Palak Khichdi Recipe is one-pot ultimate comfort food prepared with rice, dal/lentils, spinach, and some basic spices in instant pot pressure cooker or stovetop. This is Vegan, Gluten-free. This is a great recipe for infants, toddlers, and adults.
This Spinach Khichdi recipe is a perfect balance of carbohydrates and protein. I first ate this dish in Dubai, since my cousin recommended trying this dish at a restaurant. I loved it and wanted to try it as soon I reached back home. Since then I have been making this dish at home because my toddler daughter loves it and it's healthy.
This palak/spinach khichdi recipe can be prepared in both Instant Pot and Stove Top Pressure cooker. I have explained step by step procedure for both methods.
Other healthy Khichdi recipes to try from my blog are Vegetable Khichdi, Bajra/Pearl millet Khichdi, Pongal.
This Instant Pot Spinach Khichdi
- is healthy, nutritious, one-pot meal
- gets done under 30 minutes
- packed with protein
- Easy to digest, which makes it a great meal for babies and the elderly
- vegan and gluten-free
How to make Palak Khichdi in Instant Pot
Add the spinach leaves and water to the blender and blend them to make the palak puree.
Press SAUTE mode(Normal) on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil in to the POT.
Note: Tastes better with Ghee.
Once POT is hot add in the spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, Cumin(Jeera), minced ginger-garlic, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
Then add onions and saute until they are light brown in color.
Add tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
Add palak puree, washed moong dal, rice along with salt, garam masala and water. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add the prepared tadka to the palak khichdi and mix well.
**Note: If rice is not mushy or too dry then select saute mode and add an additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
Delicious Dal Palak khichdi is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Add the spinach leaves and water to the blender and blend them to make the palak puree.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add in the spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin (jeera), minced ginger garlic, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Then add onions and saute until they are light brown in color.
- Add tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
- Add palak puree and bring it to boil.
- Lastly add washed moong dal, rice along with salt, garam masala and water. Mix well.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add the prepared tadka to the palak khichdi and mix well. Note: If rice is not mushy or too dry then turn on the gas and add additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
- Delicious palak khichdi is ready to be served.
How to serve Palak Khichdi
Serve this spinach khichdi with yogurt or eat as it is. I prefer eating with kadhi. Also some pickle and papad on the side too!
Palak Khichdi Video Recipe
Variations & Substitutes
- I have used split moong dal without skin. You can use it with skin moong dal.
- I have used 2-3 cups of spinach (palak), you can add more according to your preference.
- If you don't want to make spinach puree you can add finely chopped spinach too.
- The water ratio in this recipe is 3 times the rice and lentils together which makes a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- You can also add vegetables of your choice like sweet potato, pumpkin, and potato. Frozen mixed vegetables also work well in this recipe.
- Add an extra ½ to 1 cup of water for a more khichdi-like consistency.
- If you are using brown rice, increase pressure cook time to 20-22 minutes.
- Substitute white rice with quinoa or millets, same pressure cooking time i.e., 8 Minutes High Pressure.
- To make this recipe vegan, simply substitute ghee with vegetable cooking oil.
- If you are cooking this for elderly people or infants/toddlers adjust spices and vegetables accordingly.
More Instant Pot Rice Recipes
Palak Khichdi Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250ml
- 2-3 cups spinach (palak) rough chopped
- ½ cup long grained rice (basmati) or any rice
- ½ cup yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
- 1 tablespoon ghee(clarified butter)
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- ½ cup onions finely chopped
- ½ cup tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon green chillies finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 small stick cinnamon (dalchini)
- 2 cloves laung (lavang)
- 1 cardamom (elaichi)
- 2.5 cups water
- salt to taste
Tempering:
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 4-5 whole dry Kashmiri red chilli broken into pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic (lehsun) finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Add the spinach leaves and water to the blender and blend them to make the palak puree.
- Press SAUTE mode (Normal) on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil in to the POT. Note: Tastes better with Ghee.
- Once POT is hot add in the spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin (jeera), minced ginger-garlic, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Then add onions and saute until they are light brown in color.
- Add tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
- Add palak puree, washed moong dal, rice along with salt, garam masala and water. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add the prepared tadka to the palak khichdi and mix well.**Note: If rice is not mushy or too dry then select saute mode and add an additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
- Delicious palak khichdi is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- Add the spinach leaves and water to the blender and blend them to make the palak puree.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add in the spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin (jeera), minced ginger garlic, green chilies. Saute for 20 secs.
- Then add onions and saute until they are light brown in color.
- Add tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
- Add palak puree and bring it to boil.
- Lastly add washed moong dal, rice along with salt, garam masala and water. Mix well.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add the prepared tadka to the palak khichdi and mix well. Note: If rice is not mushy or too dry then turn on the gas and add additional ½ cup of water and cook for another minute.
- Delicious palak khichdi is ready to be served.
Notes
Variations & Substitutes
- I have used split moong dal without skin. You can use it with skin moong dal.
- I have used 2-3 cups of spinach (palak), you can add more according to your preference.
- If you don't want to make spinach puree you can add finely chopped spinach too.
- The water ratio in this recipe is 3 times the rice and lentils together which makes a soft, porridge-like consistency for the final dish.
- You can also add vegetables of your choice like Sweet potato, pumpkin, and potato. Frozen mixed vegetables also work well in this recipe.
- Add an extra ½ to 1 cup of water for a more khichdi-like consistency.
- If you are using brown rice, increase pressure cook time to 20-22 minutes.
- Substitute white rice with quinoa or millets, same pressure cooking time i.e., 8 Minutes High Pressure.
- To make this recipe vegan, simply substitute ghee with vegetable cooking oil.
- If you are cooking this for elderly people or infants/toddlers adjust spices and vegetables accordingly.
Nutrition
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Behealthiers says
Drain well, combine the rice, dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1? cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
bhavana says
Thanks for finding an error i missed to add water quantity.it should be 2.5 to 3 cups of water.Have updated now.
Pooja says
This recipe worked so well and the resulting dish is so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
bhavana says
You're welcome Pooja 🙂 I am so glad to see your excitement, that makes me super happy 🙂 Have a great day 🙂