Potato and Lentil Dahl with Spinach (2024)

Published: Apr 14, 2019 · Updated: Jan 18, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · We donate 10% of our profits to support good causes.

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This potato and lentil dahl is a quick one pot meal. Ready in 25 mins on the stove or just 15 mins if you use a pressure cooker. It's simple, spicy and nourishing!

This one pot meal gives you all you need

Aren’t one pot meals great? They are perfect when you are limited on cooking space (like we are in our campervan), energy efficient and require less washing up!

We think the key to a good one pot meal is that it ticks all those nutrition and flavour boxes. In our onepot dahl the potatoes give you the carbs, the lentils the protein, and the spices the rich taste. The addition of raisins gives a really nice sweet burst of flavour to complement the spiciness. And stirring in spinach at the end gives you a good dose of healthy greens.

We really love red lentils, as they cook so quickly and don’t need to be soaked before cooking. They are simple, quick and nutritious. We buy them in bulk, that’s how much we love them. Find out more about how awesome red lentils are in our Red Lentil Dal of Love recipe.

Cooking this potato and lentil dahl with spinach

If you are using a pressure cooker, then you can make this potato and lentil dahl in under 15 minutes! Just the right thing when you want to spend more time enjoying your meal than cooking it. If you are not using a pressure cooker yet, then go and get one now! They are not expensive, easy to use and will transform the way you cook! Not convinced yet? Read our Five Reasons Why You Should Get A Pressure Cooker.

You start cooking this tasty meal by frying the onion, then adding the garlic, ginger and spices. Frying these for just another minute or two is what brings all the flavour to this dish!

Next chuck in the potatoes, lentils, water, salt and raisins. Just give it all a good stir before popping the lid on and bringing up to high pressure. All you need to do then is cook for 5 minutes, then switch off and let the pressure release naturally. If you are not using a pressure cooker, just bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once done, simply stir in the lemon juice and spinach before serving.

The potato and lentil dahl needs no side dish - no rice, no bread or anything - as it packs all the carbs in the potatoes to be a filling and nutritious meal. And so tasty too!

Change it up!

Got tinned tomatoes or canned coconut milk? Add some for more flavour.
Not got all the individual spices? Use 4 tsp of your fave curry powder instead
Fancy a change from potatoes? Use sweet potatoes instead…
Like things a bit hotter? Add a fresh chilli in when you add the spices.
Want a bit more texture? Sprinkle some toasted nuts, seed or whole spices on top.

Love lentils as much as we do? Try our:

Spanish Lentil Stew - it’s smoky and rich

Vegan Lentil Risotto with Butternut Squash - a delicious protein rich dish

Vegan Lentil Ragu - perfect for pastas, lasagne, and more!

And if you are big fan of dishes of Indian inspired dishes we can also recommend:

Our Vegan Tikka Masala with roasted veggies and tofu.

And this creamy Vegan Korma.

📖 Recipe

Potato and Lentil Dahl with Spinach

5 from 39 votes

This potato and lentil dahl is spicy and filling. Don't you just love easy onepot meals?

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Vegan

Ingredients

▢ 2 tbsp coconut oil
▢ 1 onion finely chopped
▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
▢ 2 cm ginger minced
▢ 4 medium potatoes cubed
▢ 1 tsp cumin
▢ 1 tsp turmeric
▢ 1 tsp coriander
▢ ¼ tsp cardamon
▢ ¼ tsp cinnamon
▢ ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
▢ 1 cup (180 g) red lentils
▢ 3 cups (720 ml) water
▢ ¼ cup (40 g) raisins
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ ½ lemon juiced
▢ 2 cups (60 g) spinach
▢ garam masala to serve

Instructions

In a large saucepan, fry the chopped onion in the coconut oil until they are starting to brown.
Stir in the garlic and ginger, cook for another minute.
Add the spices: cumin, turmeric, coriander, cardamon, cinnamon, cayenne pepper. Stir and fry for another minute.
Add the cubed potato, red lentils, water, raisins and salt.
Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally.
Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Take off the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Pressure Cooker Method

Follow the steps 1 - 4 above, but when adding the water, add only 2 ½ cups instead of 3.
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Seal the pressure cooker lid and bring up to high pressure.
Pressure cook for 5 minutes, then take off the heat and let pressure release naturally.
Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Notes

You can substitute all the spices with a 4 tsp of curry powder.

