This vegan Dal Makhani is a healthier, leaner version of the popular Indian dish made with whole urad dal and kidney beans. Still incredibly rich and creamy… just a little less calorific!
You will also love my Vegan Chickpea Curry
Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure
Dal Makhani is one of my all-time favourite Indian dishes. An incredibly rich dal made with whole black lentils (urad dal) cooked with butter and cream… It is SO delicious and time consuming that it is usually saved for special occasions.
It was also totally in my past since becoming a Slimming World member – and I have to tell you I really missed it! So I decided to make a homestyle Dal Makhani that is slimming friendly but still undeniably delicious.
Getting the right ingredients
The main ingredient in this dal is the Urid Dal (also spelled Urad). I searched high and low but I could not find it in any of the many ethnic shops in my South London neighbourhood.
I finally found urad dal on Amazon in the UK described as Urid Beans. In the US they can be found under Whole Black Gram – Sabut Urad Dal. Many recipes refer to this as whole black lentils.
If you aren’t confused yet, I should also mention that split or dehusked black gram is actually easier to find, but not right for this recipe.
The longer the dal cooks, the creamier and more delicious it will taste – I ended up cooking this for 90 minutes but could have cooked it for even longer!
This recipe also contains kidney beans, onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, fresh tomato plus a medley of warming spices.
Slimming Friendly Dal
I didn’t add any of the customary butter (Makhani means buttery) to keep this suitable for Slimming World and Weight Watchers.
Instead of heavy cream I added single Soya cream which is much lower in fat and keeps this dal vegan.
There’s 235 calories, 1 syn* and 7 WW SmartPoints in a serving (without any sides). *if you use Alpro Single Soya a plant-based alternative to cream and no sugar or sweetener.
HOW TO MAKE DAL MAKHANI
TOP TIP You need to start this recipe at least 12 hours in advance of cooking to allow for the urid dal to soak in water. Place in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight. The next day rinse the dal well with cold water until it runs clear.
Mist a medium pot with olive oil cooking spray. Add the onions and green chilli and cook for five minutes over gentle heat, stirring until softened.
Add the garlic, ginger, spices, sugar/sweetener (if using), salt, bay leaves and tomato paste and stir together for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Add the fresh chopped tomato and vegetable stock.
Stir in the kidney beans and urid dal and bring to a rolling simmer.
Lower the heat until the dal is simmering gently, partially cover the pot and leave to cook, stirring occasionally for 90 minutes. You will need to add more hot water if the pot is getting dry so make sure to keep checking.
After 90 minutes your Makhani Dal should be quite creamy with the beans breaking down a little. If they still feel a bit tough if rubbed between your fingers continue to cook for longer. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the soya cream (or oat cream) and have a taste, adding salt if needed.
Serve your Dal Makhani over rice or cauliflower rice with naan bread. Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves and a pinch dried chilli flakes.
Lucy’s Tips
Speedy Dal Makhani: Use small black lentils (beluga lentils) you can’t find the black gram or you want make a quick dal. You don’t need to soak them and they cook in about 30-35 minutes. You can even use ready-cooked beluga and simply cook it for 20-25 minutes.
Make it creamy… without any cream: Scoop our one or two ladlefuls of the dal into a measuring jug and use an immersion blender to briefly blend it. Stir it back into the dal.
Ultra Rich Makhani: Cook the onion in 1-2 tbsp butter, ghee or coconut oil. Replace the soya cream with heavy (double) cream or coconut cream. Stir in an additional tablespoon of butter or melted coconut oil when serving so it melts into the dish.
Dal Makhani | Vegan & Slimming Friendly
Ingredients
- olive oil cooking spray use butter or coconut oil for a richer dal
- 200 g (1 cup) whole urad dal, soaked overnight
- 2 small red onions , finely diced
- 1 green chilli , deseeded and diced
- 1 tsp ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar or sweetener , optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 to mato , deseeded and finely diced
- 950 ml (4 cups) hot vegetable stock or water, more as needed
- 400 g (14oz) tin kidney beans rinsed, drained and lightly mashed with a fork
- 4 tbsp soya cream coconut or oat cream can also be used
- fresh coriander (cilantro) to garnish
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- You need to start this recipe at least a day in advance of cooking to allow for the urad dal to soak in water. Place in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight. The next day rinse the dal well with cold water until it runs clear.
- Mist a medium pot with olive oil cooking spray. Add the onions and green chilli and cook for five minutes over gentle heat, stirring until softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, spices, salt, bay leaves and tomato paste and stir together for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Add the fresh chopped tomato, vegetable stock, kidney beans and urid dal and bring to a rolling simmer.
- Lower the heat until the dal is simmering gently, partially cover the pot and leave to cook, stirring occasionally for 90 minutes. You will need to add more hot water if the pot is getting dry so make sure to keep checking.
- After 90 minutes your Makhani Dal should be quite creamy with the beans breaking down a little. If they still feel a bit tough if rubbed between your fingers continue to cook for longer.
- Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the soya cream (or oat cream) and have a taste, adding salt if needed. Serve garnished with coriander (cilantro) leaves and a pinch dried chilli flakes.
Video
Notes
Lucy’s Tips
Speedy Dal Makhani: Use small black lentils (beluga lentils) you can’t find the black gram or you want make a quick dal. You don’t need to soak them and they cook in about 30-35 minutes. You can even use ready-cooked beluga and simply cook it for 20-25 minutes. Make it creamy… without any cream: Scoop our one or two ladlefuls of the dal into a measuring jug and use an immersion blender to briefly blend it. Stir it back into the dal. Ultra Rich Makhani: Cook the onion in 1-2 tbsp butter or ghee. Replace the soya cream with heavy (double) cream or coconut cream. Stir in an additional tablespoon of butter when serving so it melts into the dish.Nutritional Info
ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ON SUPERGOLDEN BAKES ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. IF YOU WISH TO SHARE THIS RECIPE, THEN PLEASE DO SO BY USING THE SHARE BUTTONS PROVIDED. DO NOT SCREENSHOT / POST RECIPE OR CONTENT IN FULL.
mohan kumar says
Very nice recipe. So easy, flavorful and delicious.