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moong dal halwa recipe, how to make moong dal halwa recipe

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moong dal halwa recipe, moong dal halwa
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moong dal halwa recipe with step by step photos – a popular and rich halwa recipe from north india. moong dal halwa is usually made on celebratory or festive occasions like holi, diwali, marriages etc.

for this halwa recipe i referred a book on the cuisine of uttar pradesh. the whole process takes a lot of time and work from the hands. you have to stir and stir and stir. this is the first time i made this halwa. i was avoiding making the halwa all the times for obvious reasons. apart from this halwa you can make lot of recipes with moong dal like:

i would suggest to use non stick pan or kadai to make this moong dal halwa. in the step by step pics, you will know why.

moong dal halwa is delicious and one of the sweets you cannot stop eating.  but making this halwa takes a lot of time and effort. so make this halwa on a day when you have plenty of time, patience and energy.

if you are looking for more halwa recipes then do check atte ka halwa, beetroot halwa, easy gajar halwa, banana halwa, rava kesari, badam halwa and pineapple kesari recipe.

moong dal halwa recipe below:

moong dal halwa recipe

moong dal halwa recipe

moong dal halwa recipe - addictive and delicious halwa made from mung lentils.

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course desserts
cuisine north indian
prep time 6 hours
cook time 1 hour
total time 7 hours
servings 5 to 6
author dassana amit

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

main ingredients for moong dal halwa:

  • 1 cup moong dal (spilt husked yellow mung lentils)
  • 9 to 10 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
  • 4 green cardamoms, husked and powdered in a mortar-pestle OR ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon cardamom powder (choti elaichi powder)
  • 10 to 12 unsalted pistachios (pista) - sliced or chopped OR 10 to 12 blanched almonds (badam) - sliced
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins (kishmish)

to be mixed together:

  • 1 cup full fat whole milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 or 1.25 cups regular sugar or organic unrefined cane sugar * check notes

how to make recipe

making moong dal paste:

  1. soak the moong dal or mung lentils, in enough water overnight or for 4 to 5 hours.
  2. drain and then grind the moong dal to a smooth paste with 1/4 or 1/3 cup water.

making moong dal halwa recipe:

  1. melt ghee in a non stick pan. add the ground moong dal. stir well

  2. keep on stirring the halwa on a low to medium flame. the halwa has the raw aroma of the moong lentils and it should go away completely before you start with the next step. so till then you have to stir and cook the halwa. 

  3. the halwa first is pasty, then starts getting lumpy and then starts breaking down and getting separated with the fat releasing from the sides. break the lumps while stirring.

  4. meanwhile when the halwa is cooking, in another pan or kadai, take milk, water and sugar. keep this pan on the stove top and stir so that the sugar dissolves. on a low or medium flame, heat this milk-water-sugar mixture till it comes to a boil.
  5. the moong dal mixture should reach a granular consistency before you add the hot milk mixture. you should get a fried aroma from the mung lentils and the color should become a light golden. the fat also should get separated.
  6. when the milk mixture comes to a boil, add it to the fried mung lentils.
  7. the mixture sizzles, so be careful while adding the hot milk and water mixture.
  8. stir well. simmer and cook stirring often.
  9. the liquid should get absorbed and once again you will see the ghee getting separated.
  10. lastly add cardamom powder, chopped pistachios and raisins.
  11. serve moong dal halwa hot. you can also garnish with some pistachios and serve.

recipe notes

* 1 cup sugar is just sweet which we prefer. for more sweetness you can add 1 or 2 tbsp more of sugar or add 1/4 cup sugar extra.
* the recipe can be halved or doubled.


lets start step by step moong dal halwa recipe:

1. soak 1 cup moong dal (spilt husked yellow mung lentils) in enough water overnight of for 4 to 5 hours. i soaked the lentils overnight.

soaked and drained moong dal

2. drain and then grind the moong dal to a smooth paste with some water.

grind soaked moong dal

3. melt 9 to 10 tbsp ghee/clarified butter.

heat oil

4. add the ground moong dal.

add grinded moong dal

5. stir well. you see in the pic, from the iron kadai the halwa has shifted to a non stick kadai. when stirring and mixing the halwa in the kadai, it started sticking so much. i did not want to do so much of work… scraping and stirring the halwa. so i shifted the whole halwa mixture to a non stick kadai. it was very very easy to stir the halwa then.

