Wholesome Green Moong Dal made in an Instant Pot or a Stovetop Pressure Cooker. This is a delicious creamy lentil soup, that is so easy and quick to make in a pressure cooker. Very nutritious with lots of protein and perfect for a cold evening.
This is a North Indian style recipe for green moong dal, also known as sabut moong dal. Growing up this used to be made almost every week for dinner. We always had a veggie curry and a lentil or legume, along with roti (Indian flatbread) for dinner. Some days we would have rice, but not every day. This is a very typical north indian dinner.
If you don’t have green moong dal in your pantry, check out other popular North Indian lentil soups – Chana Dal, Moong Dal Fry.
Don’t forget to check out my post for 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes.
How to make Green Moong Lentils in Pressure Cooker?
I do not soak these lentils. You can if you have planned well, and reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. I usually don’t plan much for lentils, as I know that I can easily and quickly cook them in the pressure cooker.
Follow the same process as in the video when cooking on a stovetop pressure cooker. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles and then change to medium-low flame and let it cook for another 8 minutes.
If you plan to enjoy this as a soup, you can add veggies like carrot, sweet potato to celery along with the lentils before you pressure cook. Stir spinach or kale at the end to make this a hearty vegetable lentil soup.
You can also double this recipe with the same cooking time. The pressure cooker will just take longer to come to pressure. This lentil also freezes well, so it is great for meal prep.
Enjoy this easy and delicious lentil soup.
If you like this recipe, you might like the below Indian favorites made in a pressure cooker:
Recipe Video
Green Moong Dal / Green Lentil Soup Recipe - Instant Pot & Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Gram Lentils (Green Moong Dal) whole, rinsed (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp Ginger minced or paste
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic minced or paste
- 1 Onion medium, diced
- 2 Tomato medium, chopped
- 3 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- 1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne or Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds, green chili and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add chopped tomato, spices and stir.
- Add lentils and water. Stir well. Press CANCEL and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
- Press MANUAL or Pressure Cook mode for 15 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
- Open the lid and add lime juice and cilantro. Stir and green moong dal is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Heat oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high flame. Add cumin seeds, green chili and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for 3 minute.
- Add chopped tomato, spices and stir.
- Add lentils and water. Stir well.
- Cover the lid, turn the heat on high flame and pressure cook it until your hear two whistles. Now reduce the flame to medium and pressure cook it for another 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and add lime juice and cilantro. Stir and green moong dal is ready to be served.
Notes
- To reduce spice, skip the green chili and reduce garam masala to 1/2 tsp.
- I did not soak the dal in this recipe. If you soak for 3-4 hours, reduce cooking time to 10 minutes.
- This recipe can be doubled with no change in cooking time.
- Vegan variation: Use oil when tempering in step 1.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Pressure Cooker.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
This has been my go-to recipe whenever I am tired of thinking “What to cook” or when I don’t have any time or energy before sleeping. It’s super easy and it works perfectly everytime.
Hi — Is the lemon juice a substitute for amchur powder? If we have amchur powder, how much should we use?
Thanks!
Hi Susan – Yes, lemon juice works great in place of amchur powder, as they both add tanginess to the dish. I would say for 1 tsp of amchur powder, add 1.5-2 tsp of lemon juice.
My whole family enjoyed it. Easy and flavorful. I usually made it on the stove but cooking it in the instant pot is so much easier and faster. Thank you.
Hey Baljit – Glad to hear you liked cooking dal in the instant pot. I love that I dont have to actively monitor while it is cooking.
Simple & Delicious
I accidentally doubled the tomatoes, so I added extra ginger and garlic. The flavors are wonderful.
Hi Molly – Glad to hear you enjoyed the dal!
Loved it. Taste so similar to my mom ‘s home cooked mung dal. Super easy since no soaking was required. Thank you.
Hey Beanz – Glad you enjoyed the dal. This is how my mom makes it too, and we always enjoy it!