Carrot Halwa Recipe - Gajar ka Halwa Carrot Recipes

Festival sweets - Halwa Recipes

Carrot halwa is also known as carrot halva or gajar ka halwa(Hindi). It is a popular indian sweet made with carrots or gajar as it is called in hindi.

Carrot halva can be served as a dessert, snack or as a sweet dish with a main meal. It is one of the favorite Festival Foods.

It is a simple recipe. You can make carrot halva in advance and keep in the fridge for more than a week.

It can be served hot or cold. It has a lovely color and tastes great too. In India, carrots are available in orange color and also reddish color. The reddish color are known as delhi carrots. These redish carrots are sweeter than the orange ones. You may use any of the carrots for making this halwa.

Khoa or condensed milk or homemade full cream is optional but adding that makes the halwa richer and yummy.

If you are adding sweet khoa or condensed milk, adjust the sugar quantity accordingly.

I prefer to make this gajar ka halwa as it is a vegetable based sweet recipe. In the image on top, I have added fresh homemade cream to carrot halva.

How to make Carrot Halwa - Gajjar ka halwa

Ingredients for carrot halwa for 4-6 servings.

Carrots(gajar) - 500gms
Milk(full cream) - 2 cups
Sugar -1/2 cup or more according to taste.
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 10-15
Khoya or condensed milk or Fresh Cream -100 gms
Cashew nuts, almonds, pista - 4-5 each, chopped fine
Cardamom powder- 1 teaspoon.

Preparation before making carrot halwa

Wash and peel carrots.
Grate carrots using a fine grater. You may also use food processor to grate carrots to make is faster and easier.

Making carrot halva - Cooking method:

Heat a deep thick bottomed pan.
Add ghee and chopped nuts. Fry the nuts and raisins for a few seconds. The raisins will become plump. Do not let the nuts brown too much. Remove from ghee on a small plate or a bowl. Keep aside.
Add grated carrots to the same ghee. Stir well and mix carrots in ghee. Cover and cook grated carrots about 2-3 minutes.
Add milk. Stir and cook on low fire till the mixture thickens. It may take about 15-20 minutes. Do not cover after you add milk.
When the milk is absorbed in carrots, add sugar. Mix well and cook some more till sugar dissolves.
When the sugar dissolves, the mixture will release some liquid.
Keep cooking and the mixture thickens again.
Add khoa/condensed milk/cream(whichever you are using). Mix well.
Cook for another 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally till all the liquid is absorbed.
Add the nuts, raisins which we kept aside. Add cardamom powder.
Mix well and switch off the flame.

Carrot halva is ready to serve.

Serve it hot or at room temperature or cold as you like. You may put it in fridge for cooling and serve chilled.

Tips:

You may fry cashew nuts in ghee if you wish or add them without frying.

You may add more condensed milk or khoa or fresh homemade cream to make it richer.

You may roast khoya separately before adding to the carrot mixture.

Enjoy