Carrot Halwa or Gajar Halwa is a popular Indian dessert with grated carrots cooked in ghee, milk, aromatic cardamom, and saffron. Enjoyed warm during the cold winter nights or chilled with a scoop of ice cream on summer evenings, this dessert makes a perfect treat for the entire family. The best part is that it only takes 30 minutes for this make-ahead recipe using the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
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This year we celebrated Mother's Day with Gajar Halwa, a delicious Indian dessert cooked in the Instant Pot! Gajar ka halwa is a popular North Indian dessert that is traditionally made in winter months by slow-cooking red carrots with milk and sugar.
You will often find this popular dessert at Indian restaurant buffets made with full-fat milk, condensed milk, khoya, or Mawa (thickened whole milk) and loaded with ghee.
I was hosting an extended family gathering, with guests ranging from seniors with specific dietary needs to kids and everyone in between. To cater to everyone, I decided to lighten up the recipe and make it more wholesome. I am thrilled to report that everyone devoured the Instant Pot Gajar Halwa, and it has now become our go-to recipe!
How to Make Instant Pot Carrot Halwa
Step-by-step recipe for Instant Pot Carrot Halwa:
Step 1: Prepare the carrots
Peel and grate the carrots. To grate the carrots you can either use the coarse setting on a manual grater or grate using the food processor. I prefer the food processor method especially when I am grating large amounts of carrots as it takes less than a minute to grate 8 -10 carrots. Alternatively, you can also buy pre-shredded carrots from stores like Trader Joe's that are available in the produce sections.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté(Hi) mode. Add ghee and grated carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add milk and close the lid with the pressure value set to sealing. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Quick-release and open the Instant Pot lid. Add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, raisins, and saffron.
Step 3: Sauté until desired consistency
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté(Hi) and cook for 5-7 mins as the liquids evaporate, stirring frequently. Make sure that the halwa does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the halwa starts to thicken you make want to turn off the Instant Pot. Not: The halwa will continue to thicken as it cools down. Take the Halwa out in a serving dish and garnish with more sliced almonds or pistachios.
Serve Gajar Halwa warm or chilled.
Note: Carrot halwa can be made ahead and stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week. This Gajar Halwa also freezes well. I simply, place it in freezer zip lock bags and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use. Microwave for short times, to reheat.
Tips
Love the traditional Gajar ka halwa? Here are a few tips to easily change the recipe for that:
- Use regular milk instead of almond milk
- Substitute almond meal with khoya(mawa), non-fat dairy milk powder, or ricotta cheese
- Use condensed milk (milkmaid) instead of almond meal. Since condensed milk is sweetened, remember to reduce the amount of sugar
- To make dairy-free carrot halwa, substitute ghee with any neutral oil, coconut oil, or vegan butter
You can also check out a variation of this recipe in the BEST-SELLER The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. My cookbook recipe uses low-fat milk and condensed milk to add a fudge-like texture to the halwa. I made it recently to celebrate the one year anniversary of my book:
How to Make a lighter Gajar Halwa
- Replace whole milk with almond milk (Note: Low-fat milk works great too)
- Instead of the traditional mawa or khoya, I use Almond meal or almond flour to add creaminess to the halwa
- A lot less sugar than the traditional versions
- Just 2 tablespoons of homemade ghee
Note: This halwa does not have a super creamy texture like the traditional halwa. It has a lighter texture and tastes delicious. The best part is that it is approved by kids, adults, and the elderly in my family!
