Moong Dal Khichdi, or Kitchari is a simple dish made with rice and lentils, tempered in ghee with cumin seeds and turmeric. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is a perfect comfort meal for weeknights or when someone is under the weather!
Khichdi is a favorite food for my daughters. They also love pongal, which is a South Indian variation of khichdi. Anytime when they are fussy about food, sick or really just anytime, give them Khichdi with yogurt and they will savor it to the last bite!
Khichdi is very light and easy to digest, hence it is also a popular meal during an illness. It is also one of the starter foods for babies for the same reason. However I love to have this khichdi on other days as well to get a break from spices and have a simple comfort meal.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Instant Pot Khichdi
What is Khichdi or Kitchari?
Khichdi is basically a rice and lentil porridge, which is typically spiced with turmeric and tempered with ghee and cumin seeds. It is vegetarian and gluten-free.
It can be made with various dals, but the most popular ones to use are moong dal (split yellow lentils) or green moong dal (split green lentils).
Every region or house in India has their own version of khichdi. This is a simple one made with just ghee, cumin seeds, hing (asafoetida) and turmeric. You can vary it by adding ginger or green chili’s or even vegetables.
The recipe I am sharing here is the North Indian version of khichdi. In South India, ven pongal is a popular dish made with rice and lentils. It is very similar to khichdi, but spiced with black peppercorns, curry leaves, ginger and green chili’s.
Some khichdi recipes have onions, tomatoes or veggies added to them, which I would refer to as Masala or Vegetable Khichdi. I have also shared a Quinoa Khichdi recipe. This one is a plain simple khichdi with just lentils and rice.
Khichdi is served with yogurt, pickle and papad. Don’t hesitate to top with a spoon of ghee to get the real flavor!
Kitchari Benefits
Khichdi, also called Kitchari, is recommended by Ayurveda as one of the balanced foods, which is easy to digest, gives strength and vitality. It is excellent for detoxification and de-aging of the cells. Turmeric added to khichdi has lots of good health benefits. You can add ginger to khichdi too.
Khichdi is great to eat if someone is sick or has tummy issues. It is also great as part of a cleanse or detox to reset the digestive system after big meals during the holidays.
Did you know there is a name for a khichdi cleanse diet? It is called PanchaKarma.
It is great for babies as their first food or for elders who need to have foods that are gentle on the digestive system.
How to make Khichdi?
I have used Split Yellow Lentils to make this khichdi. Khichdi can also be prepared with Split Green Moong dal. As I wanted to make this a one-pot recipe, I added the tempering before rice and dal. Khichdi is best prepared in Ghee or Clarified Butter. You can make ghee in your instant pot using the recipe here. To make this recipe vegan, use your favorite plant based oil or vegan butter.
Rinse the dal and rice in a bowl. You can also soak them for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Heat ghee in the instant pot in sauté mode. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add equal quantities of lentils and rice. I used half a cup each in this recipe. Add 4 cups water. Stir in the salt and turmeric powder.
Usually khichdi is cooked in double the water than what you use to prepare rice and has a runny consistency, however you can vary the amount of water to get your desired consistency.
Change the instant pot setting to pressure cook mode for 6 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
Khichdi is ready. Serve in bowls and top with a dollop of ghee.
Khichdi tastes best when it is warm.
Enjoy Khichdi with mango pickle and yogurt on the side.
You can also serve papad and buttermilk (masala chaas) along with khichdi.
Common Questions
Yes, you can store leftovers for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Let it cool down, then store in an airtight container.
Khichdi does get dry when stored. So add a couple of tablespoons of water per serving before heating to the bowl. Then microwave for 1-2 minutes (varies by quantity). You can also reheat in a pan on stovetop.
Why you want to try this Khichdi:
√ It is real comfort food. Don’t forget to top it with lots of ghee.
√ You are sick and need to have something light.
√ After a weekend of eating outside, you want a detox meal.
So don’t wait; give this Khichdi a try!
