Slow Cooker Dal Makhani Recipe

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.

Slow Cooker Dal Makhani Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Neha Mathur

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.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

¼ cup red kidney beans (rajma)
½ cup whole black lentils (whole kali urad)
1 tablespoon Bengal gram lentils (chana dal)
5 cups water
3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup grated onion
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
6 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Kasuri methi
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Instructions

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 color in about 1 minute.
Pour the tempering over the cooked dal. Serve hot.

Notes

You can also give a smoky taste to the dal by giving dhungar to it. For adding smoke flavor to dal, 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 make a vegan version of this dal by substituting ghee and butter with oil and yogurt and cream with cashew cream. Just blend some cashew nuts with water to make a smooth paste. Use this paste in place of cream and you have a vegan dal makhani ready.

Nutrition