This slow cooker dal is the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it meal. Made with creamy, Indian-spiced mung beans, chunks of sweet potatoes, and rich coconut milk, it’s incredibly comforting and delicious... but you’d never guess how simple it is to make.
I’ve been hitting the slow cooker pretty hard lately. Perhaps you’ve noticed? Hopefully you’ve tried one of my recent favorites, like my slow cooker black bean soup, slow cooker split pea soup, or slow cooker butternut squash soup. But the slow cooker isn’t just for soup. In fact, I have a handful of non-soup slow cooker recipes in the works, starting with this slow cooker dal.
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Dal is actually the perfect meal for the slow cooker. It starts with a dried pulse, mung beans in this case, which cook up beautifully with long, gentle heat (you already know this if you’ve tried my slow cooker lentil soup). That slow simmer transforms dried mung beans into thick, creamy deliciousness, which is exactly what we want for a killer batch of dal.
This particular slow cooker dal also features hearty chunks of sweet potatoes that break down and get super soft, almost blending right in with the stew of mung beans, rich coconut milk, and warming spices. The result is a meal that’s incredibly satisfying and flavor-packed, yet a total cinch to make.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Mung dal. Also known as moong dal, this is dried, hulled mung beans, which are the star ingredient in lots of dal recipes. Many supermarkets will carry them in the international aisle. If yours doesn't, try an Indian grocery store or buy online.
- Sweet potato. Use any color! Personally, I like a red or orange for this dish.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Spices. We're using all ground spices, to make life easy, but there are lots of them! You'll need garam masala, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, and black pepper. The good news is that you should be able to get them all in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Water.
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can. Light coconut milk will do in a pinch or if you want to reduce the fat and calorie content, but I don't recommend using coconut milk beverage from a carton, which is typically watered down.
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed, please! Bottled just doesn't cut it in terms of flavor.
- Salt.
- Cilantro. You can skip this if you're not a fan.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Load the slow cooker. Fill it up with your mung dal, sweet potato, diced onion, garlic, ginger, spices, water, and coconut milk. Stir well.
Step 2: Cook. Cover it up, turn it on, and let it do its thing. It'll take about 2 ½ to 3 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low.
Tip: Cook times can vary among different slow cookers, so keep an eye on yours the first time you make this.
Step 3: Finish. Your dal should be thick and creamy by the time it's done. If it's too thick for your taste, just thin it with more water. Season it with lemon juice and salt, then add some chopped fresh cilantro.
Step 4: Serve. Your slow cooker dal is ready! Enjoy it alone, or with some basmati rice or vegan naan. I love to garnish mine with some roasted cashews and a little extra cilantro.
Variations
- Sweet potato swaps. Try regular potatoes, cauliflower, or winter squash in place of the sweet potato. You could also just leave it out!
- Bean swaps. Looking for an alternative to mung dal? Split red lentils are your best bet. The dal may cook up slightly quicker if you use them.
- Veggie additions. Stir in some spinach or thawed frozen veggies, like peas, during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
Only if that's your preference. I never do.
It's spicy in the sense that it has lots of flavorful spices, but it has virtually no heat. If you'd like a hotter version, add some cayenne pepper to taste.
Leftover slow cooker dal can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Dal Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Dal with Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Slow cooker (4-quart or larger)
Ingredients
- 2 cups mung dal (dried hulled mung beans), rinsed
- 1 medium sweet potato (12-16 ounces), diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the mung beans, sweet potato, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, and black pepper into a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Add the water and coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook the mixture on high for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the beans have broken down and the dal is thick and creamy.
- If desired, thin the dal with some additional hot water. Stir in the lemon juice and salt, then the cilantro.
- Serve with basmati rice and/or vegan naan.
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