This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Toor Dal Tadka is split pigeon peas cooked with ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and topped with a tempering of Indian spices. These yellow lentils are quick & easy to make and provide a nourishing, healthy, and delicious weeknight meal.
Growing Up… I Hated Dal
Growing up I hated dal. I found it flavorless since my mom never added tadka (tempering of spices) to lentils. Why? It was due to my dad’s health issues that she minimized oil and spices in her cooking.
Yellow Dal Tadka is popular in Indian households, but honestly, I didn’t even know dal was supposed to be made with tadka. Lol. I know right? Once I discovered tadka, I fell in love with dal. It’s my comfort food on days when I don’t feel like cooking, after a vacation, or when I’m sick. Needless to say, nowadays, my mom only makes me dal with tadka.
Toor Dal Tadka – inspired by my mother-in-law
Toor Dal in English is split pigeon peas, also known as tuvar dal, toovar dal, and arhar dal. It’s also one of the most popular dals in India.
This Toor Dal recipe is an easy Instant Pot recipe inspired by my mother-in-law. When making dal, she cooks ginger, garlic, lentils, and water together. In addition to these ingredients, I also added one green chili and tomatoes. Cook the dal on high pressure and top off the cooked dal with a tempering of spices resulting in the most flavorful dal. Enjoy with Jeera Rice, papad, and achaar.
If you love lentils, make sure to check out my Instant Pot Masoor Dal, Green Moong Dal (Sabut Moong Dal), Andhra-style Tomato Dal (Tomato Pappu), and of course, hearty & delicious Dal Makhani without cream.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy – Split Pigeon Peas are a rich source of protein and fiber.
- Easy To Make – Add all the main ingredients to the Instant Pot and high pressure. Once done, pour over the tadka (tempering) and enjoy with hot basmati rice. A perfect meal for weekdays.
- Comfort Food – Toor Dal is a comforting dish that’s perfect any time of the year. Its creamy texture with a mild spiciness is warming and satisfying.
- Makes Great Leftovers – Toor Dal Tadka tastes even better the next day making it ideal for leftovers since the flavors will continue to develop. Enjoy leftovers with rice, or pair with roti and sabzi such as Aloo Palak, Bhindi Fry, or Jeera Aloo.
- Vegan – This dish is completely vegan and so satisfying. Feel free to substitute oil for ghee and you’ve got yourself a delicious vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
- Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Peas – Wash the lentils well, about 5-6 times. Then soak the lentils in water for 30 minutes before rinsing and draining them.
- Ginger & Garlic – You will need lots of freshly chopped ginger and garlic. I know it seems like a lot, but they will add a ton of flavor to the dal.
- Oil – When tempering spices, use a high-heat oil such as avocado oil. The oil should be very hot before adding the whole spices otherwise your dal won’t be as flavorful.
*See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.*
Substitutions & Variations
- Dal Variation – This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of toor dal. You can use 1/2 toor dal and 1/2 yellow moong dal in this recipe. Alternatively, you may use 1/3 toor dal, 1/3 moong dal, and 1/3 masoor dal. Both these combinations work well. Adjust water consistency as needed.
- More Spicy – You may add extra green chili to the uncooked dal for more spice. You may also increase the dry red chilies quantity as needed. Lastly, you may add red chili powder (cayenne) before cooking.
- Ghee instead of Oil – If you prefer ghee, substitute oil for ghee, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of ghee for the tadka. This dish is no longer vegan if you use ghee.
- Gluten-free Option – Use gluten-free asafoetida (hing) or skip it.
- Lemon – Feel free to add a squeeze of lemon juice after adding tadka.
How To Make Toor Dal Tadka Recipe In The Instant Pot?
STEP 1 – Cook Soaked Dal in an Instant Pot
1. Wash Dal – Add washed, soaked, rinsed, and drained dal to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups of water. (Image 1)
2. Add Flavors – Add chopped ginger and garlic, along with slit green chili. (Image 2)
3. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir. (Image 3)
4. High Pressure – Close the Instant Pot and HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Allow the dal to naturally release before opening. (Image 4)
5. Dal is cooked, this is what you should have. (Image 5)
6. Remove the saponins, a white foam that forms over the dal. You can use a spoon to remove them. (Image 6)
7. Once done, whisk the dal well. (Image 7)
STEP 2 – Prepare the Tadka
8. Prepare Tadka – Heat a tadka pot (or small pan) over medium heat and add oil. (Image 8)
9. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Then add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle as well. (Image 9)
10. Next add asafoetida and dry red chilies. Saute for a minute. (Image 10)
11. Now add Kashmiri chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell the aroma of the tadka. (Image 11)
12. Add tadka to the dal. Mix well. (Image 12)
13. Add lots of chopped cilantro. Adjust salt as needed. (Image 13)
Recipe Tips
✓ Oil for Tadka – Use a high-heat oil such as avocado oil. Heat the oil until it’s very hot before adding the spices. This results in a more flavorful dal.
