This Butternut Squash Dahl is a nourishing dal that everyone will love. Made with red lentils, butternut squash, onion, tomatoes, and spices, this easy dal is cooked in one pot. Pair with homemade naan bread and cucumber raita for the ultimate comfort food.
About This Butternut Squash Dal Recipe
Dal and rice is my ultimate comfort food—light, comforting, and healthy. This Butternut Squash Dal is my take on moong dal fry, made all in one pot for a simple, hassle-free meal. Plus there is less cleaning afterwards.
This recipe couldn’t be simpler: make a quick onion-tomato masala from scratch (or use my frozen curry sauce cubes), then add red lentils, squash, and water. Cook for 6 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot pressure cooker, and you're done! Just top it off, and you’re ready to enjoy.
When I make it in on the stove top, the process is the same, with cooking time for lentils slightly longer.
I often make a large batch of dal since it freezes well and is perfect for meal prep during busy weekdays. It’s also a wonderful meal to share with family or friends—my friend frequently sends it to her child in university!
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: Adds a natural sweetness and creamy texture to the dal. Opt for fresh squash if you can, but pre-cut or frozen cubes work well too when you’re short on time.
- Red Lentils: These cook quickly and give a creamy consistency like in my red lentil dahl. You can also swap with yellow moong dal, yellow split peas dal or a mix of lentils for variation.
- Oil or Ghee: I prefer using homemade ghee for a richer flavor, but sunflower oil or any neutral oil will do if you want a vegan option.
- Cumin Seeds (Jeera): Essential for the tempering, adding a nutty flavor to the dish. You can add mustard seeds and fennel seeds for extra depth.
- Ginger and Garlic: Freshly minced ginger and garlic bring out bold flavors. You can also use ready-made paste for convenience.
- Green Chilies: I use birds eye chiliies for heat. But you can use what you have or leave it out if you don't want it spicy.
- Onion: Red onions are my go-to, but feel free to use any type you have on hand—brown, white, or shallots.
- Tomato: Fresh Roma tomatoes are best, but canned tomatoes work just as well. Just match the weight.
- Spices: I keep it simple with turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, and garam masala for a balanced flavor.
- Water: Use 3 cups of water for every cup of lentils, adding a little extra to account for the butternut squash.
- Toppings: Fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the dish before serving.
How to make Red lentils and Butternut squash dal in Instant Pot? Step by Step
Preparation:
Rinse the red lentils under cold water until clear. Peel and dice the butternut squash, chop the onion, and set aside. For quicker prep, use a food processor to chop the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili together.
Make Onion-Tomato Masala:
To save time, use my homemade onion-tomato masala cubes from the freezer. Otherwise, make it from scratch.
Cook the Dal:
Turn on the Instant Pot and press sauté. Add oil and cumin, letting it sizzle. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili mixture. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften.
Add diced tomatoes, ½ cup of water, and spices. Sauté for another 4 minutes until well combined, then cancel sauté mode.
Pressure Cook:
Add lentils, butternut squash, and 2 cups of water or broth. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.
Finish:
Open the lid, taste the dal, and season with salt and lemon juice. Press sauté again and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or naan. Enjoy!
Note: The cooking time is now just 6 minutes, down from my previous 12 minutes, as I've found it works perfectly after making it a few times. The total time may still take around 20 minutes due to pressure buildup.
Tips
- In my home, I always include vegetables like tomatoes, butternut squash, spinach, or any seasonal produce. They not only enhance the flavor but also add great nutritional value. For the most delicious taste, I recommend using ghee for the tadka, though oil works perfectly fine as well.
- If you have time, make a tadka in a separate pan towards the end and add it to your dal in the instant pot. I can tell you this will make your butternut squash dal truly special. I suggest using cumin seeds, mustard seeds, sliced garlic and curry leaves for tempering just like I do in my tarka dal, which infuse the dal with aromatic flavors. (Optional)
- To speed up the process of making dal on busier days, use my frozen onion tomato masala cubes and prep the butternut squash in advance.
Serving Suggestions
Dal and rice is my go-to comfort food combo—it’s just perfect together. To make it a complete thali, I love pairing this dal with basmati rice, Instant Pot Palak Paneer, chopped Indian salad, and cucumber raita.
If I'm not serving rice, I’ll go with homemade phulka roti for a lighter side. Alternatively, garlic naan bread, homemade chapati or yogurt flatbread all work beautifully.
For a larger Indian feast, I’d serve this butternut squash dal alongside dishes like jjackfruit curry, paneer curry, onion bhaji, steaming basmati rice, and homemade naan bread.
Since this dal has a bit of spice, I always serve it with plain yogurt or a cooling raita such as onion raita or boondi raita to balance out the heat.
