One Pot Sambar | Fast & Easy

Name: One Pot Sambar | Fast & Easy
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ½ cup toor dal; ½ teaspoon turmeric powder; 7 cloves garlic (whole); 3-4 cups water (divided); ¾ cup tomato (cubed); 1 teaspoon oil; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1 carrot (75 gms, cut into ½ inch cubes); 10 beans (80 gms, cut into 1 inch length pieces); 3 drumsticks (120 gms, cut into 2 inch pieces); ½ cup peeled sambar onions or cubed onions; 2 green chillies (slit); 3 tablespoons sambar powder; 1 teaspoon chilli powder (adjust to taste); 1 teaspoon coriander powder; 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons ghee or oil; ½ teaspoon rai (mustard seeds); ¼ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds); 10 methi seeds (fenugreek seeds); ⅛ teaspoon hing (asafoetida); 1 whole dried red chilli; 1 sprig curry leaves; 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

By Richa

4.60 from 10 votes

on Aug 20, 2025

Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Craving a comforting bowl of sambar with idlis and dosas? This one-pot sambar recipe is the perfect solution — quick, flavorful, and made effortlessly in a pressure cooker!

one pot sambar cooked in the pressure cooker with ladle

I am the kind of person who cannot imagine having my idlis and dosas without a big bowl of piping hot sambar on my plate. I think it’s the perfect way to round up the simple flavors of idli and dosa, as well as make the meal more nutritious.

And considering how often we make South Indian dishes in this household, the whole shabang of making sambar the traditional way started to feel too cumbersome pretty soon. Enter: My one pot sambar recipe! With no compromise on the taste or texture, it delivers all the authentic South Indian goodness in a fraction of the time. So if you love sambar but like me, not the long cooking, this quick method might just become your new go-to.

Sambar poured over steaming hot idlis in a bowl. Two hands hold the bowl as if serving someone else

One Pot Sambar Ingredients

For the sambar:

Toor dal: Split pigeon peas form the base of this sambar.
Aromatics: Garlic, green chillies, and curry leaves for flavor and aroma
Veggies: Diced carrots, tomatoes, sambar onions, or cubed regular onions, beans, and drumsticks add lots of flavor, texture, and nutrition
Spices: Turmeric, red chilli, and coriander powders along with sambar powder for warmth and flavor
Tamarind pulp: For a nice, refreshing tang. I highly recommend not skipping this
Salt: For seasoning
Water: To pressure cook and adjust consistency
Oil: Prevents the dal from overflowing and foaming when releasing pressure. Any neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable, sunflower, peanut, canola, etc.

For tempering:

Ghee or oil: Ghee adds a really nice flavor and richness, but you can replace it with any neutral-flavored oil to make it vegan
Spices: Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing or asafoetida, and curry leaves for warmth, flavor, and aroma
Fenugreek seeds: It adds aroma and more depth of flavor to the sambar, along with aiding in digestion. A little goes a long way here. You can skip it if you don’t have it. Coriander leaves: Finely chopped for garnish. Adds fresh, earthy flavors to the whole dish

How to Make One Pot Sambar

Unlike the traditional sambar recipe that This one pot sambar recipe comes together entirely in the pressure cooker in just three simple steps:

01 Cooking dal: We start by pressure cooking our toor dal along with some turmeric powder, tomato, and oil until everything is cooked down and soft

02 Making sambar: Now to the same pressure cooker, we add all our veggies, curry leaves, tamarind, and spice powders and cook for one more whistle

03 Tempering: Once everything is cooked through, we make a tadka with mustard and cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, etc. add it to the prepared sambar in the pressure cooker, mix everything well, and that’s it–our delicious, warming, one-pot sambar is ready to be served!

What is sambar powder

Sambar powder is a special spice and lentil mix blend that lends sambar its authentic flavor, warmth, and aroma. It’s usually made from chana dal (split chickpeas) as the base along with spices like coriander seeds, dried red chillies, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and hing (asafoetida). Some people also add peppercorns to this blend, but that’s optional.

