Instant Pot Chana Dal

4.91 from 31 votes

Vegan Chana Dal made in the instant pot! Serve it over boiled rice for a comforting meal.

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Easy and delicious Instant Pot Chana Dal is comforting and vegan and you can make this recipe in no time using your instant pot!

If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group would share/feature vegetarian instant pot recipes and ideas from all around the web!

instant pot chana dal

So I am back with my Instant Pot series. I realize that I haven’t shared an IP recipes on the blog for quite some time now and that’s because I wasn’t in my kitchen and I had no access to IP in India. But now expect lots of Indian Instant Pot recipes in the coming weeks. Seriously though, if you are not an Indian and love Indian food, you might want to buy this cool gadget.

It will make things so much easier. And if you are an Indian, you must buy this because we can’t live without pressure cooker and IP is a major upgrade to the regular pressure cooker plus it’s so much more. [I haven’t been paid by anyone to say all this, I just love instant pot and so sharing my honest opinion with you guys.]

I made this simple instant pot chana dal the other day and it came together so quickly. Unlike the other yellow lentils like moong and toor/arhar, chana dal takes little more time to cook. Some people soak it for few hours before using in the recipe.

If you were to cook chana dal in a pan on stove top, I would highly recommend soaking for few hours or even overnight but when you are making this in the instant pot, you don’t have to do anything. Simply cook on high pressure and it will be nicely cooked. That is what is so amazing about pressure cooking, it drastically reduces the cooking time.

Dal in India is made in so many ways and there’s absolutely no wrong or right way of cooking it.

I come from a place in India where dal is cooked literally like a soup, it’s that thin but if I add that much water and share here, most of my non-Indian readers would think “wow that’s so soupy” because the dal that you get in Indian restaurants here in US, they are always on the thicker side.

These restaurants have clearly created a lot of misconceptions about Indian food. Actually Indian dal is mostly thin, in major parts of the country. I know in UP and Bihar, dal is really thin (because I belong to these states) and so is the dal in Gujarat. Of course what consistency of dal you like is a personal preference but I just wanted to make this clear.

People add several kind of tadka/tempering to the dal. It can be cumin, curry leaves, mustard seeds etc.

I added a simple tadka to this instant pot chana dal however I didn’t add it in the beginning, rather I let the dal cook in the IP and then made the tadka in the pan and added to the cooked dal. I really like the strong flavors when we put the tadka in the end.

Tip: If you want to make this entirely in the IP, you may do the tempering before and then add tomatoes and chana dal.

Method

Place all ingredients from 1-7 in the Instant Pot.

Close the lid, set valve to sealing. Press the manual button and then adjust timing to 12 minutes. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes and then let the pressure release naturallu (NPR) which means you wait till the floating valve goes down on its own, around 20 minutes.

Open the lid and give a stir. Press the “keep warm/cancel button and then press the “saute” button.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and let them crackle.

Add hing, chopped garlic and dried red chilies (break red chilies into 2 for extra spice).

Cook till garlic turns light golden brown. Remove pan from heat and add the prepared tempering to the IP.

Give a good stir. You may also mash some dal with back of your spoon at this point.

Add lemon juice and mix.

Finally add chopped cilantro and stir.

Serve chana dal over boiled rice. Enjoy.

Instant Pot Chana Dal

4.91 from 31 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 22 minutes
Servings: 3
Vegan Chana Dal made in the instant pot! Serve it over boiled rice for a comforting meal.