Storing leftover Butternut squash dahl
- In the Fridge: Let the dal cool to room temperature before storing. Transfer it to a clean, airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: For longer storage, transfer the cooled dal to an airtight container or ziplock bags. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thawing Frozen Dal: To thaw, move the dal to the fridge overnight or defrost it in the microwave. Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave until hot throughout
Busy Weeknight? Always Make Dal in the Instant Pot
Since I started using my Instant Pot, it’s become my go-to gadget for making dal—whether it’s toor dahl, chana dal, split peas dal, moong dal tadka, brown lentils, green lentils, or even red kidney beans. It makes cooking lentils so quick and easy, and I can set the timer for the perfect cook every time. Plus, it's a lifesaver on busy weeknights. I love serving with steamed white rice for a comforting meal.
The best part? One pot dinner recipe means fewer dishes to clean up afterward!
Do you have half a packet of red lentils lying in your pantry? Try these recipes
Butternut squash red lentils dal recipe below
Ingredients
Ingredients for Butternut Squash Red Lentil Dal
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 Yellow Onion finely chopped (50g)
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green chilli minced **
- 1 tomato diced (100g)
- 2 Cup butternut Squash cubed (400g)
- ½ Cup Red Lentil rinsed until clear (100g)
- 2-2½ cup water / vegetable stock
- Salt to taste
- Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves
Spice Powders
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder optional
- ¾- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala or Curry powder
Instructions
INSTANT POT BUTTERNUT SQUASH RED LENTIL DAL
- Turn on the Instant Pot, press the sauté button and wait until it heats up. Add oil and cumin, and wait until the cumin starts to sizzle.1 teaspoon Oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili mixture and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.1 Yellow Onion , 1 inch ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 2 green chilli
- Add the tomatoes ,½ cup of water and spice powders and sauté for another 4 minutes, until everything is well combined. Cancel the sauté mode on the Instant Pot.1 tomato , ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder, ¾- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala, ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Now add red lentils, butternut squash and the remaining water. Make sure everything is well mixed.2 Cup butternut Squash, ½ Cup Red Lentil , 2-2½ cup water / vegetable stock
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot, Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes and let pressure release naturally.
- Open the Instant Pot, season with salt, squeeze lemon juice.Lemon Juice, Salt to taste
- Press sauté button and sauté for additional 2 mins if there is any excess water.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, serve with rice or naan bread.2 tablespoon Coriander leaves
STOVE TOP BUTTERNUT SQUASH DAL
- Place red Lentils, butternut Squash, salt and water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Check if the lentils are cooked by gently squeezing between your fingers. Once the red lentil is soft, remove them from heat.
- Heat oil in a fry pan, add cumin seeds. Once they sizzle, add onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Cook until translucent. Add the diced tomatoes, & spice powders and cook in medium flame for about 10 minutes or until the masala combines well.
- Add the red lentils, diced butter nut squash, salt and water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Check if the lentils are cooked by gently squeezing between your fingers.. Cook for a further few minutes until a creamy texture is achieved.
- Taste and add more seasoning as needed. Squeeze some lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Video
Notes
Rinse the red lentils under cold water until clear. Peel and dice the butternut squash, chop the onion, and set aside. For quicker prep, use a food processor to chop the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili together. Make Onion-Tomato Masala:
To save time, use my homemade onion-tomato masala cubes from the freezer. Otherwise, make it from scratch. Recipe Update: I’ve found that cooking this dal for 12 minutes is longer than needed. Now, I only cook on high pressure for just 6 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release—it works perfectly every time! Make Butternut Squash Dal with onion tomato masala Add 1 frozen cube of the onion tomato masala, dal, butternut squash and water. Pressure cook for 6 minutes on HIGH Pressure. Natural pressure release. Add lemon juice and fresh coriander and serve.
David Evans says
Beatutiful, and so simple. As I had loads of courgettes, I grated a small one and fried it up with the onions to thicken up the gravy a bit.
Sandhya Hariharan says
Thank You David..So glad you loved it. I love courgettes and adding them to the butternut squash dal is a great a tip.
Sophie says
Hello! Water Is listed twice. Is it 4 & 1/2 cups total? Thanks!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Spohie, Thank you for bringing it up. The water/ stock needed is 2 and 1/2 cups only. Usually for 1/2 a cup of lentil you will need 1 and 1/2 cup of liquid. With the added ingredients, we are accordingly adding more water. Hope this helps.
Kate says
This was excellent! At the last minute, I decided to add half a can of coconut milk and it was decadent. Hubby & I ate with Naan bread. Excited to see how the flavors merged over night.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
That's fantastic!! Love your coconut milk twist to the Butternut squash dal recipe for creaminess.
debbie says
Lovely flavours, had it as a lunch with naan bread
Virginia says
Your stovetop recipe doesn’t include instructions on when to add the squash
Sandhya Hariharan says
Thank you for bringing to my notice. I have amended the recipe details. Squash needed to be added along with the lentils.