Gajar Ka Murabba | Carrot Murabba

Murabbas are basically preserves made with a variety of fruits as well as vegetables too. One of the most popular ones in India is the amle ka murabba, which is made with Indian gooseberry or amla. However, in this post, I have shared a rather not so popular, yet delicious Gajar Ka Murabba recipe that is simply a carrot preserve. This is a winter delicacy since using red carrots to make this dish will give you the best results. The recipe is vegan, gluten free and is quite easy to make. You just have to follow it religiously, in order to get the perfect texture and consistency.

About Gajar Ka Murabba

Just like this Gajar Ka Murabba, other murabbas made with different fruits, veggies, sugar and different flavorings are a common way of preserving the goodness and quality of these ingredients, for a long period of time. In this way, you can enjoy some seasonal fruits too, all year round. For instance, this Aam Ka Murabba.

For making Gajar Ka Murabba, essentially red carrots are cooked in a sugar syrup flavored with a few spices. The end result is juicy, syrupy, tender and soft carrots which taste really fantastic. This Carrot Murabba preparation is an heirloom recipe and one we have been making for ages.

Not just in India, murabbas are common in many other cuisines around the world – Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and South Caucasus too. Usually, the common choice of fruits or veggies to make this candied sweet preserve are apricot, plum, mango, apple, ash gourd, Indian gooseberry (amla), etc. This Gajar Ka Murabba is a typical North Indian favorite during the winter season.

In addition to this Gajar Ka Murabba with the winter season special red carrots, other Carrot Recipes that are a favorite at my home during this time is this Gajar Ka Halwa and Gajar Barfi. In fact, not just in my home, these are some of the quintessential Indian mithai (sweet) choices that are much-loved by one and all.

More on this recipe

Gajar Ka Murabba is excellent for people with vision or eye related problems. Obviously, because carrots are known to be really good for the eyes. This murabba is also considered as an Ayurvedic medicine. Making Carrot Murabba is easy but time-consuming, as the carrots are slow-cooked in a sugar syrup.

I follow a one-pot method of cooking the carrots and this does take time. So, you can make this Gajar Ka Murabba, while you are doing something else also in your kitchen. You don’t have to be next to the pan or pot all the time. However, an occasional check is required.

For this Gajar Ka Murabba recipe, I have used 500 grams red carrots. You can even double the recipe easily by using 1 kilogram of carrots. I have used organic raw sugar in this murabba recipe. You can also use jaggery or regular granulated white sugar.

You can relish the Gajar Ka Murabba as a sweet, or can also serve it with ice creams or as a side with other desserts.

How to make Gajar Ka Murabba

Chop Carrots

1. Rinse and peel 500 grams carrots. For this murabba, use tender juicy carrots and not hard or fibrous carrots. Also, go for thin carrots, as they take less time to cook.

2. With a fork, prick holes on the carrots all over. Use a large fork so that the holes are slightly deeper, as then the carrots will absorb more sugar syrup.

3. Cut the carrots in halves. Take each halve and slice it from the center.

4. Now, slice each piece from the center, again in 2 parts.

5. Now, cut horizontally all the 4 pieces. You need slightly thick 2.5 to 3 inch carrot fingers.

If the carrot are thin, then you don’t need to cut them from the center. Just quarter them and you will get 4 carrot fingers.

6. Some carrots may be light yellow coloured from the centre. Remove this yellow coloured part.

7. Chop all the carrots this way. You will need 3.5 cups carrots.

Make Gajar Ka Murabba

8. Take the carrots in a medium-sized thick bottomed pot or pan. You can also take a heavy kadai.

9. Add 250 grams sugar or 1.25 heaped cups sugar.

10. Add 1.25 cups water.

11. Mix and stir so that all sugar is dissolved.

12. Place the pan on low to medium-low heat and begin to simmer the mixture. Do not cover pan with any lid.

13. While the carrots are cooking, keep checking occasionally.

14. The carrots will release their juices and the mixture will look watery. However, still continue to simmer.

15. After simmering for some minutes, the carrots will also be almost cooked.

16. Once the carrots are almost cooked or tender, continue to simmer the mixture.

Cook Carrot Murabba Further

17. Slowly the sugar syrup will start thickening and reducing.

18. Continue to cook. The mixture will look glossy and the colour of carrots will also change.

19. When the syrup becomes sticky, at this time you need to pay attention. Stir often, so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Thus, its advisable to use heavy thick bottomed pan or kadai.

20. Take a bit of syrup and let it cool a bit. Then, check the sugar syrup consistency. You should get a half-thread consistency. Meaning, the thread breaks as soon as it forms.

If you want to preserve the murabba for a long time, then cook till one-thread consistency.

With one-thread consistency, there may be formation of sugar crystals. So, you can add a few drops of lemon juice in the syrup to prevent sugar crystallization.

21. Then, remove the pan from heat and add ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder.

22. Next, add 10 to 12 saffron strands. You can also add 2 teaspoons rose water, instead of saffron.

23. Mix and let Carrot Murabba cool down to room temperature.

24. Then, spoon the Gajar Murabba in a clean glass jar. Store at room temperature in a cool or cold climate. Keep it in the refrigerator if its humid, warm or hot where you live.

The recipe yields 1 medium jar of Carrot Murabba. You can easily double or triple the recipe.

25. Serve Gajar Ka Murabba as a sweet or as a side condiment with your meals.

Expert Tips

1. It is best to use red, tender and juicy carrots, and not hard or fibrous ones, for this murabba recipe. Also, opt to use thin carrots as they take less time to cook.
2. Make sure to prick the carrots all over with a large fork, so that the holes are deeper. This way the carrots will absorb more sugar syrup.
3. Some carrots have a yellow-colored center part in them. You need to discard this part.
4. I would advise you to use a heavy, thick-bottomed pan or kadai to cook this murabba. You also have to keep stirring the murabba, once the syrup becomes sticky. This will save the murabba from sticking at the bottom of the pan.
5. For this murabba, you have to cook the sugar syrup to a half-thread consistency, that is, the thread should break as soon as it forms.
6. To preserve the murabba for a long time, you can cook the sugar syrup to one-thread consistency. But with this, there are chances of sugar crystallization in the syrup. To prevent this, you can add a few drops of lemon juice in the syrup.
7. Make sure to put the murabba in a clean, dry glass jar. You can store it at room temperature (in a cold climate) or refrigerate in a warmer or hotter environment.

This Gajar ka Murabba post from the blog archives, first published in January 2018 has been republished and updated on December 2022.