Nutrition

This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment to let us know! Share a photo and tag @veganonboard - we love to see what you make!

Coming back from a hike in the rocky canyon of the Douro National Park in Portugal, we made this flavourful potato and lentil dahl. What we needed was a simple, quick and nourishing meal to refuel our bodies. And this spicy one pot dish was just perfect. There’s nothing like sitting back enjoying tasty food surrounded by the beauty of nature.

With love from Portugal,

Sophie & Paul

Our Favourite Vegan Lentil Ragu »

Reader Interactions

Comments

MJ says
March 12, 2024 at 11:32 am
If I was to use a can of tomatoes do I just add them in step 4 or do they substitute for the water?
Looking forward to trying this dish and hopefully adding to my 'one pot wonders' rotation for camping.
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  March 12, 2024 at 11:39 am
  Hi MJ, great question!
  Yes, add the can of tomatoes along with the lentils and potatoes in step 4 of the recipe card. Try reducing the water by half, and only add more if necessary. Hope you'll like it, and feel free to let us know how it turned out 🙂
  Paul
  Reply
Jessica says
February 03, 2024 at 2:26 am
Loved the flavor in this recipe!! My potatoes turned out mushy. What potatoes do you recommend?
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  February 03, 2024 at 6:11 pm
  Glad you loved the flavor Jessica! If you'd like your potatoes to still keep their shape, then waxy potatoes such as new potatoes, Fingerling or red potatoes are a good choice as they are less starchy. Yukon gold or Maris Piper or other all purpose types are also good for a softer but still more together texture than more starchy varieties such as Russets, which tend to be more likely to fall apart. This is a handy guide to choosing potatoes varieties for cooking. Hope that helps! Sophie
  Reply
Wendy says
December 10, 2023 at 6:36 pm

I made a double recipe and took it to a church luncheon and WHAT A HIT!! Such great flavor. Even people that I know are kind of picky eaters said the Dahl was delicious. Thank you Sophie & Paul😎
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  December 11, 2023 at 10:51 am
  Wahoo! So happy to hear this Wendy 🙂
  Reply
Wendy says
December 10, 2023 at 10:01 am
Question- can vegetable broth be used in place of water?
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  December 10, 2023 at 10:25 am
  Hi Wendy, Absolutely, it will add a bit more flavour. I'd recommend just adding salt to taste at the end, as broth often has salt in.
  Reply
Kate says
October 15, 2023 at 11:52 pm

I made this tonight and it was so good! Didn’t have any raisins and left out the hot pepper because it’s too much heat for me. I’ll definitely make it again.
Reply
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- Sophie and Paul says
  February 21, 2024 at 11:26 am
  Thanks Kate. Hope you enjoy it again soon!
  Reply
Bea says
April 04, 2023 at 3:58 pm

This is a wonderful recipe! I love everything about it. However, I left out the raisins several times when I have made it and it tastes just as good. I sometimes leave out the raisins because I shouldn’t eat a lot of sugar.
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  April 06, 2023 at 9:12 am
  Thanks Bea! Glad you enjoy it!
  Reply
John says
February 17, 2023 at 10:01 pm
Hi there. It wasn’t clear to me from the recipe whether the potatoes should be peeled. Do you peel them first or cube them with the peels on?
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  February 17, 2023 at 10:04 pm
  Hi John, we don't usually peel the potatoes for this dish, just wash them - we like them with the skin on! 🙂 But you can peel them if you prefer.
  Enjoy! S&P
  Reply
  - John says
    February 18, 2023 at 12:28 am
    
    Thanks. I went ahead and peeled them. The recipe turned out great and was super easy. Everyone loved it. Will definitely make again!
    Reply
Lucy says
August 27, 2022 at 3:12 pm

