Tasty Gajar Ka Halwa: A Cozy Carrot Delight Recipe - So Yummy Recipes (2024)

Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar ka halwa is a sweet dish of grated carrots with milk and butter. It’s a straightforward dessert that is delicious, both hot and cold.

It is a classic carrot-based dessert from India and Pakistan. The carrots are grated and then slow-cooked with sugar and milk until softened and slightly caramelized.

It’s one of the Pakistani desserts, aka mithai/ methai, that uses simple ingredients you almost always have ready.

Like any other food recipe, there are many ways of making this gajrela.

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Some use milk and ghee, some use cream, some use khoya (dried evaporated milk), etc.

After trying and tweaking many recipes, I’ve settled on the recipe I’m sharing here.

This recipe is based on the ones I learned from my Pakistani family and friends. It’s a simple and easy carrot halwa recipe that uses less sugar.

How to Enjoy

Gajar ka halwa – also called gajrela and gajar pak – is a delightful dessert.

It can be served both cold or hot.

But if you serve it hot, add a spoon of ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream. So, this carrot halwa will taste divine. This is ideal to serve as dessert on winter and cold days.

And if you serve it cold, add lots of chopped nuts to give a bit of crunch.

I promise you’ll love this for your food spread in summer.

Is Gajar ka Halwa a Healthy Dessert?

I’m not sure if carrots will have good nutrients after the slow cooking process.

But if we take away that factor, I’d say this Gajar Ka Halwa can be a healthy dessert option, provided we don’t put too much sugar in it.

Because pretty much all the ingredients of this carrot-based dessert are good for our health.

Just make sure we go easy on the sugar.

It has a high sugar content if you buy this mithai from restaurants or shops. Therefore, I prefer making it myself to have more control over how much sugar I put in it.

Simple Ingredients for the Gajar ka Halwa Recipe

You don’t need many items to make this dessert. You only need seven items to make gajar ka halwa:

1. Carrots.
2. Sugar.
3. Salt.
4. Green cardamoms.
5. Milk.
6. Butter.
7. Nuts.

Of all these ingredients, I only need to put a note on the nuts. You can choose whichever nuts you like.

However, the most common and liked ones are almonds and pistachios.

By all means, you can omit the nut altogether if you have a nut allergy. Trust me. Your gajrela will still taste delicious without the nuts.

For my vegan friends, you can choose plant-based milk such as almond milk, rice milk, etc, and margarine instead.

Easy Way to Make Carrot Halwa

Firstly, you grate the carrots. And you can do so by using a regular grater or a food processor.

Secondly, cook the carrots with the cardamom pods until they soften, and all the liquid from the carrots evaporates.

Thirdly, add the sugar, salt, and milk. And cook the carrot halwa until all the milk dries up and the carrots become soft, a bit caramelized, and have the aroma of cardamom.

Lastly, put the butter in and sprinkle the chopped pistachio or almond flakes just before serving.

Storage matter

The best thing about this mithai is that you can make it in batches and freeze it.

The night before serving, you can take the frozen gajar ka halwa out of the freezer and leave it in the fridge to thaw overnight.

If you want to serve it hot, you can reheat it in a pan on the stove or in a microwave. But make sure you finish the thawed halwa within three days. And you must not refreeze it.

More Recipe Ideas for Pakistani Desserts

Thank you for reading this Gajar Ka Halwa recipe. I hope you’re now intrigued to try it. If you do try, it will be awesome if you can share what you think about it in the comments below.

Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.

Lastly, don’t forget to check my other recipes for Pakistani desserts you may love.

• Besan Ladoo: chickpea flour sweet balls.
• Besan Barfi: chickpea flour fudge.
• Rasmalai: milk dumplings in spiced milk.
• Kheer: the creamy rice pudding.
• Fruit chaat: spiced fruit salad.

Thank you and all the best.