Gajar halwa | Carrot halwa recipe |Gajar ka halwa | Gajrela recipe

Gajar halwa aka gajar ka halwa is a classic Indian dessert which is crazily popular in the sub continents of south Asia. It’s rich, full of flavours, irresistibly delicious and an absolute morish. This decadent dessert is perfect for spreading sweetness, warmth, comfort and joy, especially during winter season and in the month of Diwali. It is one of the most anticipating winter desserts which is prepared in almost every house of north India, at least once in a year. Gajrela recipe is basically an Indian carrot pudding where grated carrots are slow cooked in milk with ghee aka clarified butter, sugar, chopped nuts and a generous pinch of cardamom powder. This splendid delight is mostly relished as dessert after lunch or dinner or as evening snacks. It is mostly served warm to enjoy its best taste.

Indian sweet recipes play a vital role in Indian culinary as well as Indian culture. In any part of India, festivals or ceremonies are incomplete without sweets. In fact, someone’s success or any good news is celebrated by sharing sweets with their closed ones. Any celebration with homemade sweet recipes make every occasion more special and worthier. And when it comes to homemade sweet, halwa recipes strike first in any homemakers mind.

About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make Gajar ka Halwa (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Gajar halwa is a classic Punjabi dessert and the name itself explains about the dish. Here gajar stands for carrot and halwa means sweet pudding. In India, different types of halwa is prepared with different primary elements like semolina, lentils, nuts, seasonal fruits etc. But gajar halwa is undoubtedly one of the most popular and beloved version of halwa. This candid dessert is known by different names in different parts of India. It is also popular as gajar ka halwa and gajrela in northern India and carrot halwa in south India.

Gajar halwa is a winter delicacy which is basically prepared with red carrots which are easily available during winter season in India. In this preparation, grated carrots are cooked in milk till milk solidifies and then ghee, sugar are added. Addition of dry fruits and flavouring agent is completely optional. Essentially, gajar halwa requires four key ingredients to get prepared – carrots, milk, ghee and sugar.

It is one of the masterpieces of Indian dessert which can be prepared in different ways. In traditional way, carrots are slow cooked in milk till milk evaporated and then ghee, sugar, dry fruits and cardamom powder is added. It is a slow cooking recipe which requires continuous stirring and no mawa is added.

For instant gajar halwa recipe, carrots are cooked in ghee till tender and then condensed milk is added and cooked till the perfect consistency is reached. This version of gajar halwa gets prepared within half an hour.

In sweet shops, halwai style gajar ka halwa is prepared by cooking the carrot till tender with small amount of milk and ghee and then mawa and sugar are added on the top.

Now a days gajar ka halwa in cooker and gajar ka halwa in instant pot are also often prepared during busy schedule. In this process, no stirring is required.

There are various ways to prepare this luscious delight and in each preparation, it tastes amazing. I have tried to cover three different types of method to prepare carrot halwa including the traditional way here.

Many people ask me which way gives the best result for gajar halwa recipe traditional or instant version?

Traditional gajar halwa and instant gajar halwa both have their own USPs and both are equally popular.

Traditional gajar halwa requires a lot of time for evaporating the milk and needs to be stirred frequently which requires some extra effort. On the other hand, instant gajar halwa gets prepared quickly and does not require to be stirred too much which somehow saves both your time and effort. Though everyone has their own preferences, but in both ways, you can prepare perfectly rich, tender and delicious gajar ka halwa.

Gajar ka halwa recipe is one of the most popular sweets of India and it is eaten in different ways. It tastes best when it is served warm. But it can also be served cold or at room temperature.

Carrot halwa is mostly served as dessert after lunch or dinner. It can also be served as evening snacks with other snacks items.

Carrot halwa with vanilla ice cream is one of the most popular fusion dessert recipes which are served by the caterers in functions like wedding ceremony, reception party etc. In fact, it has occupied place in many reputed restaurant’s dessert section.

Gajar ka halwa with rabri is another splendid combination which is served in many ceremonies and popular restaurants.