Ingredients 

  • 3/4 cup chana dal 158 grams, also known as split garbanzo beans
  • 1 tomato 140 grams, chopped
  • 1.5 – 2 cups water
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder/cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Tempering

  • 2 teaspoons oil use any oil of choice
  • 2 garlic 3-4 grams, finely chopped
  • pinch hing also known as asafoetida (make sure it’s gluten-free if following a GF diet)
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, adjust to taste

    1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish

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      Instructions 

      • Place the first 7 ingredients in the Instant Pot.
      • Close the lid, set valve to sealing. Press the manual button and then select high pressure and set time to 12 minutes.
      • Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes and then let the pressure release naturally (NPR). [Note: you can soak the chana dal for an hour and then do high pressure for 7-8 minutes only].
      • Open the lid and give a stir. Press the “keep warm/cancel” button and then press the “saute” button.
      • Meanwhile heat oil in a pan on stove-top on medium heat.
      • Add cumin and mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add hing, chopped garlic and dried red chilies (break red chilies into 2 for extra spice).
      • Cook till garlic turns light golden brown. Remove pan from heat and add the prepared tempering to the IP.
      • Give a good stir. You may also mash some dal with back of your spoon at this point.
      • Add lemon juice and cilantro and serve chana dal with rice.

      Notes

      1. Use a combination of ghee (clarified butter) and oil in the tempering for extra flavor. Keep in mind though, ghee isn’t vegan so if you wish to keep this recipe vegan, don’t use ghee.
      2. Use gluten-free hing if you are following a GF diet.
      3. Break both the dried red chilies into small pieces to make the dal spicier. I broken only 1 and left the other as such.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 209kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 604mg, Potassium: 583mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 502IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 4mg

      Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

      Additional Info

      Course: Main Course
      Cuisine: Indian
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      Instant Pot Chana Dal


      Hi, I’m Manali!

      Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


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      Recipe Rating




      85 Comments

      1. Hi I’ve eaten Channa Makahni but I can’t find the recipe . This is the closest thing to it however the dish contains mil. I believe coconut milk. Can you help me with recipe? Thank you in advance!

      2. 5 stars
        You are entirely right, IMHO, about serving dhal (gram, lentils etc) in a watery soup-type form. Much better enjoyed in a lovely salty, savoury broth like that. I find the “wallpaper paste” kind of dhal most unappealing. So… when in doubt, thin it out!

        1. it’s not about being right or wrong, it’s a fact :). I am an Indian and dal is my staple food, I grew up eating it everyday of my life. And this is how we make it- thin. That’s how it’s made is eastern part of Uttar Pradesh where I am from. Different regions in country will have different consistencies when it comes to dal.

      3. 5 stars
        This dahl recipe is seriously off the hook. I’ve never been that into eating dahl at home because every dahl I’ve ever made ends up kind of bland-ish or weird texture, but this is SO FREAKING GOOD!!! Omg. Sometimes I am shocked that I am the one that made it and not an Indian restaurant.

      4. Hey .. If am using a stove top pan, will I still add all the ingredients together cause usually we do onion then garlic then rest of them..

        1. you can, add everything together and let the dal boil until cooked. And do the final tadka in the end.

      5. Love love love the flavour in this recipe! For me the chana dal still had a bit to much bite to it, so I just added a bit more water and cooked for longer. Will definitely be making again!

      6. I followed the recipe exactly, using 1.5 cups of water. There was still a lot of extra water, but the dal was undercooked. Luckily, I made it in advance, so I could let it simmer for a long time and it was okay by dinner time. The seasoning was great, so I will try again. I will try pre-soaking the dal or extending the cooking time, or making it a day in advance and letting it sit in the refrigerator.

        1. Hi Katherine, if you read the comments section, someone has commented that their dal was overcooked in this time and while someone has said their dal was undercooked in this time. It depends on the quality of dal and how old the dal is. My chana dal always cooks nicely in this much amount of time. Just soak or cook extra 5 minutes if this is not enough for the dal you have. Thanks for trying.

      7. Hi Malani! This looks delicious. I am planning to make this, dal makhani, no yeast naan, and baingan bharta for a vegetarian indian meal with my family.
        I’m wondering whether we can use toor dal (split pigeon peas) instead of chana dal?

        Also, without the pressure cooker, are these the edits to make: soak the dal overnight ideally, then cook in a pot on the stove for longer than 12 minutes? and still add tempering at the end?

        Thank you in advance!

      8. when mine cools …it becomes very dry? It becomes like the texture of hummus. Should I put extra water or maybe stop after the initial 12 minutes?

