Slow Cooker Dal Makhani

Slowly cooked and incredibly delicious, this slow cooker dal makhani is a must-try recipe. It is rich, buttery, creamy, and tastes just like your favorite North Indian restaurant’s version.

Here are some more recipes, that you can try making in your slow cooker – Slow Cooker Potato Soup, Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats.

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• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make Slow Cooker Dal Makhani?
• Serving Suggestions
• You might also like
• Recipe Card

About This Recipe

Try this super easy slow cooker dal makhani recipe and there is no going back for you! It’s rich, creamy, and the best part is it’s hands-off. You mostly dump the ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do its magic.

Dal makhani is a sure shot hit, among each and everyone, and no wonder it is one of the most popular Indian dishes all around the world. Creamy, rustic, and rich, one bite of this lentil curry makes you fall in love with it. So if you haven’t tried it yet, you should go right now, get the ingredients ready and make this super delicious dal.

Today, I am back with melt in your mouth slow cooker dal makhani recipe, which gets slow-cooked for hours and kept hot in it till it’s time to serve. Believe me, the taste is just incredible!

Traditionally, dal makhani was cooked on an open wood fire, slowly and steadily, so that it gets creamy and the smoky flavor sets in. And this slow cooker method is a modern take on it.

Dal makhani cooked in a slow cooker also tastes the same, as it is slow-cooked for a minimum of 8 hours or more. Since the day I have bought this slow cooker, I have not made dal makhani in any other way. I can tell you that this slow cooker was my best investment ever.

This one surely takes a longer time, but then it’s basically very easy and fuss-free. Just put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and leave it for about 12 hours or overnight. You don’t have to check on it again and again, and you will have your delicious and buttery makhani dal ready after 12 hours.

This Slow Cooker Dal Makhani is,

• Super Easy
• Fuss Free
• Creamy + Rich
• Delicious
• Just like the restaurant one

Ingredients

Lentils – Whole black urad (whole black lentils) are used in the preparation of dal makhani. Do not confuse it with the black urad dal. The whole urad is not split, unlike the black urad dal. Along with it, a little quantity of chana dal (Bengal gram lentil) and rajma (red kidney beans) are also used, which not only adds to its taste and creaminess but also to the nutrition and a bite in this dal. 

You have to soak the dals and rajma beforehand, so that it ensures easy cooking and also becomes digestible.

Tomato Puree – I prefer using the canned tomato puree, as it has a more intense tomato taste than the homemade one. It makes the dal creamy and adds a nice restaurant-style taste to it. Replace it with tomato paste if the puree is not available.

Ghee, Butter, and Cream – Do not compromise on these ingredients because they add to the taste and richness of this dish. 

Use full-fat cream, for the creamy texture. You can also use homemade cream (malai) for this dal. As the names itself has ‘Makhani’, these ingredients are a must.

Kasuri Methi – Kasuri methi add a delicious flavor to makhani dal, so do not miss it.

Other Ingredients – Other than the above, you will need garlic, ginger garlic paste, onion, cumin powder, red chili powder, and salt. 

Smoky Flavor – This is totally optional and I’ve not used it in this recipe, if you want to give this dal a restaurant-style smoky flavor, use coal in dhungar method. To do this heat a piece of coal until red. Keep a bowl in the center of the dal and keep this hot coal piece in the bowl. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over the coal and immediately close the lid of the pan. Let the smoke soak in the dal for 3-4 minutes. Then remove the bowl and give the dal a gentle mix. You can use a piece of cinnamon stick in place of coal if it’s not available.

How to make Slow Cooker Dal Makhani?

Wash ¼ cup red kidney beans, ½ cup whole black lentils, and 1 tablespoon Bengal gram lentils with water and soak separately or together in enough water for 6-8 hours.

Drain the water and add the soaked kidney beans, and lentils to the slow cooker.

Add 5 cups of water, 4 tablespoon ghee, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 cup grated onion, 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, and salt to taste to the slow cooker and give everything a gentle mix.

Close the lid and slow cook the dal on low heat for 8 hours.

Mash the dal well using the back of a ladle or a potato masher until it is creamy with a little bite to it.

Add 6 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, and ½ teaspoon cumin powder to the cooker and mix everything well. Cover the cooker and cook on low for another 3 hours.

Add 2 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon crushed Kasuri methi to the cooker and mix well. Cover and cook for another hour on low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan.

Once the ghee is hot, add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and fry until garlic turns brown in colour in about 1 minute.

Pour the tempering over the cooked dal. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions

Serve dal makhani cooked in a slow cooker with any Indian bread of your choice such as Phulka, Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Naan, Garlic Naan, Tandoori Roti, or any other bread you that prefer to enjoy with this creamy dal.

I also like to enjoy it with plain Steamed Rice, Jeera Rice, or any slightly spiced pulao such as Matar Pulao or Ghee Rice. 

I always feel that dal makhani tastes better the next day, so make it extra and enjoy the leftovers next day too.

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