Gajar Halwa Recipe – Indian Carrot Pudding

Gajar ka Halwa, also known as carrot halwa or Gajrela is Indian dessert or sweet which is a winter delicacy. Gajar Halwa is made with juicy red carrots, milk sugar and a lot of dry fruits and nuts. The recipe is simple and super easy though it requires a lot of patience because of slow cooking. Here’s how to make Carrot Halwa/Gajar Halwa.

How to Make Gajar Ka Halwa

Lately, I don’t know why, but I have started cravings for sweets.  And, I was one of those people with non-existent sweet tooth, but I guess there is no age to develop one :D. And my sweet tooth has special cravings too I desire only Indian sweets, other than of course dark chocolates which I enjoyed even without this sudden appearance of the sweet tooth. Cutting short the story winter arrived and I was naturally craving this winter delight Gajar ka halwa which I have always loved once in a while.

My mother makes best carrot halwa I am sure that all mothers do { Mothers are the best cook  }. So even after I got married, she made sure that every winter it reaches to us { even in far-flung places where my husband was posted to}. Now that we are talking about far-flung places, I remember when we were posted to Shillong I made Gajar ka halwa with orange carrots the taste of which was slightly salty, but that was the only option. During Airforce life I learned so many different methods of recipes that now I have multiple recipes to cook any dish.

Gajar ka halwa also can be made with different methods and a slight difference in ingredients. The main ingredients of this delicious North Indian sweet pudding remain the same. Carrots, milk, sugar and Nuts. Let’s talk about recipes and Methods of making carrot halwa. Traditionally, this rich dessert is made by slow cooking carrots in full-fat milk. This is made without khoya. It takes hours of preparation, but the taste is totally worth it. As usual, there are many smart hacks that are used to cut short the process.

Gajar Halwa Recipe in Microwave

This is one of the quick and short methods of making carrot halwa in the microwave. Last year when working with LG microwaves I posted this microwave carrot halwa recipe.

Gajar Halwa Recipe in the cooker

This is another fast recipe of making Gajar ka halwa with khoya. Rather than simmering and slow cooking carrots in milk and reducing it, grated carrots are cooked with a small quantity of milk in a pressure cooker. Then Khoya and mawa is added to the cooked carrots and the mixture is cooked in ghee to make halwa.

How to Cook Gajar Halwa with Condensed Milk

Basically richness in this dessert comes with the reduced milk, so to make the method quick one needs cooked carrots and some sort of reduced milk. So if you are looking to quicken the process you can make carrot halwa with condensed milk as well. In microwave method, I used the condensed milk recipe.

To make carrot halwa in the microwave, add carrot and milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Add ghee and cardamom powder and microwave for another 5 minutes. Now add sugar and microwave for 4 minutes. Add khoya and microwave for 5-6 minutes. See if the ghee has separated on the sides. Otherwise microwave for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with dry fruits and serve hot. 

Gajar ka Halwa Recipe Notes

• Sweet Red Carrots are best for making halwa. In Indian these are available only in winters, that is why It is known as a winter delicacy.
• Grate the carrots from large holes of grater for the perfect texture.
• Instead of just sugar you can make a thick sugar syrup and set this to make Gajar pak.
• Since the primary technique to make the halwa is by slow cooking you can easily make gajar ka halwa in the slow cooker.
• If you follow pressure cooker method you can easily make it pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
• Before adding ghee make sure that the liquids are fully absorbed and the mixture is uniform.
• In the last always roast halwa for minimum 10 minutes in ghee for the best taste. This is the time when you have to keep it stirring all the while.

5 from 5 votes

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Gajar ka Halwa or Carrot Halwa Recipe

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 30 mins

 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: north indian

Servings: 8 portion

Ingredients

• 1 kg Carrot Grated
• 1 litre Milk
• 5 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Ghee (recipe for homemade ghee )
• 2 cardamom Black
• 3/4 cup Condensed milk
• Almonds to garnish

Instructions

1. Bring the milk to a slight boil and add carrots. Now reduce the heat to low and allow the carrots to cook and milk is reduced.

2. This process on low heat takes almost 1hr and you have to stir it on regular intervals so it does not burn and stick to the bottom.

3. When all the liquid is evaporated and milk is reduced/solidified add sugar and again cook till juices/melted sugar is again reduced.

4. At this stage add crumbled khoya and cook some more for 5-6 minutes till it is well incorporated into mix.

5. Now in a separate deep pan add ghee and heat it, when ghee is hot transfer cooked halwa and cook it for 1 minutes and keep stirring it all the while.

6. After the halwa is cooked add mixed dry fruits and nuts of your choice. serve it hot and garnish with almonds for a sweet treat.

Recipe Notes

Though the result was pretty good ,but still was not quite the same and how it would have been it didn't have mothers midas touch..