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Home » Recipe Course » Desserts

Sooji Halwa | Sheera | Indian Semolina Pudding

Published October 19, 2021 Updated December 17, 2021 By Meeta Arora 17 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Suji Ka Halwa, also known as Sheera is a simple Indian semolina pudding, made with basic ingredients – semolina, sugar, and ghee. The pudding tastes simply divine, and takes just 20 minutes to prepare | #soojihalwa #sheera #semolina #pudding #suji #ravahalwa #vegetarian #dessert | pipingpotcurry.com

Suji Ka Halwa, also known as Sheera is a simple Indian semolina pudding, made with basic ingredients – semolina, sugar, and ghee. The pudding tastes simply divine, and takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding served in 2 bowls topped with nuts and saffron

This delicious dessert is prepared all over India, and has many different names. In North India, it is Sooji or Suji ka Halwa or Rava Halwa (rava is another name for semolina). In Maharashtra, it is called Sheera or Rava Sheera. In South India, it is popular as Kesari with the addition of saffron or food color or called Kesari Bhath. In Karnataka, it is called Sajjige. In fact, this semolina pudding is popular in Europe as well.

The reason for the popularity of this Sooji Halwa is that it can be prepared with ingredients that are easily available and can be whipped up at short notice.

Sooji ka Halwa is many times an offering to gods for Ashtami or Navratri Pooja. It is also a the offering made during Satyanarayan Pooja. These festivals have a significant meaning in India, which makes this halwa so popular.

Check out other popular Halwa recipes:

  • Coconut Pumpkin Halwa
  • Carrot Halwa
  • Moong Dal Halwa
  • Besan Halwa
  • Aate ka Halwa

What is Halwa?

Halwa is typically made of flour (of various kinds), sugar, nuts, water and some fat (oil or ghee). Halwa has it’s roots in many cultures such as Turkish Halva, Indian Karachi Halwa and Spanish Turron.

This Sooji Halwa is made with semolina, sugar, ghee and water (and/or milk). Addition of cardamom powder, nuts and saffron is optional, but recommended as it enhances the flavor and nutrition.

What is semolina?

Semolina is course flour made from durum wheat. It is usually golden or off-white in color. Semolina can have a more earthy aroma than common wheat flours. It is a high gluten and high protein flour.

It is commonly used to make pudding, porridge such as this thick Rava Upma and sometimes cakes such as this Orange Semolina Cake.

Note: Semolina is completely different than cornmeal, which is made from corn.

How to make Suji halwa?

Making Sooji Halwa is very easy, but the important thing to note is to follow the proportions. Once you have the proportions right, and a bit of patience to roast the sooji well, this Sooji Halwa is very easy to make.

Let's start with the ingredients for the Sooji Halwa.

Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding Ingredients

Starting from the top, we have sugar, sooji (semolina), ghee, nuts & raisins, cardamom & saffron and milk (+ water). Here is my recipe to make ghee from unsalted butter.

Here are some questions I used to get for the ingredients when making Sooji ka Halwa.

Which semolina to use for Sooji Halwa?

Usually in the store you will find "fine" and "coarse" varieties of semolina. For Halwa, we use fine sooji, and course sooji works well for Upma.

What to use: Milk or Water to make Suji Halwa?

The easy answer is that either works or a mixture of both milk and water works too. When using water, the color will be more on the brownish side. If you use milk, the final Sooji Halwa will look more whitish in color.

Milk also gives a much smoother texture to the halwa. I prefer to use a combination of milk and water. Hence in this recipe, I used a proportion of 1:3 milk to water - ½ cup milk with 1 ½ cup of water.

Let's continue with the steps to make Sooji ka Halwa.

In a small pot, boil the milk and water, along with the sugar, ground cardamom and saffron. Stir at regular intervals. Turn off flame, once there is a boil and sugar has mixed completely.

