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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker

    Published on Mar 2, 2015. Modified on Nov 6, 2024 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 29 Comments

    Easy Slow Cooker Dal

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    • 100
    Jump to Recipe

    My easy slow cooker dal is perfect for a busy lifestyle. This split pea dal is so easy to throw in the pot in the morning and then it is ready for your lunch or dinner later in the day!

    Bowl of dal with coriander and chilli garnish.

    This cold weather makes me want to eat food that will warm me, both with the flavour of spices and with the heat from a long slow cook.

    Dal is vegan, based on store cupboard ingredients and makes a tasty meal paired with naan bread or rice, or as a side dish to other curry dishes.

    It ticks all the boxes!

    Jump to:
    • What is dal
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Freezing
    • Serving
    • More veggie slow cooker dishes
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    What is dal

    Dal is sometimes also spelt daal, dhal or dahl. The word is derived from the Sanskrit word for “split”.

    It refers to a type of split pulse that doesn’t require pre-soaking, and also the dish made by simmering the peas, beans or lentils with water and spices.

    This is typically an Indian dish but is also popular in other countries.

    There are different types of dal (or dried pulse):

    • Chana dal – Split yellow gram. These are made by splitting and skinning brown chickpeas. This is what is used in this recipe.
    • Urad dal – black gram or urad bean.
    • Mung dal – split mung beans.
    • Toor dal – pigeon peas.
    • Masoor dal – split red lentils
    • Matar dal – dried yellow peas.
    • Rajma dal – split kidney beans.

    This recipe uses yellow split chickpeas and so is a chana dal recipe.

    Bowl of dal next to serving dish, with mini naan breads.

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you will need to make this recipe – get the quantities in the recipe below.

    Labelled ingredients for dal.
    • chana dal – this is available in the World Food section of supermarkets or from Indian stores or other specialist stockists. It is also known as split yellow gram or split dried chickpeas. If you can’t get hold of it you could substitute with yellow split peas which are similar in appearance even though they are a very different product.
    • onion
    • garlic – replace fresh garlic with garlic puree or jarred garlic if you need to.
    • ginger – replace fresh ginger with ginger puree or jarred ginger if you need to.
    • red chilli – replace fresh red chilli with jarred red chilli if you need to.
    • turmeric – this gives dal its characteristic yellow colour and flavour.
    • salt and pepper – seasoning brings out the flavour of the dish.
    • boiling water
    • optional – fresh coriander and red chilli as garnish.

    Instructions

    Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this slow cooker dal recipe perfectly every time.

    Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

    Ingredients for Chana Dal in slow cooker pot.

    Step 1. Put all the ingredients (except for the garnish) in the slow cooker pot.

    Chana Dal ingredients with water added, in slow cooker pot.

    Step 2. Add the boiling water.

    Cooked dal in slow cooker pot.

    Step 3. Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low, until the peas are very soft.

    Dal served in a white bowl with coriander and red chilli garnish.

    Step 4. Serve garnished with fresh coriander and sliced red chilli, if desired, with naan bread and rice.

    Sides

    I like to serve my dal with homemade naan breads, using this simple recipe from BBC Food by Anjum Anand. It requires no yeast or proving time and is so easy to do.

    Store bought mini naan are my next choice, for busy days!

    Close uo of bowl of Chana Dal.

    Storage

    Once cooked, store your dal in the fridge for up to 3 day, in a covered container.

    Freezing

    Allow dal to cool completely then freeze in tubs or freezer bags, to prevent freezer burn, for up to 3 months.

    Serving

    Traditionally dal is topped with a friend onion and spice garnish just before serving.

    This is sometimes known as tarka or tadka.

    Flatbreads such as roti, chapati or naan are often served on the side of dal, as well as rice.

    When dal is eaten with rice, this makes a complete protein, which is useful for vegetarians.

    More veggie slow cooker dishes

    If you like this vegan slow cooker dish, you might also like these other vegetarian and vegan slow cooker dishes:

    • slow cooker halloumi bake (vegetarian)
    • slow cooker spicy bean stew (vegan omitting the sour cream garnish or using an alternative)
    • slow cooker vegetable curry (vegan)
    • slow cooker chickpea and paneer curry (vegetarian)
    • slow cooker sweet potato and chickpea stew (vegan)
    • slow cooker whole spiced cauliflower (vegan)
    • slow cooker bean chilli (vegan)

    Get even more ideas from my Vegetarian recipe archives.

    For dal recipes using other types of pulse I would recommend visiting Mamta’s Kitchen who has many authentic dal recipes including slow cooker and pressure cooker methods.

    Recipe

    Bowl of dal with red chilli and chopped coriander/cilantro garnish.

    Easy Slow Cooker Dal

    Slow cooker dal made with yellow split chickpeas (chana dal) and spices, which works really well as an Indian vegan main or side dish. Great served with naan and rice.
    4.91 from 22 votes
    Print Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 hours hours
    Total Time: 8 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 232kcal
    Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

    Ingredients

    • 250 g chana dal 'yellow split gram' or split chickpeas
    • 1 onion diced
    • 3 cloves garlic crushed
    • 2 cm fresh ginger chopped
    • 2 tsp turmeric
    • ½ fresh red chilli chopped
    • 800 ml boiling water
    • salt and pepper
    UK Measurements – US Measurements

    Equipment

    oval slow cooker
    oval slow cooker

    Instructions 

    • Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
      250 g chana dal, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 cm fresh ginger, 2 tsp turmeric, ½ fresh red chilli, 800 ml boiling water, salt and pepper
    • Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for eight hours.
    • Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with naan bread or rice. Can also be served as a side dish to other curries.