✓ Dal Consistency – The longer the dal sits, the thicker it gets. Feel free to add more water as needed and press saute on the Instant Pot when ready to heat the dal.
✓ Natural Release – Let the dal naturally release in the Instant Pot, there is no need for a manual release.
✓ Remove White Foam from Dal – Once the dal is cooked, white foam may form which is referred to as saponins. Use a spoon to remove the white foam. This will help achieve a smoother consistency and cleaner taste. Then proceed to whisk the dal.
How to Serve?
→ Toor Dal Tadka goes best with Jeera Rice, yogurt/raita, kachumber salad, papad, or achaar. Any combination works, but rice is a must!
→ Serve with roti and any dry sabzi such as Bhindi Fry, Jeera Aloo, Aloo Shimla Mirch, Kadai Aloo Baingan, or Aloo Palak.
→ For a healthier option, opt for brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice.
More Dal Recipes!
- Tomato Dal / Tomato Pappu
- Spinach Dal Fry
- Dal Makhani
- Papad wali Dal
- Instant Pot Toor Dal Tadka
- Green Moong Dal (Sabut Moong Dal)
Toor Dal Tadka (Instant Pot)
VIDEO
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
FOR INSTANT POT DAL
- 1 1/2 cups toor dal
- 4 cups water
- 2 1/2 tbsp ginger, chopped, about 2 inches
- 3 tbsp garlic, chopped, about 6 large cloves
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green chili, slit in half
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
FOR TADKA (TEMPERING)
- 2 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida/hing
- 3 dry red chilies, broken
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
FOR GARNISH
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1 – COOK SOAKED DAL IN INSTANT POT
- Wash the dal several times and soak for 30 minutes. Add rinsed and drained dal to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups of water. Also add chopped ginger and garlic, slit green chili, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir.
- High Pressure – Close the Instant Pot and HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Allow the dal to naturally release before opening.
- Remove White Foam – Once dal is cooked, remove the saponins, a white foam that forms over the dal. You can use a spoon to remove them. Then whisk the dal well.
STEP 2 – PREPARE THE TADKA
- Prepare Tadka – Heat a tadka pot over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Then add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle as well. Next add asafoetida and dry red chilies. Saute for a minute. Now add Kashmiri chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you can smell the aroma of the tadka.
- Add tadka to the dal. Mix well. Then add lots of chopped cilantro. Adjust salt as needed.
NOTES
- Oil for Tadka – Use a high-heat oil such as avocado oil. Heat the oil until it’s very hot before adding the spices. This results in a more flavorful dal.
- Dal Consistency – The longer the dal sits, the thicker it gets. Feel free to add more water as needed and press saute on the Instant Pot when ready to heat the dal.
- Remove White Foam from Dal – Once the dal is cooked, white foam may form which is referred to as saponins. Use a spoon to remove the white foam. This will help achieve a smoother consistency and cleaner taste. Then proceed to whisk the dal.
- More Spicy – You may add extra green chili to the uncooked dal for more spice. You may also increase the dry red chilies quantity as needed. Lastly, you may add red chili powder (cayenne) before cooking.
- Gluten-free Option – Use gluten-free asafoetida (hing) or skip it.
- Ghee instead of Oil – If you prefer ghee, substitute oil for ghee, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of ghee for the tadka. This dish is no longer vegan if you use ghee.
It was my first time to make Toor Dal Tadka and my family loved it! Simple ingredients and easy to follow recipe. Perfect for cold weather!
Thank you so much, Pearl. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. IT’s perfect for these cold days, agreed. 🙂
I’m sorry if I missed it but I’m not seeing how much a service is? 1 cup? Thanks!
HI Jon. Sorry for the late response (my site had a makeover). This recipe makes 5 servings. 1 serving is most likely 1 cup – however this is just an estimate. Note – this recipe will be updated soon – version 2.0 coming soon!
Do we do a quick release on IP once 8 minutes are done?
HI Gauri. No. I don’t so the dal gets nice and soft. I wait about 15 minutes once the IP starts the timer.
Thanx for the useful and authentic recipee you have share with this article
it will be surely Delicious.
Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
how can we make this without an instant pot?
Hi Ria. If you have a pressure cooker, you can use that. I’m not sure how many whistles you need. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I would Google to find out how to make dal in a regular pot. Once that’s done, you can add this tadka on top. Hope that helps.
You have thoroughly explained to make this dish, will try to make this dish according to your method.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
HI Ritesh. So glad to hear that. Send me a picture on Instagram once you make it, would love to share. 🙂