carrot halwa or gajar halwa recipe with step by step photos and video – a traditional way of making delicious gajar ka halwa without any shortcuts or tweaks. by the way, at home we call carrot halwa as gajrela.
during winters, we make gajar ka halwa often. its a popular dessert in north india during winters.
this traditional carrot halwa recipe uses just full fat milk, ghee and sugar to make the halwa. you don’t need khoya (evaporated milk) or condensed milk.
we generally use red delhi carrots to make the halwa as they are tender and juicy. here i used organic english carrots to make the halwa. after some days again, i made the halwa and this time used the red delhi carrots. you can use any carrots. but just make sure they are not fibrous and dense. you can even use the orange ooty carrots to make the carrot halwa.
tips for making carrot halwa
- to make gajar halwa, it is important to buy tender and juicy carrots so that they are easy to grate. some arm work is needed to make this halwa as you have to first grate the carrots and then slow cook them in stove top and keep on stirring them on regular intervals.
- you can grate the carrots manually or in a food processor. obviously the food processor makes grating the carrots easier.
- i suggest to use a heavy iron kadai to make the halwa. the carrot halwa is simmered and simmered and stirred often. so that it should not get burnt, a really good kadai makes the job easier. you can also use a non stick kadai or a thick bottomed pan.
you can store gajar halwa in fridge. it stays well for almost a week but will get over quickly. when serving, you can just warm the halwa and serve. you can even have the gajar halwa cold, if you prefer. some people like to have it cold or at room temperature and some people like to have carrot halwa warm. its just a personal preference. in some restaurants they top the carrot halwa with vanilla ice cream and believe me this combo taste good.
for more halwa recipes you may like are:
carrot halwa recipe
gajar ka halwa - a traditional slow cooked recipe of making delicious carrot halwa with just carrots, milk, ghee, sugar and a few dry fruits.
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 8 to 9 medium tender juicy carrots (gajar) - yields approx 4 to 4.5 cups grated carrots
- 4 cups full fat organic milk
- 4 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 10 to 12 tablespoon regular sugar or organic unrefined cane sugar or as required
- 20 to 25 whole cashews (kaju)
- 5 to 6 green cardamom (chotti elaichi) - powdered finely in a mortar-pestle or about 1/3 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 pinch saffron strands (kesar) - optional
- handful of golden raisins (kishmish)
how to make recipe
grating carrots
first rinse, peel and then grate the carrots (8-9 medium sized tender juicy carrots), either with a hand held grater or in a food processor.
you need approx 4 to 4.5 cups grated carrots.
making carrot halwa
- in a kadai or deep thick bottomed pan combine milk and grated carrots.
- on a low to medium flame, bring the whole mixture to a boil and then simmer.
- while the mixture is simmering on a low flame, keep on stirring in between.
- the grated carrots will cook in the milk and the milk will start to reduce and evaporate.
- when the milk has 75% reduced, add the ghee, sugar and powdered cardamom to the mixture.
- stir well and continue to simmer and cook on a low flame.
- do keep on stirring the gajar halwa in between.
towards the end, add the cashews, crushed saffron and raisins and simmer carrot halwa till all the milk is evaporated. switch off the burner.
- serve gajar halwa hot, warm or you can also serve it cold.
recipe video
how to make carrot halwa or gajar halwa
1. first rinse, peel and then grate the carrots (8-9 medium sized tender juicy carrots), either with a hand held grater or in a food processor.
2. in a kadai, add all of the grated carrots.
3. pour 4 cups full fat milk.
4. stir the grated carrots and milk and keep the kadai on the stove top.
5. cook this mixture on a low to medium flame. the milk will froth and start reducing slowly and slowly.
6. keep on stirring this halwa mixture often. keep scraping the sides of the kadai to remove the evaporated milk solids. add the milk solids to the cooking mixture.
7. the mixture should reduce by 75% and then you add 4 tbsp ghee/clarified butter. some milk will be there when you add the ghee.
8. next add 10-12 tbsp sugar or as required.
9. add the cardamom powder (5 to 6 green cardamom or chotti elachi, powdered finely in a mortar-pestle or about ⅓ teaspoon cardamom powder).
10. stir and continue to simmer on a low flame till the carrot halwa mixture starts to thicken and reduce more. stir at intervals.
11. when the carrot halwa has reduced much and you see a little milk – like that of a pudding consistency. then add 20-25 whole cashews, a pinch of saffron strands and handful of golden raisins (kishmish).
12. continue to stir and simmer till the whole halwa mixture becomes dry. the milk should evaporate completely and you will see fine milk solids in the carrot halwa. remember to scrape the milk solids stuck at the sides of the kadai or pan and add them to the gajar halwa. some moisture is also fine in the halwa.
serve gajar ka halwa hot or warm.
Thank you Dassana. This is an extremely simple recipe for making an excellent market style gaajar ka Halwa.
Also, I always refer to your website veg recipes of India whenever trying anything first time.
thanks neha for the review and feedback. glad to know and happy cooking.
lovely post on gajar ka halwa
thanks ekta.
I loved the recipe… Would like to know how many days we can refrigerate this?
thanks. stays good for about a week to 10 days.
Can we add ghee at the end and cook it in ghee for few min?
yes you can do this way.