Palak Khichdi is a Wholesome, hearty Indian Comfort Food made with rice, lentils and spinach. Provides nourishment when feeling under the weather. Made under 30 mins, the dish is mildly spicy and kid-friendly too.
Palak Khichdi is a one-pot Indian main course made with rice, lentils and spinach puree as key ingredients. Spinach Khichdi is comfort food and served hot with sides like raita, papad and mango pickle. Quick soul satisfying weekday dinner that serves a crowd.
Palak Khichdi recipe I share today is made using brown rice, masoor dal or red lentils and spinach puree.
Khichdi can be made with Basmati Rice or Sona Masoori rice. You can choose yellow moong dal, toor dal or a combo of lentils as well to make it healthy, hearty and wholesome.
We also love Vegetable Khichdi which is a combination of lentils, rice and mixed veggies. Easy recipe to use leftover veggies from the refrigerator and turn it into a wholesome family dinner.
The recipe can be customized according to available ingredients. If you don't have spinach puree readily available, feel free to add finely chopped fresh spinach. Refer to notes in recipe card for more details.
Palak Khichdi is gluten-free. To make it Vegan, simply substitute ghee with oil.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Brown Rice - Short grain brown rice is used for the recipe. Rinse and soak the rice for 10-15 mins before cooking.
Substitute brown rice with white rice (sona masoori, ambe mohar, kolam, ponni) or Basmati Rice (white or brown) depending on availability.
Masoor Dal or Red Lentils - Red Lentils cook quickly. As a variation, I use different lentils like yellow moong dal or toor dal during the week.
Palak Puree or Spinach Puree - Frozen Spinach puree is a life saver. This post on How to make spinach puree shared on the blog will give you a fair idea on how a big batch of spinach puree that can be stored and used for a variety of recipes.
Palak Khichdi is full of flavor thanks to sauteed onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste all cooked in ghee. I have not included any chili, making the dish kid-friendly too.
Indians love khichdi with ghee. Feel free to use oil.
Ghee or clarified butter - Khichdi tastes best when cooked in ghee.
How to make Palak Khichdi recipe
In a bowl, measure and add brown rice and red lentils (masoor dal).
Rinse the rice and dal under running tap water 2-3 times until water runs clear. Soak the rice and dal for 15 - 20 mins.
After 20 mins, drain the water used for soaking, add 2 cups of water and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Allow the pressure to release naturally (whistle to come down). The rice and lentils should appear mushy (refer pic below). Keep aside.
Heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon ghee, cumin seeds (jeera). Once cumin roasts and appears brown, add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds.
Next add finely chopped onions, tomatoes and turmeric powder. Saute for 2-3 minutes. The tomatoes should appear mushy.
Note - Deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of water, if required, to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the pan or burning.
Now add the cooked rice and lentils and spinach puree
Mix well, taste check and add salt as required. Adjust the consistency of khichdi with hot water. Let khichdi cook for 1-2 mins on low heat (uncovered). Switch off flame, serve hot or warm with accompaniments of your choice.
Serving Suggestion
Dal khichdi tastes best with Kadhi.
Dal Palak Khichdi tastes best with plain yogurt or Raita. Some of our favorite Raita recipes - Cucumber Raita, Vegetable Raita, Okra Raita and Beetroot Raita.
Papad or Poppadums, Mango and Lime Pickle are perfect accompaniments.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Stays fresh for 3-4 days.
Khichdi thickens with time. Add hot water to adjust consistency. Re-heat on stove-top or microwave.
One-Pot Rice recipes
Please take a moment to LEAVE A COMMENT and a STAR * rating on the blog. It would encourage others to try the recipe or you could TAG US on any of our social media handles –INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, FACEBOOK PAGE AND PINTEREST.
Palak Khichdi Recipe | Spinach Khichdi
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
1 cup is 250 ml, 1 tbsp is 15 ml and 1 tsp is 5 ml
- ½ cup Brown Rice
- ½ cup Masoor Dal or Red Lentils
- 1 cup Spinach Puree Check Notes
- ½ cup Onions 1 medium size Onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup Tomatoes 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder or Haldi Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Clarified Butter use oil for vegan recipe
- 1 teaspoon Jeera or Cumin Seeds
- Salt to taste
- 3 ½ cups Water to cook Check Notes
Instructions
- In a bowl, measure and add brown rice and red lentils (masoor dal).
- Rinse the rice and dal under running tap water 2-3 times until water runs clear. Soak the rice and dal for 15 - 20 mins.
- After 20 mins, drain the water used for soaking, add 2 cups of water and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Allow the pressure to release naturally (whistle to come down). The rice and lentils should appear mushy.
- Heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon ghee, cumin seeds (jeera). Once cumin roasts and appears brown, add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Next add finely chopped onions, tomatoes and turmeric powder. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. The tomatoes should appear mushy. Note - Deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of water, if required, to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the pan or burning.