Sambar powder is easily available at most grocery stores online and offline in India, and at local Indian stores outside India. You can also easily make it at home in under 15 minutes. It has a long shelf life (stays good in the fridge for up to 6 months). In my experience, homemade sambar powder makes the dish a lot more flavorful, but store-bought can easily be used in a pinch.

veggies over cooked dal ready to be cooked to make one pot sambar

Common Sambar Vegetables

Even though this sambar recipe uses just a handful of veggies, there are so many you can choose from. Here are all the veggies you can add depending on preference and availability:

Potato
Carot
Drumstick
Beans
Cauliflower
Pumpkin
Ladies Finger or Okra
Brinjal or Egg plant
Radish
Bottle gourd
Broad beans
Long beans
Plantains

Which lentils work best in Sambar?

Traditionally sambar uses just just toor dal or split pigeon peas and that’s what we have used for this one pot sambar recipe as well. However, you can use a mix of toor and moong or masoor dal. The flavor will change a little bit, but it will still be delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between sambar and dal?

Sambar and dal are both lentil-based dishes, but here’s how the two are different:
– Sambar is generally made with just toor dal, contains lots of veggies, has a sour flavor, and has many more spices than a regular dal
– Dal on the other hand can be made with toor, masoor, chana, or moong dal, or even a mix of various dals and usually has no veggies. It has a thicker, creamier consistency as compared to sambar which is usually more watery.

Is it possible to make sambar without sambar powder?

Yes, absolutely! Sambar powder adds more warmth and an authentic flavor to the sambar, but you can easily skip it in a pinch. Even though the taste will differ slightly, the sambar will still be delicious.

Richa’s Top Tips

Follow the pressure cooking time mentioned in the recipe card, especially when cooking the veggies. We need our veggies to be completely cooked, but still have a little bite. Over cooking will lead to mushy veggies, which is not ideal for this sambar recipe
Sambar is generally watery, but feel free to adjust the consistency to your liking.
I would highly recommend using fresh spices and lentils for the best flavor and texture
It’s important to make the tempering on a medium flame to avoid burning and keep the spices and herbs aromatic
This sambar has medium spiciness and sourness. You can easily adjust the quantities of chilli powder, and tamarind to suit your preference. You can also add some jaggery to balance out the sourness if you like.
Ghee is traditionally to temper as it adds a beautiful richness and aroma to the sambar. However, you can easily replace it with coconut oil or neutral-flavored oil to make it vegan.

Storage Tips

Refrigerator: When stored in an airtight glass or steel container, sambar stays good in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.Reheat thoroughly on the stovetop and bring it to a boil to kill any bacteria before serving.

Freezer: Sambar is super freezer-friendly and stays well for up to 3 months. Store in single-servings as repeated thawing and freezing causes it to spoil very quickly. Thaw it out in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving. Please note: Veggies may become a bit mushy when thawed which may change the texture slightly, but the flavors still remain intact.

Serving Ideas

There are so many ways to eat sambar. Here are a few favorites that always hit the right spot:

With steamed rice or bisi bele bath and crunchy papadam for a simple yet satisfying meal
As a side with idli, dosa, uttapam, or upma along with coconut chutney
Poured over crispy medu vadas for the most satisfying breakfast ever
Simply drink it by the bowl for a light and satisfying meal

Sambar Variations

Oil: While oil is traditionally used to temper sambar, some recipes, especially from Tamil Nadu, use gingelly or sesame seed oil (different from toasted sesame oil), while recipes from Kerala use coconut oil.
Jaggery: In Karnataka, adding a little jaggery to the sambar is a pretty common practice. Jaggery helps balance out the sourness from tamarind, while adding just a hint of sweetness.
Coconut: You can add toasted coconut shavings or make a paste by grinding toasted coconut and whole dried red chilli to add a nutty, spicy flavor to your sambar.
Raw mango: A lot of sambar recipes add raw mango when it’s in season for a deliciously tangy kick.

So now that you know how easy and hassle-free it can be to make sambar, there’s no reason to not make it the next time you’re making a South Indian spread. Once you make sambar for idli and dosa in this way, there’s no going back, I promise!

If you try this easy sambar recipe, don’t forget to send a DM with the pictures over on my IG @my_foodstory as well as tag me in your stories!

Watch One Pot Sambar Recipe Video

This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.