Dal Makhani (Butter Lentils) is a slow-cooked North Indian dish of black lentils and red kidney beans in a richly-spiced creamy, buttery sauce.
Ever since one of my very best friends introduced me to Indian cuisine in college it’s been a favorite of mine.
She started me off on Chicken Tikka Masala (of course thinking that it would be the most certain dish to win me over). But not long after first trying it, my affection for Indian food branched out to any Indian-spiced dish I could get my hands on.
My friend’s father offered to set up a daily food delivery for my friend from a local Indian restaurant. My eyes widened in jealousy and then narrowed in disbelief when she said she turned him down flat. I can’t eat Indian food from a restaurant every day!, she exclaimed. After spending time with her, cooking together, and later visiting home with her where we feasted on her mom’s cooking nightly, I understood what she meant.
Like most cuisines, restaurant-made Indian food doesn’t hold a candle to homemade Indian food.
Hailing from the Punjabi region of Northern India, Dal Makhani (which you will also find transliterated as Daal Makhani and Dhal Makhani) is one such dish. It has a velvety sauce with complex spices, deep notes of sweetness from caramelized onion, and richness from a combination of cream and butter.
In This Article
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a restaurant-quality meal right out of your own kitchen.
- Lentils and beans are an economical meal that are packed with nutrition!
- Leftovers are even better, and bonus, this freezes like a dream.
The Best Dal Makhani Recipe
This dish isn’t a quick-cooking meal and neither is it a low-calorie meal. (But with a name like Butter Lentils that probably doesn’t come as a surprise.) Like any homemade meal, this dish is worth every second of effort. And as a bonus, most of the time required to make it isn’t hands-on time.
Sitting down to Dal Makhani for dinner you’ll realize it is in fact worth every minute spent on it and every calorie ingested.
Ingredients
- Dried whole black lentils (urad dal)
- Dried red kidney beans
- Vegetable stock
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Bay leaf
- Cinnamon stick
- Cardamom pods
- Whole cloves
- Dried hot red chilies
- Garam masala spice mix
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Sweet paprika
- Fenugreek
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Petite diced no-salt-added tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy cream
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the black lentils and red beans to a large bowl; fill the bowl with room temperature water and soak overnight.
- Rinse and drain the next day. Add the lentils and beans to a 5-quart pot along with the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil, then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and deep caramel in color, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add a splash of water or turn the heat down at any point if the onions start to get too dark or the pan starts to get too hot.
- Once the onion is caramelized, turn the heat to medium (if it wasn’t there already) and add the garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
- Once the lentils and beans have cooked for 1 hour, stir in the onion/spice mixture, the diced tomatoes, and the tomato paste.Gently simmer (uncovered) until the sauce is somewhat thickened and the lentils and beans are fully tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently. (Of course you can cover the pot if the sauce gets too thick before the lentils and beans are already tender.)
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.
- Stir in the cream, and then serve!
How to Store Dal Makhani
You can store this dish for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Tips
- Don’t forget to soak the beans the night before!
- As written, this recipe only has a mild spice level. You can add more dried hot red chilies as desired to increase the spicy heat.
- Use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock for richer flavor.
Dal Makhani FAQs
Is Butter Unhealthy?
Studies show that real, grass-fed butter is actually good for you!
The list of health benefits actually goes on and on. But for starters, butter helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins. It’s also a great source of antioxidants and other nutrients (such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K and the mineral selenium) that strengthen our immune system, protect our cardiovascular system, and help prevent cancer.
An important component of butter is Conjugated Linoleic Acid. This not only helps protect against cancer, but may also help with weight management.
Further, the short and medium-chain fatty acids in butter’s saturated fat are burned as quick energy, not stored as fat in the body.
You can read more about the health benefits of real, grass-fed butter on Mark’s Daily Apple, Body Ecology, Green Med Info, and Delicious Obsessions.
How Can I Make Dal Makhani Vegan?
This is an easy dish to make vegan with a couple substitutions:
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Instead of butter, use coconut oil (refined coconut oil is more neutral-tasting than cold-pressed virgin coconut oil).
- Omit the heavy cream and use canned unsweetened full-fat coconut milk.
