Simmer creamy lentils with silky spinach, then meld their unique flavors seamlessly with a sizzling tadka of garlic, mustard seeds and red pepper. If that sounds delicious, you should make this dal palak recipe. It's simple enough for a weeknight meal but I'll show you how to make it so tasty that it qualifies as an Indian restaurant style dinner treat.
Table of Contents
What is dal palak?
Dal palak or spinach dal is a popular dal from north India made with spinach and lentils. Variations of it can be found all over India. My dad, whose family hailed from the southern Konkan coast, made a delicious version where he cooked the dal with whole cloves of garlic. The garlic melted into the dal and tasted absolutely divine.
The dal palak recipe I have for you today is more like one you might find at a north Indian restaurant, where the garlic is fried in a bit of oil before it is added to the dal. The oil, infused with the garlic, disperses its flavor through the dal, marrying the spinach and the dal together perfectly.
Although this is a restaurant-style recipe, it is quite simple, with easy-to-find ingredients. It is also gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. Serve it with basmati rice or roti for dinner and you will be the toast of the evening.
P.S. An Indian dal is one of the most nourishing - and satisfying - foods on the planet! Check out more dal recipes, including my best dal ever, methi dal and dal tadka.
Recipe card
Dal Palak (Indian Spinach Dal)
Ingredients
For first tadka
- 1 teaspoon oil (use avocado or any neutral oil, or refined coconut oil, which is flavorless)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 1 dried red chili pepper. Tweak the amount to your preference for heat.)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 medium onion (red onion preferred, finely chopped)
- 1 heaping tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tomatoes (pureed, or ¾ cup canned puree)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional if sensitive to heat)
- 9 ounces baby spinach (or regular spinach, about two bunches. Trim off tough stems and chop roughly. If using baby spinach you can use the whole leaf with stem, no need to chop).
- Salt to taste
For final tadka
- 1 tablespoon oil (avocado or any neutral oil, or unrefined coconut oil)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 12-14 cloves garlic (thinly sliced. You can use more or less, but the more garlicky this dal is, the tastier it gets.)
- ½ teaspoon paprika (optional)
Instructions
Cook the dals
- Place toor dal and moong dal in a pot or a pressure cooker. Wash under running water. Add enough water to cover the dals by two inches, and add ¼ teaspoon turmeric.
- If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook for three whistles. If cooking the dal on the stovetop, bring the dal to a boil, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes or until the dal is very, very soft and purees easily when whisked. Skim off any foam that rises to the top during cooking and top off with more water if needed at any point. You can cook the lentils up to four days ahead and store them in the fridge before using.
Make first tadka
- In a Dutch oven heat 1 teaspoon oil over high heat. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
- Lower heat to the lowest point on your stove and add red pepper flakes and asafetida.
- Add onions to the pot with some salt and increase heat to medium. Sauté the onions over medium heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add ginger garlic paste and mix. Sauté for a minute.
- Add the tomato puree, ground coriander, remaining half teaspoon of turmeric and half teaspoon cayenne. Mix and sauté until there is no liquid in the pot.
- Put all the spinach into the pot. Mix in the spinach until it has wilted down, which should happen very quickly. Immediately add in the cooked, pureed lentils.
- Mix the lentils and spinach and add up to two cups of water depending on how thick or thin you want the dal to be. Bring the dal to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for five minutes. Check for salt and add more if needed. Squeeze in lemon juice.
Make the second tadka
- While the spinach is simmering, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small skillet. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sliced garlic. Sauté until the garlic turns golden but don't let it brown too much or it will get bitter. Turn off the heat and add in the paprika, if using.
- Carefully pour the hot oil with garlic over the spinach dal. Turn off heat. Serve the dal hot.
Notes
- Add a little more oil to the garlic tadka if the garlic begins to stick. Stay with the tadka - don't walk away - because the garlic can brown fast.
