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 Coz dal makhani was originally made over an open wood fire.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 Naanย 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
- ยฝ 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
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ยฝ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 4 Tomatoes diced (large)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 2 tablespoons Butter + extra
- Salt to taste
- ยผ 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 ->ย https://myfoodstory.com/dal-makhani-recipe/
- Dal Makhani is traditionally made withย whole black urad dal (black lentils)ย andย rajma (kidney beans). Avoid using canned kidney beans.ย
- But if you are vegan or lactose intolerant, use ยผ cup cashew cream or ยผ 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 Methiย is dried fenugreek leaves that help round up the flavors in the dal makhani. Its available onย 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 Naanย and Bombay Potatoes to go with it.
Nutrition
Try these with the Slow Cooker Dal Makhani:
Mahega says
Great recipe. Needed help for slow cooker Dal makhani. Everybody loved it including very critical 92 year old guiding light of family MIL(I love her) she's taught me everything the good old way. Time and labor was an issue as well as number of guests. Wow magic. Thank you.
Richa says
So so glad you liked this dal makhani so much! Thank you for sharing your feedback
MP says
Made this yesterday. It was amazing: I've been craving Dal Makhni for a while and this totally hit the spot!!!! Now going to go try some other recipes...
Richa says
So glad you liked it Mallesh!
Aditi says
Can i use instant potโs slow cook option too? If yes, how does it vary from the timings mentioned here?
Thank you.
Richa says
Hey Aditi, the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot doesn't work very well. You can try this recipe instead which gives specific instructions to make dal makhani in the instant pot: https://myfoodstory.com/dal-makhani-recipe/
Anu says
Absolutely loved it!
The slow cooker version of making this Dal Makhani is pure joy. Easy to prep, cook and it turned out so delicious. I just followed the recipe as is (I did use onions).
Thanks for sharing Richa ๐
Richa says
Thanks so much for your feedback Anu!
Karen says
Hi how big is the cup you are using to measure the ingredients?
Richa says
I used a standard cup size for this Karen. The same ones I would use to measure baking ingredients.
Karen says
What size or capacity is the cup? I want to try this recipe but donโt want to get measurements wrong!
Karen
Willard says
I live in Colorado, USA. Water boils at a lower temperature here, so recipes must be adjusted accordingly. Also tomatoes here tend to be harder and not as sweet as they are imported. Any suggestions on how I can achieve tasty results?
Richa says
Hey Willard, I'm not super familiar with these substitutions. For the water, you might just have to cook this for longer. With tomatoes, just use canned and they should work really well.
Gunjan says
I tried this over the weekend and it turned out so well! It was super easy to put together and so yummy, totally restaurant style. I love love love this recipe. And it has now become my go to recipe! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Richa says
Yaaaay thank you!
isha says
Hey.. Just wanted to know.. If you dont have time to soak.. Is there any other alternative?
richagupta says
Hey Isha! In that case, boil enough water to soak the dal. Take a casserole or any other vessel with a lid, add the beans in it and fill it up with hot water and let it soak for 45 mins-1 hour. This is a quick soaking method which works. If you don't soak the dal and use it as is, the time taken may be longer.
Sarb says
Which cream do you use?
richagupta says
I use Amul Cream or any fresh cream I can get my hands on. Homemade malai also works.
SMS says
Hello,
How much water do I soak the dal in and can I cook it in the same water?
richagupta says
Hey! Add enough water that the dal is completely soaked and there is an inch of water above the dal. And yes, if you use drinking water you can use the same water to cook the dal.
Divya says
Hi Richa,
Any substitute of cream? Waiting to try your recipe eagerly but don't want to add cream ????
Thanks,
Divya
richagupta says
Sure you can add some yogurt or curds. Just make sure you whisk them till smooth before adding them. Or 1/2 cup milk should also work. Hope you like the recipe!
Divya says
Thanks!! Will try it this week ๐
richagupta says
Hope you like it ๐
Shubha says
Hello, thank u so much for such a great recipe. I tried it with a few minor changes. Loved it totally:) will soon share it in my blog with credits to u:)
richagupta says
Thank you Shubha, I'm glad you liked it. I don't allow anybody to reprint my recipes, so please refrain from sharing my recipe on your blog.
Jessica Gavin says
I absolutely LOVE dal! I can't wait to try this slow cooker version, and I just got an instant pot so can wait to try the pressure cooker one too! Beautiful photography, I'm drooling over here!
richagupta says
Thanks much! I'll putting up the pressure cooker version soon ๐
Madhavi says
So tempting! Please post the pressure cooker version soon!
richagupta says
Coming up very very soon!
Vidisha Hegde says
Does the Preethi electric rice / dal cooker count as a slow cooker? Very tempted to try this out!
richagupta says
Hey Vidisha, it doesn't act like a slow cooker because it's a pressure cooker. But it'll definitely do the job. Just cook this the way you would cook rajma (use the same time and settings) and then simmer it for an hour to get really creamy dal makhani. I hope you give it a go ๐
Radiya says
Hi Dear,
I wanted to ask about the makhani daal. Do we have to boil them separetly or put everything togther including tomatoes??
Thank you!!
richagupta says
Hey Radiya, If you are using a slow cooker, I don't boil the dals before. I just soak them overnight and add everything including the tomatoes. I hope you try this out!