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Punjabi · Indian

Gajar ka halwa

Vegetarian

गाजर का हलवा · gajar ka halwa

Grated carrots slowly simmered in milk until it reduces away, then cooked with ghee, sugar and cardamom and studded with nuts and raisins. A North Indian winter sweet.

Gajar ka halwa is a Punjabi dessert from India, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with carrot and milk. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A vibrant Gajar Halwa garnished with pistachios, served in a black dish with carrots and saffron.
Photo: athul santhosh / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
396

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the grated carrots (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab) in a wide, heavy pot and bring to the boil. Simmer over medium heat, stirring every few minutes (more often towards the end), until almost all the milk has evaporated.

    Scrape the sides back in as the milk reduces — that's where the flavour is.

  2. Step 2

    Add the ghee (opens in a new tab) and cook, stirring, until the carrots (opens in a new tab) look glossy and darken slightly.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the sugar (opens in a new tab); it will loosen the mixture. Keep stirring until it thickens again and pulls away from the pan.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the cardamom (opens in a new tab), cashews (opens in a new tab), almonds (opens in a new tab) and raisins (opens in a new tab) and cook for 2 minutes more. Serve warm, garnished with pistachios (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    • low heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Punjab (North India), Punjab, India · Commonly attributedAlso popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
sweet, rich, aromatic / warmly spiced, nutty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
With the listed swaps: Whole-food focusedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Carrot · Milk · Ghee · Sugar · Cardamom · Cashews
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, ghee
  • Contains: Tree nutsfrom cashews, almonds, pistachios
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

396 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 381 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 50%
  • Fat 41%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy396 kcal104 kcal
Protein8.6 g2.3 g
Carbohydrate51.5 g13.5 g
Net carbohydrate46.3 g12.1 g
Sugars42 g11 g
Added sugars25 g6.6 g
Fibre5.3 g1.4 g
Fat18.8 g4.9 g
Saturated fat9.3 g2.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol40 mg11 mg
Sodium190 mg50 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
820 mg
Calcium
261 mg
Iron
1 mg
Magnesium
61 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1546 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
2.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
43 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: raisins, pistachios.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use the fine side of a box grater or a food processor's grating disc for a melting texture.

Common mistakes

  • Adding sugar before the milk has reduced, which keeps the halwa wet and makes it take far longer.

Serve with

  • Serve warm, alone or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storage

  • Keeps 5 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Warm in a pan or microwave with a teaspoon of milk.

Variations

  • Quick halwa with condensed milk: Cook the carrots in ghee until soft and add sweetened condensed milk in place of reducing milk and sugar.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Carrot, peeled and finely grated1000 g
  • Milk1000 ml · 1030 g
  • Ghee4 tbsp · 54 g
  • Raisins, rinsed (optional)30 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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