Gajar ka halwa recipe is undoubtedly one of the quintessential Indian dessert recipes which is crazily popular all over India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and few other sub continents of south Asia. The reasons behind its unparallel popularity are

• Its irresistible taste, texture and flavour
• Its richness makes it a perfect dessert for festivals and winter season.
• Perfect to be served as evening snacks and dessert after meal.
• It can be prepared with only 4 basic ingredients
• It has a long shelf life and can be stored in fridge for long.
• It can be frozen for months in freezer.
• Its vegetarian
• Gluten free

Whenever I talk about this rich, flavourful and eye catchy gajar halwa recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. I have grown up eating this indulging dessert and it’s undoubtedly one of my favourites. I have thousands of good memories attached with this sweet dish.

I still remember my childhood days when dad used to bring 5-6 Kilograms of red carrots from the market during winter season. I and my brother used to sit with dad to grate the carrots for halwa. I was the youngest member in the family. Hence, always used to grate the least numbers of carrots. Then my mom used to take a big kadai and prepare a large quantity of recipe for gajar ka halwa. My mom used to prepare it in traditional way. So, it used to take hours to prepare the carrot halwa recipe. The whole house used to smell divine with the sweet flavour of evaporated milk, ghee and cardamom powder.

I have learnt this exemplary dessert recipe from my mom. I have prepared gajar ka halwa plenty of times when I was in India. But after coming to the UK, I stopped preparing this dessert because red carrots are not readily available in London. However, the salad carrots aka orange carrots are readily available here throughout the year.

It’s not like that carrot halwa recipe cannot be prepared with orange carrots. It can be prepared with red carrot, orange carrot and even with black carrot. But the taste, texture and flavour will definitely differ.

Though the difference is minute but if you have grown up eating carrot halwa prepared with red carrots aka dilli wali gajar or grown up in north Indian ambience then you can easily point out the difference.

Surprisingly, one day in an Indian shop of London, I spotted out red carrots and immediately grabbed a large portion of it to prepare gajar ka halwa recipe. Everyone in my family loves this winter dessert, especially my daughter. She never feels enough of it. I have prepared a large portion of carrot halwa recipe with 3 kilograms of carrots and stored it in the refrigerator. Then we enjoyed this drooling dessert for a week.

Red carrots are much juicier and tender than orange carrot which gives better taste and flavour to the carrot halwa.

Red carrots have a sweet smell which enhances the flavour of the halwa. On the other hand, orange carrots have a strong raw flavour which does not go great with the halwa.

Honestly, gajar halwa recipe is a simple and easy recipe. Though the traditional way takes longer to get cooked but the difficulty level of cooking this dessert is below moderate. The only endeavour part of the recipe is to grate so many carrots. If you have food processor with grater attachments then feel free to use it to reduce your effort. It gets prepared with only four basic ingredients. Additional ingredients are completely optional. All the ingredients are easily available in any Indian kitchen pantry. The best part of the recipe is that you can store it for 7-8 days. So, carrot halwa recipe is always a great option for Diwali season. You can prepare it in advance to avoid the last minute rush.

Gajar halwa recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included my tip and tricks below in details to make the recipe easier for you on very first attempt. But before directly jump into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the recipe.

As I have already mentioned above, the traditional gajar ka halwa is prepared with milk. No processed ingredients are used like condensed milk, evaporated milk, powder milk and even mawa aka khoya. The lists of ingredients used for the traditional recipe are

Carrots: The primary ingredient for the recipe which provides body to it. I have used red carrots for the recipe but you can use orange carrots too if red carrots are not available.

Milk: One of the most important ingredients of the recipe which provides richness, creaminess, flavour and texture to the recipe for gajar ka halwa.

Ghee aka clarified butter: Another important ingredient for the recipe. It provides soothing flavour and taste to the gajar halwa and increases the shelf life.

Sugar: It adds sweetness to the halwa.

Chopped nuts: Chopped nuts are used in the carrot halwa to provide flavour and bite. You can use choice of your nuts like cashew, pistachio, almond or walnut for the recipe.

Cardamom powder: It is used as a flavouring agent for the carrot halwa. In most of the Indian sweets, elaichi aka cardamom powder is used to enhance the flavour of the desserts.

