Gajar ka halwa is a popular Indian dessert made from grated carrots cooked in milk and sugar, laced with cardamom and garnished with roasted nuts. Learn how to make authentic rich and creamy carrot halwa!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: gajar ka halwa, gajrela, indian carrot dessert
Wash, peel and grate carrots using the thick side of a hand grater or food processor.
Add 1 tablespoon of ghee to a pan on medium heat. Add the chopped pistachios (and other nuts) and roast until they become lightly golden in color. If adding raisins, add them now. Roast for 15 seconds more, take out and set aside.
Add the grated carrots to a large pan and turn heat to medium-high. Saute the carrots for 5 minutes so that some of the moisture is removed.
Now add the milk to the same pan and let the milk (with the carrots) come to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium flame and let it cook. You want to cook the carrots until all the liquid is evaporated. Stir frequently as you dont want the halwa to scorch the bottom of the pan. This will take about 35-45 minutes.
Now add the sugar to the halwa. The sugar will release water and make the halwa a little liquidy. Cook until the halwa becomes dry again.
Now add the cardamom powder and remaining ghee and mix will the carrot halwa. Roast for a minute for the ghee to blend into the halwa.
Garnish with the roasted nuts. Serve warm as is or topped with vanilla ice-cream!
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Notes
Carrots: Use red carrots if you can find them. You want fresh, tender, carrots which don't have too much fiber. If the carrots are old, the halwa won't be as delicious.Milk: I highly recommend using full-fat whole milk. However, if you want to make it low-fat, you can use milk with 2% or 1% fat. You can also reduce the amount of ghee to make it lighter.Sugar-free Halwa: You can use dates for this. Soak 1 cup of dates in water for 30 minutes, or boil them on the stovetop, then blend to a paste. Then, use in place of sugar in the recipe.Vegan Variation: Replace milk with almond milk and replace ghee with unsalted vegan butter. Variations: See notes in the post to make halwa with khoya, milk powder, or condensed milk. How to store: Let the halwa cool down completely to room temperature before storing. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To store for longer, freeze for up to 3 months.