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Dal Makhani – Creamy Slow-Cooked Black Lentils with Butter and Cream
Slow-simmered whole black lentils and kidney beans in a rich tomato and butter sauce — the king of Indian dals.
⏱ 255 min🔥 380 kcalEasy
★4.9(29,400)
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Indian Lentils Recipes
7 recipes using lentils — Curries, biryanis, dals and the world's most complex spice cuisine.
These 7 indian lentils recipes are ready in about 101 minutes on average, with 260–680 kcal per serving, and 86% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
7
recipes
101 min
average time
363 kcal
avg per serving
86%
easy recipes
How Indian cuisine cooks with lentils
Indian cooking is a science of spice — layering and blooming aromatics to build curries and dals of remarkable depth and regional variety. When Indian cooks work with lentils, they reach for cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are frying, simmering, boiling and searing.
Quick-cooking pulses that bring earthy heartiness and plant protein to soups, dals, stews and salads. In this collection it's most often cooked with turmeric, cumin seeds, garam masala, lemon juice, ghee and garlic thinly sliced. The dishes here span indian classics ready in as little as 30 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Dal Makhani – Creamy Slow-Cooked Black Lentils with Butter and Cream is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 29,400 ratings.
7 Indian Lentils Recipes
✨ Newdinner
Dal Tadka
Yellow lentils finished with a sizzling spice temper.
⏱ 35 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
★4.7(2,700)
✨ Newdinner
Dal Tadka (Punjabi Yellow Lentils with Spiced Butter)
India's most beloved everyday lentil dish — yellow lentils cooked until creamy and topped with a sizzling spiced ghee tadka of cumin, garlic, dried chilli and tomato. Restaurant quality in 30 minutes.
⏱ 45 min🔥 290 kcalEasy
★4.9(2,500)
✨ Newdinner
Hyderabadi Haleem (Slow-Cooked Lamb and Wheat Stew)
A legendary Ramadan stew from Hyderabad — lamb, lentils, and cracked wheat cooked for hours into a creamy, deeply spiced paste eaten with crispy fried onion and lime.
⏱ 270 min🔥 680 kcalHard
★4.9(1,450)
✨ Newdinner
Indian Red Lentil Stew with Lemon and Cilantro (Masoor Dal)
Split red lentils simmered soft and finished with a lemony cilantro tempering for a bright, comforting stew.
⏱ 40 min🔥 270 kcalEasy
★4.4(65)
✨ Newsalad
South Indian Herbed Coriander Rice Salad
Turmeric rice tossed with a coriander-mint paste, roasted peanuts, and tempered mustard seeds.
⏱ 35 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
★4.3(83)
✨ Newdinner
South Indian Ginger-Lemon Rice
Fluffy rice tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fresh ginger, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon.
⏱ 30 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
★4.6(57)
Choosing & preparing lentils
How to choose
Choose by type: red/yellow lentils break down into creamy dals and soups; green and Puy lentils hold their shape for salads and sides. Look for whole, unbroken, uniform pulses.
Prep & storage
No soaking needed — just rinse and pick out any stones. Add salt and acid towards the end, since early acidity can keep them firm; aromatics in the cooking water build flavour from the start.
Nutrition
An excellent source of plant protein, fibre, iron and folate, with a low glycaemic impact that keeps you full.
Classic flavour partners: cumin, garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes, spinach
Indian Lentils Recipes — FAQ
How long do Indian lentils recipes take to make?
Most of these 7 Indian lentils recipes are ready in around 101 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, South Indian Ginger-Lemon Rice, takes about 30 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 270 minutes.
How many calories are in Indian lentils dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 260 to 680 kcal per serving, averaging 363 kcal — Dal Tadka is the lightest option at 260 kcal.
What is the easiest Indian lentils recipe for beginners?
Dal Makhani – Creamy Slow-Cooked Black Lentils with Butter and Cream is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 255 minutes. 86% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with lentils in Indian cooking?
In these recipes, lentils is most often paired with turmeric, cumin seeds, garam masala, lemon juice, ghee and garlic thinly sliced. Indian kitchens also lean on cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala.
More Indian Recipes by Ingredient
Lentils Recipes from Other Cuisines
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