• Always use tender and juicy carrots to prepare gajar ka halwa.
• Grate the carrot using the medium sized grater. In small grater, the halwa will turn mushy.
• Always use full cream milk to prepare the carrot halwa. When the milk evaporates, it requires fat to get the perfect texture of mawa.
• Gajar ka halwa is a slow cooking recipe which requires patience to get cooked. Cook it in low to medium low flame.
• Stir the content continuously during the time of preparing halwa or else it will stick to the sides and bottom.
• Always add sugar after the carrots get fully cooked. Sugar stops the carrot from getting cooked easily.
• Add chopped nuts of your own choice to enhance the taste and flavour of the dish.
• Don’t skip cardamom powder from the recipe. It complements the flavour of the dish.

Try to use red carrots for the recipe. If you don’t get them then go ahead with orange carrots. Always try to pick tender and juicy carrots which contains less fibre. Try to choose medium sized carrots because the big ones are more mature and hard in texture.

Yes, of course. If you have grater attachment with your food processor then feel free to use it. But if you don’t have that then I will definitely suggest you to grate the carrots manually using the medium side. If you grate it from the small side then the halwa will become mushy and if you go for shredded carrots then the size will be too big for halwa.

Yes, you can. In fact you can use any flavourless oil too instead of ghee. But I must say butter will definitely not provide the richness and flavour to the carrot halwa which you will get from ghee aka clarified butter.

Yes, you can use jaggery if you are trying to avoid sugar. The carrot halwa prepared with jaggery gives little bit of darker shade as compared to the halwa prepared with sugar.

Try to use red carrots to get the best colour of the halwa. After adding the sugar into the halwa, cook it thoroughly in medium to high temperature. The cooked sugar enhances the colour of the halwa. In many sweet shops aka halwai stores, they add food colour to the carrot halwa to make it look more attractive.

Instant carrot halwa can be prepared in many ways. But the most popular version of the recipe is prepared using condensed milk. In this recipe, instead of milk and sugar directly condensed milk is added to get the rich, creamy texture with salivating sweet taste.

For halwai style gajar ka halwa, carrots are cooked in small amount of milk and then milk solids aka mawa is added at the final stage of cooking to add richness and flavour to the dessert.

Yes, you can. Instead of full cream milk you can use cashew milk or almond milk. Soak 12-15 cashew nuts or almonds for overnight. Next day, peel the skin off the almonds and grind it with half cup of water to prepare the almond milk or cashew milk. Instead of ghee, you can use any edible oil. Though the vegan gajar halwa will taste good but you have to compromise in few factors. The taste, flavour and texture of vegan carrot halwa won’t be the same like traditional gajar halwa recipe.

Gajar ka halwa has got long shelf life. After preparing the halwa, allow it to come to room temperature. Then transfer them in a clean and dry airtight glass container. You can refrigerate it for 7-8 days. Just take the gajar halwa out and warm it before serving.

Yes, of course. But before that make sure to store the carrot halwa in a freezer safe container. You can freeze the halwa and keep it in the freezer for 1 to 1.5 months.

On stove top, you can directly heat the gajar halwa recipe over low to medium low flame. But I always prefer double boiler method to heat the halwa. In this way, the carrot halwa gets warm evenly without losing its taste.

You can also use microwave to heat the gajar ka halwa recipe. Heat it and stir thoroughly in every 30 seconds interval.

To prepare the gajar ka halwa recipe, first take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate the carrots with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.

Now, take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add milk into it. Put the flame in medium high and allow the milk to boil. Stir it in regular intervals so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the milk starts boiling, add the grated carrots into the milk and cook it in medium to medium high flame until the content starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for around an hour until the carrots get cooked and the milk evaporates. Stir the content constantly so the solidified milk does not stick to the sides and bottom of the pan.

Once the milk reduces to 80%, put a small pan on another hob. Add ghee into the pan and allow it to become hot. Once the ghee is hot, add the chopped nuts into the ghee and fry them in low flame for a minute. Then transfer the whole content into the carrot-milk mixture and mix it thoroughly. Cook it in low flame for 3-4 minutes until the milk gets evaporated completely. Stir it continuously.

