Dal Palak / Spinach Dal – Instant Pot & Stovetop

Instant Pot Spinach Dal, popularly called Dal Palak in India. This is a comforting lentil soup with spinach mixed in it for extra nutrition. It is so easy to make it in the pressure cooker. Enjoy it with basmati rice or as a soup. This is a vegetarian & gluten-free recipe.

I love this lentil soup as it packs the nutrition of lentils and spinach in a single bowl. It is the perfect comforting dinner to make for the whole family.

Make this dal palak in the instant pot, along with pot-in-pot rice to make a complete meal at once. My weeknights are sorted with these easy instant pot dal recipes.

Don’t forget to check out these 29 Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. 

Watch How to Make Spinach Dal

What is Spinach Dal?

Spinach dal is nothing but lentils cooked with spinach. In India, this dal is made in every region. However, every region has its own recipe. In North India, it is called dal palak. In the Andhra region of South India, it is called Palakura Pappu, and in Tamil Nadu, it is called Paruppu Keerai Masiyal.

I used split pigeon peas or Toor dal to make this Spinach Dahl. You can also vary the lentils to use masoor dal (red lentils), yellow moong dal, or a combination. Toor Dal, also called Arhar Dal, packs 20 grams 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!

Curious about pulses used in Indian cooking? Check out my detailed guide about Indian Pulses.

How to Make Spinach Dal in Instant Pot?

Start with gathering the ingredients for the dal.

Start with heating ghee or oil in the instant pot steel 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.

You can also add asafoetida (or hing) at this time. Skip it for a gluten-free version of the dal.

Then add the tomatoes and spices.  Then the washed lentils.  Now we are ready to pressure cook for 5 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. It also helps to retain the bright green color of spinach.

When the pressure cooking is done, open the instant pot lid and add the chopped spinach, lime juice, and garam masala.  Stir well and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.  At this time, the spinach would have mixed well with the lentils.

The dal is perfectly cooked and ready to enjoy. Optionally, you can also add an extra boost of tempering at the end.

How to make Dal Palak in Pressure Cooker?

Traditionally, Dal was cooked with salt, and tempering was done separately in a pan. Here, I suggest a one-pot method, so the dal, tempered with ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, cooks along with the lentils.

The main difference from the above method for instant pot is the pressure cooking time on the stovetop. We will pressure cook on a 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 lime juice for a tangy taste. Enjoy the Spinach Dal with rice or just as a soup.  I had this spinach dal with rice and leftovers the next day as soup.

How to Serve?

This Dal Palak pairs perfectly with basmati rice. You can also pair it with quinoa or cauliflower rice.

Sometimes we also like to add a bit of tempering to the dal when serving. This is the red color oil (or ghee) along with sautéed garlic you see on the top of the bowl of dal in the pictures.

To make the tempering, in a small pan, heat ghee or oil. Add some cumin seeds and finely diced or sliced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute until the garlic becomes golden in color. Then, take the pan off the heat and add a pinch of red chili powder. I prefer Kashmiri red chili powder, as it is not spicy.

Drizzle this tempering over the dal when serving. It adds such a beautiful pop of color!

Variations

Make it Vegan: Replace ghee with your favorite plant-based oil to make this recipe vegan.

Vary the Greens: You can use kale or fenugreek leaves (methi) in this recipe instead of spinach. You can also add veggies such as pumpkin to make pumpkin dal.

Palak Chana Dal: To make this recipe with Chana Dal (split chickpeas), follow the same steps, but cook the dal for 15 minutes under high pressure.

Palak Moong Dal: This recipe can be made with yellow moong dal or red Masoor Dal. The cooking time will remain the same.

Andhra Palakura Pappu: To make this recipe Andhra style, use mustard and cumin seeds. Saute 1/2 onions of onions for a couple of minutes before adding in tomatoes. You can use tamarind in place of lime juice at the end too.

Common Questions

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 –

• Mango Dal
• Dal Makhani
• Green Moong Dal
• Dal Tadka
• Red Masoor Dal
• Panchmel Dal