Easy, slow cooker Dal Makhani recipe, cooked overnight in a crockpot and tastes just like restaurants and dhabas. This black dal is perfect with rice and tandoori rotis!
Another easy peasy recipe - Slow Cooker Dal Makhani for all you dal makhani lovers! Are you going all like - one more slow cooker recipe? I promise this is is not the last in the series!
Guys I can't help it. My slow cooker is seriously the best thing that happened to me in a long time. And as a friend recently pointed out, slow cooker dal makhani is genius! Coz dal makhani was originally made over an open wood fire. It was slow cooked all night so that you had all the delicious smoky flavors of a real dal makhani, and creamy, melt in your mouth dal that just screamed your name by morning!
And that's exactly what we are doing here. Slow cooking this dal makhani all night or all day, and keeping it warm in the slow cooker till you are ready to eat. You'll be amazed at how no work little work goes into making this dal makhani recipe!
At home, we are all dal makhani pros. Like my mum makes amazing dal makhani and so does the sis and I'm hoping I'm joining the team with my slow cooker version. All this while we've made dal makhani in a pressure cooker, because it's fast and easy and just gets the job done. Till we discovered how much easier it is to make dal makhani in a slow cooker. Side note: if you don't own a slow cooker, I have a pressure cooker version coming soon!
I'm seriously considering getting my mum one too because I think everyone needs one. Christmas present for mum? Yay or nay?
Unlike most slow cooker dal makhani recipes on the internet, this one doesn't require you to do any prior cooking. You just dump everything in and let it simmer till you are ready to eat.
Usually, Denver's my officially taste tester. But this time I went a little further with a really happy facebook experiment. We tested this recipe multiple times, making sure it was just right which meant a LOT of dal makhani and no space to keep it in my tiny refrigerator. I need a bigger one, I swear I do! So I posted a picture of this slow cooker dal makhani on facebook, letting people know that it was up for grabs. Surprise surprise! It was claimed in under a minute. Which makes me wonder if I should give away food on facebook more often. Plus major potential for second level feedback - Denver's always going to be first level guys. He's my man!
Usually a dal makhani recipe would have lot of onions, but I think the slow cooked version doesn't really need them. The lentils cook so long that they break down and add their own flavor without needing onions to boost it up. So I've done away with them, but if you want, feel free to add one chopped onion to the recipe.
Also, if you are making some slow cooker dal makhani, make sure to try my Instant No Yeast Naan and Bombay Potatoes to go with it. It's pureeee perfection that combination. And will make you sleep like a baby after! Sunday afternoon sorted.
Easy Slow Cooker Dal Makhani
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Urad dal whole black gram lentils
- ½ cup Rajma kidney beans
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3-4 Cardamom Pods
- 3-4 Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Ginger finely chopped
- 8 Garlic Cloves finely chopped or minced
- 2 Green Chillies slit lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 4 Tomatoes diced (large)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 2 tablespoons Butter + extra
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Cream
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi optional
Instructions
- Soak both the lentils (urad dal/whole black gram and rajma/kidney beans) in water overnight or at least for 6 hours. This needs to be done only if you are using dry lentils.
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker (except cream and kasuri methi) along with four cups water. Stir well. Cook on high for 8 hours or low for at least 12 hours till the lentils are cooked through and can be easily smashed between your fingers.
- Mix well and lightly mash everything with the back of a ladle or spoon. Add the cream and kasuri methi if using and cook on low for another 20 minutes. Top with more butter and serve hot. If serving later, you can keep this on warm for up to 3 hours. Just thin with a little water or milk before serving if it's too thick.
Notes
- This slow cooker version has flavours similar to the authentic dal makhani that is slow cooked over a wood flame overnight. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can try my stovetop version. Click here for the recipe -> https://myfoodstory.com/dal-makhani-recipe/
- Dal Makhani is traditionally made with whole black urad dal (black lentils) and rajma (kidney beans). Avoid using canned kidney beans.
- But if you are vegan or lactose intolerant, use ¼ cup cashew cream or ¼ cup coconut milk in the end in place of cream. The coconut milk might add a milk coconut-ty flavour, but the quantity is so small that you'll barely notice it.
- Kasuri Methi is dried fenugreek leaves that help round up the flavors in the dal makhani. Its available on amazon, and is used in many Indian recipes (on this blog), so stocking it won't be a waste.
- Don't skimp on the cream and butter in the recipe. These give the dal makhani its distinct texture and flavour.
- Feel free to adjust the spice levels based on your tastes by reducing or increasing the green chillies.
- Also, if you are making some slow cooker dal makhani, make sure to try my Instant No Yeast Naan and Bombay Potatoes to go with it.
Nutrition
Try these with the Slow Cooker Dal Makhani:
Whole Tandoori Baked Cauliflower
Lisa says
I want to make this, but the FDA suggests that you must boil the kidney beans for at least 10 mins before even putting them in a slow cooker. Kidney beans need this to avoid food poisoning. Putting them in a slow cooker is not enough!
Richa says
Hey Lisa, I've eaten kidney beans every week for my entire life and have never had a problem. If you'll notice, the beans are soaked for 8 hours before adding them to the slow cooker. That helps them become easy to digest.
Zoey Matai says
Hiya, I am hoping to make this recipe for Diwali. A few questions - can I use ginger, garlic and chilli paste instead of chopped fresh ingredients? If so, how much. If not- my husband does not like spicy food so is it worth adding the chillis at the end so it doesn’t cook in chilli for 10h. Last time I made Rajma and added the chilli in the beginning and it ended up being super spicy! Many thanks
Janet says
Tried this recipe for the first time and it was deliciously amazing! My family liked it too. I always thought that dal Makhni was a difficult recipe. Thank you Richa!