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.
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:
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.
Video
Notes
- To reduce spice, skip the green chili and reduce garam masala to 1/2 tsp.
- 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.
Thank you very much for sharing. My family loved it 🙂
Hey Mischelle – Glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing back your review!
Hi, I’m new to IP and trying all recipes for the first time! Your blog is my “Gita” if i could say that;) Excellent, detailed , perfectly timed recipes! A quick query for the green mung, what would be the time for pre soaked mung beans? Thank you.
Hey Geeta – Thank you so much for your kind words. I would suggest 12 minutes high pressure for soaked whole mung beans. Hope you enjoy it!
I just made this for lunch today. It had been many years since I last made green moong dal. I was out doing errands so it sat much longer after cooking and needed some water to thin it out. It was absolutely fantastic! Love the earthy taste the whole lentils impart on the dish. Such a nice change from yellow dal. Will be making over and over.
Hey Michele – So glad you enjoyed the dal. This is also one of the most nutritious lentils. I do have to thin it out once refrigerated as well. Thank you so much for sharing back your review!
I have French lentils .. does that work/is it the same? Sounds delicious so I hope they will work or mung beans maybe ?
My wife made it today and it’s yummy.. kudos .. definitely recommended!!
Hey Ivy – Glad to hear you enjoyed the Dal. Thank you so much for sharing back your review!
We love this recipe, but we are in Indonesia, with no pressure cooke. Is it possible to make it on a regular gas stove, and how long would it take? Thank you:)
Hey Evelyn – Sure, you could make this in a pot on stovetop (my mom-in-law still prefers this method). Here are some changes – 1. Soak the lentils so that they cook quicker. 2. Almost double the amount of water. 3. It will take about 22-30 mins on medium-low flame. You can cover the pot, but do keep a close eye and check/stir from time to time. Hope that helps!
Thanks for sharing it. I liked it very much. Good thing is that you are sharing nutrition values also.
Hey Kushal – Glad to hear you enjoyed the Moong Dal 🙂
Excellent and easy dish
Thank you Namaswi. Glad you enjoyed the dal.
I tried it twice and it turned out great. Your recipes are really delicious but still very simple to do.
Hey Madhu – Thank you..it is definitely my goal to provide easy delicious recipes that can be cooked quickly in the pressure cooker. Glad to hear you enjoyed the dal 🙂
Made this with split moong 6 mins with natural release, added carrots, celery, 1 tsp curry powder, pinch of hing, and stirred in spinach at the end. Topped with mint as I did not have cilantro, and accidentally used cardamom seeds instead of coriander… came out a bit spicier than intended but delicious flavor. The lemon marries the flavors and brings the whole dish together. Wonderful.
Hey Jeanne – Glad you enjoyed the lentils. Thanks for sharing the changes you made. I love making a soup with lentils and veggies, similar to the Brown Lentils Soup I have shared. Thank you again for sharing your review!