Vegan Daal Makhani One Pot Meals

You can also replace the dairy with plant-based ingredients with very little impact on flavour and texture.

My favourite Vegan Daal Makhani recipe

Here’s my vegan Daal Makhani recipe for the days you crave a soulful dinner that calls for time and care. I don’t carve out time in my schedule for such preparations but when I happen to have such foresight, this Daal Makhani is my go-to recipe.

Restaurant-style Daal Makhani in your home kitchen

Simmer it low and slow for a velvety, stick-to-your ribs texture. In restaurants, Daal Makhani is often cooked in a clay pot over coal overnight for deep smokiness and layers of flavour. My recipe follows suit and calls for slow cooking, but adapted for the home kitchen.

What type of lentils do I need?

Whole black urad (sabut urad or urid) are at the heart of any Daal Makhani recipe. Their onyx skin means they’re often referred to as black daal, despite being creamy white inside. Once soaked (and soak them you must), they take on a deep olive hue which mellows once boiled. Their texture is wholesome and starchy which lends this dish richness.

But what about the butter/cream?

To keep this Daal Makhani vegan, I use a combination of vegan butter and oat cream in place of dairy products. If you aren’t vegan, you can certainly use dairy butter and cream.

What equipment do I need?

Pressure cooker OR Instant pot/pressure pot AND Slow cooker (a pressure pot with this function is also fine) OR Oven-safe casserole or Dutch oven with lid (optional if you would like to slow cook this for some time). I use a combination of a conventional pressure cooker and the slow cooker function on my pressure pot. You can also cook this in a pressure pot from start to finish.