    Notes

    Storage
    Once cooked, you can store your dal in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container.
    Freezing
    Allow dal to cool completely then freeze in tubs or freezer bags (to prevent freezer burn) for up to 3 months.
    Serving
    Traditionally dal is topped with a fried onion garnish just before serving. This is sometimes knwn as tarka or tadka.
    Flatbreads such as roti, chapati, naan are often served on the side of dal, as well as rice.
    When dal is eaten with rice this makes a complete protein, which is useful for vegetarians.
    Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

    Linking up with March’s Slow Cooked Challenge with Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen, where the theme this month is Spicy.

    Linking up with Credit Crunch Munch, which is hosted this month by Jo from Jo’s Kitchen, and organised by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla from Fab Food 4 All.

    I think this is a great Credit Crunch dish, since slow cookers are so cheap to run. I also used up a bag of split peas for this recipe.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Parm says

      May 31, 2025 at 9:59 am

      Can you add tomatoes

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        June 01, 2025 at 8:37 pm

        Hi Parm, yes you could add tomatoes to this dish.

        Reply
    2. Lucie says

      January 30, 2021 at 6:01 pm

      Hello!

      Thank you for your recipe. Could you tell me which quantity of salt do you put in your slow cooker? Is it possible to use chili powder instead of lazy chili? If yes which quantity?
      Thank you very much!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        January 31, 2021 at 4:00 pm

        Hi Lucie, I would recommend using salt and pepper to your taste in this recipe. I normally use a few (3-4) grinds of the salt mill. The lazy chilli can be swapped for 1 fresh red chilli or 1-2 teaspoons of chilli powder to your taste – I would use 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder but you may prefer mild. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Maria says

      July 12, 2020 at 11:20 pm

      Can I use green lentils or green split peas instead?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        July 15, 2020 at 5:03 pm

        Hi Maria, I would look for a recipe designed to use those, I only make this recipe with yellow split peas.

        Reply
    4. wen says

      September 07, 2019 at 5:17 pm

      Can I use the orange lentils instead of yellow split peas? And does it freeze well? Thank you

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        September 10, 2019 at 4:42 pm

        I have not tried this recipe with red lentils, as they are a bit smaller than yellow split peas they make take less time to cook. I have not yet managed to freeze a batch to try I’m afraid but I would expect it to work.

        Reply
    5. Stewart says

      March 23, 2019 at 7:11 am

      Hi I cant get hold of lazy ginger or chilli, can I just use fresh ginger and chilli? and what would the quantities be? Thanks in advance

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 23, 2019 at 8:07 am

        Yes you sure can. The equivalent ginger is a small piece of ginger eg 1-2 cm. the equivalent red chilli is 1 red chilli.

        Reply
    6. Cathy says

      January 12, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      This is so easy and really delicious! Proper comfort food.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        January 12, 2019 at 4:22 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it Cathy!

        Reply
    7. 2b4b says

      February 03, 2017 at 3:11 pm

      Lazy ginger, lazy red chili lol. Uh, will try this, looks good!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        February 03, 2017 at 5:59 pm

        I like to be lazy!

        Reply
    8. Jackie says

      January 06, 2016 at 5:33 pm

      Do you have to soak the split peas?

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        January 06, 2016 at 5:47 pm

        Hi Jackie, no soaking needed, the long cooking dispenses with the need for that. Do rinse them well first though.

        Reply
    9. Leila Benhamida says

      April 08, 2015 at 5:11 pm

      Fantastic, will definitely try this.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        April 11, 2015 at 4:09 pm

        Great!

        Reply
    10. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says

      April 07, 2015 at 11:38 am

      Every single time I use up a packet, tub or jar of something I let out a chorus of “Another one bites the dust”. I LOVE using stuff up!

      I love how you use your slow cooker for everything.

      Thank for linking up to #creditcrunchmunch

      Reply
    11. goodiegodmother says

      March 06, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      I love a good dal, but haven’t tried making it at home. I’m pinning this to try since the recipe looks delicious and very easy (a plus!).

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 06, 2015 at 9:15 pm

        Thanks Mary, easy is good isn’t it!

        Reply
    12. patisseriemakesperfect says

      March 03, 2015 at 10:02 am

      This looks great Lucy, I love dal and I’ve tried a couple of slow cooker dals and been a bit disappointed. Nice to have a tried and tested recipe to give a go!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 03, 2015 at 5:03 pm

        Thanks Angela,it was really good and easy!

        Reply
    13. Diana says

      March 03, 2015 at 7:40 am

      This looks amazing Lucy! I don’t own a slow cooker but hopefully I will get one after my wedding haha it sounds like it makes everything so easy to cook 🙂

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 03, 2015 at 5:03 pm

        it does, you have to try it Diana!

        Reply
    14. harrietyoung38 says

      March 02, 2015 at 8:29 pm

      Wow, this looks delicious Lucy! And so straightforward! Will definitely be trying it.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 03, 2015 at 5:04 pm

        Thanks Harriet, it was very simple but very tasty

        Reply
    15. ciaraattwellc says

      March 02, 2015 at 8:19 pm

      The sounds so good. I haven’t had a nice dal in ages and this looks delicious. Also love that its so easy to make!

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        March 03, 2015 at 5:05 pm

        Thanks Ciara, I hadn’t had it in ages either, going to make it regularly now

        Reply
    4.91 from 22 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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