Gajar Ka Halwa | Gajar Halwa | Carrot Halwa | Carrot Pudding

Gajar Halwa | Carrot Halwa-  One of the most popular North Indian dessert.

In India, winters are incomplete without having Gajar Halwa/Carrot Halwa. This dessert is easy to make and tastes absolutely divine. It is very popular across India. Many weddings and small functions often end with this halwa served after meals. I haven’t heard of any Indian who doesn’t love carrot halwa. Have you?

It’s a winter delicacy and is made by using the juicy carrots. This popular Indian dessert is prepared at least 2-3 times in every North Indian Household during winters. Though winter in India is almost gone but we still have freezing winters here in London. So I made this halwa last week on a freezing rainy day. My mom makes the best ever carrot halwa and today I am sharing her simple and easy recipe to make this.

 This sweet Indian pudding is a very delicious combination of carrots, pure ghee, milk, khoya (mawa), cardamoms and assorted nuts. It is a light nutritious dessert with less fat. This dessert recipe is perfect for special occasions.

Carrots are caramelized slowly in ghee first and then cooked with milk in an open pan. So you just have to sauté grated carrots in ghee and then, stir and cooked together with milk and sugar for about an hour. Lastly, Khoya, nuts and cardamom powder are added to enhance the flavour and deliciousness. Making of this halwa is quite simple but the outcome is absolutely divine. It goes well with a dollop of ice cream on the side.

Generally red carrots are used in making this halwa as they are very sweet and juicy. But here I am using organic English carrots, which are orange in color. You can use any kind of carrots but just make sure that they are tender and juicy so that they can be easily grated. Also I am using homemade Instant Khoya /Mawa in this recipe. You can double or triple the quantity of the ingredients and make a bigger batch if you want to. But along with the ingredients, cooking time will also increase, so keep that in mind. Making Gajar Halwa in small batches is easier, that way you don’t have to a lot of hard work.

The delightful taste of this halwa can impress anyone. So make it for the weekend’s gatherings, get-togethers or parties. Not only the kids but adults would also love it. This can be served cold or warm. I personally love to eat it warm. I hope you will enjoy this fudgy irresistible halwa which is bursting with amazing flavors. 

Read through and see if you find it interesting enough to try. I am sure you would love this recipe. If you try this delicious dessert recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate it, or share a photo in the comment section…. Can’t wait to see your photos!

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Checkout other recipes for Vrat-

Carrot Kheer | Sabudana Khichdi | Vrat Wale Aloo | Farali Sookhi Bhaji | Sabudana Kheer | Sabudana Pakoda/Vada 
Course: Dessert

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Servings: 6

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

10 to 12 medium carrots

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoon pure ghee

1 cup khoya (mawa)

5 to 6 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk

1 to 2 tablespoon powdered sugar

7 to 8 green cardamoms- crushed (1 teaspoon cardamom powder)

8-9 seeds of black cardamom- crushed

8 to10 chopped pistachio

8 to10 chopped kaju (cashews)

8 to10 chopped almonds

How to make Gajar Ka Halwa-

First rinse and peel the carrots. 

Then grate the carrots either with a grater or in a food processor. I am using the food processor as it saves much time and efforts. 

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan or kadhai, add all of the grated carrots and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Now pour 2 cups whole milk. Mix well, cover the pan with lid and let it cook for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes remove the lid then keep stirring and cook over medium heat to avoid burning.

Let the carrots cook in the milk until the mixture become almost dry as milk will reduce slowly.

When carrot are almost cooked then add 4 to 5 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk. Condensed milk gives nice texture to halwa. (Do not add condensed milk until carrots are cooked otherwise they will take longer time to cook). 

When the milk is absorbed, and the carrots are thoroughly cooked, add 1 to 2 tablespoon granulated sugar. (You can add more sugar if you like your halwa little extra sweet). 

Stir and continue to simmer on a low medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken and the halwa leaves the sides of the pan, at this stage add 1 cup khoya and mix properly. 

Continue to stir on low flame till the whole mixture becomes dry, finish off with mixing cardamom powder, pistachios, cashews and almonds. 

Switch off the flame and serve Gajar halwa hot or warm and garnish it with chopped dry fruits. For better flavor cover the pan after mixing the cardamom powder for at least 30 minutes then serve.

Recipe notes:

If not serving immediately, refrigerate carrot halwa and re-heat and serve when desired.

Grate the carrots to medium thickness. If you grate them too thin, the halwa will become mushy.

Keep stirring the halwa at regular intervals.