This Instant Pot lentil dal is great for a quick and easy dinner or maybe even leftovers for breakfast. Perfect for a vegan or plant-based diet.
I don't know about you, but I could eat lentils for breakfast. And as a matter of fact, I often do. I'm just not a bowl of oatmeal kind of guy, even though I know I should be. Recently, my two worlds collided - switching to a plant-based diet meets using the Instant Pot for everything possible. And the first creation is this Instant Pot lentil dal. It is super easy to make and pretty much fail-proof.
Comfort Food? Well, Yeah! Kinda. (But not really. Lol!)
When you think of comfort food, I'd be willing to bet that curry and lentils don't come to mind. But, in my opinion, this dish has some of what comfort food is all about. The flavors are warm and rich. And after eating a bowl, you're left with that satisfied feeling. Isn't that pretty much the definition? I believe that every cuisine has comfort food dishes. It's not just mac-and-cheese and casseroles. Mmmm, casseroles...
How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Dal
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Lentil Dal
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ small serrano pepper finely diced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger grated
- ¼ cup yellow onions diced
- 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 4 Tbsp. green curry paste
- 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
- 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 lb. green lentils
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 8 oz. fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Turn on Sauté setting. Once hot, add olive oil, serrano pepper, ginger, and onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add garlic, curry paste, and curry powder and stir to coat. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Then add all remaining ingredients except spinach. Stir to combine.
- Lock lid and switch IP to manual setting and set for 15 minutes. Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then switch valve to release remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and add spinach, then mix well until spinach is wilted.
- Serve with rice and enjoy!
Nutrition
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CakePants
While the term "comfort food" does usually conjure up images of something cheesy in my mind, I can definitely see lentils as comforting too! This dal looks super home-y and delicious.
Chef Gary
Google definition of comfort food: food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking. ?
Chef Gary
Wow, I'm hanging my head in shame with the oversight. I just updated the ingredients list. So sorry about that.
Katie
Love the flavors in this. Thanks for the great recipe!
Erin Engel
Hi, Chef Gary! I have made this a handful of times, love it, and get rave reviews from friends each time! My family has requested I put some chicken in with the lentils. Do you think I could put thighs in the IP to cook with lentils? If so, should I adjust cooking time or liquid volume? Thanks for the great recipe!
Chef Gary
SO glad you like this! We love it too. I've thought about adding chicken before, but have never done it. What I would try is this... Cut up boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1/2-inch (or so) pieces and season with salt and pepper. Then throw them in on step one with the onions and stuff (you'll probably need to up the oil to 1/4 cup). Cook it all together for probably 7-10 minutes (you want the chicken nearly done). Then proceed with the directions as normal. You could add a little more broth if you want it to be more soupy, but I don't think it's necessary. If you try this please let me know how it turns out!
Erin Sinisgalli
We loved this! Will make again. Makes a lot, too!!
Cat Kinney
This is sooooo good! I live alone and will enjoy this big pot of Lentil Dal 😁
Cat K
One of my repeat favorites in the Instant Pot!!
Nanna
This is so good! Making it now for the second time 🙂 my 5 year old loved it too!
JC from Montreal
This is really easy to make and delicious. I made minor substitutions with what I had on hand - I skipped the serrano peppers since I didn't have any, and I used finely chopped kale instead of spinach. I also added a chopped carrot because, well why not? I misread the amount of lentils and by mistake used one generous cup instead of 1 lb (oopsie, my bad) but it still turned out great, just more soupy than in the photo. I will definitely make this again, with more lentils next time 🙂 . Thanks for the recipe!