Our Dal makhani is a creamy, one-pot black lentil curry you can make in about 30 minutes for a flavorful and satiating weeknight dinner.
If you love curry recipes, try our red lentil curry, chana masala, rajma, and homemade paratha bread.
Introduction
Dal Makhani is a rich, aromatic curry made with black lentils, kidney beans, spices, cream, and butter. The traditional recipe takes hours to make. Here, we show you how to make it in about 30 minutes so you can enjoy this delicious vegetarian dish for a weeknight dinner.
Like our chickpea curry and curry lentil soup, it starts with a classic Indian base of ginger, garlic, onion, and chili. But here’s what sets this one apart: the heavy cream (or 50-50 cream, that works fantastic, too). Similar to our one-pot rajma, heavy cream lift this Dal to new heights.
It brings the whole dish together, softening the earthy flavor of the lentils and making it so creamy you won’t be able to resist it. Honestly? Lentils never tasted this good!
Louise and I serve our black lentil curry with raita (a yogurt sauce) a side of naan bread or paratha and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a complete Indian-inspired meal. Sometimes we add aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato curry) on the side too.
Using pre-cooked lentils and beans (canned or cooked at home), you can have this dish ready in about 30 minutes.
We tested this recipe five times, with other types of lentils (brown and green). They all work. Use the lentils that you already have in your pantry 💪.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Indian Black lentils (urad dal) – Traditional choice; sub with canned, brown, green, or regular black lentils; boil 30 mins if cooking from scratch.
- Kidney beans (rajma) – Optional, but adds heartiness and texture.
- Onion, garlic, ginger, chili – Forms the aromatic flavor base of the dish.
- Cinnamon & garam masala – Warm spices that give dal makhani its signature depth.
- Heavy cream – Adds richness; sub with half-and-half or dairy-free cream like cashew.
- Butter – Classic for that “makhani” taste; use plant-based butter if needed.
- Vegetable broth – Adds savory depth; water works as a simple substitute.
- Tomato purée – Use high-quality passata for best flavor; crushed tomatoes also work.
How to make Dal makhani
1. Make the flavor base – Heat the oil, ghee, or butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in the grated garlic, ginger, and chopped chili, and cook for another minute, just until everything becomes fragrant.
2. Simmer the legumes – Pour in the tomato purée and vegetable broth, then add the cooked or canned lentils and kidney beans (drained). Season with cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the legumes become tender and buttery, and the flavors have melded beautifully.
3. Add cream and butter – Stir in the heavy cream (or half-and-half), butter, and garam masala. Blend about one-third of the dal using an immersion blender directly in the pot, or transfer to a standing blender and return it to the pan. Give everything a final stir, taste, and adjust salt as needed. At this point, you can serve it as is – or go for the optional smoky twist.
4. Optional: Smoke the dish – Place a small metal cup or bowl in the center of the pot. Carefully drop in a piece of hot charcoal, then top it with a bit of butter. Immediately cover the pot with a lid to trap the smoke and let it sit for 1–2 minutes. For a deeper smoky flavor, repeat this step 2–3 times. No charcoal? No problem–light 2 or 3 bay leaves instead, place them in the metal container, and cover the pot to infuse the dal with their aroma.
Serving suggestions – Louise and I love scooping up dal makhani with Indian flatbreads like paratha or naan. It’s also perfect spooned over fluffy basmati rice or fragrant saffron rice.
Top each serving with a squeeze of lemon juice, a knob of butter, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a generous dollop of raita.
Tips
- Don’t skimp on the fat – A combination of heavy cream (or half-and-half) and butter makes the lentils rich, silky, and deeply satisfying. For a vegan version, non-dairy cream and plant-based butter work beautifully too.
- Choose a good-quality tomato purée – We highly recommend Italian passata for Indian recipes – it’s naturally sweet, rich, and doesn’t need long cooking to develop flavor. Perfect for a quicker dal makhani.
- Blend part of the dal for creaminess – Since we’re not slow-simmering this for hours, blending about 1/3 of the mixture is the fastest way to achieve that velvety, restaurant-style texture.
More Indian recipes
If you tried this Dal Makhani recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Dal Makhani (Black Lentil Curry)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil sub butter or ghee
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 3 cups black lentils cooked or 1 cup dried lentils or 2 cans black/brown lentils
- ½ cup kidney beans cooked or canned – optional
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream sub half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons butter add more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala sub 1 tsp coriander + 1 tsp cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Make the flavor base – Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 onion (chopped) and sauté for about 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in 1 inch ginger and 2 cloves garlic (both grated), and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and cook for another minute, just until everything becomes fragrant.
