Dal Palak Recipe | Easy Spinach Dal
One seasonal favorite, another a classic source of plant-based proteins, especially in the diets of vegetarians and vegans. When both these come together in a dish, it is just a celebration of flavors for the palate! Yes, that’s what is happening in this easy-peasy and simple, yet tasty and comforting Dal Palak recipe. This Spinach Dal made with pigeon pea lentils or yellow lentils (tuvar dal), red lentils (masoor dal) and winter special fresh spinach (palak) is both a different and nutritious way of including dal in your diet.
Dal Palak or Spinach Dal
Cooking various lentils or dals with fresh seasonal greens is a common practice in Indian households. This Dal Palak is one of the most popular Lentil Recipes in Indian cuisine. It combines the goodness of arhar or tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils), masoor dal (red lentils) and fresh palak (spinach leaves) that the winter season brings.
There are many ways of making Dal Palak. In this post, I have shared the no onion, no garlic variation of the Dal Palak. This delicious recipe without onion and garlic added to it, is a very simple and easy one and won’t take much of your time.
Like I mentioned earlier, in India, we do add vegetables and leafy greens to our lentil or dal-based dishes. This wholesome Dal Palak is one of those prominent ones, especially during the winters as this is the season of fresh spinach.
Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Many people and most of the kids are not really fond of greens like spinach, fenugreek leaves, amaranth leaves, etc. But when we mix these greens with dals or legumes, then the dish not only becomes tasty but also healthy.
This Dal Palak is a great way of getting your fussy kids to consume their share of these lovely greens of the season. In this particular recipe, you can substitute the spinach (palak) with amaranth leaves (chaulai) or fenugreek leaves (methi) and even kale. I have made a kale dal too.
Spinach and dal a.k.a lentils go very well together. I have adapted this Dal Palak recipe from a friend, who is as enthusiastic as me, when it comes to cooking, eating and feeding sumptuous food.
Being a meditator, he would never add onion, garlic and chilies to his food. Once at his home, he made this dal for us. I thought it would taste bland without onions and garlic, but I was wrong.
The Dal Palak was so good. It had the subtle aroma of the ghee, cumin and ginger tempering plus was creamy and soft. You can use oil too, for the tempering. However, for a better taste, use ghee.
Onions and garlic have a strong flavor. I am sure this dal would also taste great with onions and garlic added to it. There are no heavy spices like garam masala added in this preparation.
Our friend also used 2 lentils in the Dal Palak recipe – tuvar or arhar dal (split pigeon peas/yellow lentils) and masoor dal (red lentils/orange lentils). You can use both these lentils or make it just with tuvar dal as well.
I have also added some chopped green chilies and red chili powder. The chilies just enhance the taste of the dal without making it spicy or hot.
You can serve and relish Dal Palak with roti, chapatis, phulka, parathas or steamed basmati rice. They also pair well with Jeera Rice and Ghee Rice.
How to make Dal Palak
Pressure Cook Lentils and Prep Spinach
1. Pick and rinse ¼ cup tuvar dal (yellow lentils) and ¼ cup masoor dal (orange lentils) a few times in water.
Add the rinsed lentils to a 2-liter stovetop pressure cooker. Also, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1.5 cups water.
2. On medium heat, pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 11 minutes or 7 to 8 whistles or until the lentils become soft and mushy.
Open the lid only when the pressure settles naturally and check the cooked lentils. Mash lightly with a spoon.
3. While the lentils are cooking, prep the spinach. First rinse some spinach leaves thoroughly in water a few times. Drain all the water and set it aside.
Chop the rinsed spinach finely and measure. You will need 2 cups of chopped spinach leaves.
Set the chopped palak aside. You can choose to add more quantities of spinach if you prefer.
Make Dal Palak
4. In a pan or kadai, heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil. Fry 1 teaspoon cumin seeds on low heat until they splutter.
For a vegan spinach dal, use oil. You can use any neutral tasting oil.
5. When the cumin seeds are spluttering, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and ½ to ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies.
Fry for some seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger goes away.
6. Add the 2 cups of finely chopped spinach and mix it with the rest of the fried ingredients.
Apart from spinach, you can also add amaranth leaves or fenugreek leaves and even kale.
