Dal makhani: the lentils are lean. The butter and cream are the calories.
Makhani means buttery, and a restaurant pot earns the name. The lentils and beans are the same either way, so cutting the butter to a spoonful and swapping the cream for half and half takes a serving from 375 to 261 kcal.
- 261 kcal a serving, down from 375 for the classic, with 16 g protein, 44 g carbs and 4 g fat
- 2 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 21 g a serving
- 6 servings, weighed at 1,750 g when finished, from 10 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Calories and macros per serving and per 100 g
The lighter example makes 6 servings from a 1,750 g finished batch: 291.7 g per serving. These are sample weights, not a measurement of your plate.
| Portion | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One serving | 261 | 15.7 | 44.2 | 3.7 |
| 100 g cooked | 89 | 5.4 | 15.1 | 1.3 |
Calculated from the ingredient totals below, before rounding the displayed serving. Use your own cooked weight; retained fat, liquid and portions can change the estimate.
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same dal makhani, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 6 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 375 | 261 | −114 |
| Protein g | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| Carbs g | 44 | 44 | 0 |
| Fat g | 17 | 4 | −13 |
| Saturated fat g | 10.0 | 1.9 | −8.1 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Use 15 g of butter, not 60 g
−53 kcal, −7 g fat, −3.9 g saturated fat a serving
A spoonful stirred in at the end still tastes of butter. The other 45 g were 53 kcal and 3.9 g of saturated fat a serving.
2. Finish with half and half instead of heavy cream
−61 kcal, −6 g fat, −4.2 g saturated fat a serving
60 g of lowfat half and half in place of 120 g of heavy cream keeps the colour and saves 61 kcal and 6 g of fat a serving.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 16 g protein and 261 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Stir in Greek yogurt off the heat
+30 kcal, +5 g protein, +2 g carbs a serving, making 21 g protein a serving
300 g of nonfat Greek yogurt, stirred in once the pot has cooled a little, adds 5 g of protein a serving for 30 kcal.
Use 350 g of lentils
+59 kcal, +4 g protein, +11 g carbs a serving, making 20 g protein a serving
Another 100 g of dry lentils adds 4 g of protein a serving for 59 kcal. Add a little more water.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown or green lentils, raw | 250 g | 880 | 62 | 158 | 3 |
| Kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed | 240 g | 290 | 19 | 50 | 2 |
| Tomatoes, crushed, canned | 410 g | 131 | 7 | 30 | 1 |
| Onions, raw | 150 g | 60 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Ginger root | 15 g | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Garlic | 15 g | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Butter, salted | 15 g | 108 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Half and half, lowfat | 60 g | 43 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Cumin seed | 3 g | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Paprika | 3 g | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,161 g | 1,565 | 94 | 265 | 22 |
| Per serving (6) | 292 g | 261 | 16 | 44 | 4 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
USDA source entries: Brown or green lentils, raw; Kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed; Tomatoes, crushed, canned; Onions, raw; Ginger root; Garlic; Butter, salted; Half and half, lowfat; Cumin seed; Paprika. Match the preparation and weighed amounts to your own ingredients.
Why this recipe
Two cooks can make dal makhani that differs by hundreds of calories a bowl, all of it butter and cream. Entering your own amounts is the only way to know which one is in your pot.
What to weigh
Weigh the lentils dry and the beans drained. The ingredients weigh 1,161 g and the sample pot weighs 1,750 g after the lentils take up their water, so a serving is 292 g.
How to cook it
The method for the lighter version above, using the amounts in the sample data. Use a food thermometer to check the safe temperatures.
- Rinse the lentils and simmer them in about 1.2 litres of water for 25 to 30 minutes until soft.
- In a second pot, cook the chopped onion in half of the butter for 6 minutes, then add the grated ginger, crushed garlic, cumin and paprika for 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the lentils with their cooking water and the drained kidney beans.
- Simmer gently for 20 minutes, mashing some of the lentils against the side of the pot, until thick and creamy.
- Stir in the half and half and the rest of the butter, season with salt and serve.
At a glance
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 50 minutes
- Makes 6 servings
- Per serving: 261 kcal, 16 g protein
Times are for a home kitchen and leave out any marinating or resting the steps mention.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient. Searching "lentils" lists the raw entry with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Choose the raw lentils, switch the portion to grams and enter 250. The sheet shows 880 kcal with 62 g of protein before anything else goes in.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, 15 g of butter, 60 g of half and half and the spices, then enter the 6 servings and the 1,750 g the pot weighed.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the butter on the scale, not by the spoon. A heaped spoon is easily twice a level one.
- A long, slow simmer makes the dal creamy by itself: mash a ladle of lentils against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
- A serving is about 292 g. Log by weight when you serve yourself from the pot.
Go further
- Whole black lentils (urad) are the traditional choice. Brown or green lentils are used here; enter the lentils you cook with.
- Making the restaurant version for guests? Build it as a second recipe with 60 g of butter and 120 g of heavy cream, and log the one you ate.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Dal makhani questions.
How many calories are in dal makhani?
The sample is 261 kcal a serving, with 16 g protein, 44 g carbs and 4 g fat. With 60 g of butter and heavy cream, the same serving is 375 kcal.
Is dal makhani high in protein?
The lentils and kidney beans give the sample 16 g a serving. The page lists two ways to add more without changing the dish much.
Can I leave out the cream?
Yes. The half and half is 60 g across six servings, so leaving it out changes little; the slow simmer does most of the work.
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