At the same time, Heat another pan on medium-low flame. Add sooji and ghee to the pan. Roast the sooji till lightly brown. You want to roast the sooji at a low temperature, while stirring continuously. Keep a close eye, as it can go from lightly brown to dark brown very quickly. Add nuts when it has turned golden, so the nuts will roast along with the semolina.

Spoiler Alert: Your house will smell divine with the smell of ghee while roasting this sooji.

steps to make sooji halwa

Once the semolina is roasted, carefully pour the boiled water+milk mixture into it. Be careful as initially there will be some splatters.

Now keep stirring while the mixture combines and is at a dropping consistency. This should just take 2-3 minutes. It should be a porridge like consistency where it can be easily served.

However as it cools, the sooji halwa will set completely. You can break it with a ladle and reheat in a microwave to consume. It will become fresh as just made once heated.

Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding Ready

Variations of Sooji Ka Halwa

This Sooji Halwa can be made with jaggery instead of sugar. It will be healthier, but a bit different in taste. Another variation is to make pineapple sheer or mango sheera. You can also add mashed banana to this halwa.

Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding served in 2 bowls topped with nuts and saffron

Tips to make perfect Sooji Halwa or Sheera

√ Don't skimp on ghee when making halwa. I have tried with less and it does not taste as good.

√ Be patient when roasting the semolina, it takes time. But roasting along with ghee definitely helps to speed the process.

√ Boiling the liquids helps to make softer perfectly cooked halwa. So don't skip that, and it also helps to do the steps in parallel.

√ Nuts, saffron and cardamom are optional. Add or skip based on your taste and availability.

I recently made this Suji Halwa at a friends place for dinner, and believe me, it was gone in minutes. It is so delicate and aromatic,   which makes it so hard to resist.

Every year for Ashtami, we make Kala Chana with this Sooji Halwa and Poori. It takes me back to my childhood days, when I would get this Prasad for Kanjak or Kanya Pooja (young girls until 9 years of age are worshipped on this day). This is the best combination you will ever have!

Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding with Kala Chana & Poori (Ashtami prasad)

Give this Suji ka Halwa a try and don't forget to let me know how it turned out.

Check out other recipes with semolina – Rava Dhokla, Rava Upma and Orange Semolina Cake.

Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
Sooji Halwa - Semolina Pudding served in 2 bowls topped with nuts and saffron

Sooji Halwa Recipe | Sheera | Indian Semolina Pudding

Meeta Arora
Suji Ka Halwa, also known as Sheera is a simple Indian semolina pudding, made with basic ingredients – semolina, sugar, and ghee. Sooji ka halwa tastes simply divine, and takes just 20 minutes to prepare. 
4.93 from 27 votes
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Servings: 6
Calories: 121
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: Stovetop
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ cup Semolina (Sooji/Rava) fine
  • ¼ cup Ghee
  • ⅓ cup Sugar can be increased to ½ cup depending on taste
  • ½ cup Milk
  • 1 ½ cup Water reduce to 1 cup water for a crumbly texture for sheera
  • ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi)
  • Saffron (Kesar) few strings
  • ¼ cup Mixed nuts chopped, divided (cashews, almonds, pistachios, raisins)

Instructions
 

  • In a pot, add the water, milk, sugar, cardamom and saffron. Heat on medium-high flame until it comes to a boil. Turn off once there is a boil.
  • While the above step is going on, heat a pan on medium-low flame. Add sooji and ghee. Roast it while stirring continuously until it starts turning golden. 
  • Add half of the nuts to the pan and roast along with the semolina. Turn the flame to low as soon as the sooji lightly browns. 
  • Pour in milk, water and sugar mixture, while stirring. Be careful as there will be some splatter when you initially start pouring, but that will stop once once of the mixture is added. 
  • The halwa will boil and thicken. Keep stirring. 
  • Remove from flame when it just thickens. Let it cool. Garnish with remaining nuts. Serve immediately. 

