sweet potato halwa recipe with step by step photos – shakarkandi halwa is an easy and quick dessert you can make for any occasion. this halwa can be had during fasting, festive occasion or anytime when you want to have something sweet and yet healthy.
usually sweet potatoes or shakarkandi are used in making chaat or are popular during the fasting days. i always add them in the fruit chaat as the boiled sweet potatoes gives a nice sweet taste to the chaat. the sweet potato chaat is also served outside schools and colleges in north india as a popular street food.
the halwa can be prepared in two ways – either by grating the sweet potatoes or by cooking them first and then mashing. i prefer the cooked version. this halwa is similar to making potato halwa.
this is a simple recipe and apart from stirring the halwa, there is not much effort 🙂 this halwa recipe is another way you can eat this awesome and nutritious root veggie which is very rich in vitamin A.
if you are looking for more halwa recipes then do check carrot halwa, moong dal halwa, sooji halwa, atte ka halwa, besan halwa (gram flour pudding), lauki halwa and gajar halwa with condensed milk.
shakarkandi or sweet potato halwa recipe below:
sweet potato halwa
INGREDIENTS FOR sweet potato halwa
- 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (shakarkandi)
- 4 tablespoon sugar or as required, depends on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes
- 7 to 8 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 3 to 4 green cardamoms, crushed or powdered Or ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (choti elaichi powder)
- 1 pinch saffron (kesar)
- 10 to 12 cashews halved or chopped or kept whole (kaju)
HOW TO MAKE sweet potato halwa
- boil the sweet potatoes (shakarkandi) first.
- when they become warm, peel and mash them.
- heat oil or ghee in a kadai or pan.
- first fry the cashews.
- remove when they become golden and keep aside.
- in the same oil, add the mashed sweet potatoes.
- stir well and saute for 3-4 mins.
- add sugar and saute for 4-5 mins.
- now add crushed cardamom and stir
- add saffron and stir.
- keep on stirring and cooking the halwa till oil or ghee starts to leave the sides of halwa. this will take approx 10-12 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- lastly add the fried cashew nuts and stir again.
- serve sweet potato halwa hot, warm or cold.
RECIPE TIPS
stepwise shakarkandi or sweet potato halwa recipe:
1. boil 2 medium to large sweet potatoes/shakarkandi first. when they become warm, peel and mash them.
2. heat 7-8 tbsp oil or ghee. first fry 10-12 cashews. remove when the are golden and keep aside.
3. in the same oil, add the mashed sweet potatoes. stir well and saute for 3-4 mins.
4. add 4 tbsp sugar or as required (depends on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes).
5. after 4-5 minutes, add 3-4 crushed green cardamoms and stir.
6. add a pinch of saffron and stir.
7. keep on stirring and cooking the sweet potato halwa till the oil or ghee starts to leave the sides of halwa. this will take approx 10-12 minutes. the whole mixture would sort of come together and clamp. the color of the halwa will also change. lastly add the fried cashew nuts and stir. the texture of the halwa would resemble sooji (semolina) halwa, but the taste is very different.
serve sweet potato halwa hot, warm or cold.
Easy to make – the cooked and mashed version & excellent taste.
I was wondering if Jaggery can be used instead of Sugar? And if so, what modifications in proportions and process would be necessary?
you can use jaggery. use the same amount of jagger as mentioned for sugar which is 4 tbsp. there is no change in the method.
very simple and nice sweet dish..
nutritious…
thanks abhishek.
Hiiii i hv read the recipe of sweet potato halwa and i made it…. Its very simple and easy to make i love this website…. Thanks for awesome website
thankyou divya and you are welcome 🙂
Hello, i love your recipes , i have learnt lot from your website, thanks
glad to know Shraddha our food blog has helped you in learning new recipes. thankyou for trying them 🙂
Sweet potato is very gd taste.I tried it
thanks sangeetha
Dear Dassana, tried this recipe as well. I must say I am not a fan of sweet potatoes, my husband loves them, he has a sweet tooth as well. Intended to make this for him but it was quite an effort to save some for him. It was too good!
thanks deepti for sharing positive feedback on halwa. glad to know this.
Hi Dassana,
Yet another easy and great recipie. Tried it and my family loved it.
Thank you
welcome shilpa
Sweet potato halwa is toooooo gud
thanks sandhya
I have used earth balance (a vegan, non-hydrogenated margarine) to make something similar to ghee. The same process for clarifying butter can be used to make “vegan ghee” out of earth balance, producing a buttery oil that is semi-solid at room temperature. I cannot say how it compares in taste, as I have never tried ghee before–all I know is that it is very, very good, and behaves similarly in terms of melting point.
thanks whitney for sharing this information. in india we don’t get earth balance. but would love try it in future whenever it is available.
I have never tried shakarkand halwa. It sounds good and I am sure it is better and healthier. Would love to give it a try some day soon. Thanks for sharing.
thanks. this halwa is healthy as well tasty.
My grand ma does this It is in my to do list for a while.. You hv tempted me more
lovely recipe… nice clicks… Thanks for visiting my space…