7. Sauté the spinach for 4 to 5 minutes on low heat, stirring in between, till the spinach leaves soften and wilt.
8. Now, add ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing). Mix these spices with the spinach and sauté for half a minute.
Skip asafoetida, if you don’t have it. But note that there will be a difference in the taste and flavor of the dal without asafoetida.
9. Now, add the mashed lentils. Season with salt as needed.
10. Add ½ to 1 cup water to the spinach dal. Mix thoroughly.
The quantity of water will depend on how much thick or thin you want the consistency to be. I added 1 cup water for a medium flowing consistency.
For a thicker consistency skip adding water or add ¼ to ½ cup water. If you want a slightly thinner dal, add more water.
11. Simmer the dal for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir often, so that the lentils do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
12. Turn off the heat and serve Dal Palak hot with rice or roti and a side vegetable dish, salad or raita. To make a bigger batch you can easily double or triple this recipe.
Expert Tips
- Spinach: You can use the stems if they are tender. If the spinach leaves are too large and the stems are fibrous and dense, then only use the leaves and do not add the stems.
- Frozen spinach: In off season or when you don’t have access to fresh spinach, you can prepare these recipes with frozen spinach. Remember to thaw the frozen spinach and then squeeze to remove all of the water from it.
- Other leafy greens: In addition to spinach leaves, you can also add fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), fresh amaranth leaves (chaulai) or even kale in these recipes.
- Lentils: The same recipe can be made wholly or in a half-half ratio with lentils like – moong lentils, red lentils and chana dal. For chana dal if using them with other lentils, soak them in water for 30 minutes, before pressure cooking. Also add some more water when using chana dal.
- Cooking lentils: When cooking lentils, always use lentils which are fresh and in their shelf period. The cooking time is increased with aged or old lentils. In this case, if the lentils are undercooked, then add some more water and continue to pressure cook till done well.
- Fats: Dal Palak can be cooked with ghee (clarified butter) or any neutral tasting oil. Of course, for a better and more authentic flavor, use ghee.
- Flavor: Increase the green chilies and red chili powder for a spicy dal. For a less spicy version, you can decrease these spices. A bit of lemon juice added to the dal gives a nice tang.
- Consistency: You can make the dal thin or thick by adding less or more water once it is cooked.
FAQs
What types of lentils are commonly used in Dal Palak?
Yellow dal (split pigeon peas or tuvar/toor dal) or red lentils (masoor dal) are commonly used in Dal Palak. Both lentils cook relatively quickly and blend well with the spinach.
Can I make Dal Palak with other types of lentils?
Certainly! You can experiment with other lentils like yellow moong lentils (hulled and split moong dal) or a combination of other lentils for variation in texture and flavor.
How do I prepare spinach for Palak Dal?
Rinse the spinach leaves thoroughly in water 3 to 4 times, drain all the water and chop them finely. Both the fresh green leaves and tender stems can be used. For frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out excess or extra water before using.
Can I make this recipe with onion and garlic?
Yes, you can definitely add onion and garlic in this recipe to enhance the flavors.
Can I make this dal in advance?
You could opt to make Dal Palak in advance if serving on the same day. For optimal nutrition and taste, I would suggest to prepare the spinach dal when you want to consume it, avoiding any make ahead or leftovers.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Dal Palak Recipe | Easy Spinach Dal
Ingredients
For cooking lentils
- ¼ cup tuvar dal (hulled and split pigeon pea lentils or arhar dal)
- ¼ cup masoor dal (hulled and split red lentils)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1.5 cups water – for pressure cooking lentils
More ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Ghee or oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger – finely chopped or 1 inch peeled ginger
- ½ to 1 teaspoon green chilies – chopped or 1 green chilli
- 2 cups spinach – finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or paprika
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ½ to 1 cup water or add as needed
- salt as required
Instructions
Pressure cooking lentils
- Pick and rinse the lentils a few times in water. Take the lentils in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Also add turmeric powder and 1.5 cups of water.
- Pressure cook on medium heat for 10 to 11 minutes or 7 to 8 whistles or until the lentils become soft and mushy.
- Open the lid only when the pressure drops naturally in the cooker. Check the lentils.
- They should be cooked well and softened. Mash the lentils lightly with a spoon and set aside.
