Easy Dal Palak

One of our top choices when we go eating out is a local Indian restaurant about 30 miles away. Whenever we visit, I order Dal Palak, as it is one of the few vegan options on the menu. I absolutely love this dish! I order it each and every time I go. It’s a lentil soup made with split chickpeas, spinach, tomato, and spices.

I love it so much that I went on a mission to recreate the same flavors at home. After searching and trying tens of recipes, I just couldn’t find a satisfying one – it was either too soupy, too spicy or the texture was off.

However, during my last visit to the restaurant, I had a quick talk with the chef and got the chance to squeeze some tips out of him. After a lot of time perfecting the recipe, let me just say that my Dal Palak lives up to the restaurant’s version!

There are many ways to make dal palak. Some recipes call for stirring some sautéed spinach into dal, resulting in very little spinach flavor. My version is LOADED with spinach. Spinach lovers? You are in for a treat!

A quick note: Don’t get scared by its unappetizing dark green color. While my Dal Palak might look like a black magic potion, it will actually delight your tastebuds!

⭐️ Why You Will Love It

Perfectly spiced. Restaurant-style flavors.

My dal recipe is everything you would expect from a gourmet Indian restaurant. It’s incredibly savory, rich, creamy, and well-balanced. It is not spicy but very flavorful, thanks to the aromatics and spices. Speaking of spices, I made sure that they do not cover the flavor of the spinach but complement it.

Erica, a reader, said: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I cooked this, and it really does taste restaurant-quality! The final result was beautiful, savory, and delicious.”

Spot-on texture.

In this recipe, I am going all out with the spinach! And for a more interesting and pleasant texture, I blend 2/3 of the spinach until fully smooth and chop the rest of the leaves. This way, you get a super creamy consistency while still having some whole spinach leaves here and there.

Healthy and nutritious.

What I like about this dal is how rich it is in spinach. This makes it lighter (a great lower-calorie option) than other types of dahl, plus you get your daily dose of greens!

📘 What Is Dal Palak

Dal palak (दाल पालक) is an Indian dish made with lentils, spinach, and spices. It is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes in India, along with many other types of dal, like Dal Makhani, Masoor Dal, and Chana Dal.

Dal (दाल) basically means “pulses” in Indian. It refers to many types of lentils and beans. Palak (पालक) means spinach. So, this dish could be translated to lentil spinach soup.

🍅 Ingredient Notes

Split chickpeas

Authentic dal palak (according to the Indian chef who gave me the tips) is often made with split chickpeas (called chana dal). Split chickpeas are basically dried chickpeas that have been skinned and split. They are generally smaller than regular chickpeas and have a yellow color.

As opposed to whole chickpeas, those cook a lot faster and don’t require soaking (although you can soak them to make them easier to digest).

Where to buy: You can find split chickpeas on Amazon or in Indian supermarkets.

Substitute: If you can’t find split chickpeas, you can use yellow split peas. However, for the best results, I highly recommend trying the recipe with split chickpeas.

Red lentils

Also known as Masoor Dal, red lentils add a hint of nuttiness and help with the consistency. See, as they cook, red lentils tend to “melt” during cooking, helping thicken the dal.

I do not recommend replacing red lentils with green or brown lentils, as this would completely alter the taste and texture of this dal.

Onion, garlic, ginger

Because you want a very aromatic spinach soup! Onion and garlic bring a pungent aroma, while the ginger adds zestiness and a hint of spiciness. Feel free to replace the onion with 2 shallots.

Tomatoes and tomato paste

Not all dal palak recipes call for tomatoes, but I love the natural sweetness and subtle acidity they add to this dal. For the best flavor, I recommend using a large ripe tomato.

Spinach

The star of this recipe! To impart a ton of flavor to this dal, I incorporate 9 full cups of spinach, which is approximately 9 ounces (250g). Through testing, I discovered that blending two-thirds of the spinach and chopping the rest yielded the best consistency – you get plenty of spinach flavor and a smooth texture.

Note: Any type of spinach will work. I have tried this recipe with both regular and baby spinach. Regular spinach imparts a bolder flavor to your dal with a subtle bitterness. Baby spinach, on the other hand, has a milder flavor since it’s harvested before it is completely mature.

In the end, both work great. If you love spinach, go with the regular one. If you are not a big fan of spinach, use baby spinach.

Tip: If using regular spinach, remove the stems. If using baby spinach, skip this step.

Spices

Turmeric, coriander, garam masala, chili, and fenugreek. The latter is essential to achieving a restaurant-style flavor. You can even add a pinch of asafoetida (also known as hing) to create more complex flavors.

Fenugreek: If you can get your hands on fenugreek leaves, it will be even better! Slightly crush them to get about 2 teaspoons.

Nutritional yeast

It is definitely not a traditional ingredient, but one that adds extra savouriness. Feel free to omit it if you don’t have it – it won’t change the flavor considerably.

Coconut milk

This is not an ingredient I was using in my original recipe, but after further testing, I realized that adding a generous amount of cream toward the end of cooking elevates the whole dish. It’s creamier, more balanced, and richer.

Substitute: You can replace the coconut cream with cashew cream or with your favorite plant-based cream. When it comes to store-bought options, I like Forager Sour Cream as well as the one from Kite Hill.

🥣 How to Make It

1. Cook the chickpeas and lentils

1. Rinse them. Start by rinsing the split chickpeas and red lentils a few times under cold water. Drain them well.
2. Cook until tender. Transfer the chickpeas and lentils to a medium saucepan and cover with 2 and 1/4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 25-27 minutes uncovered or until the chickpeas are al dente and almost no water remains. They should not be hard but not mushy, either.

Note: I personally don’t soak the split chickpeas as I like them to have a subtle bite. If you prefer your chickpeas very tender, soak them in cold water for 2-3 hours before using them.

2. Make the Tadka

Also known as “tempering,” Tadka is a cooking technique used in many Indian recipes. It consists of cooking aromatics and spices in hot oil to release and enhance their flavor.

1. Sauté the aromatics. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pot or large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are soft.

2. Add the spices. Next, add all of the spices and stir to combine. Sauté for 1 more minute.

3. Add the tomato. Add the chopped tomato, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the tomatoes are soft.

3. Prepare the spinach

1. Blend the spinach. While the tomatoes are cooking, wash and drain the spinach well. Place about 6 cups of spinach in a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Chop the spinach. Roughly chop the remaining 3 cups of spinach.

3. Let simmer

1. Add the chopped spinach. To the pot, add the chopped spinach and sauté for 2 minutes.

2. Add the chickpeas and lentils. Next, add the cooked split chickpeas and red lentils and stir to combine.
3. Let simmer. Add the blended spinach to the pot and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
4. Finish with a splash of cream. Finally, stir in the coconut cream (or your plant-based cream of choice) and stir to combine.

🌶️ Variations

Looking for ways to customize this dal? I have got you covered! Here are a few ideas:

• Make it heartier: Add cooked diced potatoes toward the end of cooking.
• Make it herby: After cooking, stir in 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and a few mint leaves.
• Give it a kick of heat: If you want this dal to be spicy, chop half of a Bird’s Eye chili and sauté with the other aromatics.

💬 FAQ

This dal palak recipe is incredibly aromatic, subtly spiced, and so comforting! It’s also great for meal prep and packs 12g of protein per serving!

🇮🇳 More Indian Recipes

Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Veggie Balls in Creamy Masala Sauce

Potato & Green Bean Stuffed Naan

Vegan Samosas

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Note

This recipe was first released in June 2017 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in July 2024. You can find the original photos below.