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Instant Pot Aloo Palak Dal. Spiced Potato Spinach Lentils made in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Saucepan option. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Whenever I have loads of greens to use up, I make Indian Subzi (vegetable side) with them in combination with potatoes, or just plain ginger and garlic. This veggie subzi is like my skillet Aloo Palak, with added lentils to make it into a meal.
The meal comes together quickly and then its a wait for the pressure to release. Make it in an Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker or a Saucepan. Use sweet potatoes, cauliflower or other hearty vegetables, use cooked chickpeas instead of lentils. Use a combination of greens such as chard, arugula, mustard greens etc. Add some coconut milk for creamier curry. Add more spinach of greens for a Dal Saag Aloo. So many variations and options! Serve it as a stew or with rice or flatbread.
Served above with Rotis- Indian flatbread made in Rotimatic, which is a machine that makes Rotis with one button. Add flour, water, oil, set preferences and press start. Read my experience with the machine here.
More Easy Indian Meals
- Lentil Veggie Dhansak – Lentil Veggie Stew in IP. GF
- Kohlapuri Veggies – Veggies in sesame coconut sauce GF
- Mushroom Matar Masala GF
- Bombay Potato and Peas GF
- Tofu in Spinach Curry – Saag Tofu GF
If you try this Potato Spinach Lentil curry, let me know in the comments how it turned out!
Instant Pot Aloo Palak Dal - Spiced Potato Spinach Lentils
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup uncooked brown lentils (sabut masoor)
- 1 tsp oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 hot green chile, chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 5 to 6 oz Spinach or a combination of greens.
Instructions
- Soak the lentils for at least an hour else they will not cook within the time and the potatoes will get over cooked in the more time needed to cook lentils.
- In saute mode over medium, add oil, ginger, garlic, chile and cook until translucent. Add tomato and spices and cook until tomatoes are tender. Mash the larger pieces. 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, drained lentils, water, salt and mix in. Add in the spinach or greens and mix in. Close the lid and cook on Manual (high pressure) for 7 to 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open, taste and adjust salt and spice. Add more spices or garam masala if needed. Garnish with cilantro, pepper flakes and lemon and serve over rice or with roti/flatbread.
Notes
Adjust water to make less or more curry.
Add half coconut milk instead of water for a creamier curry.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I double down the recipe and found it a little bland so I added some spices. It’s quite a bit thicker than I thought it would be but it’s still really yummy! Thanks!
Yes, add more spices and salt when you double. The lentils will need a bit more. It depends on the lentils and cooking time. You can add more water later to adjust consistency. the stew also thickens on cooling
I had to google “instant pot.” I have never seen one and had no idea what it is. In your opinion, do you
really think it’s worth spending a hundred or more dollars for one? I just don’t like acquiring more and more kitchen gadgets even if it makes cooking a lot simpler. I DID just finally replace my almost 40 year old Cuisinart food processor after pieces starting breaking off the bowl! I got a simple one for $70.00 on Amazon. It’s just what I needed for all the chopping one does in vegan cooking. (and other things, too, of course)
I will consider getting an instant pot when I see your answer. Thanks.
My family and I have been eating a plant based diet for more than a year and are slowly learning more and more interesting recipes, thanks to you, Richa! Yours is just about the ONLY website I routinely consult for new dishes.
Hi Caterina, Instant Pot is an electric appliance that is a Pressure Cooker (cooks under pressure for quicker cooking time for beans, lentils etc). It also has a slow cooker options, scheduling, yogurt function etc. It really depends on what kind of cooking you do. I always provide both saucepan and pressure cooking options on the post if I use a pressure cooker. Indian cooking generally uses pressure cooking for beans, chickpeas , lentils etc. With the Instant Pot people have started using pressure cooking for other dishes as well such as pasta, desserts etc. If you are on facebook, join the “Instant Pot Vegan Recipes” group to get an idea of what people have been cooking (its a big group of people). You can also browse some Instant Pot books , see table of contents eg https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook-Your-Instant/dp/1624143385/ . Then you can decide if you need one or not. Also, They have sales every now and then and often you an grab one for 30-40% off.
I have stove top pressure cookers and Instant Pot. Since I already have stove top pressure cookers, I dont necessarily need the electric one. I cook many different styles now because of the blog and some weeks the only time I use pressure cooking is to cook fresh beans such as kidney, black, pinto, chickpeas or split peas. Instant pot has become a popular device since last 1-2 years with a huge IP community. So I add instructions specific to it when I make pressure cooked recipes.
Yes, Richa, I know you give directions for using a saucepan in place of the instant pot. I did that when I made one of your recent recipes. Thanks. We do use a pressure cooker often to make beans or brown lentils, also chickpeas.
Have you ever tried Anasazi beans? They originated, supposedly, with the Anasazi Indians of Mesa Verde, Colorado. They are really delicious. We can buy them in the supermarket or, I think, at Costco.
Oh good! If you have a pressure cooker, then you dont necessarily need the IP. Join in the group I mentioned. There are always discussions there to convert recipes to pressure cooking, using scheduling to make plan, making the perfect non dairy yogurt etc. I think i have a pack of the beans, havent gotten around to using them. Thanks for the reminder to dig them out!
Maybe I missed this but is it cooked on high pressure? Thanks for another instant pot recipe, can’t wait to try it!
yes hi pressure default if it isnt mentioned.
I loved this recipe, used tinned lentils and enjoyed the aromas and the cinnamon overtones when eating the delicious results. Thank you Richa! I have a Pinterest file devoted to your scruptious recipes. Grateful ????
Awesome! so glad you loved it
Absolutely fabulous dish. Made it in the instant pot with cauliflower instead of greens and absolutely delicious . The spice mix is divine. Topped it with raw onions, cilantro and Greek yogurt with mini tortillas
Sounds fabulous
This looks wonderful, I’m a huge fan of ginger and lentils. Thanks!
Thanks!
If I double the recipe, do I need to change the time or pressure?
Use about 1.5 times the water and add 1 extra minute.
I made this tonight. The only change elwas I only used one clove of garlic as I’m not a big fan of it. It was wonderful and I plan to make it again and again. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe
Awesome! so glad it worked out well.
It looks delicious, but I only have red lentils on hand, can I use those? They should cook as fast as the potatoes.
yes, 5 mins should work
I love red lentils. Do I have to soak them, still? Should I only cook at 5 minutes instead of 7-8?
no soaking needed for red lentils as they are quick cooking. just wash and add to the pot and cook for 5
One more question-can I use canned tomatoes? Fresh ones are $4.99 a pound up here and I use them only when canned won’t do.
yes canned will work just fine.
I used canned diced tomatoes and red lentils and it worked great. Really good.
awesome!
No need to soak beans. Brenda Davis RD (BrendaDavisRD.com) has some great info on this subject. If you get an InstaPot, no need to soak and beans cook in under an hour! Brenda says if you put a piece of kombu the size of a postage stamp in your beans while they cook, it significantly cuts down on the gases. Red lentils are easier still- cook them (low/med) and they are done in no time. Red lentils seem to be temperamental with too much heat so low and slow. Happy cooking!
It really depends on the person. i’ve tried without soaking with kombu etc and I prefer the texture of soaked beans, and my digestion also prefers the soaked beans much more. We’ve eaten various lentils and beans since we were really young (Indian food uses a lot of varieties) and most all are soaked and cooked. So our digestion might be accustomed to the soaking and cooking process. Either way, try all methods to see which works best for you.
Red lentils are supposed to be quick cooking and they should be used in soups and recipes where their properties of being soft, broken down lentils works better.
This looks really good can’t wait to try this myself 🙂 xx