Delicious and easy to make!
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  October 03, 2022 at 12:36 pm
  Thanks Lucy, it's a great staple and budget friendly meal. Glad you enjoyed it!
  Reply
Thyra says
May 05, 2022 at 12:32 am
Making this tonight! Excited to try it out.
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  May 05, 2022 at 12:20 pm
  Thanks Thyra! Enjoy 🙂
  Reply
Angela says
March 24, 2021 at 9:00 pm

Made this on a dreary March day 2021. Followed the recipe with no changes. Love it! I'll make it again for sure!
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  March 26, 2021 at 10:21 am
  So happy you enjoyed it Angela! It's definitely a great cosy meal to brighten up the day 🙂
  Reply
Frances says
January 17, 2021 at 7:42 pm

This was delicious the first day I made it. It was fantastic the following day when I ate the leftovers when all the flavors melded together! I followed the pressure cooker exactly except that I added more raisins because I like it sweeter and only used 1/8 tsp cayenne. Kinda of a wimp when it comes to cayenne. So easy and yummy. Will definitely make again and again.
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  January 18, 2021 at 10:08 pm
  Hey Frances! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Yes, food with plenty of savoury flavour and spices often get better after a day! Good to know the pressure cooker worked for you! Everybody does things a bit differently so it's good to have that confirmation. Enjoy! <3
  Reply
  - Laura says
    May 06, 2021 at 12:35 pm
    Question-- can this be made with brown lentils? We don't have any red and they're hard to find around here. Thanks!
    Reply
    - Sophie and Paul says
      May 06, 2021 at 1:54 pm
      Hey Laura, I reckon you could use brown lentils but you will need to increase the cooking time (probably to about twice as long) and add more water if necessary. The texture will be more firm as brown lentils don't fall apart in the same way that red lentils do. Another option would be to use split yellow peas (though they will also need cooking for longer) if they are available near you. Hope that helps!
      Reply
Rose says
January 03, 2021 at 5:45 pm

Excellent dish! Will be making this regularly.
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  January 03, 2021 at 10:05 pm
  Thank you Rose! 🙂 Glad you like it! S&P
  Reply
KJ says
December 31, 2020 at 5:01 am
This really is a quick, tasty, and nourishing recipe. Made it a couple times and will make again. Just a quick heads up - instead of "Dahl" it should be "dal" 🙂 Take care
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  January 06, 2021 at 8:41 pm
  Hey KJ, glad you like the recipe! 🙂
  We've seen many variations of the name. We often use dal ourselves, but there's also daal, dhal and dahl! Possibly depends on how it is translated into English? We've called it Dahl here because that's what a lot of people are searching for on the web 🙂 Take care, Paul & Sophie
  Reply
Linda Lewis says
December 17, 2020 at 8:25 pm

As a vegan I do eat quite a lot of dhal, but this is probably the best yet! I think it may be because the recipe uses authentic fragrant spices such as cinnamon and cardoman instead of just garam masala. Delicious! It will become a regular for me! *****
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  December 18, 2020 at 1:30 pm
  Hi Linda, so happy to hear how much you love this recipe 🙂 Thank you!
  If you like the authentic flavours and spices, we think you would also like our Vegan Tikka Masala, which is full of them and our new favourite Indian recipe!
  xx Sophie & Paul
  Reply
Jane says
March 31, 2020 at 6:18 pm

This was wonderful. Both my partner & I thought the raisins were a delicious addition. I used prepared curry powder and added a few extra dashes cardamom, cinnamon, and garam masala. I also made it oil-free by cooking my onions, garlic, and ginger in a pan with a splash of water to keep from sticking. Thanks for a great recipe!
Reply
- Sophie and Paul says
  April 09, 2020 at 12:04 pm
  Thanks so much Jane. We're delighted you enjoyed this dahl - especially the bonus raisins! We really love that little burst of sweetness to contrast the gentle spices of the lentils. I'm sure our oil free readers will find your tips useful - so thank you!
  Sophie
  Reply