Gajar ka Halwa
Slow-cooked carrot pudding with milk, ghee, and cardamom.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 1000 g Carrot
- 800 ml Milk
- 150 g Sugar
- 4 tbsp Ghee
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- 40 g Cashews (optional)
Method
- Grate the carrots and chop the cashews.
- Cook the carrots in the milk, stirring, until the milk is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
- Add the ghee, sugar, and cardamom and cook until glossy and rich.
- Top with cashews and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Gajar ka Halwa
Gajar ka halwa is North India's beloved carrot pudding, a winter sweet strongly associated with Punjab and with the red carrots that flood markets in the cold months, though it is made across the subcontinent and served at weddings, Diwali and Holi alike. It belongs to the broad family of halwas but is distinctive for its base: grated carrots slowly cooked down in whole milk until the milk all but disappears into them, concentrating into something dense, fudgy and deeply sweet. Ghee, sugar and a whisper of green cardamom finish it, with cashews for crunch.
The reward is a warm, spoonable pudding that tastes of caramelized dairy and earthy-sweet carrot, glossy with ghee and fragrant with cardamom, rich enough that a small bowl satisfies. What this version asks of you is patience rather than skill: the roughly thirty-minute reduction of carrots in milk is where the flavor develops, and stirring it down properly before the ghee and sugar go in is the difference between a bright, loose mixture and a proper halwa. It is traditionally eaten warm, on its own after a meal or, in a common indulgence, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into it, and it keeps and reheats well for days.
Gajar ka Halwa: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Gajar ka Halwa?
One serving of Gajar ka Halwa has about 343 calories, with 6g of protein, 48g of carbs, 15g of fat and 5g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Gajar ka Halwa gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Gajar ka Halwa has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Gajar ka Halwa dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Milk, Ghee. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Gajar ka Halwa take to make?
About 60 minutes start to finish, but only around 54 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Gajar ka Halwa?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cashews — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Gajar ka Halwa make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.