Then add the sugar into the pan and mix it. Once the sugar melts, the recipe for gajar ka halwa will again become gooey. Add cardamom powder into the pan and mix it properly. Cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes until the excess moisture gets evaporated. Stir it continuously. Then switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Many Diwali sweet recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Instant jalebi
Instant gulab jamun
Atta ladoo recipe
Rasgulla
Kalakand

..And Many more…

1 cup = 250 ml

• 2½ cups grated red Carrots
• 2½ cups full cream Milk
• 2/3 cup Sugar (Adjust accordingly)
• 1½ tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
• 1 tablespoon Cashew, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Pistachio, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Almond, chopped

• 500 grams red Carrots, peeled and grated
• ½ tin or 200 grams Milkmaid aka condensed Milk
• 2 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (Cashew, Almond, Pistachio)
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

• 500 grams red Carrots, peeled and grated
• ¾ cup full cream Milk
• ½ cup unsweetend Khoya aka mawa
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (Cashew, Almond, Pistachio)
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2½ cups full cream milk into it. Put the flame in medium high and allow the milk to boil. Stir it in regular interval so the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Once the milk starts boiling, add 2½ cups grated carrots into the milk and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium to medium high flame until the content starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for around 50-60 minutes until the carrots get cooked and the milk evaporates. Stir the content constantly so the solidified milk does not stick to the sides and bottom of the pan.
4. Once the milk reduces to 80-85%, put a small pan on another hob. Add 1½ tablespoons ghee into the pan and allow it to become hot. Once the ghee is hot, add 1 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts, 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio, 1 tablespoon chopped almonds into the ghee and fry them in low flame for a minute.
5. Transfer the whole content into the carrot-milk mixture and mix it thoroughly. Cook it in low flame for 3-4 minutes until the milk gets evaporated completely. Stir it continuously.
6. Add 2/3 cup sugar into the pan and mix it. Once the sugar melts, the halwa will again become gooey.
   Note: You can add sugar into the carrot halwa as per your taste.
7. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder into the pan and mix it properly. Cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes until the excess moisture gets evaporated. Stir it continuously.
8. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Gajar ka halwa with milkmaid is also known as instant gajar halwa recipe because this version of carrot halwa gets prepared very quickly. Instead of evaporating milk, condensed milk is added to the recipe which provides richness and creamy texture to the dish. During busy days of festive season, it could be a great way to prepare gajar ka halwa.

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons ghee into it.
3. Once the ghee starts melting, add the grated carrots and sauté it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add ½ tin milkmaid aka condensed milk and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium flame until the carrots releases moisture.
5. Turn the flame low and cover the pan. Cook it until the carrots get tender. Stir it in every 5 minutes interval.
6. Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ¼ cup chopped nuts into the pan and give a nice mix.
7. Cook it in low flame for another minute and then switch off the flame.

Gajar ka halwa with khoya is also known as halwai style gajar halwa recipe because in sweet shops khoya aka mawa is used in the halwa instead of evaporating milk. If you have mawa handy then you can go ahead with the recipe and save your time. You can even use my instant mawa for the recipe. During busy days of festive season it could be a great way to prepare gajar ka halwa.

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons ghee into it.
3. Once the ghee starts melting, add the grated carrots and sauté it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add ¾ cup milk into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium flame until the carrots releases moisture.
5. Turn the flame low and cover the pan. Cook it until the carrots get tender. Stir it in every 5 minutes interval.
6. Add ½ cup khoya and give a nice mix. Once the khoya melts, the halwa will turn gooey. Put the flame in medium high and cook it until the moisture evaporates. Stir continuously.
7. Add ¾ cup sugar into the pan and mix it well. Once the sugar melts, the halwa will become loose in texture.
8. Put the flame in high and cook it until the extra moisture evaporates.
9. Put the flame in low and add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ¼ cup chopped nuts and give a nice mix.
10. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Serve the gajar ka halwa on a serving plate or in a serving bowl. Serve it warm to enjoy its best taste and garnish it with some chopped nuts. Serve the carrot halwa recipe as dessert after meal or as evening snacks and enjoy the Indian delicacy.

