How to Cook Dal and Rice Together In Instant Pot (Pot in Pot Method)

Learn how to cook Instant Pot Dal and Rice together using the pot in pot method. And get a full meal ready under 30 minutes, using only one pot.

In this recipe, I have made a konkani style dal (dalithoy) along with rice, but you can use the same method to make the dal of your choice.

There is no denying that when it comes to simple, classic comfort food, at-least for Indians, dal rice is as basic and homey as it gets. Of-course depending on the region there are many different ways of making dal, by using different kinds of dal like toor dal, moong dal etc, and many different kinds of tadka / tempering.

And I know we all have our set ways of making rice and dal. Most of us either use some kind of rice cooker or the good old pressure cooker for rice, and use pressure cooker to boil dal too, and then finish off dal in a pot on the stove. I used to do that too. Until I found out how to cook dal and rice together in the Instant Pot.

And at first I used to only use the Instant Pot to cook rice, both white sona masoori rice (which is our default rice) and brown rice. But when I figured out the pot in pot method of cooking, I started cooking rice and dal together in the Instant Pot – and it’s been a real gamechanger!

Because this way, you can cook rice and dal in the same pot at the same time, and have a full meal ready under 30 minutes, with lesser utensils and even lesser hassle. And how can anyone not love the ease, right?

Which is why, I’m especially glad to share this with you!

How to Cook Rice and Dal Together in Instant Pot

The best way to cook rice and dal together in the Instant Pot is by using the pot-in-pot method.

What is the Pot-in-Pot (P-I-P) method?

Pot in Pot method is where you place another pot in the main inner pot of the Instant Pot (on a raised trivet), and cook your food in that pot inside the main pot of the Instant Pot.

This can be used many different ways. You can stack two pots on a raised trivet, and cook two different things in the two pots inside the main inner pot. Much like you would do in the Indian pressure cooker, when you need to cook/ boil/ steam two different things at the same time.

Or you can cook one thing in the main inner pot of the Instant Pot, and the other in a pot placed on a raised steel trivet. Which is how we are going to cook dal and rice together in the Instant Pot. By cooking the dal in the main inner pot of the Instant Pot, and the rice in a small pot placed on the steel trivet.

Depending on the size of your Instant Pot, trivet, small pots you use, and the items you are cooking, you might even be able to cook / boil / steam 3 things at once using the pot in pot method.

The key thing to note here is that anything / everything you cook together need to have Instant Pot cooking times that are the same or close, and then you tweak them to ensure they all cook well together. Like for dal and white rice, the cooking time is not the same, but it’s close and there are a few tweaks you can do (which I’ll share with you) to ensure that they both cook well together.

Instant Pot Dal Rice (using P-I-P method)

• The best way to cook dal and rice together in the Instant Pot is by cooking dal in the main inner pot of the Instant Pot, and rice on a pot placed on the raised steel trivet.
  
• Turn on the Instant Pot on saute mode, and start with the tadka. Once done, switch off the saute mode, add the uncooked dal & water, place the trivet, and on it place the steel pot which has the rice and water to cook the rice.
  
• Then just close the lid, and pressure cook for the desired time (see detailed note on cook time below).

• When done, you’ll have perfectly cooked rice and dal. Though you’ll need to use a whisk to smoothen out the dal. Especially if you don’t prefer the soft dal chunks.
  
• And at this point you can also finish out the dal by adding chopped coriander or other greens you prefer, depending on the kind of dal you are making. I just made a basic konkani style dal, called dalithoy, in which we don’t put coriander leaves, so I was done after the whisking.

Important Notes on Pot in Pot Cooking Times for Dal Rice

• Like I mentioned earlier, the best things to cook together in the Instant Pot, using the pot in pot method are items that have cooking times that are similar or close. Dal (Toor Dal) & White Rice do not have the exact same cook time, but they are close, and there are tweaks that can be made to get them to cook together without overcooking / undercooking one or the other.
• To begin with, as I shared in this post here, it takes 6 minutes to cook white rice in a pot on a raised trivet. However 6 minutes is not enough to cook dal properly. Dal requires 8-10 minutes of pressure cooking time.
• 8 minutes if you don’t mind the soft dal chunks in your dal, the kind of chunky dal that is popular in northern India, and 10 minutes if you want a more smoother dal.
• I personally prefer a super smooth dal, which almost has the consistency of sambar, which is tricky to get even after 10 minutes of pressure cooking. So I give dal a headstart by soaking it in warm water for 30 minutes before adding it to the Instant Pot, and that does the trick for me.
• If you are wondering whether the rice will get overcooked in the 4 extra minutes, trust me, it will not. A few additional minutes will not matter.
• Mostly because, after 10 minutes of pressure cooking, I let the pressure release naturally only for 10 minutes, and then manually release all the pressure from the pot. As opposed to when I am cooking the rice for 6 minutes, I let all the pressure release from the pot naturally, which can take longer than 10 minutes.
• Also, since the rice is raised on a trivet, further away from the source of heat, it doesn’t cook as fast as the dal does. And needless to say, I don’t pre-soak rice before cooking. You can also cover the rice pot with a lid to further slow down the cooking.

Try this method, and you’ll too be able to cook dal and rice together in the Instant Pot with ease. Saving time and all those extra utensils! (see detailed recipe with exact measurement & times in the recipe card below)

Video Recipe

Frequently Asked Questions

More Instant Pot Indian Recipes to try!

⭐ Instant Pot Brown Rice
⭐ Instant Pot Palak Paneer
⭐ Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
⭐ Instant Pot Ghee

As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️ 

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