12+ Easy Lentil Recipes (Indian Dals & More)

Here's a collection of easy Lentil Recipes that turn dried lentils into healthy, delicious, and budget-friendly vegetarian dinners for your family. Enjoy these multi-cuisine recipes, including soups, curries, chaat, salad, a wide variety of Indian dals, and even dessert.

Collage of assorted Indian lentil dishes including dal, soup, and curry from Spice Cravings. — A variety of delicious and healthy Indian lentil recipes from Spice Cravings, perfect for any meal.

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Lentils are a great source of plant-based fiber, protein, iron, antioxidants, and many vitamins. They're a pantry staple in my home! Lentils are naturally vegan, gluten-free, and budget-friendly.

I grew up eating a variety of lentils since they're such an integral part of everyday Indian cooking. In India, lentils are known as pulses, or more commonly as Dal (in Hindi). From simple 'everyday' dals, like Toor, Masoor to hearty Chana Dal, or a fancier Dal Makhani, there's a lentil for every occasion.

I prefer pressure-cooking lentils in the Instant Pot because this hands-off method makes them creamy and evenly cooked. It's a set-it-and-forget-it method I've used for more than 20 years.

Check out this detailed post on how to cook lentils in the Instant Pot. In that post, I list the cook times for different kinds of lentils and Dals, including soaked and unsoaked cooking instructions.

All recipes in this collection are vegetarian and gluten-free. You can easily make them vegan by replacing ghee (if used) with any plant-based oil. Readers around the world have tried & enjoyed these popular recipes! Hope you enjoy them too!

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