Gajar Halwa with Red Indian Carrots

Last Updated on March 30, 2022 by Babita

Gajar halwa is a rich, delicious, Indian dessert made with carrots, milk, sugar, cardamom powder and ghee. This dessert is not only a luxury but also a comfort dish for many Indians.

About the recipe

I have so many found memories of gajar ka halwa. Growing up, my mom made huge batch of gajar halwa when red carrots were in season in India. It was and still is my comfort dessert. Like most kids, I believe my mom makes the best carrot halwa. I think the only way we consumed carrots were like this.

The reason her gajar halwa was so delicious was because of two things; mom’s love and home made ghee. The home made ghee added adds a rich, aromatic flavor that makes the taste of gajar halwa simply out of this world.

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

Carrots: gajar is the Hindi name for carrots. This recipe is also known as Gajar Ka Halwa in Hindi. I recently found some beautiful red carrots in one of our local Indian stores. These red carrots are seasonal and available mostly during the winter months. These red Indian carrots are sweeter than the orange carrots that we find here in New Jersey and they look and taste amazing, especially when used to for this halwa. If you can’t find red carrots, it is okay, you can use orange carrot to make carrot halwa as well.

Milk: The carrots are cooked in milk. I personally like using whole milk for this recipe. However, I have made it with 2% and low-fat milk and it tastes great. So if you want to substitute with low-fat milk feel free.

Sugar: to sweeten the gajar halwa I have used sugar. Sugar is a must. Like most Indian desserts gajar halwa is overly sweet.

Ghee: is one of the important ingredients. Ghee adds a glaze and aromatic flavor to gajar halwa. I always use my home made ghee. I would advise against using store bought ghee as it does not have the same kind of aroma of a home made ghee.

Cardamom Powder: is a must in any Indian dessert. I use a tsp of cardamom powder in the gajar halwa.

How to Make Traditional Gajar Halwa in a Pot

Gajar Halwa is super easy to make. My way is literally the dump-all-ingredients in a pot and stir method. This recipe is easy and not at all hard to make. See below for the instructions. I have also included a video in the recipe below. You can check it out.

• Peel all the carrots. Rinse them under running water.
• Grate the carrots.
• Next, add the grated carrots to a pot. Add milk and sugar and allow it to cook on medium heat.
• Keep stirring occasionally.
• Cook until all the milk has been absorbed by the carrots or approx 25 mins.
• Add cardamom milk and mix.
• Lastly add ghee and continue to stir it for another 5 mins.
• Take it off heat and garnish with some chopped almonds.
• Serve it warm or chilled.

How to Make Gajar Halwa with Condensed Milk

• Peel all the carrots. Rinse them under running water.
• Grate the carrots. Use about 2 to 3 cups of grated carrots.
• Next, add the grated carrots to a pot. Add a condensed milk, 1 1/2 cups of water and allow it to cook on medium heat.
• Keep stirring occasionally.
• Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the carrots or approx 25 mins.
• Add cardamom powder and mix.
• Lastly add ghee and continue to stir it for another 5 mins.
• Take it off heat and garnish with some chopped almonds.
• Serve it warm or chilled.

I personally prefer the taste of traditional gajar halwa. The halwa that we make with condensed milk taste more like mithai. It is also not any quicker to make. If you are out of milk and sugar then and need a sweet then consider making halwa with condensed milk.

To make gajar halwa with khoya, it is pretty easy. Follow the steps until the very end. Lastly add 1/2 cup of khoya to the halwa and mix it well.