Badam Halwa Recipe (South Indian Style)

Badam halwa is a rich, decadent, nutty South Indian style melt in the mouth halwa made mainly with 3 ingredients – blanched almonds, ghee (clarified butter) and sugar. This badam halwa recipe will make for one of the best almond halwa. It will surely remind you of the badam halwa that one gets in the South Indian sweets shops.

About Badam Halwa

I have had badam halwa from Krishna sweets in Chennai. First bite and their halwa was too sweet for my taste buds, but the texture was fabulous and simply melt in the mouth.

I wanted to make a badam halwa having the same texture as theirs. So I tried and experimented to make a perfect badam halwa many times to get the same texture and yet tasted not overly sweet.

I am sharing this recipe after a lot of trials. In my experimentation, at times I would end with badam pudding and at times with a dense textured halwa.

So after many trials, I have finally managed to make a badam halwa which tastes like the halwa you get in South Indian sweet shops.

The recipe gives a really good badam halwa, which has the right balance of sweetness and a lovely texture that is neither too soft nor firm but a kind of between – which follows a middle path.

One which gives a heavenly feeling when you savor the halwa. This is a rich, heavy dessert and just a few spoons of it is enough.

If possible use mamra almonds as they make for a really good halwa. Though you can use any good variety of almonds.

I have here used mamra almonds. In fact for recipes where badam is the main ingredient, I use mamra almonds.

There is some handwork involved in the recipe as you have to stir and stir, but not like the stirring involved in Moong Dal Halwa. The recipe can be doubled too easily.

Since this is a rich halwa with ghee and dry fruits, it is best made and served during festivals and special occasions.

How to make Badam Halwa

Make Almond Paste

1: Rinse the almonds once or twice in fresh water. Then in a bowl, soak ½ cup badam in 1 cup boiling hot water.

Cover and blanch the badam for 30 to 45 minutes. If you want, you can even soak the badam overnight in water.

2. Also in a small bowl, soak ⅛ teaspoon saffron strands in 1 tablespoon warm or hot water. The addition of saffron is for the color and its aroma.

If you don’t have saffron you can skip it and swap with ½ teaspoon cardamom powder. You will have to add cardamom powder once the halwa is cooked.

3: Drain the almonds of all the water. Now just press each almond and the skin comes out easily. Peel all the almonds this way.

4: Now add the blanched and peeled almonds in a grinder or blender.

5. Add ⅓ cup water and grind the almonds to get a fine rava or sooji (cream of wheat) like consistency.

Grind in intervals or you can use the pulse option in the grinder. Grind for some seconds, scrape off the sides and add unground whole pieces of almonds in the grinder jar.

This way grind till you get a rava like consistency in the almond paste. Do not make it too fine.

Cook Badam Paste

6. Heat a thick bottomed pan and keep the heat to a low. Now take of all the almond paste in a pan.

Scrape of the sides as well as the bottom jar with a silicon spatula or spoon to get the almond paste.

7. Continuously stir the almond paste and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes till you get their aroma.

8. Then add ½ cup sugar.

9. With a spatula stir very well, so that the sugar is mixed evenly with the almond paste.

10. The sugar will start melting.

11. Keep on stirring and cook this mixture.

12. The mixture will thicken and start to come together. After adding sugar cook on a low flame for 5 to 6 minutes.

13. Now add the soaked saffron solution.

14. Mix it very well.

Make Badam Halwa

15. Now we will begin adding ghee (clarified butter) in batches. First add 2 tablespoons of ghee.

16. Stir and mix it very well.

17. Cook till this ghee is absorbed by the halwa mixture. This will take about 1 to 2 minutes.

18. Now add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of ghee.

19. Again stir and mix it very well, till all the ghee is absorbed.

20. This way keep on adding ghee in batches. Continue to cook the halwa on a low heat.

21. After adding all the ⅓ cup ghee in batches, keep on stirring the halwa and cook till the mixture thickens.

22. Do stir often.

23. The halwa will thicken and begin to leave the sides of the pan. You will also see holes in the halwa, when you stir it.

24. Stir and cook till the halwa starts lumping around itself and leaves the sides of the pan.

25. Here is a photo of the badam halwa almost done. Just 1 minute before I switched the flame off.

26. To test take a tiny portion of halwa mixture. Its hot so be careful. Let it cool a bit and form into a ball.

It should form a smooth soft ball and not be sticky or wet. It took me 10 minutes to get the right consistency of halwa after adding ghee.

27. Switch off the flame once the halwa is done. Pour all the badam halwa in the container and then let it set.

You can then scoop out the halwa and serve. Or else you can spread the halwa on butter paper. Fold and then serve when cooled.

Note: If you are adding cardamom powder in place of saffron strands, then add at this step and mix well.

28. Serve badam halwa warm or at room temperature. This halwa stays good for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. You can also refrigerate it.

It makes for a heavy dessert so eat in moderation. But remember that it will be too tempting not to take another bite.

You can eat it as is or serve it as dessert after any Indian meal.

More halwa varieties

• Atta halwa
• Rava kesari
• Sooji halwa
• Karachi halwa

Badam Halwa recipe from the archives was originally published on October 2012.