making moong dal halwa

6. keep on stirring the halwa on a low to medium flame. the halwa has the raw aroma of the moong lentils and it should go away completely before you start with the next step. so till then you have to stir and cook the halwa. first the halwa is pasty, then starts getting lumpy and then starts breaking down and getting separated with fat releasing from the sides. in the pic below the halwa is at a stage where it resembles sooji halwa but still with the raw aroma of the mung lentils.

making moong dal halwa

7. so while the halwa is cooking, in another pan or kadai, take 1 cup full fat whole milk, 2 cups water and 1 or 1.25 cups sugar. keep this pan on the stove top and stir so that the sugar dissolves. heat this milk-water-sugar mixture till it comes to  a boil.

heat milk to make moong dal halwa

8. meanwhile the moong dal has got separated. they have a granular consistency now. the aroma & color has also changed and the fat has separated.

moong dal halwa recipe

9. the milk mixture has come to a boil and now needs to be added to the fried moong dal.

boil milk to make moong dal halwa

10. pour the boiling hot milk mixture to the fried mung lentils. the mixture sizzles, so be careful while adding the hot milk and water mixture.

add boiled milk to moong dal

11. stir well.

preparing moong dal halwa

12. simmer and cook stirring often.

preparing moong dal halwa recipe

13. the liquid should get absorbed and once again you will see the ghee getting separated. done finally. it took me a total of about 1 hour to make the halwa on the stove top. add ¼ to ⅓ tsp cardamom powder, 10-12 chopped unsalted pistachios and 1 tbsp golden raisins. i forgot to take pic of this one. this is what too much of working and stirring with hands does to you.

moong dal halwa recipe

14. take a breath of relief, thank your hands. serve moong dal halwa hot.

moong dal halwa recipe, moong dal halwa




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{ 134 Responses }

  2. Hi amit.

    I followed the recipe in toto. But my halwa is not leaving ghee as expected and has dried up as well. Can I do anything now to make it as it should be?

    • pranita, just add some boiling hot water in parts and mix well. the dryness will go away and you will get a smooth halwa texture. do not cook further if the consistency is like halwa. if the consistency has become slightly thin, then cook on low flame for some minutes till you get a halwa like consistency.

  4. I made it and my family loved it!!! I was so apprehensive about making it but thanks to your detailed notes where you mentioned that first the batter will be pasty then lumpy and finally it will separate else i would have thought that i messed up!! Thanks so so much and pls do not delete your app 😢

    • Welcome Pallavi. Glad to know that instructions helped you to make this moong dal halwa. Its becoming difficult to manage the app. you can check the recipes in the website as the app is the exact replica of website. in fact website is better than app.

  5. I am not at all into cooking but i try sweet dishes and cakes from your recipes.. N they comes out finger licking good.. All credit goes to your superb recipes n the way you demonstrate it.. I made moong daal halwa twice n both the times it came out really very good.. You are saviour to non-cooks like me..Thank you so very much..

  6. I tried this recipie today but I guess I messed up. My dal was going okay and properly cooked but when I added the liquid it turned out sticky I added some More ghee to soften but looks like I cooked too long. It’s gone hard not halwa like and tastes raw also. Please help if you can. My husband loves the halwa and I reallly don’t want to waste this..

    • KG, the moong dal has not been fried well. hence the raw taste. also hard because in the latter part of the recipe method, its got cooked too much. if you add some water or milk and cook it again, it will soften the halwa and the rawness of dal will also go away.

  7. I have actually tried this recipe a couple of times and it turned out really well. Keep up the good work!!

  8. Can I add khoya? If I want to add it then when should I add it? What precautions should I take to ensure that it doesn’t burn?

    • aishwarya, you can add khoya. when the moong dal is cooked well and the ghee has separated at this step you can add khoya. mix it very well. after adding khoya, the mixture will again become liquid like. now add sugar. continue to stir and cook till you see the halwa mixture thickening, reducing and ghee releasing from the sides. also if you use khoya, then no need to add milk. you can add 1/2 cup khoya. sugar can be around 3/4th to 1 cup.

  9. Hey there!!! Me and my diiii tried this recipe today and it looks really nice..Thank u sooo much.for this amazing desert.. guess what!!! This was our first attempt…thanx..

