Coconut Pumpkin Halwa (No grating needed!)
Coconut Pumpkin Halwa, also called Kaddu ka Halwa, is an Indian pumpkin dessert made with pumpkin, sugar, ghee, coconut, and nuts. No grating of pumpkins is needed, and you can cook it in a stovetop pressure cooker or an Instant Pot; it takes less than 30 minutes to make this delicious sweet.
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 4 cups Pumpkin cubed to about 1.5 inches, 600 grams
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk or whole milk
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar add more to taste
- 1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi)
- 1 tablespoon Cashews broken, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Almonds sliced, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Raisins golden
- 2 teaspoon Ghee for finishing
Instructions
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode. One it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the pot, then add the cubed pumpkin.
- Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the raw smell of the pumpkin goes away. Add the almond milk and close the pot with the lid.
- Press the pressure-cook button with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick-pressure release. (For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles)
- Open the pot and set it to sauté mode. Mash the pumpkin with a fork or potato masher.
- Then add the sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add the desiccated coconut and cardamom powder, then cook the halwa for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring continuously until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Add the cashews, almonds, and raisins, then cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of ghee and mix.
- Garnish with more nuts and saffron, if desired, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Vegan Variation: To make the recipe vegan, replace ghee with unsalted vegan butter or coconut oil. And use almond milk.
Milk: The recipe calls for almond milk, but regular milk works too. Regular milk, along with ghee, will make the recipe non-vegan.
Garnish: I added some saffron to garnish the halwa, but it is completely optional.
Serving: You can serve it warm (preferred) or cold.
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 545mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 9875IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg