Carrot halwa cheesecake is a creamy, decadent and delicious dessert. A perfect recipe to make with leftover gajar halwa and it takes just a few minutes to put this together.
This is a no bake cheesecake dessert that is great to make ahead of time. Yummy western twist to a traditional Indian dessert. Try it out, you will love this tasty gajar halwa fusion dessert.
About the recipe
I love individual desserts. They are perfectly portion controlled and make for beautiful presentation for parties. Some of my favorite dessert in a glass are these individual tiramisu and cookie-butter cheesecakes.
Carrot halwa aka gajar ka halwa is a popular Indian dessert. I make it quite often and use it in different ways as well. Like in this yummy ice cream or in this delicious carrot poli.
So, this is my fusion of carrot halwa with cheesecake. Call them gajar halwa shots or halwa dessert or a trifle, these no bake individual cheesecakes are sure to please everyone.
There is no baking involved in this recipe. If you have gajar halwa ready, then the whole recipe takes just a few minutes to put together.
I made sure that this dessert has all the components of traditional cheesecake. So, it has a buttery crust, followed by the cheesy layer. Finally topped with the saffron flavored creamy whipped cream.
It is a great recipe to use up leftover carrot halwa. But you can by all means make it fresh to make this gajar halwa cheesecake.
Ingredients
For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.
Here are the ingredients you need to make this Indian cheesecake:
- Gajar ka halwa - I have 2 recipes on the blog - one with condensed milk and one with ricotta cheese. You can use your favorite recipe as well.
- Cream cheese - regular or neufchatel would work.
- Heavy cream/ whipping cream
- Graham crackers or digestive biscuits
- Melted ghee or butter
- Ground cardamom, saffron strands
- Saffron extract or vanilla extract
- Chopped nuts - almonds or pistachios
Instructions
For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.
Here is how to make Indian individual cheesecakes in glasses:
Start my making your favorite carrot halwa recipe. Let it cool completely. You can also use leftover chilled halwa.
For the crust: Grind graham cracker/ digestive biscuits into coarse powder. Pour into a small bowl and add melted ghee/ butter. Mix to form a sandy textured crumbs.
Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of the serving glasses. Lightly press with the back of the spoon to compact it. Let chill for at least 10 minutes.
For the cheesecake: Add softened, room temperature cream cheese to carrot halwa. Stir in ground cardamom and mix well until creamy.
Divide this carrot halwa cheesecake mixture between the serving glasses. Put them back in the fridge while you make the whipped cream.
For the Whipped Cream Topping: Beat cream along with confectioners sugar, saffron extract and saffron strands until stiff peaks form.
Top each of the serving glasses with quarter of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.
Expert Tips
- Make sure that the carrot halwa is not too thick. Thin it out with some milk, so that it mixes well with cream cheese.
- Make sure the cream cheese soft and at room temperature. This is very important to get a smooth halwa layer.
- The crunchy component comes from graham cracker crumbs, but you can also use crushed digestive biscuits.
- Store bought cool whip can be used instead of heavy cream. This saves time, if you are making a big batch.
- These can be made up to 2 days in advance.
You might also like
- Vegetarian Naan-chos
- Stuffed peppers with potato curry
- Onion kulcha with sourdough starter
- Cabbage leek curry
- Vegetable vindaloo in slow cooker
- Black eyed pea samosa
- Vegan kheema pav (Indian style sloppy joe's)
I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.
Recipe Card
Individual No bake Carrot Halwa Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the Carrot Halwa Filling:
- 1 cup Carrot Halwa
- ¼ cup Cream cheese, softened
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
Other Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Graham Cracker/ digestive biscuit crumbs*
- 1 tablespoon Melted Ghee/ Unsalted Butter
- ⅓ cup Heavy whipping cream
- 1~2 tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Saffron extract or vanilla extract
- Few Strands Saffron
- 1 tablespoon Pistachios or almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Start my making your favorite carrot halwa recipe. Let it cool completely. You can also use leftover chilled halwa.
For the crust:
- Grind graham cracker/ digestive biscuits into coarse powder. Pour into a small bowl and add melted ghee/ butter. Mix to form a sandy textured crumbs.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of the serving glasses. Lightly press with the back of the spoon to compact it. Let chill for at least 10 minutes.
For the cheesecake:
- Add softened, room temperature cream cheese to carrot halwa. Stir in ground cardamom and mix well until creamy.
- Divide this carrot halwa cheesecake mixture between the serving glasses. Put them back in the fridge while you make the whipped cream.
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- Beat cream along with confectioners sugar, saffron extract and saffron strands until stiff peaks form.
- Top each of the serving glasses with quarter of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- Grind about 4~6 graham crackers or digestive biscuits in a food processor until smooth.
- Make sure that the carrot halwa is not too thick. Thin it out with some milk, so that it mixes well with cream cheese.
- Make sure the cream cheese soft and at room temperature. This is very important to get a smooth halwa layer.
- The crunchy component comes from graham cracker crumbs, but you can also use crushed digestive biscuits.
- Store bought cool whip can be used instead of heavy cream. This saves time, if you are making a big batch.
- These can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Rajani
I love this new look on our age old halwa. Will keep this recipe in mind the next time I make it.
Gayathri Kumar
This is a great fusion dessert. Looks so delicious..
sapana
Carrot halwa cheesecke looks so exotic and very innovative. Love the stunning pictures.
Ritu Tangri
Quite an innovation...must be great in taste as well 🙂
Harini
Very innovative!!
Suma Gandlur
The fusion of decadent ingredients sounds really tempting.
Sheryl
This looks great and your photos are amazing! I don't recall having halwa on my trips to India. Can you describe it for me? Is it like a pudding?
Rafeeda@The Big Sweet Tooth
This is such a lovely twist! Amazing recipe... I would definitely love a cheesecake like this...
Priya Suresh
Omg, very creative cheese cake..ABsolutely inviting me. Never thought of making cheesecake with carrot halwa, well done.
Ruxana
What a lovely creativity ....yummy