Carrot halwa (gajar ka halwa)

overhead view of bowl of gajar halwa carrot pudding with spoons to side

5 from 2 votes

This Indian carrot pudding may take a little patience, but it's easy to make and well worth the wait for a rich, comforting and delicious treat.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 324kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

Save

Ingredients

1 lb carrots
6 cardamom pods
2 ½ cups milk whole/full fat
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
½ cup sugar or can use jaggery
2 tablespoon slivered almonds or chopped, roasted unsalted cashews
2 tablespoon raisins optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Peel and coarsely grate the carrots. Lightly crush the cardamom pods so that they crack open slightly but still hold the seeds inside.
Place the carrots, milk and cardamom pods in a heavy based pot/pan, ideally relatively wide and place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until there is almost no liquid left. Cook over a steady simmer, reducing the heat if needed so that it doesn't burn but you want it bubbling enough so the liquid evaporates. This will take around 35-45 minutes or so, depending on the temperature, width of the pot etc. You will not need to stir much to start but will need to more as it cooks down to avoid the bottom sticking and burning.
Once the liquid has largely gone, add the butter or ghee and mix in. Cook a couple minutes more until the butter is absorbed and there is no liquid left.
Now add the sugar and mix through. The mixture will become glossy as the sugar dissolves. Remove the cardamom pods at this point to avoid having them in the end dish. Cook a minute more then add the nuts and raisins, if using. Mix through and either serve warm or allow to cool if serving at room temperature.

Video

Notes

You can make larger or smaller amounts to suit, just multiple/reduce the ingredients evenly. The only exception is you don't necessarily need double the cardamom pods for double the mixture, and I'd suggest around 4 rather than 3 for a half quantity (as pictured in the ingredients and made in video, above).

Cooking time will likely change with volume - around half the quantity will cook down in about 30 minutes, double may take an hour. Just keep a close eye towards the end in particular to ensure it cooks down but doesn't burn.

Instead of cardamom pods, you can add a little cardamom powder instead - you only need around 1tsp powder for every 6 pods, at most, so be light in how much you use.

If you like, you can dry toast the almonds (or raw cashews) before adding to give a little extra flavor.

Nutrition