Instant Pot Spinach Dal or as it is popularly called in India – Dal Palak. This is a comforting lentil soup with spinach mixed in it for extra nutrition. Making this in the pressure cooker is a snap. Enjoy it with basmati rice or as a soup. This is a Vegan & gluten-free recipe.
I love this lentil soup as it packs the nutrition of lentils and spinach in a single bowl. I used split pigeon peas or Toor dal, which packs 20gms of protein in 1 cup of cooked dal. Spinach provides a variety of vitamins and minerals. Give this dal a try and I am sure you will make it again…and again!
I used Toor dal or Split pigeon peas for this recipe. You can vary the lentils you use – masoor dal or red lentils or a combination of these.
Don’t forget to check out my post for 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes.
How to make Spinach Dal in Instant Pot?
Start with heating ghee or oil in the instant pot insert and add the tempering ingredients – cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and green chilies. I usually use homemade ghee when making dal, but for a vegan variation use any plant based oil.
Then add the tomatoes and spices. Then the washed lentils. Now we are ready to pressure cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
I add spinach after the lentils are cooked. Lentils take longer to cook and I don’t like my spinach overcooked, so I add it after cooking the lentils.
When the pressure cooking is done, open the instant pot lid and add the chopped spinach and garam masala. Stir well and let it simmer until the lentils comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. At this time, the spinach would have mixed well with the lentils.
How to make Dal Palak in Pressure Cooker?
Traditionally, Dal was cooked with salt, then tempering was done separately in a pan. Here I suggest a one-pot method, so the dal and tempering with ginger, garlic, tomatoes cooks along with the lentils.
The main difference from the above method for instant pot is the pressure cooking time on stovetop. We will pressure cook on high flame until two whistles, then switch off the flame. Then let the pressure release naturally by itself. Everything else remains the same.
You can add some lemon juice for a tangy taste. Enjoy the Spinach Dal with rice or just as a soup. I had this spinach dal with rice and then leftovers the next day as a soup.
Try this Spinach Dal and let me know how it turned out. Leave a comment below.
If you like this recipe, you might like other lentil recipes –
Pressure Cooker Spinach Dal / Dal Palak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor dal) washed
- 2 cup Spinach (Palak) chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper sliced (optional)
- 1/2" Ginger finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tomato large, chopped
- 3 cups Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
Spices
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne or Red Chili powder
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds, green chili, ginger and garlic.
- Saute for 30 seconds until garlic turns golden brown, then add chopped tomato and spices.
- Add the 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 3 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and add chopped spinach and garam masala. Press SAUTE mode. Simmer for 2 minutes until the dal starts boiling and spinach is mixed with the lentils.
- Spinach 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, ginger and garlic.
- Saute for 30 seconds until garlic turns golden brown, then add chopped tomato and spices.
- Add the lentils and water. Stir well.
- Cover the lid, turn the heat on high flame and pressure cook it until your hear two whistles. Turn off heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and add chopped spinach and garam masala.
- Turn stove on and simmer for 2 minutes until the dal starts boiling and spinach is mixed with the lentils.
- Spinach dal is ready to be served.
Notes
- You can use only toor dal or only masoor or equal quantities of both. If using another dal, the cooking time may vary.
- Vegan variation: Use oil when tempering in step 1.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
I would like to make this stovetop without a pressure cook. How much water should I use for the dal and how long should I cook it?
Hi Bill – Add about 4 cups of water when cooking this dal on stovetop. Let it come to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for about 15 minutes until the dal is well cooked. Then add in the spinach. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Meeta, few days back I used your Dal Tadka recipe (https://pipingpotcurry.com/dal-tadka-instant-pot/)
Recipe for both (Dal Tadka & Spinach Dal) uses Toor Dal, but I noticed that you have not included ONION & asafoetida in the Spinach Dal recipe whereas you have mentioned them as ingredients in Dal Tadka recipe.
Is there any specific reason for that?
i did the 3 minute pressure cook, and the dal was still not cooked?. I used toor dal
Hi Afrah – In this recipe, after 3 minutes of pressure cooking, the dal should be almost done. Then add the spinach and give a boil to cook along with the spinach. Hope that helps!
I loved it. Such a simple recipe and I was glad I did not have to cut onions. I was wondering why you did not use ‘hing’ (asafoetida) in the recipe? I did add it in since my baby who will be eating this might get gassy.
This recipe was delicious and the proportions were just right. The daal consistency was perfect.
Hi Manjini – Glad you enjoyed the Spinach Dal. Many times I skip hing as according to some scholars, it is considered a negative energy ingredient. I know it is such a common ingredient used in Indian cuisine for tempering, so I do use it but sparingly. I agree it can help with digestion. Thank you for sharing back your review!
Just made this dal w/ masoor and a mix of kale & spinach. (All I had on hand.) I also added extra garlic. Turned out great! Thanks!
Hey Jules – Glad to hear you enjoyed the Dal. Kale and spinach blend works great!
Would love to make this dish, can you please give me directions to use with a crockpot as I don’t have a instant pot or pressure cooker? Thank you so much, I’m looking forward to making this dish either on the stove top or in a crockpot! Catherine cativy@comcast.net
Hi Catherine – You can do 4 hours on high to make this dal in a crockpot. Just add in all the ingredients before the pressure cooking step, and set the crockpot on high for 4 hours. Then add in the spinach and Garam Masala. Hope you enjoy it!