Dal Makhani
This Dal Makhani is an amazing one pot meal, made with mixed spices for a delicious flavor and beluga lentils for texture. This easy vegan recipe will become a staple for your 30 minute meals that the whole family will love.
Lentils are always my to go for quick dinners because these are cheap, protein rich and yet so satisfying. Just look at my Egyptian Red Lentil Soup or the Chickpea Lentil Shepherd's Pie. The latter is a great choice when you are planning what should be on your holiday table.
Craving more comfort food? Try this Moroccan Chickpea Lentil Potato Casserole. Even the pickiest kids will empty their plates in no time.
If you're looking for more lentil recipes, do yourself a favor and use the search bar.
You can be sure this Dal Makhani is satisfying, texture perfect though using beluga lentils and kidney beans, super easy to make, a one pot meal you can always count on, hearty, packed with flavor using mixed spices.
Also really filling, hearty, mouthwatering, budget friendly and great for meal prep ideas.
I would happily eat this almost every day, it has everything that I'm craving for amazing weeknight dinners.
Before we're going straight to how to make this, let's talk about
What are beluga lentils
Beluga lentils are small black lentils, growing in cool climates in Canada and North America. They are delicious in salads, dips and so much more, but are overall less common then red, green or yellow lentils.
If you haven't tried beluga lentils yet, this recipe is a great way to give them a shot.
What you need for this Dal Makhani recipe
- Mixed spices like ground fenugreek, minced garlic, garlic powder, garam masala
- Beluga lentils
- Kidney beans
- Vegan butter
- Coconut milk
- Tomato paste
All you need is 6 simple ingredients for these madras lentils. Once you've tried them you want to make this recipe again and again.
Optional add ons:
- ½ cup onions
- 2 jalapenos or chilis, finely chopped
How to make Dal Makhani
In a pot melt vegan butter and add minced garlic, spices (garlic powder, fenugreek, garam masala) and optional onions and jalapenos or chili. Fry everything for 2 minutes before adding beluga lentils and water.
Cook for around 15 minutes, then give also the kidney beans, tomato paste, and coconut milk into the pot. Mix well and cook all finally for 5 more minutes.
Serve in bowls plain or with rice on plates.
It makes a fantastic dinner, lunch, meal prep, even for date night. It's so creamy and satisfying. Trust me your sweet heart will want seconds and thirds.
This is truly a great meal to share and impress. Super simple, but at the same time packed with complex flavors.
Tips and tricks for even better results
This Dal Makhani is delicious plain, but really good with quinoa rice or even potatoes to make a full meal of it.
My beluga lentils were perfectly done after 20 minutes cooking time. But it can depend a bit on the brand you have. So if they need a little longer, adjust the first cooking time. Make sure to only add the kidney beans, tomato paste and coconut milk 5 minutes before the total cooking time.
If you wish a finer texture mash your Dal roughly with a potato masher.
If you try my easy vegan Dal Makhani, tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
Snap a picture and show me all your remakes.
Love to see them all, Florian.
Dal Makhani
This Dal Makhani is an amazing one pot meal, made with mixed spices for a delicious flavor and beluga lentils for texture. This easy vegan recipe will become a staple for your 30 minute meals that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- ½ cup beluga lentils + 2,5 cups water
- mixed spices (I used 1 tbs fenugreek, 1 tbs garlic powder + 3 cloves garlic minced, 2 tbs garam masala)
- 3 tbs vegan butter
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 15 oz kidney beans drained
- salt, pepper to taste
Optional add ons:
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- 2 chilis or jalapenos, chopped
Instructions
- In a pot melt vegan butter and add minced garlic, spices (garlic powder, fenugreek, garam masala) and optional onions and jalapenos or chili. Fry everything for 2 minutes before adding beluga lentils and water.
- Cook for around 15 minutes, then give also the kidney beans, tomato paste, and coconut milk into the pot. Mix well and cook all finally for 5 more minutes.