        Thanks

      9. I made this today, turned out lovely. @Indira said hers was overcooked. I had too cook mine for an additional 2 mins, 12 was not enough, it was undercooked. I think it depends on how old the dal is. Thanks Manali!

      10. 5 stars
        This has become one of my favorite recipes since getting my instant pot. It’s easy and tastes delicious. Thanks!

      11. Hi Manali – I have a question. I soaked my daal overnight so about 10-12 hours. Should I not pressure cook for 12 minutes?

      12. 5 stars
        Délicieux ! Ça fait 2 fois que je fais cette recette et j’adore ! La 2ème fois, j’ai mesuré deux tasses pour un dal plus liquide. J’ai laissé également un piment entier et coupé l’autre en deux pour un goût plus relevé, comme conseillé dans la recette. Merci beaucoup, les indications sont faciles à suivre, même en anglais ?! À suivre…

        1. No cook time remains same..don’t double the water though..do 1.5 times..you can always add more later 🙂

      13. Thanks Manali for your recipes! I would like to combine this recipe with your other chana dhal with zucchini recipe. Would I add diced zucchini at the beginning and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes or will that get too mushy? Do you know?
        Thanks!
        Reena

        1. Hi Reena, that will get too mushy. I would either cook the dal, then add zucchini and do 1 more minute on low pressure or cook the zucchini separately and add to the dal once its done.

      14. 5 stars
        Making this right now, without a pressure cooker 🙂 Smells amazing, can’t wait to eat it 😉

      15. 5 stars
        I doubled this recipe and it was fabulous. I DID double all the spices. It probably could have done with less, but i really liked it.
        I made only a few changes. I added a little ginger to the tadka, as well as a little amchur. I used three cups of water. I initially caramalized some onions to add, but they really weren’t necessary (i am of the belief that everything tastes better with caramlized onion, but next time I wont bother. It’s tasty enough without)! Thanks

      16. To save a pan, could we saute the spices first in the pot on Saute, remove them and set aside, and then continue with the recipe?

        1. I have mentioned this in the recipe, hope this helps! 🙂 “I added a simple tadka to this instant pot chana dal however I didn’t add it in the beginning, rather I let the dal cook in the IP and then made the tadka in the pan and added to the cooked dal. I really like the strong flavors when we put the tadka in the end. If you want to make this entirely in the IP, you may do the tempering before and then add tomatoes and chana dal.”

      17. I haven’t tried your dal recipe yet but I plan to. It looks amazing.

        When I cook dal in an instant pot I noticed that when it is just out of the pot I can taste all of the layers of spices and it is amazing but once it is reheated the spices all blend together and you lose a lot of the complexities of the dish.

        Have you noticed this and if so do you have any advice to prevent this from happening?

        Thanks,

        1. hmm Ron yes the flavors mix in together later but most people tend to like that, including me. I am not sure how you can prevent that, since that’s bound to happen when you cook with so many spices!

      18. Hi there!

        Love this recipe!

        1) Can I use a bit of amchur if I don’t have a lemon handy? And would it be ok to add it to the tadka instead of the instant pot?

        2) I find that 12 min doesn’t really get my channe very soft. Do you soak yours overnight or should I try 15 min instead?

        1. Hi Sean, Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
          1) yes you can use bit of amchur without any problem. Yes add to the tadka, will be okay.
          2) If you like really soft chana dal, I recommend soaking for 1 hour and then cooking for 12 minutes, it will be soft.

          Hope that helps!

      19. 5 stars
        I just tried it in my new 6 Qt Instapot and it was perfect! Thanks so much! I used 2 cups of water.

        If your family really likes dal then I would suggest always doubling the recipe as it makes a small amount.

      20. Hi! Do you start out with dried Chana Dal, or do you soak it overnight first? If soaking – how much liquid to I cover the Chana Dal with? Thanks in advance, and I’m looking forward to trying this!