Gajar halwa | Carrot halwa recipe |Gajar ka halwa | Gajrela recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 1 hour 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

1 cup = 250 ml

Traditional Method

• 2½ cups grated red Carrots
• 2½ cups full cream Milk
• 2/3 cup Sugar (adjust accordingly)
• 1½ tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)
• 1 tablespoon Cashew, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Pistachio, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Almond, chopped

Gajar halwa with milkmaid

• 500 grams red Carrots, peeled and grated
• ½ tin or 200 grams Milkmaid aka condensed Milk
• 2 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (Cashew, Almond, Pistachio)
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

Gajar halwa with khoya

• 500 grams red Carrots, peeled and grated
• ¾ cup full cream Milk
• ½ cup unsweetend Khoya aka mawa
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Ghee aka clarified butter
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (Cashew, Almond, Pistachio)
• ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

Instructions

Traditional Method

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2½ cups full cream milk into it. Put the flame in medium high and allow the milk to boil. Stir it in regular interval so the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Once the milk starts boiling, add 2½ cups grated carrots into the milk and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium to medium high flame until the content starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for around 50-60 minutes until the carrots get cooked and the milk evaporates. Stir the content constantly so the solidified milk does not stick to the sides and bottom of the pan.
4. Once the milk reduces to 80-85%, put a small pan on another hob. Add 1½ tablespoons ghee into the pan and allow it to become hot. Once the ghee is hot, add 1 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts, 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio, 1 tablespoon chopped almonds into the ghee and fry them in low flame for a minute.
5. Transfer the whole content into the carrot-milk mixture and mix it thoroughly. Cook it in low flame for 3-4 minutes until the milk gets evaporated completely. Stir it continuously.
6. Add 2/3 cup sugar into the pan and mix it. Once the sugar melts, the halwa will again become gooey.

Note: You can add sugar into the carrot halwa as per your taste.

7. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder into the pan and mix it properly. Cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes until the excess moisture gets evaporated. Stir it continuously.
8. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Gajar halwa with milkmaid

Gajar ka halwa with milkmaid is also known as instant gajar halwa recipe because this version of carrot halwa gets prepared very quickly. Instead of evaporating milk, condensed milk is added to the recipe which provides richness and creamy texture to the dish. During busy days of festive season, it could be a great way to prepare gajar ka halwa.

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons ghee into it.
3. Once the ghee starts melting, add the grated carrots and sauté it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add ½ tin milkmaid aka condensed milk and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium flame until the carrots releases moisture.
5. Turn the flame low and cover the pan. Cook it until the carrots get tender. Stir it in every 5 minutes interval.
6. Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ¼ cup chopped nuts into the pan and give a nice mix.
7. Cook it in low flame for another minute and then switch off the flame.

Gajar halwa with khoya

Gajar ka halwa with khoya is also known as halwai style gajar halwa recipe because in sweet shops khoya aka mawa is used in the halwa instead of evaporating milk. If you have mawa handy then you can go ahead with the recipe and save your time. You can even use my instant mawa for the recipe. During busy days of festive season it could be a great way to prepare gajar ka halwa.

1. First take the carrots and trim both the edges of each carrot. Then peel off the skin of the carrots and wash them nicely. Grate them with the medium side of the grater. If you have food processor with grater attachments then please feel free to use it.
2. Now take a heavy bottom non-stick pan and add 2 tablespoons ghee into it.
3. Once the ghee starts melting, add the grated carrots and sauté it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add ¾ cup milk into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium flame until the carrots releases moisture.
5. Turn the flame low and cover the pan. Cook it until the carrots get tender. Stir it in every 5 minutes interval.
6. Add ½ cup khoya and give a nice mix. Once the khoya melts, the halwa will turn gooey. Put the flame in medium high and cook it until the moisture evaporates. Stir continuously.
7. Add ¾ cup sugar into the pan and mix it well. Once the sugar melts, the halwa will become loose in texture.
8. Put the flame in high and cook it until the extra moisture evaporates.
9. Put the flame in low and add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ¼ cup chopped nuts and give a nice mix.
10. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

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