Nutrition Information
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My top tips for restaurant-style dal palak
- Two types of lentils or dal for the best flavor and texture. My favorite combination is toor dal (arhar dal/split pigeon peas) and moong dal (mung dal). That's because you want the dal to be perfectly creamy, and both these dals, when whisked after cooking, create a smooth puree. You can substitute the moong dal with masoor dal (red lentils). If you can use only one kind of dal, use toor dal or moong dal.
- Lots of spinach. There are nine ounces of spinach in this recipe, which sounds and looks like a lot, but spinach has a very high water content and it wilts down to almost nothing. You want the wonderful flavor of and nutrition from spinach to be front and center in this dal.
- Garlic, tons of it. Garlic is a must in spinach dal, and I cannot stress this enough. The garlic really brings the flavors of the dal and the spinach together but doesn't overwhelm. The more garlicky you can make this dal, the tastier it will be.
- Simmer the spinach with the dal for the best flavor. You don't need long - just five minutes of simmering the spinach and dal together will help their flavors marry and meld effortlessly.
- Two tadkas. A tadka is a tempering of hot oil and spices that's common to many Indian recipes. In this dal palak recipe, the first tadka of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red pepper flakes flavors the dal and spinach as they simmer together. The second tadka of more mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, and a pinch of paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder, adds color, flavor and makes this dish a feast for the eyes. The two tadkas together create that restaurant-style magic, so don't skip one if you want a great-tasting spinach dal.
Ingredient notes
Check recipe card for full list of ingredients.
- Lentils (dals): I use a 50-50 mix of toor dal (also called arhar dal or split pigeon peas) and moong dal (yellow mung dal). Mixing the two lentils will yield the smoothest dal after cooking and add more flavor. You can use just toor dal or just moong dal, but I recommend using both.
- Spices: turmeric, red pepper flakes, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground coriander, cayenne and paprika or Kashmiri chili powder (optional). The paprika is really for staining the oil so you get a dazzling look to the dal when you serve it. It doesn't really add more heat to the dal, but you can skip it.
- Garlic and ginger garlic paste: Some ginger garlic paste added to the onions infuses the dal with flavor, and thin slivers of garlic go into the final tadka. I use a whole bulb of garlic because I love the garlicky dal so much. You can tweak to your preference and add more or less.
- Lemon juice. The tangy juice finishes off the dal nicely and adds more flavor.
How to make dal palak
There are three simple parts to this dal recipe:
- Cooking the lentils until they are tender.
- The first tadka and making the dal.
- The second tadka, which adds a lot of flavor.
Follow along with the photographs and you can't go wrong. I've also included lots of tips and tricks for you to simplify the process even more. For a quicker, shorter version of the recipe, you can scroll down to the recipe card below.
Rinse the toor dal and moong dal and place in a pot or a pressure cooker. Wash under running water. Add enough water to cover the dals by two inches, and add ¼ teaspoon turmeric.
If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook for three whistles. If cooking the dal on the stovetop, bring the dal to a boil, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes or until the dal is very, very soft and purees easily when whisked. You can cook the lentils up to four days ahead and store them in the fridge.
In a Dutch oven or sauté pan heat 1 teaspoon oil over high heat. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter. Mustard seeds won't pop if the heat is turned low - they need the high heat. Once the mustard has popped, lower heat to the lowest point on your stove and add red pepper flakes and asafetida.
Add onions to the pot with some salt and increase heat to medium. The salt helps the onions sweat and cook faster. Sauté the onions over medium heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Add ginger garlic paste and stir to mix. Sauté for a minute.
Add the tomato puree, ground coriander, remaining half teaspoon of turmeric and half teaspoon cayenne.
Mix and sauté until there is no liquid in the pot.
Add all the spinach to the pot. It will seem like a lot but it will wilt down immediately.
Mix the spinach leaves into the tomatoes and onions until they have wilted down. This should take just a minute or two.
Immediately add in the cooked, whisked lentils.
Mix the lentils and spinach and add up to two cups of water depending on how thick or thin you want the dal to be. Bring the dal to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for five minutes. Check for salt and add more if needed. Squeeze in lemon juice.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small skillet. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and sliced garlic.