Notes

Which semolina to use for Sooji Halwa? Usually in the store you will find "fine" and "coarse" varieties of semolina. For Halwa, we use fine sooji, and course sooji works well for Upma.  
Ratio of sooji to liquid: I use 1:4 ratio of sooji to liquids in this recipe. This gives a pudding like texture that is preferred in North India. For a more crumbly texture for sheera, you can reduce the amount of liquid by ½ cup. So the ratio of sooji to liquid will be 1:3.
What to use: Milk or Water to make Suji Halwa? The easy answer is that either works or a mixture of both milk and water works too. When using milk, the color will be more on the brownish side. If you use milk, the final Sooji Halwa will look more whitish in color. I prefer to use a combination of milk and water. Hence in this recipe, I used a proportion of 1:3 milk to water - ½ cup milk with 1 ½ cup of water. 
Ghee: Don't skimp on ghee when making halwa. I have tried with less and it does not taste as good 🙂
Roasting Sooji: Be patient when roasting the semolina, it takes time. But roasting along with ghee definitely helps to speed the process. 
Why boil the liquids? Boiling the liquids separately helps to make softer perfectly cooked halwa. So don't skip that, and it also helps to do the steps in parallel.
Optional ingredients: Nuts, saffron and cardamom are optional. Add or skip based on your taste and availability.
Serving: You can serve it warm (preferred) or cold. To reheat, place in microwave for 15-30 seconds. 
 

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 12gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 12mgPotassium: 26mgSugar: 12gVitamin A: 35IUCalcium: 25mg
Keyword how to make suji halwa, sheera recipe, Sooji Halwa recipe
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Varsha says

    November 14, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    Way too much liquid, I don’t like soggy sooji so wet, it should start out with a smaller amount and add as needed. Also way too much sugar.

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      December 02, 2021 at 10:23 am

      Hi Varsha - Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the halwa. For halwa, it is best to add the liquid at once, as the sooji soaks it all up quickly. As this halwa rests, it gets dry in texture.

      Reply
  2. Deeksha says

    November 09, 2021 at 12:20 am

    Sheera looks so yummy. Thank you so much for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      November 09, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      Hope you enjoy it, Deeksha!

      Reply
  3. Sheetu says

    October 13, 2021 at 6:33 am

    We made your halwa and chana recipe for ashtami pooja today. Everything came out great. Thank you for the recipes. 🙂

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      November 09, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      Hi Sheetu -So happy to hear the Ashtami Prasad came out well!

      Reply
  4. Sonia says

    April 20, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    Hi! I noticed mine doesn’t come out crumbly? It’s more like a creamy pudding.

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      April 23, 2021 at 9:44 am

      Hi Sonia - For a more crumbly texture, you can reduce the amount of liquid by 1/2 cup. So the ratio of sooji to liquid will be 1:3. Hope you enjoy the halwa.

      Reply
  5. Mona says

    October 26, 2020 at 2:42 pm

    This was perfect! I won't be making another recipe again!

    Reply
  6. Amit Sinha says

    June 20, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    Amazing taste, keep up the great work. I discovered your website during this lockdown and have tried many of your recipes, with yummy results.

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      June 23, 2020 at 1:22 am

      Hi Amit - Glad to hear you have been enjoying the recipes! Thank you for sharing back your experience.

      Reply
  7. Gail says

    May 25, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    Just tried this recipe and it came out great. It's delicious! Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  8. Anna says

    May 21, 2020 at 6:47 am

    What’s the serving size for the calorie count? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      May 28, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      Hi Anna - The serving size is about half a cup.

      Reply
  9. Yukti Arora says

    August 23, 2019 at 5:37 am

    "Wow so classy and mouth watering halwa recipe i loved it and please keep posting such tempting halwa recipe because i am Learner of making new and different halwa.

    Thanks you Very much For Sharing "

    Reply
  10. Gramila Rajan says

    February 28, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    This has been one of the tastiest recipes I have tried !!!

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      March 01, 2019 at 3:28 am

      Hey Gramila - So glad to hear you enjoyed the Sooji Halwa!

      Reply

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I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. Here you will find easy & delicious recipes using Instant Pot & Air Fryer.

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