Making dal palak
- In a pan, heat ghee. Keep the heat to a low and fry the cumin seeds first.
- When they crackle, add the finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Fry for a few seconds or until the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
- Now add the finely chopped spinach. Mix the spinach with the rest of the fried spices.
- Sauté spinach for some minutes until the leaves becomes soft and stops releasing water on a low to medium-low heat.
- When the spinach leaves are softened, add the kashmiri red chili powder and asafoetida.
- Mix well and sauté for half a minute on low heat.
- Add the mashed lentils and salt according to taste. Mix the lentils with the sautéed and softened spinach.
- Add water around ½ to 1 cup depending on how thick or thin you want the dal to be.
- Stir to combine and simmer the dal for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Serve Dal Palak hot with rice and a side vegetable dish or salad or raita.
Video
Notes
- The recipe is made with two kinds of lentils. You could make it only with tur dal or masoor dal. You can also make Dal Palak with only chana dal. For cooking with chana dal add more water and pressure cook for more time.
- Use tender, green, fresh spinach. If the stems are tender, you can add them. If they are fibrous or dense, then do not add them.
- Instead of green chillies, you could also 1 dry red chilli. Remove the seeds and then fry it after the cumin seeds crackle, so that its flavors are released in the dal.
- Add water as needed to make a thicker dal or a soupy thin dal depending on the consistency to prefer.
- This recipe make for four servings. But you can scale it to make for 2 servings or 8 servings.
Nutrition
This Dal Palak recipe from the archives was first published on Feb 2012. It has been updated and republished on February 2024.
Easy and turned out very tasty.
The easiest dal to make and it’s so delicious!
Wondering if it’s good to freeze as I’d love to make a big batch for my postpartum?
Thank you. I would not recommend to freeze the dal palak.
Not because it can’t be done, but because consuming frozen cooked lentils is not considered good according to the Indian healing system of Ayurveda. It can cause digestive imbalances in the body as well as upset the stomach.
One just needs to follow recipe exactly as it is. Then it is really amazing, Very delicious and healthy veg food. Perfect recipe. Thank you, guys for your site. Really !
Thanks again Atmo.
Hi, Can this dal be made in the instant pot?
Thanks.
Yes you can.
I often prepare dal palak at home and interchange with tuvar dal, chana dal or moong dal with masoor dal. We also like to add crushed garlic with ginger & prefer green chillies instead of red chillies. The result is always very tasty. Goes very well with bajri or jowar bhakhri or plain rice.
I always enjoy reading your recipes & have tried many on different occasions with great results. Writing to you for the first time.
Thank you for taking the time to write and for the lovely feedback on the recipes you have tried. Also thanks for sharing the variations you make and for the rating as well.
I love all your recipes. Love making them, very easy to follow and make thanks a lot ?
Thanks a lot Laxmi. Thanks also for the rating on the recipe. Most welcome and happy cooking.
Thank you for this recipe and your website.
Made dal palak for the first time today and it turned out perfectly.
Your recipes with visual aids (photos and /or video) make it so easy to understand for me.
Thank you again.
thanks raghav for this feedback. nice to know and happy cooking.
Nice Recipe Mam. I have tried also. Its really tasty.
Thanks Ruma
Can I know the recipe of side dish that u served with dal
it is capsicum potatoes sabzi. recipe is here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/aloo-capsicum-indian-recipe-made-with-capsicum-potatoes/
I am looking for carrot chilly pickle receipe
Rupa, I will try to add.
I’ve never made dal palak before and tried this recipe last week but I couldn’t find any hing so I just left it out. I doubled up the quantities and made it with masoor dal. I didn’t have any ginger so I used some frozen ginger garlic instead. Your instructions were very easy to follow and dal palk turned out lovely and delicious, even my husband enjoyed eating the dal and he normally hates eating dal. He’s asked me to make it again, this week. It’s been a big hit with the family. Thanks for a brilliant recipe.
Welcome Naz. Glad to know that everyone liked palak dal recipe. You have a left a very positive comment. Thanks for that. do try some more recipes.
Can you use frozen spinach in this recipe?
you can try with frozen spinach.