- Serve in bowls plain or with rice on plates.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 12.1gSaturated Fat: 2.9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8.9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 15.3mgCarbohydrates: 43.1gFiber: 10.1gSugar: 2.8gProtein: 16.3g
Hey Florian! My partner and I tried this for the first time last night! My god, where has your blog been my whole life? We served it with rice and Swiss chard, I think it's going to be one of our regular weeknight meals!
Please keep up the amazing work, looking for to more of your recipes! 🙂
Thanks for your great feedback, Kylie! Sounds delicious with swiss chard, yum!
Very delish! I didn’t had the lentils that were called for in the recipe, so I used red lentils instead. It turned out great. Since red lentils are a bit smaller I used 3/4 cup. It was super yummy. Thank you
Thanks for your amazing feedback and making it! Sounds delicious with red lentils, yum! I hope you'll find lots of more recipes to try.
Hi there, what form of fenugreek did you use please? Fresh, dried green or powdered? Thank you
Hi Juli! I used powder, hope that helps.
Super easy to make and FANTASTIC! I had to reprint it with the ingredients doubled. If taking to potluck, I will double the double. YUM!! Everyone loved it and kept going back for more.
Thanks so much for your amazing feedback and sharing, Sue! I hope you'll find lots of more recipes to try.
Amazing dish, I have made this two weeks in a row! I poured this on top of roasted butternut squash and it was the perfect lunch.
This is fantastic!! I added red curry paste instead of tomato paste, black beans instead of kidney beans, and added spinach I have on hand. So versatile and sooooo good!
Oh boy did I love this recipe! I couldn't picture how it would all come together but come together it did. Yum. I made with green lentils (as that what's I had in the house) and 1Tbsp of dijon mustard (to replace the fenugreek which I had never heard of but Googled a substitute which lead me to the mustard). So easy to throw together and love that it is legit one pot making clean-up super easy too.
I put on top of mashed cauliflower as I didn't think ahead to make rice. In the rotation!
Just checking, we should use un-cooked un-soaked beluga lentils and soaked or cooked kidney beans for this recipe? It's not so clear in the instructions.
Hi there! Use uncooked beluga lentils plus canned and drained kidney beans. Hope that helps and clarifies.
I wouldc love to make this, but can I make it with already cooked lentils? I needed lentils for another recipe the other day and had some leftover. Would I just forego some of the water? Thanks?
Hi Robyn! Leave out the water and you are good to go. Hope that helps.
Hi,
I want to double the recipe but when I use the multiplier in the top right, I noticed the spices do not double. I am meant to double the spices and garlic, aren't I?
Thanks for your time,
Ki. 🙂
Hi there! Please use the double amount of spices. Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes.
Hi there! Should I cook this covered for 15 min? On low or on high?
Hi Natalie! Medium heat covered, but stir from time to time. Hope that helps.
Is the fenugreek the seeds or powder?
Hey there! Powder is correct, hope that helps. Let me know what you think.
Mine came out incredibly watery, I used Brown lentils and vegetable broth instead of water, but I don't think that should've made much of a difference. What could have gone wrong?
Hi Mel! Did you use dried lentils or precooked? I use dried so the lentils are fully cooked in my water. Hope that helps and let me know what you think.
I’m so glad I found your recipe! I added bay leaf and a vegetable broth cube and let it simmer a bit longer… I think the base of my pot was too small but the lentils still cooked up beautifully and taste amazing! This is definitely going into my rotation!
Thanks for your great feedback, Kim! Would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? Your experience is so helpful for other readers. Thanks a lot.
Hi! This looks delicious and I’m trying it tonight but does 1/2 cup beluga lentils really yield 4- 2 cup servings? I know there’s the beans in there but still…. Thanks
Hi Kristin! I find the amount after testing in and out pretty accurate. Therefore you can always use more to your own preference and liking. Let me know what you think.