By Garima Johar
January 15, 2026
In a typical Indian home, dal is frequently made for lunch or dinner. More often than not, a bowl of dal always remains sitting in the refrigerator. Why don’t you turn the leftover dal into these easy snacks?
For dal pakoras, you can mix leftover dal with besan, onions, chillies, and spices. Deep-fry spoonfuls of the mixture and enjoy.
Turn your leftover dal into a smooth batter mixed with chopped veggies and spices, and make dal chillas.
Instead of using soaked dal, you can use leftover dal to make the steamed Gujarati dhokla.
You can make mini dal parathas by kneading a dough with the leftover dal with wheat flour, water, and spices.
Mix dal with chopped chillies, onions, and curry leaves. Coat the mixture in a besan batter and fry for dal vadas.
Dal cutlets can be made with the leftover lentils mixed with chopped onions, cilantro and spices.