Hi dassana.. To be very honest all the time I take recipes but never got the time to comment on it.. but this time I took out time and made sure that I will comment on ur recipes.. the website is a blessing as whatever I’ve made turns out good and have suggested to others as well.. with ur website cooking is become easy ????.. thanks so much for all lovely recipes
thanks a ton reshma. thats sweet of you. if you get time, then you can comment. as long as the recipe turn out good with the readers, i am fine even if they do not comment ????
I dont normally comment on recipes. Just usually read through to get some tips and make the recipie and who has time to make comments but i gollwed this recipe almost to a T, used garlic ginger paste instead of fresh garlick Nd also subsituted ghee with adams butter and some sunflower oil and the daal came out great . tastes full of goodness. As a accomplished curry maker for a few years now,i can finally make a hralthish curry without staving awaybat the cooker stiring and cooking onions. This will b a firm favourite for me. Quick n tasty for the days i dont want to cut onions or cook them. PS I think its easier on the stomach as well.
Thanks Imran for this positive feedback. good to read your variation and nice to know that you liked the recipe.
Hi Dassana
I have been following your recipes for quite some time now and find them excellent. The step by step guides are so helpful and I have learned to make so many wonderful dishes because of your great explanatory recipes.
I am planning to try the palak dal at the weekend. I was wondering whether I can use a combination of split red lentils and chana dal. These are the only ones I have in my cupboard at the moment 🙂
Thank you.
thank you ruby. nice to know. you can use combination of any lentils. chana dal will taste good and even split red lentils.
Hi Dassana,
Can i use moong dal instead of masoor dal.does it affect the taste?
you can use moong dal. with moong dal the taste will be different than what it tastes with tuvar or masoor dal. though overall the palak dal will taste good.
Thanks for the recipie. I tried this and came out really well. I will do this whenever I get palak.
sure subha glad you liked the palak dal and thankyou 🙂
Heyyy,I forgot,its made with ‘bathua’.
In Uttar Pradesh,it’s called ‘sak paita’ and is typically made with urad chilka / a lighter version with moong chilka.A mix of the two renders it a supremely blissful texture.
Another thing that is added is ‘kali khatai’ read ‘cully’,dried mango slivers / ‘thukra’ dried raw mango seed marinated in a mix of imli & sth sth.This addition gives the dal a divine tang.
Last but not the least,temper it with ‘chaunk’ like they do in TN,Karnataka ; add ‘laal mirch ki chaunk’ for PARMANAND.
Be in a pyaar mode all through &&&&&& serve enlightenment …. ahaa
that such a unique recipe poornima. thanks for sharing. the ‘kali khatai’ mixture appears to be be good. was wondering what is ‘sth sth’.
I guess some heeng ,probably lots,one of the salts – konjo rock + white , I’ll ask my maa & get back.
It’s made like the curd chillies here down south.
Love
thankyou poornima 🙂
Hi Dassana,
Recipe looks delicious. How long should I cook lentils if I don’t have a pressure cooker? Many thanks :)x
it might take 30 to 45 minutes.
Amazing and such an easy dal palak recipe….
thankyou riti 🙂
Hey Dassana, you are super, thanks for the lovely dal palak recipe, its given me wings to cook palak……..cheers
thanks prashant
This is an amazing recipe. You won’t miss the onions at all!
thanks michelle for sharing positive feedback.
Lovely dish
today i will go and try this recipe
This is the second recipe I have made from your website and again it is delicious. There are really great recipes here, and I also really like the presentation and layout of the site. Thank you!
welcome paquin. thanks for sharing your positive review.
I made this dal on Friday and both my daughters & husband loved it!! Very simple & delicious definitely a keeper, thanks Dassana.
welcome suparna. glad to know this.
I’m fond of your recipes. You’re so caring & detailing about hidden tips that anyone can prepare the food. I was thinking to cook spinach with lentil without onion and garlic and I’ve got it from your list. I’ve tried your Awadhi Dingri too, it’s easy& prompt to cook. Waiting for your new recipe.
Thank you
Rupa
welcome rupa. thanks for sharing your positive feedback on recipes and for your kind words.
Hi Dassana,
I just found your website today and tried this recipe. I used split chickpea dal instead and it was wonderful. I’ve been cooking Indian food for years but I’ve never happened upon a website like yours. Thank you for the care you put into breaking down your recipes in a manner that is so easy to follow. I will be returning often!!
