Carrot halwa is one of the most beloved Indian dessert. It is creamy and is made with grated carrot that is cooked in milk & sweetened with condensed milk.
Growing up gajar halwa is a standard offering at every wedding, birthday and any other special occasion. This was my sister's favorite dessert and my mom would make it often for us. Since it was my sister's favorite, she got to grate all the carrot. I limited myself to being the taste tester.
The time consuming part of making this classic Indian dessert is grating carrot. This happens to be my husband's favorite too. So now I am stuck with the grating carrot part. I wish I could get him to grate.
Ingredients for Gajar ka Halwa:
The one and only star of this dish is the Carrot. Red carrots known as 'gajar' or 'desi carrot' are typically used to make this halwa. As the name suggests, these carrot are red and are available in winter. They are much sweeter, crunchier and juicier than the regular orange carrot. So, if you get can get your hands on these ruby red beauties, then buy and make this halwa to make it even more delicious.
I usually buy carrots from the bulk bin because I find them to be sweeter than the bland tasting bagged ones . So, if you plan on making this halwa, try and find good sweet carrots. Trader Joe's organic colored carrots would be great, but the color of the end product would probably not be the same.
My MIL makes the best carrot halwa. She uses with khoya/ khova (dried milk solids, which makes it rich and decadent. But I took the short cut and made mine with condensed milk.
The other ingredients needed are ghee, milk (preferably 2% or whole milk) and sugar (just a little bit since condensed milk is sweet). Ground cardamom gives a nice aroma and flavor. Chopped cashews/ almonds and raisins add crunch and bites of sweetness.
How to make?
Patience is the key in making creamy, decadent carrot pudding. For best results, it has to be cooked low and slow; on a low flame. It has to be stirred occasionally in the beginning and more frequently at the end when the halwa comes together.
- Grated carrot is sauteed in ghee until it doesn't smell raw any more. This takes about 12~15 minutes.
- Milk is added to the carrots and the mixture is brought to a gentle simmer and cooked until the milk starts to thicken and the carrots are completely tender. This takes about 15 minutes.
- Next condensed milk and sugar are added. The mixture will loosen up as the sugar melts but as it cooks it thickens again. That will take about another 15~20 minutes.
- Ground cardamom and roasted cashew & raisins are added. Mix well and the dessert is ready to serve.
- Enjoy hot, cold or at room temperature. Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Carrot Halwa | Gajar ka Halwa
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Ghee (clarified butter), divided use
- 2 tbsp Cashews, chopped
- 2 tbsps Raisins
- 6 Medium Carrots, shredded or grated
- 1½ cups Milk (2% or whole milk is best)
- 1 12 oz. Can of Condensed milk
- ¼ cup Sugar (or as per taste)
- ½ tsp Ground cardamom (elaichi)
Instructions
- In a wide saute pan, heat 1tbsp ghee and add the cashews and raisins. Once the cashews are golden and raisins plump up, remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining ghee and the grated carrots. Saute on low flame until the carrots don't smell raw anymore, this takes about 12~15 minutes
- Slowly add the milk and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until the milk starts to thicken and the carrots are completely tender, this will take about 15 minutes.
- Next add condensed milk and sugar. As the sugar melts the mixture will become liquidy, but as it cooks it thickens again. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes thick, takes about 20-25 minutes.
- Add the ground cardamom and cook for couple of minutes.
- Garnish with the roasted cashews and raisins. Can be served hot, warm or chilled.
Notes
- If you don't have the time, patience or the bicep strength to grate your carrots by hand, then use the grating plate on the food processor or pulse until finely chopped.
- Taste the halwa and adjust sugar to make sure it is sweet enough for your taste.
- I have made this completely vegan a couple of times by using coconut condensed milk, unsweetened almond milk and vegan butter. It was equally decadent and delicious.
Top Tips:
Here are a few of my tips to make this yummy dessert:
- If you don't have the time, patience or the bicep strength to grate your carrots by hand, then use the grating plate on the food processor or pulse until finely chopped.
- Taste the halwa and adjust sugar to make sure it is sweet enough for your taste.
- Want to make vegan Carrot Halwa: Use vegan friendly coconut condensed milk, unsweetened almond milk and vegan butter instead of the dairy versions. It will turn out equally decadent and delicious.
Other Recipes:
So, now you know how to make basic gajar ka halwa, here are a few delicious recipe ideas to make with that:
Suma Gandlur
very decadent dessert. I take more shortcuts than you I guess, :)I cook it in a MW.
Manju
love all those shortcuts..the few times i made them, i actually grated them and used whole milk to reduce it to the right consistency. Maybe that is why I have not made it more than just a few times! thanks for the tips!
The Pumpkin Farm
lovely dish, i like to have mine warm or hot with a scoop of vanilla icecream to make it even more decadent
Cool Lassi(e)
I want to lick that bowl clean!
Srivalli
Love that halwa!..looks awesome..
Priya Srinivasan
Delicious!!! Tempting clicks!!!
Vardhini
Looks yummy Pavani .. food processor is so useful for grating.VardhiniCheckout my 200th Post GiveawayEvent: Bake FestEvent: Dish it Out - Soy and Tomatoes
Sharmilee! :)
Wow delicious looking halwa and luv the clicks too
Gayathri's Cook Spot
Halwa looks awesome. Beautiful snaps...
Shanthi
Wow wonderful feel like grabbing it
Lakshmi Venkatesh
All time fav. looks very nice.
Jaleela
yummy halwa looks tempting
PJ
What a yummy dessert!Tasty clicks :). I usually prepare this in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time...
Priya Suresh
Yum yum,feel like having tat super delicious halwa,my fav anytime.
Kaveri Venkatesh
Yummy Halwa, truly a winter special..I have posted it today at my space.
Spandana
Delicious looking halwa and delicious pics too!!
Wit,wok and wisdom
Wow,this looks absolutely awesome!I believe grating by hand definitely yields much much better results than using the food processor - the one time I had tried using the FP,it turned mushy and did not have the right consistency.So making Gajar ka Halwa could well be a synonym for the patience test;)Lovely looking Halwa here!
Aarthi
love it anytime
Nalini's Kitchen
delicious halwa,my fav.
TheYummyMorsel
Very pretty pics!