You might like other related recipes from Piping Pot Curry:
Instant Pot Khichdi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Basmati Rice, washed (125ml)
- 1/2 cup Split Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal), washed (125ml)
- 1 tablespoon Ghee , plus more for topping, or oil for vegan
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1/8 teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing), optional, skip for gluten-free
- 4 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- Cilantro leaves , chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Add basmati rice and moong dal to a bowl and rinse with water a few times till the water runs clear.
- Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add ghee in it. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
- When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add rice, moong dal and water. Add the salt and turmeric powder. Give it a stir. Then close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
- Khichdi is ready to serve. Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of ghee, along with a side of papad and pickle.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the same steps as above and cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally.
Video
Notes
- Black Peppercorns
- Grated Ginger
- Green Chili Peppers
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in 2017.
Hello – some instant pots don’t have a high/med pressure option. What would be the cook time on regular pressure?
Hi Rahul – I believe the default option would be the high mode. So the same cooking time will work well.
Can I make this with red split lentils instead? I don’t have yellow at home. Thanks.
Hi El – Sure, red lentils will work for this khichdi too. Hope you enjoy it!
When trying to print the recipe, a blank page comes out of the printer. Same as when trying to save it as a PDF file.
Hi Mike – I just tried to print the recipe, and it worked fine. I would suggest to de-select recipe images, when printing to save paper and ink.
This is one of my all time favourite recipes. I have made a number of versions of this over the years but this one is the simplest and, in my opinion, best. I like it a bit on the runnier side with the added ghee! So delicious! Thank you!
Hi Lisa – I’m thrilled to hear that this recipe has become one of your all-time favorites!
Way too many ads on your site. Doesn’t make for a seamless user experience. Scrolling isn’t smooth, page keeps jumping or refreshing. But love your recipes so hope you’ll be able to accommodate this request. Thx Meeta!
Hi Harjit – Sorry you are having trouble accessing the recipe. I will check and try to improve the experience. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Hi! I obsessively made this recipe when it had curry leaves, ginger, peppercorns, and hot pepper. Could you send the recipe again before you updated it? Thank you!!
Hello – Sure, here is the recipe with curry leaves, and peppercorns – https://pipingpotcurry.com/ven-pongal/
Hi, cool recipe!
How would I adjust the time if I were to use brown rice instead?
Hi Lily – I want to mention brown rice takes very long to cook, and the moong dal will get overcooked in that time. However, as Khichdi is like a porridge, it may still be okay to use brown rice. Cook for 22 minutes on high pressure if using brown rice.
Great recipe! I was a bit skeptical about the amount of water but it was perfect! Thank you.
Hi Niti – You’re welcome! Glad the water amount worked out well for you. Enjoy!
LOVE THIS RECIPE, just like mom’s kichidi. One note though, cooking for 10 minutes is a bit much with my pressure cooker, it becomes quite mushy. I usually pressure cook on high for about 6 minutes and turns out perfect.
Hi Rani – Thank you for sharing your feedback. I do suggest to pressure cook for 6 minutes in the recipe. Glad to hear you found the recipe similar to your mom’s.
If I want to put some vegetables like cauliflower and carrots, when do I put those. Thank you. A great recipe
Hello – Here is my vegetable khichdi recipe – https://pipingpotcurry.com/lentil-vegetable-khichdi-pressure-cooker/
I absolutely love your recipes and almost exclusively only look at your site for Indian food. I wanted to bring to your attention in case you are not aware that lately your site is extremely hard to read. I don’t mind adds but there are more and more and as a result maybe your content keeps scrolling up / down endlessly making it very hard to read. I need to keep scrolling back over and over again just to read. I hope it can be an easy fix as I would hate to discontinue using your great instant pot indian recipes. I never usually comment anywhere but really don’t want to miss out on your site. Thanks !!!!
Hello Flo – Thank you for letting me know. I have gotten some ads removed and I hope that fixes the issues you were facing. Can you please let me know if they still seem obtrusive. I appreciate your candid feedback.