Palak Dal Recipe (Instant Pot)

It is back to basics today as I share a time-tested Indian recipe for Spinach Dal, a.k.a Palak dal in Indian cuisine.

This is one good option for combining the goodness from lentils like Moong or Masoor dal and the vegetables of your choice.

A white bowl spinach dal is on the table.

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Preparing with spinach is the most common way, but red chards, beet leaves, and methi leaves are also excellent options.

Palak dal recipe would be one of the easiest and most nutritious recipes you can find online, and I am sharing the procedure to prepare this with the Instant Pot to make it even easier!

As simple as Spinach Dal is, it is one of my family’s favorite options as a pairing for Avocado Chapati or Naan.

It is also a good option to go with sona masoori rice or quinoa and a side of air fryer mini peppers.

I had never cooked on the stovetop even before I purchased the wonder gadget, the Instant Pot. I had always used a pressure cooker.

But even that seems like a lot of work when you consider that you could saute, fry and pressure-cook the ingredients with the same pot.

Jump to:

What is palak dal?
Ingredients
Instructions
Without garlic and onion
Variations
Spinach dal on the stovetop
Recipe FAQ's
Tips
📖 Recipe
Comments

What is palak dal?

Palak dal recipe is nothing but lentils cooked with spinach & tempered with basic Indian spices.

If a dish has been around for several decades like Dal has, you know it has to be good!

With a full serving of proteins and fibers (from vegetables), this recipe comes close to a balanced meal by pairing it with rice or rotis.

You will notice that you would not feel hungry for an extended period after a meal like this.

Ingredients

Spinach, onion, cumin seeds, and red lentils are on the table for dal recipe.

Spinach : I used bunch of fresh spinach (Palak) leaves. Baby spinach leaves is yet another great option. Regardless of what your leaf vegetable is, be sure to pick fresh ones that have no wilted leaves.
Spices: Whenever possible, use fresh ground spice powders like coriander seeds, cloves, and red chilli powder.
Masoor dal: Masoor dal or red lentil would be the highlight of this recipe. Besides giving the dish a red tint, red lentisl cook faster and give the protein equivalent for one entire day.

For the detailed recipe, check out the recipe box below.

Instructions

Wash and chop the spinach leaves and place them aside.

Rinse the lentils in clean water and place them aside.

An instant pot is with oil, cumin seeds and green chilies on cooking mode

Add 2 teaspoon oil to the inner pot in Instant Pot and tap on ‘saute’ mode.

As the oil heats up, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and crushed cloves. Saute for about 20 seconds. Add grated garlic and fry them until they turn golden.

Add grated ginger, chopped green chilies, and saute for another 20 sec.

Add chopped onions and fry them until they turn translucent.

Add red chili powder and turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and continue to saute for 30 seconds.

An instant pot is with chopped spinach and lentils for dal

Add half of the chopped spinach, salt, and rinsed masoor dal. Mix well.

An instant pot is with uncooked spinach and lentils

Add 3 cups of water and close the lid of the instant pot.

An instant pot displaying cooking time for the dal recipe

Turn the steam release handle to the sealing position, tap “manual,” and set the time for 6 minutes.

When the time is up, open the lid using “natural release.”

A pot is with palak dal on the counter top.

Close up of cooked dal and chopped spinach

Press saute again, add remaining chopped spinach leaves and stir well.

A small pan is with tempering for palak dal

Prepare tadka/ tempering (if you wish to add) - Place a small pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. As the oil heats up, add a pinch of asafoetida, ¼ teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of crushed Kasuri methi. Saute for 30 seconds and add this to the palak dal recipe.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, and your Spinach Dal is ready for the table!

Serve it hot paired with a cup of Instant pot jeera rice or phulka roti.

Without garlic and onion

There is a common misconception that if you are allergic to garlic and onion or observing fasting, Dal is not a good option.

If you are avoiding onions or garlic for any reason, you can skip the onion and garlic part in the procedure.

As long as you add the basic tadka or temper it with cumin and mustard seeds, the Dal palak can still be delicious...

Variations

For the Dal Palak recipe, you can use Moong Dal (Split Green Gram) or Tuvar dal or Toor dal (split red gram), or Masoor dal ( split red lentil).

I have used masoor dal in this recipe because it is lighter and easier to cook. But I have shared dal with spinach recipe where I used a combination of all three types.

If you are using any lentils other than Masoor dal, be sure to increase the cooking time on the Instant Pot.

Spinach dal on the stovetop

Even if you don't have an Instant pot or electric pressure cooker, you can prepare this spinach dal on a stovetop or in a pressure cooker too. Check out the recipe for Spinach Dal for more details.

I had used a regular pressure cooker to cook the dal and stovetop for the rest of the cooking.

If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can cook the lentils over the stovetop too. Just be sure that the lentils are soft to the core before adding them to the dish.

Recipe FAQ's

Can I use kale or any other greens in the dal palak recipe?

Yes! In this recipe, you could use other greens such as Kale, Chard leaves, or even Methi leaves instead of spinach. Be sure to adjust your cooking time if the Kale leaves are too thick.

Can I add all spinach leaves at the end?

Not quite. Add half of the spinach leaves to the lentils as they cook under pressure for best tasting dal. Add the remaining spinach leaves at the end and saute for a minute or so.

Can I freeze the palak dal?

Yes. Palak Dal can be stowed away in the refrigerator for 5 days. If you need it for longer, you can freeze it for upto 3 months. Just be sure to thaw and reheat it before serving it.