- Now add the cooked rice and lentils and spinach puree
- Mix well, taste check and add salt as required. Adjust the consistency of khichdi with hot water. Let khichdi cook for 1-2 mins on low heat (uncovered). Switch off flame, serve hot or warm with accompaniments of your choice.
Notes
- Water to cook - I have used 1 cup to soak the rice and lentils, 2 cups to pressure cook khichdi and around 1/2 cup to adjust the consistency of the khichdi (semi thick). Total 3 & 1/2 cups used for the recipe.
- It took me 4 whistles in a 10 litre pressure cooker to cook the rice and dal. Usually 3 whistles are good enough for white rice. If you don't have time to soak, you might have to add extra whistles, especially when using brown rice as it takes time to cook.
- Cooking rice and dal on the stove top takes a long time so pressure cooking is ideal.
- I have not used garam masala or whole spices. Feel free to add whole spices (bay leaf, cardamom and peppercorns) while tempering.
- Palak Khichdi is gluten-free. To make it Vegan, simply substitute ghee with oil.
- Substitute Masoor Dal with Yellow Moong dal or Toor Dal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Stays fresh for 3-4 days.
- Khichdi thickens with time. Add hot water to adjust consistency. Re-heat on stove-top or microwave.
Please subscribe to our website to receive all the delicious recipes in your mail box.
We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
comfort food indeed ! palak in khichdi along with brown rice is a great idea to indulge on wintery evenings for dinner...
I agree, Absolutely. Thanks
Delicious and healthy khichdi with spinach. Surprisingly I have never thought of making it with palak though I have tried many variations. Khichdi is a complete and healthy one pot meal and easy to make. I also add hing.
Agree with you about the complete meal and one pot recipe. Thank you.
Palak Khichdi is a huge favourite at our place! I love how you have made yours with masoor dal and brown rice. Comfort food at its best!!
Absolutely, best comfort food Priya.
That whole platter looks so heartwarming. I am so glad to see this brown rice palak kichadi as this is quite what I would love to have on a cold day.
I am surely going to try this, now that we get such amazing spinach in the market. I love a good khichdi and what better way to get in the goodness of spinach without knowing it much... hehe... Lovely clicks dear.. Love that you have used brown rice for this khichdi...
Absolutely Rafee and like you rightly said, this is a great way to sneak spinach without realizing the taste. I hope you enjoy making this at home the next time you find some good bunch of spinach from the market.
You have made the khichdi healthy with using palak and brown rice. Such a quick and simple recipe which can be made when we are running short of time. Looks so inviting with all those side dishes.
Palak kichdi is a simple and comforting food after a feast. Also we make it quick without much effort. This is a wholesome meal and I loved the way you have made with brown rice and masoor dal.
A healthy, nutritious and filling khichdi. Simply love how green it is. I usually add chopped palak to khichdi whenever I can but I rather like the idea of adding spinach puree for a change. I can usually give pickles a skip but cannot imagine khichdi without papad, ghee and dahi or kadhi.
I always have palak puree in my refrigerator or freezer at home as we are huge palak fans and I try to add it everywhere possible including roti, rice or gravies etc. I absolutely love khichdi with your Gujarati style sweet kadhi. It is fantastic indeed. Thanks Mayuri.
Winters always translate to Khichdi-for-a-meal for me. This will be a ice variation from my usual range of khichdis. And there is the freshest of palak everywhere now as well.
Khichdi is a hearty comfort food for sure. I do add lots of greens and veggies in my khichdi. Love the lush green color of your palak khichdi. With brown rice and red lentils going in , it is a wholesome meal.
A filling, healthy and nutritious khichdi. We also make khichdi with masoor dal but with simple spice, never thought of adding Palak purée into it. I love khichdi as simple it is, but ur idea of adding spinach puree for a change is great. Love to eat with dahi and pickle.
Khichdi with spinach and brown rice is such a nutritious and filling dish. I made khichdi with chopped spinach but not puree. This sounds like a great way to sneak in more greens. Like the idea of using brown rice here to make it healthier.
I hope you enjoy making this at home. Thank you Geetha.
What a delicious, comforting and nutritious meal with this lovely bright green color, to serve on chilly winter evening.. another good way to include spinach in meals .. We too love to have khichdi with dahi papad and achaar..Wonderful share.
Thank you Swati and yes khichdi for chilly winter evenings is perfect!
Kichdi with brown rice is new to me. As i am not a fan of brown rice your palak khichdi looks so inviting .
I made this a 1 pot meal in my instant pot. It was delicious!! My kids ate it right up! Going to be a staple in my house. Thank you for sharing. This was such a good idea ? ? love from california!
Hi Christina, I am so happy to hear that the kids loved it. Made my day! Thank you for the awesome feedback and much love from Mumbai, India.