  10. Hi dassana! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. Made right now and it’s so yummy. But mine unlike yours is not golden brown. Also instead of using full fat milk can I use any other milk like coconut or almond? Kindly advise!

    • thanks megha. the golden color is due to cooking the moong halwa well. if its cooked well, it will have golden color. otherwise it has a yellow color. you can use almond milk. with coconut milk, i am not sure as using coconut milk is tricky and it does split at times.

  13. Hi dassana,
    Thanks for your wonderful recipes. I tried this moong dal halwa yesterday, it was going good but at the end it came out dry like a panjiri… Plz tell me wat I missed out n wat can be done now??? BTW it tastes good ?

    • meenakshi, looks like some more liquids or milk was required. whenever making any sweet, if the mixture becomes dry, then just add some hot milk or water and mix. you will get a halwa like consistency in the dish.

  14. Hi , I tried cooking it the same way, but it still taste dry n raw, I think dal is not cooked properly,what shall I do??

  15. Hey amit i m new fan of ur all recipes.u did grt by posting all of them here.the most imp thing about ur recipes is the way u illustrated even amateur like me got involved in cooking..tons of thanks n likes for ur work..just keep posting

  16. Hi,

    I tried making this today. It turned out to be sticky at first and then it became hard..can you help me to understand the consistency of halwa??

    • the consistency is smooth like that of sooji halwa. ghee is separated from the halwa. looks like the halwa cooked too much and thats why it has become hard. what you can do is add some water or milk and cook for some minutes till all the water or milk is absorbed. the halwa will soften and loose its hard texture.

  18. hey dassana, it’s looking so yummy. I have this in parties or marriage functions, it has little yellow colour. should they add any artificial colors while cooking.?

    • aman, could be they must be adding some yellow colour. at home you can use saffron (kesar) dissolved in some warm milk/water or a generous pinch of turmeric powder for yellow colour.

  19. Hello mam ..thanx for this reciepe ..i love moong dal halwa alot even my family ..i hv qus it want to add khoya in this ..in which step i add khoya or plzz tell the quantity of khoya ..thnx alot

    • welcome rimple. you can add khoya after the 13th step, once the liquids are absorbed and you see ghee separating from the halwa. crumble or grate the khoya and then add. saute for a few minutes till the khoya is cooked.

  22. Hello
    Actually maine halwa phle b kafi baar bnaya h and it came out really gud.
    But yesterday i cookd it fr around 40-45 mnt n dnt inspite of dat halwa kaccha reh gya when i tasted later.
    So please tell me ki ab kuch kiya ja skta uska ya its a waste now???
    Please reply ASAP
    Thnx in advance ?

    • a variation and an alternative would be to add dates paste or dates syrup in the recipe. the taste will change, but overall will be good. sugar if reduced in the recipe won’t taste good. another alternative would be to add jaggery in place of sugar.

  28. Wow Dassana !!! Your recipes are way to aweome. The step by step method is so easy to understand and has definitely made my life simple. Thanks a ton for all your delicious recipies.

  29. I made this and it came out very well. I have been trying other recipes as well and your blog is my first stop for checking up recipes. Thanks!!!
    One small tip here: If you want to avoid sizzling when adding liquids you can reverse the order i.e add fried dal to milk, water mixture instead of the other way and it will not sizzle.

  34. Hi Dassana
    Really like your recipes I can trust them with my eyes closed. Loved this recipe of yours. Would also recommend (if I can) putting saffron in the milk so we can achieve a yellow colour.

  36. Hii I tried the above recipe..while making I constantly kept stiring the halwa but the dal got stuck to the pan and i changed 2 non stick pans…in the end it became very solid..can u tell me the reason why this happened??

    • manali, may be you cooked too much. there was no moisture in halwa because of too much cooking. that time you could have added little milk and make the halwa moist.

  37. Awesome..,. Recipes I tried daal makni n moong daal ka halwa my family finished licking their hands…. Thankyou very much

  40. Wonderful recipe. U made my day. My daughter 10yrs old kept demanding Plz make moong halwa plz plz so I decided to try your recipe but with extra milk it turned out so well. Thanks !

