Spinach and Tomato Dal (Dal Palak)

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Mildly spiced and oh-so-creamy, this Spinach Dal (Dal Palak) recipe comes together in under 30 minutes for a protein-packed meal everyone will enjoy. This hearty, vegetarian spinach dahl cooks up in one pot for a comforting meal you can easily pair with fresh rice or roti.

Growing up, I was not a big fan of dal, also known as the Indian yellow lentil soup to the rest of the world. I may have harassed and annoyed my mom a few times during dinner by blurting out, “Dal, again?”

This was because we ate dal pretty much every other day. That’s probably true for most Indians, though, as dal is an integral part of an Indian diet.

However, this aversion to dal changed when my grad school roommate introduced me to a new dal dish – Dhaba style Dal Palak or Spinach and Tomato Dal. Served with a side of steamed rice, this spinach and dal curry was creamy, delicious, and mildly spiced.

I finally started appreciating dal.

This dal palak recipe opened my mind to new ways of combining dal with vegetables and sometimes even meat to create some truly delicious and nutritious meals.

While dal is most commonly served with rice or rotis, this vegan and gluten-friendly lentil curry can also be consumed as a soup. Dilute this recipe with a little water, and it can be your version of an Indian lentil curry soup 🙂

What is spinach dal?

Dal Palak, also known as spinach dal, is named based on the two main ingredients. The word dal can be used as both an ingredient and a dish. The ingredient dal typically refers split peas, lentils, or other split pulses. When used in a dish, these ingredients make the dish a dal.

The second main ingredient in this recipe, palak, is the Hindi word for spinach. So a spinach dal is simply a dish made with spinach and split pulses. Served thick like a curry or thinned out more like a soup, there is no wrong way to whip up this delicious dal.

Fun fact: Dal is the word for both split pulses (such as split peas or red lentils) and dishes made from them. To know more about different types of pulses and lentils, check out this post – The ultimate guide to identifying and using pulses.

Alternate names

Much like every region in India has its own recipe for biryani, spinach dal or dhal also has different regional variations and, thus, slightly different names for the dish. For example, in North India, you might see it called dal palak or saag dal, while in Andhra, it’s often called palak pappu.

Health benefits

Between the filling and hearty pulses and the fresh, vibrant spinach, this one-pot meal has many great health benefits. Let’s look at the two main ingredients, toor dal, and spinach, to learn about what makes this a healthy meal.

Toor dal, also called the pigeon pea, provides:

• a great source of protein
• high levels of folate, thiamine, and manganese
• an excellent source of fiber.

Learn a little more about the health benefits of toor dal in this Livestrong article.

Spinach (palak) adds a buttery flavor to this dal recipe. Its health benefits include:

• a low-carb vegetable
• rich in fiber
• great source of Vitamin A, C, and K
• contains folic acid, iron, and calcium.

For additional information about the health benefits of spinach, Healthline breaks down the Nutrition and Health Facts about Spinach.

Reasons to love dal palak

Aside from the filling boost of protein, fiber, and vitamins, you will enjoy in each serving of this dal palak, here are a few more reasons you’ll love making this simple meal.

• Cooks in under 30 minutes! Perfect for those busy weeknights.
• One pot meal makes cleanup a breeze.
• Nutrition-packed – From plant-based protein to nutrient-rich spinach, this recipe has no shortage of health benefits.
• Kid-friendly recipe – Plus, it’s an easy way to sneak in greens.
• Versatile recipe – This forgiving dish allows you to mix up the dals and leafy greens depending on what is available and personal preference (see variation sections for ideas).

Here’s what you need

Variations

I love this recipe because it can be made with just a few ingredients. For instance, you can skip tomatoes, onions, and garlic, and it’ll still taste divine. Here are a few ways to mix it up every time you make this palak dal.

• Hyderabadi dal palak: The south Indian version of palak dal calls for a few more ingredients in the tempering, such as mustard seeds, curry leaves, and urad dal. Follow the ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below for tempering but add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds along with cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds are done sputtering, add 1 teaspoon of urad dal and curry leaves and fry for 5-10 seconds.
• Lasooni dal palak: To a tadka pan kept over medium heat, add a 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic (2-3 cloves) and 2 red chilies (Byadgi). Fry for 10-15 seconds. Turn off the heat. Pour this tempering over hot dal.
• Gluten-free version: Skip asafoetida to make it gluten-free.
• Mix up dals: You can use one kind of dal in this recipe or mix up two dals in a 1:1 ratio. Here are a few of my favorite ones: moong, toovar, masoor (brown lentils), etc.
• Other leafy greens: You can also use frozen spinach (no need to thaw). Other leafy greens that you can add or substitute in this dal include methi (fenugreek leaves), kale, arugula, etc. Note: Remember to discard any thick stems.
• Vegan version: skip ghee and use the oil of your choice.

Cooking spinach dal with rice

Here’s the good thing about using a pressure cooker (electric or stovetop): you can cook two things simultaneously using a pot-in-pot technique. The important thing to note is cooking times of the two dishes to be cooked don’t have to be an exact match, but they do need to be within the 5-10 minute range.

Here’s how you can cook spinach dal with Basmati rice – Use the inner pot to cook the dal, place a trivet, and over the trivet, place an oven-safe container filled with rice and water.

• After the dal and water have been added to the pressure cooker, place a trivet over it.
• On top of the trivet, place an oven-safe container with 2 cups Basmati rice and 2.5 cups water. No need to cover it.
• Close the cooker and set the cooking time. The cooking time should be set based on the food that is cooked in the inner pot, which is 10 minutes. As the liquid in the inner pot heats up, the resulting steam cooks the rice too.
• Pressure cook. Once the cooking cycle is complete, remove the inner container carefully using tongs.

How to cook dal without a pressure cooker?

In a large saucepan, combine dal with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the dal is tender about 30 minutes.

Depending on the consistency of the dal you want to make, you may decide not to use all the liquid in the dal. Don’t discard it; reserve it for later. The drained liquid will come in handy for diluting the dal.

How to prep ahead

Making this spinach dal recipe takes less than 30 minutes. To cut back on some of your prep time, try some of these time-saving tips.

• Chop onions a few days in advance or get frozen chopped onions to store in your freezer.
• Make ginger and garlic paste early.
• Buy packaged, washed, and rinsed spinach.

Storage tips

Whether you are looking to keep this dal recipe for just a few days or prep it and freeze it, here are my tips for storing and reheating dal palak.

Refrigerator – Keeps 2-3 days in an air-tight container.

Freezer – Stores for a couple of months air-tight, freezer-safe container.

Reheat – Dal thickens when refrigerated. Dilute it with water to get the required consistency. Reheat in a microwave for a minute or two until heated through.

Other dal recipes to try

Here are a few other dal recipes that we enjoy and often make at home:

• Tadka Dal – One-pot recipes are the best! That’s why you’ll love this Tadka dal (tempered dal) recipe – make it in an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker – and you’ll have your meal ready in no time.
• Dal Tove – It is the simplest dal ever made from a few basic pantry ingredients.
• Dal fry – This recipe for Dal Fry is very close to my heart because it comes from my mom’s kitchen. This is my humble attempt to recreate the hearty and lip-smacking dal my mom makes at home. This is her signature dish – simple and elegant, just like her.
• One pot moong dal khichdi – A wholesome and nutritious meal –  Moong dal khichdi made from rice and moong dal (split lentils) is comfort food at its best. This one-pot, 5-ingredient meal is easy on your stomach and is perfect for all ages.

This recipe was first published on 11/15/2016 and was completely updated with new images and text on 11/03/2022.