        1. Hi Melissa, you don’t really need to soak chana dal. Compared to other commons dals that we use in India chana dal does take a little more time to cook but definitely doesn’t require soaking. If you want, you can soak for 30 minutes in double the amount of water and then reduce the cooking time to say 8 minutes? Hope this helps!

      21. Hi Manali, thanks for the great recipes. This was my first recipe ever in my first instapot cook ever 🙂
        I was in Mt. Shasta and could not find dried split garbanzos, only whole.
        My chana dal turned out hard and chewy, so I guess I had to pressure cook longer to get them to soften as yours. Anyhow, I added water, put it in soup mode for 30m more and opened/stirred a few times. It turned out pretty well. I’ll try again with the proper split garbanzos next time!

        1. Oh and I had tripled the recipe on all ingredients + water, maybe that’s what caused problems! When you have more ingredients you have to cook longer!!

        2. Hi Mark! Oh yes garbanzo beans can’t be substituted for chana dal..I usually soak garbanzo beans overnight and then cook on manual for 25 minutes at least. Chana Dal takes very less time to get cooked in comparison. I am glad it worked for you in the end though!

      22. 5 stars
        Hi, this was my first recipe in an instant pot and we loved it! I was worried when I opened the lid, it seemed very thin, but once it simmered on saute for a few minutes and I mashed some dal up with the spoon it was perfect! thanks for a great recipe.
        I would like to double or triple this recipe, I’m guessing though that I won’t double or triple the water. Any suggestions?

        1. glad to know! If you like thick dal, don’t double the water and cook exactly for the same amount of time..I will maybe not double the seasoning but like do 1.5 times..but if you like spices, you may double it too. Hope this helps!

      23. I just found your site and it looks amazing. I’m looking forward to trying so many of your recipes. But first, I have a couple of questions I’m hoping you can answer. What size IP do you recommend for a single or two person family? I have the smallest one in the box unopened, so I could still exchange if need be. I would like the size that makes the most sense and is still good to use with your recipes. Second, the red peppers, where do I buy those and is there a more specific name for them? Thank you for sharing your talents! I am really looking forward to getting started.

        1. Hi Verna, I would recommend getting the 6qt. I have both the 6 and 3 qt…3 qt is good for making a quick side/rice etc. Although you can make almost all my recipes in 3 qt too, I recommend the 6qt because you can do a lot more with it – for example if you plan to make a cheesecake/cake in your IP, you would need a 6-7 inch pan to fit it and that can’t fit in the 3 qt..also the pot-in-pot method where you cook 2 different things at one time, you need space to place different containers – so again 6 qt makes more sense. I think overall 6 qt is just better even if it’s for a family of 2! The red peppers – they are dried red chilies, you can find them at any Indian grocery store or even on amazon – http://amzn.to/2jv0U7s (affiliate). Hope this helps!

      24. Sounds like a great recipe, Manali! Question: what is the purpose of hitting “keep warm/cancel” button, then the “sauté” button? And then, how long do you keep it on “sauté” for? Can’t wait to try this. Just picked up some supplies from the local South Asian grocery! 😀

        1. Hi Mathew, you won’t be able to press the saute button until you press the cancel button first (as dal is on “keep warm” mode once the pressure time is up) so that’s why I mentioned that. Keep the dal on saute till you make the tadka/tempering and once you add that maybe just bring it all to a boil for 1-2 minutes? Hope that helps and you enjoy your meal 🙂

          1. Perfect Manali! Yes, I knew I would have to “cancel”, but wasn’t sure how long to keep it on “sauté” for. 🙂

      25. I’ve totally been eyeing up an instant pot, Manali! So this one is perfect timing. It looks like the ultimate in comfort food! 🙂

        1. That was fast, thanks for trying Indira. Glad you liked it and next time just cook on high pressure for 10 minutes if you like slightly under-cooked dal. When testing this recipe, I first cooked it on high for 10 minutes but that was under-cooked for me so 12 minutes was just about right (for me). You can always soak the dal for an hour and then do high pressure for 7-8 minutes.