Gajar ka Halwa is a delicious popular Indian dessert made with carrots, milk and sugar. Topped up with aromatic cardamom and crunchy nuts like almonds and walnuts, this comforting winter delicacy tastes absolutely blissful.
This Indian carrot pudding is naturally vegetarian, gluten free and one of the easiest dessert made by slow cooking carrots in milk. Though it may sound simple but the flavours are spot-on and irresistible.
It is also known by other names like gajrela, gajar pak or carrot halwa. In this post, I have shared traditional way of making gajar halwa with milk (the way it is always made at my home) but it can also be made using khoya (milk solids) or condensed milk for faster cooking.
The carrot halwa recipe shared here is:
- One-pot
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Made without khoya / mawa
- Has no condensed milk, no milk powder
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will be familiar about how most recipes I share are easy and quick to make. This recipe is also easy but not quick as grated carrots are simmered in milk till all liquid is evaporated. It takes time and you have to stir it often but trust me the end result is totally worth the wait.
Gajar Halwa Ingredients:
Carrots: Use firm, fresh red carrots to make gajar halwa. Traditionally red carrots are used in this recipe but if they are not available you can use orange carrots too. To make halwa, we begin by peeling and grating the carrots. While grating make sure not to grate the hard yellow-green part as it can leave a bitter aftertaste.
Carrots are known to have number of benefits as they are good source of beta carotene, vitamin K, antioxidants, fibre and potassium etc. Apart from sweet recipes, they can be used in variety of savoury recipes like this carrot dal soup, salads, air fryer roasted carrots etc
Milk: Use whole milk or full fat milk to get rich, melt-in-mouth halwa. As carrots slowly cook in milk, the moisture evaporates while the carrots absorb the fat and subtle sweetness of milk. If you are using toned or low fat milk, please add few tablespoons of heavy cream or fresh cream.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is used here to sweeten the halwa. You can adjust its quantity as per your liking.
Aromatics: Elaichi, also known as cardamom in english, enhances the flavour of halwa with its warm floral aroma. If you are using whole cardamoms, peel them first and crush their seeds using mortar pestle. Along with cardamom, you can also use few saffron (kesar) strands.
Dry fruits: Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios add contrasting crunchy texture to soft, creamy carrot halwa. Feel free to use any nuts of your choice. You can dry-roast them or roast them in ghee before using.
More Indian dessert recipes:
Ingredients:
- Red carrots- 500 to 600 gms (~18 oz.)
- Milk- 2 cups (500 ml)
- Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Ghee- 2 to 3 tbsp
- Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Chopped Nuts- 1/3 cup
Notes:
- Use full fat milk for richer taste and texture. If you are using toned or skimmed milk, add 2-3 tbsp heavy cream / fresh cream.
- Use any nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios or walnuts.
- Measuring Cup: 1 cup=250 ml. The above quantity yields 3-4 servings. You can double the recipe for more servings.
Directions:
Step 1:
Wash and peel the carrots. Chop the bottom part and grate them using thick side of grater. Keep aside.
Step 2:
Take a heavy bottom pan or kadhai and pour milk in it. Heat it first and then add grated carrots to it. Mix well.
Step 3:
Bring the mixture to boil and then simmer. Stir it every 5 minutes while scraping the sides of pan also, to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.
Keep cooking till the milk is almost evaporated. It takes roughly 25-30 minutes. If you are making larger quantity, it may take more time.
Step 4:
When the milk is almost evaporated, add sugar and mix well. The mixture will seem watery first as the sugar melts but will gradually thicken up. Keep stirring while keeping the flame to low.
Step 5:
As halwa begins to thicken again, add ghee and cardamom powder. Mix for 2-3 minutes, add chopped dry fruits (saving some for garnishing) and mix once again.
Step 6:
Keep cooking while stirring continuously till halwa becomes reddish orange in colour and starts releasing its fat (you will notice glaze on it). Garnish the halwa with more nuts. Serve it hot or warm as per your liking.
Tips:
- You can easily store any leftover halwa in an airtight container in fridge for upto a week. To reheat, transfer it in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 4-50 seconds.
- For adding more favour and colour, you can also add few saffron strands (kesar) in step 2.
- You can dry roast nuts before adding them to halwa.
- Apart from enjoying the halva as it is, you can even use in various fusion desserts like these no bake motichoor cheesecake jars, rabdi gajar halwa parfait, mini gulab jamun cheesecakes or you can make dessert spring rolls by using gajar halwa as stuffing instead of vegetables.
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Disclaimer: The post was originally published on Feb 17, 2016 and has been updated with more tips and better images.
If you try this gajar halwa recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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