust the consistency of the palak dal at this point.
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Spinach dal/Dal Palak is ready and serve it hot with rice, or quinoa.
How to Serve Dal Palak
Serve Spinach Dal with roti, chapati, jeera rice, or steamed rice. But you can also eat it with quinoa, brown rice! or even as a lentil soup.
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover palak dal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freeze: You can store the dal palak in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Reheat: Reheat the palak toor dal on the stovetop or in the microwave oven. The dal will thicken on standing, so thin it out with little water and reheat. If frozen, Defrost for a few hours on the kitchen top before reheating.
Tips to Make the Best Dal Palak
- Type of Dal (Lentils): Spinach Dal is typically made from toor dal/arhar dal (split pigeon peas). You can replace toor dal, with moong dal (yellow lentils) or masoor dal (red lentils) or use a combination of toor, and moong dal.
- Soaking Lentils: You don't need to soak the dal for this recipe. To speed up the process, you can soak the toor dal in water for 30 mins, and Pressure Cook on High just for 6 minutes.
- Dal Consistency: The preferred consistency of Dal Palak should be medium thick. If it's too thick, add little water to adjust the consistency. If your dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode and boil for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
- Spices: Increase or decrease the spices according to your preference.
Variations
- Don't have garam masala? No worries, replace it with half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
- Other Greens: You can also replace spinach with kale or any greens.
- Gluten-free: Skip asafoetida (hing) or use gluten-free asafoetida to make gluten-free dal fry.
More Indian Spinach Recipes
- Palak Paneer
- Spinach Tofu Curry
- Indian Creamed Spinach
- Palak Paratha
- Palak Biryani
- Spinach Rice
- Spinach Raita
- Spinach Corn Pakoda
More Dal Recipes
- Dal Tadka – Dal prepared with split pigeon peas lentils, and assorted spices.
- Yellow Moong dal tadka - Dal prepared with split yellow moong lentils, assorted spices
- Chana Dal Fry - Dal prepared with split chickpeas lentils, and assorted spices.
- Masoor Dal - Dal prepared red lentils.
- 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.
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Pressure Cooker Spinach Dal / Dal Palak Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup toor dal/split pigeon peas
- 1 tablespoon oil (or ghee)
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 3 cloves garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 big pinch asafoetida (hing) optional
- 1 medium tomato finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder adjust to heat preference
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder adjust to heat preference
- salt to taste
- 2 cups spinach (palak)
- 2 cups water
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon garam masala optional
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- Cook the Dal (Lentils)Rinse the dal 2-3 times until the water runs clear.Pressure cook ½ cup of rinsed toor dal with 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot or traditional stovetop pressure cooker.
- Instant Pot: Pressure cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 8 minutes with natural pressure release.ORStovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook on high heat for 2-3 whistles and wait for natural pressure release.Then mash the dal using a whisker or potato masher.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee) in a kadai (or dutch oven), add cumin seeds, and let them splutter.
- Next, add minced ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for a few seconds until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add finely chopped (or pureed) tomatoes along with spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Then add finely chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or till the spinach wilts.
- Then add the cooked and mashed toor dal and mix until well combined. Add ½ to 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency of the dal as per your preference.Simmer the dal palak for 2-3 minutes on medium-low flame.
- Finally, add some garam masala, and lemon juice. Mix well. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust more salt if required.
- Serve this Indian Dal fry hot with basmati rice, pickle, papad or roti, naan.
Instant Pot Method:
- Wash and rinse the dal, and keep it aside. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
- Add minced ginger, garlic, and green chilies, and saute till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away.
- Then add chopped tomato along with spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Now add the rinsed dal, and water, and give a stir.
- Close the Instant Pot with a pressure valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
- Add chopped baby spinach, garam masala, and lemon juice. Give a stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes till the spinach wilts as per your preference. Also, adjust the consistency of the palak dal at this point.
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Spinach dal/Dal Palak is ready and serve it hot with rice, or quinoa.
Notes
Tips to Make the Best Dal Palak
- Type of Dal (Lentils): Spinach Dal is typically made from toor dal/arhar dal (split pigeon peas). You can replace toor dal, with moong dal (yellow lentils) or masoor dal (red lentils) or use a combination of toor, and moong dal.
- Soaking Lentils: You don't need to soak the dal for this recipe. To speed up the process, you can soak the toor dal in water for 30 mins, and Pressure Cook on High just for 6 minutes.
- Dal Consistency: The preferred consistency of Dal Palak should be medium thick. If it's too thick, add little water to adjust the consistency. If your dal is watery, you can turn on the saute mode and boil for another 2-3 minutes in the end.
- Spices: Increase or decrease the spices according to your preference.
Variations
- Don't have garam masala? No worries, replace it with half a teaspoon each of cumin powder and coriander powder.
- Other Greens: You can also replace spinach with kale or any greens.
- Gluten-free: Skip asafoetida (hing) or use gluten-free asafoetida to make gluten-free dal fry.
Nutrition
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Vidya says
Excellent recipe. Came out perfect without any changes. I made it in the 3 qt Instant Pot and used a lentil mix.
bhavana says
Thank you vidya