Gajar ka halwa is a popular winter delicacy that needs no introduction! Gajar Halwa is an ultimate delicious traditional Indian dessert made from grated carrots, milk, sugar, ghee and khoya. Learn how to make this authentic, rich and creamy carrot halwa. An Indian dessert loved by all.
Table of Contents:
1. About the recipe
2. Ingredients
3. Step-by-step method
4. Tips
1. About the recipe
The winter months in North India are the season of red carrots, which are sweeter than orange carrots. The natural colour of red carrots and sparks of khoya in this traditional sweet is heaven.
The dessert is nutritious and delicious during winter, keeping your body warm. Tasting absolutely perfect in every bite. My younger daughter loves to have this sweet with a spoonful of malai(cream). Some people like to enjoy it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Use fresh carrots, red or orange, whichever are available. Traditionally made with red carrots, they definitely have the best authentic taste. I sometimes use a hand grater and a food processor to grate the carrots. You can use any of the two methods to shred them.
You won’t believe it, but carrot halwa needs only six basic and easily available ingredients. The steps to make gajar ka halwa are very simple. However, it needs some constant stirring & patience. The best carrot halwa is made by cooking the carrots in milk until the milk evaporates. Then some sugar, ghee, khoya and cardamom create the magic to give the most flavourful carrot halwa.
What is so special about Carrot Halwa
- Easy, delicious and Nutritious
- It needs only a few basic ingredients
- Vegetarian and gluten-free.
- It can be turned into Vegan, too.
- You can double it or triple it as per your requirement.
- It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Let’s start cooking!
Serving Suggestions: 3 to 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Now, let’s quickly note down the requirements and method without taking any prior time.
2. Ingredients
- 1 kg carrot
- 500 ml full-fat milk
- 150 gram khoya or Mawa
- 2 tablespoons of milk powder(optional)
- 100 gm ghee
- 1 & 1/2 cup sugar (200 gram )
- 1 teaspoon of green cardamom powder
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup cashews
3. Step by Step method
- Start with washing carrots, then peel them using a peeler.
- Grate the carrots in a big bowl. You can use a hand grater or food processor. The main thing to note is to use the thicker grate.
- Add the grated carrots to a large pan and turn the heat to medium flame. Saute the carrots for 5 minutes so that some of the moisture is removed.
- Add milk and 1/2 cup sugar to the same pan and let the milk( with the carrots) boil. Then, lower the heat to medium flame and let it cook.
- Cook the carrots until all the liquid is evaporated. Stir frequently, it will take 30 to 40 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of sugar and dry milk powder to the halwa.
- The sugar will release water and make the halwa a little liquid. Cook until the halwa becomes dry again.
- Add ghee, khoya, cardamom powder and sliced nuts to the halwa.
- Mix all the ingredients very well.
- Now increase the heat and cook the halwa for another 10 to 15 minutes until the ghee is separated from the halwa.
- Delicious gajar ka halwa is ready to be served.
- Serve Gajar ka halwa warm from the pan. Refrigerate any leftovers, warming them before serving.
4. Tips
- It is important to buy fresh, red and juicy carrots for the recipe to make them easy to grate and taste sweet. Small and medium-sized carrots are preferable to large carrots, which can become woody and tough.
- You can either grate or shred the carrots. The carrots can be grated using a handheld box grater or a food processor.
- Stir the halwa mixture often while cooking it in a pan. Leaving the pan unattended will make the milk and carrots burn or brown at the bottom of the pan. So stirring regularly while it’s simmering is a must.
- Depending on your desired servings, you can easily halve, double or triple this carrot halwa recipe.
- You can make this halwa completely Vegan by simply swapping your favourite non-dairy milk and using coconut oil instead of ghee. But coconut oil leaves its aroma and flavour to the halwa.
