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Instant Pot Masala Khichdi served in a platter
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Instant Pot Masala Khichdi

Instant Pot Masala Khichdi is a delicious recipe combining rice, dal and vegetables. This easy-to-make comforting one-pot Indian meal is also vegan.
Course Main Course, rice, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 304.76kcal

Ingredients

For the Khichdi

For the tadka

Instructions

To make the Khichdi

  • Rinse rice and tur dal together and keep it aside.
  • Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add vegan ghee, and temper mustard and cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add bay leaf, cloves, curry leaves, and asafoetida,
  • Then add garlic and ginger paste along with minced green chillies. Fry for 30 seconds.
  • Next, add the chopped beetroot and carrot along with salt. Mix and continue to saute for another 30 seconds.
  • Then add the spices like turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder and garam masala.
  • Add the rinsed rice and tur dal to the pot.
  • Now add the water. Turn off the saute mode. Close the lid and cook in manual/pressure mode for 12 minutes.

To make the Tadka

  • Meanwhile heat vegan ghee in a tadka pan. Fry dried red chillies, green peas, fried onions, Kashmiri red chilly powder, and chopped cilantro.
  • Release the pressure naturally and open the lid. Pour the prepared tadka over the khichdi. Add lemon juice. Mix and serve.

Notes

While I would highly recommend adding fried onions, you can add regular onions if you don't have fried ones.
The second tadka adds a lot of flavor to this Instant Pot vegetable khichdi recipe. But you can also consume it without that tadka.
Feel free to add more veggies/greens of your choice. You can even skip adding them. You can either add one variety or mix a couple of lentils/dal in this khichdi recipe.
If you are following a gluten-free diet, skip adding asafoetida. Instead of vegan ghee, you can also use any vegetable or coconut oil. Vegan butter will also taste good.
If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can use a pressure cooker to prepare the khichdi. Cook the rice and lentils together. Then prepare and pour the tempering over it.
The right ratios
The ratio I follow is to add 3 cups of water for every cup of rice and lentils. Also, use the same standard US measuring cup to measure the rice, lentils and water.
There is no need to soak the rice or lentils prior. In Rice mode, it takes time to build pressure which also acts as soaking time.
The recipe can easily be doubled or helved with no change in the cook time. If you want don't want a soupier consistency, reduce the water quantity.
If you have vegetable stock or coconut milk, add that instead of water to give the khichuri more flavor.
How to store leftovers
Khichdi will thicken as it cools. If you have leftovers, transfer it to smaller bowls and store in the fridge.
Masala Khichdi also freezes well. Store them in freezer safe bags. They stay good for upto 6 months
When reheating, add some warm water and heat it in the microwave. Drizzle vegan ghee on top and serve.
Substitute for rice
You can substitute white rice with brown rice. Increase the cook time to 20 minutes if doing so.
If you want, you can also add alternate grains like quinoa and make Masala Quinoa Khichdi in the Instant Pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 304.76kcal | Carbohydrates: 50.92g | Protein: 11.89g | Fat: 5.95g | Saturated Fat: 4.24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.49g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.68g | Sodium: 95.3mg | Potassium: 494.42mg | Fiber: 12.66g | Sugar: 3.31g | Vitamin A: 2020.46IU | Vitamin C: 26.48mg | Calcium: 63.43mg | Iron: 3.8mg