  41. Thanks for the detailed recipe. I just made the recipe before I found ur recipe. It took a lots of time for the whole process!! I didn’t knew it.
    Thanks for the information that it really takes a lot if time. Phew!!!

  42. Salamalekum
    I tired ur mostly recipe n loved the way u r tteachin by help of photos n moongh dal recipe is so much easy was for me n i cooked it for my hubby special. He loved the halwa. I love cooking. Thank you so much dear to help us. Allahafiz

  43. I was planning to cook mung daal halwa for such a long time. I think now I can try….. Thank you for explain this recipe in a easy way…

  44. The concept of explaining each recipe with pictures is very impressive. 🙂 very helpful for the learners. This is first time I visited n I mst say i am ver happy thanks fr the cool recipes and weldone fr ur hardwrk 🙂

  45. Thank u sooo much for such a nice & easy description, its very helpful. I prepared it. Sooooooo yummmmmy. :-p

  47. Superb RECIPE…So well explained with pictures and exact description. Even the look of the dish each step was the same as shown in the picture..
    Its my favorite sweet and so happy that now I can make it at home…Came out lovely and very tasty. THANK YOU , Dassana Amit.

  49. Very nice and honest . Good we know that a non stick pan is required and that it is a hectic process. But the taste may help u forget the trouble.

  50. Looking nice and i’m expecting it’s test will be good thanks for giving such step through wich can be understood very easily

  51. Hello,
    Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
    I tried making it today, but I think I didn’t cook the daal completely due to my fear of burning it while frying.
    The halwa has a slight raw flavor of the daal to it.

    Please tell me, Is there anyway to fix the raw flavor of the moong, now that I’m through with the whole cooking process.
    Thank You in advance

    • welcome. just place the moong halwa back on the stove top and cook till the raw taste goes away. you can add a few tbsp of hot milk, if the mixture looks dry.

  52. I tried ur moong daal halwa recipe today….it turned out very well….ur recipe is very simple and easy to follow unlike renowned chefs….thanks….keep the good work going.

  53. I love all your recipes. Have tried paneer capsicum, veg pulao, punjabi dal fry, and a lot more. Just tried moong dal halwa.. Turned out awesome. Just as in your pics. 🙂

  54. Dear Dassana…tried this moong dal halwa today…n it turned out osm…my 1st attempt to make it..and yes i did thanked my hands..but would like to give u big thank …your step by step pictures really help..now looking forward to make motichoor laddoo ..wish me a luck because when it comes sugar syrup I get nervous…

    • welcome minal. glad to know that you liked the halwa recipe. all the best to you. i hope you would be able to make them as they are not difficult except getting the 1 thread consistency of the sugar syrup.

  55. Hi..I made this halwa today and it turned out amazing. I just roasted it a bit more so it was brown and added a Lil more ghee. But apart from that this was by far the best recipe ever.

  56. hi dasana.I want to try to do a dal halwa…but i don’t have mung dal..can i alter it with other yellow dal?If yes, please suggest one?

  58. Great recipe….with accurate measurements….it was an instant hit at home…thanks 🙂

  59. Hi dassana, I am making moong dal halwa it is quite a task…but I guess it will be worth it.. I had tried your mushroom pulao recipe it was really good and my son just started to like eating mushrooms…thanks for recipe…all of them have homely touch and look…will update as I will try many more recipes of yours..great work…regards kusum

    • i have not yet tried making moong dal halwa in microwave. what i feel is only the moong dal can be roasted with the ghee in the microwave. the milk + water + sugar mixture has to be boiled on the stove top and adding this mixture and then cooking must be done on the stove top. you can do this step in the microwave, but not sure how much it will bubble and splutter in the oven. just melt ghee first in the microwave. add the moong dal and then cook on high power for some minutes till they become light golden or golden. you will have to cook for 2-3 mins often and then keep on checking if the moong dal is roasted well and turning golden.

  61. Delicious Halwa. U had the patience to make it n click stepwise pics too.

  64. Hi Dassana,

    Great job as usual with the halwa. I tried making this halwa once and I can totally understand the kind of hand work that is needed for this halwa. Mine ended up being a disaster especially considering that I had to add a whole lot of ghee with the moong dal completely absorbing it. At the end of the making it there was not a trace of ghee in the halwa. 🙁

    So my question is …Are these 9 tbsp or so of ghee enough for 1 cup of moong dal ???