Carrot Halwa is a Classic Indian Dessert ; Carrots are slow cooked in whole milk , desi ghee and sugar , flavored with cardamom and garnished with nuts.
Carrot halwa popularly known as gajar ka halwa is a popular Indian dessert , it's made on festivals , get togethers , religious ceremonies and also marriages.
I'm a great fan of these vegetable based desserts , few of my favorites includes - Sweet Potato halwa , Kashi Halwa ( Ash gourd halwa ) and Pumpkin halwa (Kaddu Halwa ) , you may check these recipes , I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do.
Jump to:
About this recipe
The recipe post shares traditional , slow cooked carrot halwa recipe made with full fat milk , ghee ,carrot and dry fruits. In India, as gajar halwa is one of the loved dessert among all generations , every house has their own likings and variations to the classic dessert.
You can make carrot halwa by adding khoya or with condensed milk. Though adding khoya/mawa gives a rich texture and taste , I found it to be too heavy. Hence , I prefer slow cooking carrots in full fat whole milk for subtle taste and flavor.
Classic gajar halwa is so popular in India that many fusion recipes like carrot halwa cakes , gajar halwa mousse , carrot halwa triffles , gajar halwa ice cream and many more exists.
If you ever wonder , why they eat Gajar halwa in winters, here is the little science behind this tradition. In North India , Decembers are really cold and body needs more fat to withstand the cold temperature.
And during winters sweet Red carrots are in season , carrots are rich in beta-carotene Vit A and Vit K , fat soluble vitamins . When carrots are cooked in desi ghee ( fat ) , nutrients are well absorbed and assimilated to the body. Also it helps to keep skin soft and supple without drying or breaking the skin in winters. Hence gajrela is so very popular ! Though most of them aren't aware of this , it's the taste of gajar ka halwa that makes it so popular.
So don't ever think about the calories it carries, just eat at the right time and enjoy the goodness of this dessert guilt free.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients that got in to make this classic Gajar ka Halwa
Carrots - Always pick seasonal red carrots to make this gajar halwa . As red carrots gives the authentic taste in this dessert. You can also make this with black carrots , if available.
Milk - Use full fat whole milk to make this dessert. Never compromise on using full fat milk , as it gives a very rich taste . Here I have not used Khoya , hence I have used more milk in this recipe. In case khoya is added , you can reduce the amount of milk used.
Ghee ( Clarified butter ) - Nothing can beat the taste of desi ghee in this recipe. So without compromising, feel free to add ghee in this recipe.
Cardamom Powder - Freshly pound cardamom powder is what I prefer while making desserts , if using store brought cardamom powder then increase the amount by 1 extra pinch !
Nuts and raisins - You can miss on raisins but not on nuts, it gives a nice crunchy taste to this dessert.
Tips
Always use red carrots to make this halwa as you can get real taste from red carrots. Even black carrots can be used to make this halwa . You can find black carrots in winters in some regions of East India
Grate carrots to medium thickness. If you grate them too thin, the halwa will become mushy , to speed up the process use food processor to grate carrots.
Keep stirring the halwa at regular intervals or else it scorches from the bottom.
You can easily double or triple this recipe .
Carrot halwa is freezer friendly recipe , transfer it in a freezer safe box and freeze. Thaw before using and warm in microwave. You can freeze the halwa for 1-2 months.
You can make this gajar halwa with khoya also. Add 50 grams of Khoya once carrots are well cooked and follow the remaining process exactly.
Watch Video
How to make Carrot Halwa Dessert
Rinse carrots, pat it dry ,trim the edges , peel the skin , grate and keep it aside
In a heavy bottom thick pan /kadai (don't use Nonstick), add 2 tablespoon of ghee/clarified butter and add grated carrot
Saute the carrot till the rawness of carrot goes,it takes around 6-8 minutes.
Now add boiled milk and let the carrots cook in the milk.
Cover lid and cook on low flame .
When carrot is completely cooked, open lid and cook on low heat , stirring occasionally until milk reduces.
Once milk is almost reduced to 90% , add sugar , mix well and let it continue to cook on low flame
Whilst, heat 4 tablespoon of ghee and fry all chopped nuts until it turns golden in color. Add raisins at last and remove from stove.
To carrot halwa , add cardamom powder , fried nuts , raisins along with ghee.
Mix well ; when everything comes together leaving the pan from edges , gajar halwa is ready.
Serve Carrot Halwa hot, warm or cold . Can also serve with Ice cream.
Recipe
Carrot Halwa | Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe
Ingredients
- 4.5- 5 Cups Red Carrot grated
- 2 Cups Full Fat Milk
- 8 tablespoon Sugar or as required
- 6 tablespoon Ghee /Clarified Butter
- ½ teaspoon Green cardamom Powder ,4-5 cardamom pods , de husked and powdered
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
- 2 tablespoon Cashews
- 2 tablespoon Almonds, slivered
- 1 tablespoon Pistachios , chopped
Instructions
- Rinse carrots, pat it dry ,trim the edges , peel the skin , grate and keep it aside
- In a heavy bottom thick pan /kadai (don't use Nonstick), add 2 tablespoon of ghee/clarified butter and add grated carrot,
- Saute the carrot till the rawness of carrot goes,it takes around 6-8 minutes.
- Now add boiled milk and let the carrots cook in the milk. Cover lid and cook on low flame .
- When carrot is completely cooked, open lid and cook until milk reduces.
- Once milk is almost reduced to 90% , add sugar , mix well and let it continue to cook on low flame
- Whilst, heat 4 tablespoon of ghee and fry all chopped nuts until it turns golden in color. Add raisins at last and remove from stove.
- To carrot halwa , add cardamom powder , fried nuts , raisins along with ghee.
- Mix well ; when everything comes together leaving the pan from edges , gajar halwa in ready.
- Serve Carrot Halwa hot, warm or cold .Can also serve with Ice cream.
Video
Notes
- Always use red carrots to make this halwa as you can get real taste from red carrots. Even black carrots can be used to make this halwa . You can find black carrots in winters in some regions of East India
- Grate carrots to medium thickness. If you grate them too thin, the halwa will become mushy , to speed up the process use food processor to grate carrots.
- Keep stirring the halwa at regular intervals or else it scorches from the bottom.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe .
- Carrot halwa is freezer friendly recipe , transfer it in a freezer safe box and freeze. Thaw before using and warm in microwave. You can freeze the halwa for 1-2 months.
- You can make this gajar halwa with khoya also. Add 50 grams of Khoya once carrots are well cooked and follow the remaining process exactly.
Leave a Reply