Regards,
Beatrice
welcome beatrice. so nice of you to write such a beautiful comment. do visit again and try some recipes.
I tried this recipe today and it was YUMMY!!! Couldn’t believe it can taste so good without out Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes. Thank you for sharing it, Dassana.
Welcome Fats. Glad to know this.
Hi Dassana,
I have to share this with you. My husband will never eat anything not having onion, garlic and tomatoes. But after I read your recipe, I just wanted to make it as is. I did not tell anything to him, just made the dal and served with rice. He LOVED it. He did not even realize the missing ingredients. He loved it so much, he ate is just like that and licked the vessel clean. I got a very small serving in the end 🙂
Thanks!
Bhanu
welcome bhanu. good to know this. without onion garlic also, many recipes taste good and this dal palak is one of those recipes. thanks for sharing your experience.
Palak Dal is yummmm. I have tried Baby corn sabji, veg Manchurian, paneer rice, Gobi rice from your recipes.
And everything came out just brilliant!
Everytime I cooked from your recipes , compliments were showered on me. 🙂
Best one was from mom , now I don’t need to teach you anything. I am fan of your recipes. I will try all your recipes , easy and taste yummm. Thanx , thanx alot.
thanks poonam for the feedback on all the recipes. nice to know about your experience with the recipes and especially what your mom said. in fact i would suggest you to buy some cheap indian cooking books to explore cooking more. there is a lot to learn and try, both in indian as well as international cuisine. both tarla dalal and nita mehta have nice easy recipes in their small books. but when using spices etc, you have to use your discretion.
Excellent & very easy to cook. Thanks
welcome shishir.
I try to make it tonight
Excelent recipe had all the ingrediants at home,everyone loved it,thanks
welcome jackie
I was out of onions and needed to cook something quick. Made this recipe recently and really enjoyed it. I will definitely make it again. I really enjoy your recipes; they’ve helped me improve my cooking a lot. Thanks! 5/5
welcome mel. thanks for the rating !!!
Hello!
Before all, I love your blog! The recipes are so easy to follow, even for a beginner like me to Indian cuisine 🙂
I just made this last night it turned out great! It does not have a a lot of spices, so its a good introduction dish!
Thank you!
Svetlana
Thanks Svetlana
you can adjust the spices as per your own requirements whenever you make any indian dish.
Hmmmm… so yummy and easy…
I will try this 2nite
Dassana…. your way to presenting the receipe is too good… every receipe you share i feel like cooking…
My special thanks to you… I want to share something….I dont know to cook… nor i have tried anything in my kitchen.. all cooked by my mom inlaw.. as i falied many times… salt use to be more or chilli… Now that i am part of this website.. i have imporved and they love my food and ask me to repeat the dish…
Thanks a ton 🙂
dear janet…. thanks for your encouraging comments.
even i fail sometimes. there are mishaps and disasters in the kitchen at times, especially when baking and preparing desserts. its all about more practice and learning. with this blog i am also learning.
about the salt and chili powder…. its always a best practice to add less salt and chili powder first. then you can taste the food and add more of the salt or chili powder if required.
Hey Dassana I want this right now 😉 …. great dal
Hey Dassana, finally onto manual mode 🙂 congrats and lemme say real good job, the clicks are really worth prasing with no extra lights and right kind of props and also the brightness….I loved the rice pic too!!
thanks anamika…. plan to be more better with photography…..
i love greens in daal.. you get your protein and all teh nutrients from the greens! and spinach is an always fave!
Dassana, bread flour is a kind of all purpose flour plus high gluten flour plus a little whole grain(wheat or barley). you can use AP flour instead of bread flour. Bread flour just helps make the bread a bit chewy. hope this helps!
love the pictures by the way.. i am still learning a new control every month.. i am too impatient to read the manual for each and everything all together.:)
thanks richa for the info about bread flour. i too learnt one control at a time…. and now am able to understand all the controls….. am also continuing to explore other facets of photography, image editing and photography elements.
I think I am going to have to make this dal tomorrow! I love eating dals like these by itself like soup 🙂
This is the second time I have made this from ur recipe and again it is delicious…superb…I really like the presentation of the site…ur way of expaining the recipe with photograph is really good…
thanks smita for sharing feedback on both the recipe as well as the presentation of recipes. glad 🙂