Sauté until the garlic turns golden. Don't let it brown too much or it will get bitter. Turn off the heat and add in the paprika, if using.
Carefully pour the hot oil with garlic over the spinach dal. Turn off heat. Serve the dal hot.
Tasty variation
I like adding peanuts to leafy dals, like methi dal. They are delicious in dal palak as well and although I did not add them to this recipe you can do so if you want more yum and a boost of protein. Sauté ¼ cup of whole, raw peanuts after the onions for a couple of minutes, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Dal Palak FAQs
Moong dal and toor dal both cook up creamy and will give you the perfect texture for the spinach dal. If you don't have them you can use pink lentils or masoor dal, which is an acceptable, but not perfect, substitute.
A lot of the flavor of this dal depends on the tadka, which will need oil. You can use cooking spray to sputter the mustard and sauté the garlic. It won't give you the same flavor, but you should still have a tasty dal palak.
Any quick-cooking green, like chard, arugula and watercress will work in this recipe. If you have a mix of spring greens sitting around in your fridge, add them to this dal.
Serve dal palak with roti or basmati rice. The dal is also thick enough to be scooped up with vegan naan (or try it with this healthy sourdough naan). To add more legumes and proteins to your diet, pair the palak dal with high protein roti with sprouts.
Refrigerate the dal palak for up to four days in an airtight container, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving. You might need to add more water to thin out the dal, but if you do check for salt and add more if needed.
First published Oct. 2016. Updated and re-published on Jan. 9, 2025.
Parul says
Made it and loved it Vaishali. Really very tasty. Hubs wanted second and third helpings.
Gina says
Dal...my number one favorite food to cook and eat. I love the many varieties and recipes. I am thankful to have lived and worked in countries where I fell in love with Indian cuisine, and formed friendships with people who've shared and taught me about cooking this nutritious, delicious, beautiful cuisine. This post of yours reminded me to reorder black mustard seeds, and toor dal, so I not only thank you for sharing the recipe but for the reminder (these are important pantry ingredients!). Many thanks--love and appreciate the recipes you share with us.
Vaishali says
So happy you love the Indian dal recipes, Gina - my favorites too, for sure. ❤️ It's comfort food at its best!
Beverly Wentworth says
Would Collard Greens work ? I thought I would mix spinach and Collards.
Thanks
Beverly
Vaishali says
Hi Beverly, yes, collards would be great here!
Juanita says
I have everything for this recipe except the mustard seed. Will it be good without?
Vaishali says
Yes. You can also use cumin if you have it.
P_ssP says
Hi!
Can u please share what kind of peanuts to be added? 'Fresh out-of-the-ground' kinda peanuts or dried peanuts with/out skin???
Vaishali says
Unroasted peanuts without shells, skin is fine.
P_ssP says
Thank U so much, for your prompt reply... gonna cook it for to ite's supper!
Hi!
Can u please share what kind of peanuts to be added? 'Fresh out-of-the-ground' kinda peanuts or dried peanuts with/out skin???
Lera says
Finally got around to making this, it's delicious, low-cal, and very filling even without rice/naan. The only thing I did differently is add vegetable broth instead of water since I had extra. I was initially worried about the amount of spinach but it actually was well balanced, and the tip about whisking it all at the end was gold.
Vaishali says
Awesome, Lera, so happy you tried it.
Lera says
Hi there, this looks yummy but I'm a bit confused about the amount of spinach we need. Could you approximate the amount in cups or by weight?
Thanks!
Vaishali says
Hi Lera, the wording was a bit messed up because I recently switched to another recipe plugin- I have corrected it. It would be two bunches, or 9 ounces.
Lera says
Thanks very much 🙂
Ruth Eisenbud says
Is there anything better than a big bowl of spicy warm dal on a cool fall day? What would you recommend to have with the dal to make a complete meal, though though dal alone is complete, filling, nutritious and satisfying.
Vaishali says
Hi Ruth, just some boiled white or brown rice is great with this, or any kind of Indian flatbread, like a roti or a naan.