- Simmer the legumes – Pour in 2 cups tomato puree and 2 cups vegetable broth, then add 3 cups black lentils and ½ cup kidney beans (cooked/canned). Season with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoons black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the legumes become tender and buttery, and the flavors have melded beautifully.
- Add cream and butter – Stir in ½ cup heavy cream (or half-and-half), 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Blend about one-third of the dal using an immersion blender directly in the pot, or transfer to a standing blender and return it to the pan. Give everything a final stir, taste, and adjust salt as needed. At this point, you can serve it as is – or go for the optional smoky twist.
- Optional: Smoke the dish – Place a small metal cup or bowl in the center of the pot. Carefully drop in a piece of hot charcoal, then top it with a bit of butter. Immediately cover the pot with a lid to trap the smoke and let it sit for 1–2 minutes. For a deeper smoky flavor, repeat this step 2–3 times. No charcoal? No problem–light 2 or 3 bay leaves instead, place them in the metal container, and cover the pot to infuse the dal with their aroma.
- Serving suggestions – Louise and I love scooping up dal makhani with Indian flatbreads like paratha or naan. It’s also perfect spooned over fluffy basmati rice or fragrant saffron rice.Top each serving with a squeeze of lemon juice, a knob of butter, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a generous dollop of raita.
Notes
- Indian Black lentils (urad dal) – Traditional choice; sub with canned, brown, green, or regular black lentils; boil 30 mins if cooking from scratch.
- Olive oil – sub butter or ghee.
- Kidney beans (rajma) – Optional, but adds heartiness and texture.
- Cinnamon & garam masala – Warm spices that give dal makhani its signature depth. Substitute 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander.
- Heavy cream – sub with half-and-half or dairy-free cream like cashew.
- Butter – Classic for that “makhani” taste; use plant-based butter if needed.
- Vegetable broth – Adds savory depth; water works as a simple substitute.
- Tomato purée – Use high-quality passata for best flavor; crushed tomatoes also work.
- Don’t skimp on the fat – A combination of heavy cream (or half-and-half) and butter makes the lentils rich, silky, and deeply satisfying. For a vegan version, non-dairy cream and plant-based butter work beautifully too.
- Choose a good-quality tomato purée – We highly recommend Italian passata for Indian recipes – it’s naturally sweet, rich, and doesn’t need long cooking to develop flavor. Perfect for a quicker dal makhani.
- Blend part of the dal for creaminess – Since we’re not slow-simmering this for hours, blending about 1/3 of the mixture is the fastest way to achieve that velvety, restaurant-style texture.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Could you please clarify for me whether the lentils are pre cooked or dried? Do I use 3 cups dried black lentils or 3 cups after cooking? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sandy,
Sure, the recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked black lentils, not dried. If you’re starting from dried lentils, you’ll want about 1 cup dried, which yields roughly 2½ to 3 cups once cooked. I hope you enjoy the dish!
Happy cooking,
Louise
Easy and excellent dal makhani!
Easy and excellent tasting dal makhani!
Excellent and superb taste
I’m going to have a go at making this it looks really good.
Fantastic, Kerry, I’m so happy that you feel like making it! 🥳. Curious to hear what you think ❤️ Best,
Louise
I thought this was a vegan cooking blog? Why raita, ghee, etc?
Hi AJ,
Thanks for clarifying.
The term plant-based means different things to different people. For us, it’s not the same as a vegan diet.
Our plant-based or plant-forward approach includes all foods but emphasizes whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. Sometimes, we include small amount of animal protein but we make sure to give vegan alternatives in our recipes. You can read more about our story and recipes here: https://theplantbasedschool.com/about-us/
Have a nice weekend! Kindest,
Louise
I love this recipe! It was the easiest (and may I say tastiest) dal makhani I ever made. My mom is Indian and she even said it was really delicious. When I told her I made it in 30 minutes she couldn’t believe that. Thanks for simple and tasty recipes.
Fantastic, Meera, I’m so happy that you enjoyed it. What a compliment that your Mom liked it too, thanks so much for sharing that 🥰.
All the best, Louise