Spinach Dal Recipe

Name: Spinach Dal Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 12 oz OR 14 oz spinach; ⅓ cup toor dal; ¼ cup chana dal; ¼ cup moong dal; 1 ¾ cup water (2 cups water - stovetop pressure cooker); 1 onion; 2 garlic cloves chopped; ½ inch ginger grated; 1 green chili sliced (optional); 1 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 3 cloves spice crushed; Salt to taste; 1 tsp coriander powder; ½ tsp red chili powder; ¼ tsp turmeric powder; ½ tsp garam masala; 2 tsp lemon juice; ¼ tsp Kasuri methi; 2 tsp oil for tempering

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A super easy Spinach Dal made with bright and vibrant organic spinach leaves is perfect for a weekday dinner with your family and that’s what I have for you today! Spinach dal recipe is nothing but lentils cooked with spinach and supporting Indian spices to add aroma and flavor. But not just one type of lentil, but three different kinds to pack maximum protein in your meal. Prepare this nutritious vegan dal in 30 minutes or less!

A copper bowl with spinach dal and garnished with tempering and cilantro

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About this recipe
What goes into this recipe
How to make this recipe
Recipe FAQs
Expert tips
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📖 Recipe

About this recipe

For this recipe, I combined three lentils together( toor dal, moong dal, and chana dal) with the spinach leaves. That’s a good balance of protein and fiber. The result is a heavenly dal palak that pairs very well with rice, rotis, and bread.

When you serve this dal with any vegetable stir fry, you would actually get two meals out of it for a family of four. I like to put one of these together on a Sunday afternoon and have leftovers for Monday.

The original dal palak is quite common in most Indian restaurants and one of the popular dal recipes. The recipe I have today is a variation in the way I have used different kinds of dal and I show you how to cook the dal with the Instant pot. It’s also vegan and gluten-free!

What goes into this recipe

I have listed all the ingredients in the recipe card below.

all the ingredients are placed on the table for spinach dal

The main ingredients are

Lentils: I used Toor dal(split pigeon pea) moong dal(split yellow lentils) and chana dal(split chickpea lentils or Bengal gram dal)

Spinach: I used organic baby spinach but just about any kind of spinach will work well. Be sure it is clean and washed.

Spices: Spices like red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric will give a nice flavor to the spinach dal recipe. Be sure not to skip any of those spices listed 🙂

How to make this recipe

First, cook the dal with 2 cups of water or (add water until lentils are covered) in a pressure cooker up to 4 whistles. keep it aside.

If you choose an instant pot to cook the lentils: add water to the lentils until it covers completely or approximately 1 ¾ cup water. Cook for 15 mins at high pressure.

A pan is filled with oil. spices and onions

Place a pan over medium heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, and cloves or lavangam. When they start to sizzle add chopped garlic, ginger and after 10-15 seconds, add green chilies(optional). Stir them for a few seconds.

Now, add chopped onions and continue to cook until the onions turn transparent. Add turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder (dhania powder), chili powder, and salt. Continue to stir them well and cover the lid for about a minute.

a pan is with spinach, cooked lentils and tempering on top

Now add the chopped spinach or add baby spinach without chopping them, add ¼ cup water and stir them well and cover the lid.

After about 3 minutes, add the cooked lentils and add water if it is too dry. When it starts to boil, add lemon juice, simmer down the heat and cook for about a minute. As the spinach cooks thoroughly, switch off the heat.

Prepare tempering: This step is optional but I never skip this as it gives extra flavor and aroma to the spinach dal. Place a small pan over medium heat and add cooking oil. As the oil heats up, add hing/asafoetida, kashmiri red chili powder, kasuri methi, 2 dried red chilis and saute for 15 seconds. Pour this tadka or tempering to the dal palak and let the flavors get spread to the entire dal.

That’s it! Spinach Dal recipe is ready! Serve it hot paired with rice or roti for the best tasting nutritious dinner!

Recipe FAQs

What is the best substitute for ghee in tadka?

Ghee is used commonly in India to prepare tadka. I made a variation by using coconut oil to make it 100% vegan. It is also ok to use olive oil or corn oil.

Can we skip one of the lentils in spinach dal recipe?

Yes for sure! You can go with one variety of your choice. Addition of multiple lentils in dal gives nice texture and flavor to the dal recipe.

Can we prepare the dal palak recipe ahead of time?

Yes! Prepare this ahead and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just reheat it on a stove top or microwave and serve it warm.

Expert tips

Always wash and rinse the lentils before you use them in the recipes
For this recipe, I soaked the chana dal and toor dal for 30 minutes prior to cooking. That will reduce the cooking time. And lentils will be perfectly cooked.
Use prewashed and organic spinach leaves to be sure that you get them free of fertilizers and pesticides free spinach leaves.
If you use regular spinach or non-organic kind, be sure to wash them 2- 3 times.
I used homemade fresh ground spices in this dal palak recipe. Fresh ground spices give a nice aroma to dal recipes that you don’t get in packaged spice powders.
If you are using regular spinach, chop them finely and use 3 cups for this recipe.