What Goes Well with Dal Makhani?
- Indian bread, such as Naan
- Prepared basmati rice
- Cauliflower rice, to keep the carbs down
More Indian Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Kheema Pav (aka Indian Sloppy Joes)
- Palak Paneer (Indian Spinach Curry with Paneer Cheese)
- Aloo Tikki (Crispy Indian Potato Cakes)
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xoxo, Faith
Dal Makhani (Indian Butter Lentils)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried whole black lentils urad dal
- 1/2 cup dried red kidney beans
- 8 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock for richer flavor
- 3 tablespoons clarified butter ghee
- 2 large onions chopped
- 6 large cloves garlic crushed using a mortar and pestle or grated on a microplane
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamom pods cracked open
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 dried hot red chilies more or less to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala spice mix
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced no-salt-added tomatoes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Garnish Ideas:
- Sliced red onion
- Jalapeno slices
- Sliced scallion
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Heavy cream
Instructions
The Night Before:
- Add the black lentils and red beans to a large bowl; fill the bowl with room temperature water and soak overnight. Rinse and drain the next day.
The Day Of:
- The next day, rinse and drain the soaked lentils and beans. Add them to a 5-quart pot along with the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil, then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and deep caramel in color, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add a splash of water or turn the heat down at any point if the onions start to get too dark or the pan starts to get too hot.
- Once the onion is caramelized, turn the heat to medium (if it wasn’t there already) and add the garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, red chilies, garam masala, coriander, cumin, chili powder, sweet paprika, fenugreek, and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
- Once the lentils and beans have cooked for 1 hour, stir in the onion/spice mixture, the diced tomatoes, and the tomato paste.
- Gently simmer (uncovered) until the sauce is somewhat thickened and the lentils and beans are fully tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently. (Of course you can cover the pot if the sauce gets too thick before the lentils and beans are already tender.)
- Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and cream.
- Serve topped with any garnishes you like along with rice or Indian bread.
Faith’s Tips
- Serving Suggestions: This dish goes well with Indian bread, such as Naan, prepared basmati rice, or cauliflower rice to keep the carbs down.
- Nutritional Information: Information for this recipe was calculated without the garnish ideas or serving suggestions.
- Storage: You can store this recipe for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 22, 2014. It was updated with more information on March 28, 2022.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Hello! I just made this recipe (well, with a few modifications) and it is delicious!! I love butter chicken and have a recipe for that on my blog (frugalnutrition), but I was looking for something super flavorful to do with my brown lentils – which are my favorite cheap protein – and was so happy to come across this recipe!
I didn’t have the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaf, whole cloves, or even the fenugreek on hand today so I omitted them. I also used all lentils – about 1.25 cups dry lentils and no other beans, so I used 4 cups of water/broth and 1/2 cup coconut cream.
I wanted to just use up items I had and made those minor changes above and this came out so delicious! I’m sure with those additional ingredients it would be even better. We are having it with cucumber salad, yogurt, and garlicky naan.
(I commented twice because I forgot to hit the star rating the first time!!)
Hello
I have tried them in a restaurant and loved them and want to try at home.. however I am not a fan of all the beans. Could I use dry lentils all the way? Would anything change from the menu/procedure?
Thank you!!
Nicole, Yes, you can use only lentils if you don’t like beans. Keep everything else the same. I hope you enjoy it! :)
Hi Faith,
This looks delicious! I’m wondering, do you put the cardamon, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a spice bag and then take out before serving, or do you just throw them all in, simmer, then fish them all out ?
Jan, I don’t use a spice bag; I typically try to fish them out, but a spice bag would definitely make it easier!
I make this in slow cooker over night. You really do not need to add any cream or butter if you cook it slowly. I place it on low before I sleep, then turn it up when I awake. It will thicken nicely. I really don’t use that many spices but fenugreek seeds is a must, with lots of tomato sauce that thickens it. If you really want some fat or cream, I add low fat sour cream at the very end.
When I saw the picture I thought that I am going to go to an Indian website …….am mighty impressed with that daal makhani and so proud too. It is one of those dishes that if made correctly will make you swoon. Congratulations
Yum! Delicious Faith! Made it tonight and the whole family gobbled it up. Perfect for a cold winter evening. :)
Julie, I’m so glad these were a hit!!! :)
I made this tonight – first try at Indian food – and it was fantastic. I am a great lover of Indian food and you convinced me with this recipe that home-cooked Indian food just can’t be beat!
Ah! Reminded me of my mother’s home-cooking. So indulging. Love it :)
The first time I had dal mahkani was in Christchurch, New Zealand (I live in California). I was culinarily transported. None of our local Indian restaurants serve it, so I had to do an internet search on how to make it myself. Haven’t been overwhelmed with the ones I’ve tried (too simple, I think). But yours sounds wonderful. I’ll have to give it a try. Thank you!
we do have one restaurant here that we love, and visit often.
I go through my Indian phases, where I cook a lot of dishes at home (I think I remind myself how GOOD it is…) I am definitely adding this to my list!
Hi Faith – This recipe looks so delicious! Thank you for the link love to my site and butter post too. I really appreciate the shout out! :)
Oh! this looks so delicious……better then rest. kind. This is one of my fav. dal I even love it cold stariaght out of the fridqe. I use pressure cooker to cook dal,I’m an Indian so dal is kinda everyday meal & pressure cooker makes the life so easy.
This sounds amazing Faith! Dal Makhani is one of my favorite dishes.
I think Dal Makhani is the first dal I ever tried and is the reason I love Indian food today. This sounds amazing Faith – thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
@Carly, it doesn’t seem to be made of silver, simply because of the greenish blue corrosion product on the handle, I think it’s copper.
DorisQ, Yes, because of the look of the tarnish I thought this bowl was copper too!
I’m a huge fan of cooking Indian at home. Aromatherapy!! I love cooking with all the different kinds of lentils especially. I love the beautiful dish you served your dal in – is it pewter? Silver? I’d love to know where you acquired it!
Carly, Aromatherapy is right, lol! Thanks so much, I love this bowl too…I found it at an estate sale (vintage and secondhand stores are also great places to look!). I don’t remember any identifying markings on the bottom; I’d check to make sure, but the piece is in storage right now. (I’m not 100% certain, but I think it’s made of copper.)
Awesome – this recipe came just in time! My husband and I ordered Indian take-out on Friday and this is the dish he got. We make nearly all of our food from scratch, but were lamenting that we are kind of afraid to try Indian dishes – so many spices! He’ll be excited to try this recipe – thanks!
What a beautiful dish and homemade is always best as you know exactly what goes in it. I can almost smell the lovely spices cooking. Take Care, BAM
My best friend is Indian, so I can attest to the fact that homemade is VERY different from restaurant Indian food! I adore Indian food flavors no matter how I can get em…and I definitely want some of this dal in my life!
I am trying to eat butter in moderation due to cholesterol reasons but I never say know to a finely cooked meal like this one even if I have to consume butter. It looks hearty and filling!
I just made daal makhani today :) I love adding kasori methi to it. I have been having the hardest time photographing this dish….it always comes out so shiny and looks unappetizing. Yours looks wonderful!
Glad I found you on Tasty Kitchen, looking forward to following your blog! This looks and sounds absolutely incredible.
Happy Blogging!
Your lentils sound so delicious and aromatic!
I LOVE dal makani but haven’t yet attempted to make it, thanks for sharing this!
…and do you do home delivery :P I have yet to find an Indian restaurant that I heart. Daal makhani looks soo good.
This sounds perfect for these cold winter days we’ve been having!
Girl, I love love dal makhani but mine never comes out tasty!! Need to try your version!
I could eat lentils like this for every meal! They look perfect.
I go through the same process when I go out for Indian food…I get all hot to trot and then when it comes down to it, I’m all “wah waaahhh…could’ve stayed at hom.” Except for the naan part…I’ve never made it and have definitely used a naan craving as an excuse to go out to Indian food. This recipe looks AMAZING! I’ve never had dal makhani and I’m all about trying it!
Scrumptious! The kind of food I love.
Cheers,
Rosa
I’m always meaning to try at home Indian. I’ve only had Indian food once and had such a bad experience. This dish looks awesome!
I would add chopped cilantro. too me it isn’t finished until it has cilantro.