When I host dinners, I not only include this carrot halwa in the menu but also start with this make-ahead halwa recipe. Here is one of my go-to and colorful Vegetarian Indian meal ideas that is always a hit for a party or celebration
- Appetizer: Aloo Chat - The best way to start any party with this colorful easy to assemble starter
- Drink: Mango Lassi - A crowd-pleaser Indian drink that is enjoyed by adults and kids
- Main Dish: Dum Aloo - No-fail recipe with baby potatoes cooked in a creamy tomato sauce
- Main Dish: Palak Paneer - Vibrant green spinach with paneer cheese that takes only 15 minutes to make
- Rice Dish: - Vegetable Biryani with Raita - Another colorful rice dish loaded with veggies and served with cooling raita
- Bread: - Whole Wheat Parathas - Surprise your guests with homemade bread instead of the usual naan
Did you enjoy this delicious and EASY Indian Dessert? Here are some more sweet dishes to try:
- Instant Pot Dudhi Halwa
- EASY Instant Pot Kheer {Indian Rice Pudding}
- Pineapple Sheera - Stovetop recipe
- Carrot Sheera - Stovetop recipe
- Instant Pot Sevai Kheer
- Sheer Khurma - Stove top & Instant Pot Recipe
- Mango Shrikhand - No cook recipe
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Recipe
Instant Pot Carrot Halwa Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté(Hi) mode. Add ghee (or vegan butter) and grated carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes with the glass lid on.
- Add almond milk and close the lid with the pressure value set to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual(Hi) for 5 minutes. Quick-release.
- Add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, raisins, and saffron. Mix well.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté(Hi) and cook for 5-7 mins until most of the liquids are evaporated. Stir frequently, making sure that the halwa does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Note: The halwa will continue to thicken as it cools down.
- Garnish with sliced almonds or pistachios. Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
Love the traditional gajar ka halwa? Here are few tips to easily change the recipe for that:
- Use regular milk instead of almond milk
- Substitute almond meal with khoya(mawa), non-fat dairy milk powder, or ricotta cheese
- You can also use milkmaid or condensed milk instead of almond meal Since condensed milk is sweetened, make sure to reduce the sugar substantially
Nutrition
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Supri says
Yummy treat with almost no guilt. Thanks Archana.
And I would like to try the traditional version for a party of 40 people. Can I make it in 6qt IP, how many carrots should I use and is it ok if I add mawa powder instead of milk powder.
Thank you
Archana says
Hi Supri, take 1 cup of grated carrot per person. I would cook the halwa in 2 batches in your 6 QT IP. and yes mawa powder in teh end will be great!
Bhavi says
Hi Archana,
Pressure cook time would be same (5 min) if I double the recipe (about 12 cups shredded carrots) ? Thanks
Archana says
yes 🙂 It will simply take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure
Radha says
Hi Archana,
Can I use almond flour instead of meal. If so, how much quantity should I use?
Thanks
Radha
Archana says
yes, same quantity.
Archana says
Love ur recipe... Works best for me
Archana says
Thank you!!
Dee says
Can we use the grated carrots from Trader Joe’s ?
Archana says
Yes! Add extra 2 minutes of pressure cooking time as they are thick grated.
Aradhna says
Archana,
‘The halwa is amazing. Thank you so much for the incredible recipe. Does it freeze well?
Aradhna
Archana says
yes! Freezes well
Kshitija says
Thanks for the recipe Archana, I used Almond meal from Trader Joes so the halwa turned brownish instead of Orange. Can we use almond flour instead of meal?
Archana says
Yes you can use almond flour. I have a feeling the carrots may be too old.
Sahana Mukherjee says
Loved the recipe! So easy and satisfied the craving 🙂 I did not have almond milk and used unsweetened oat milk; and used almond flour instead of almond meal. Also used monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar and it came out delicious! Thanks again for another great recipe!
Swetha says
Turns out awesome every time. Will using beetroot change the recipe in anyway?
Archana says
Same recipe
Jeeniya says
This was amazing! I can’t believe how good it tastes! My parents were so surprised! Thank you so much.
Varsha Mrspetlover says
Hi Archana. I just made Gajar halva with almost same quantity & it came out excellent. IP is the best way of cookinG IMHO. TFS your recipes. Happy Thanksgiving & god bles!
Monal says
Hi Archana,
Can I make the same quantity (or little less) in 3 qt mini instant pot ? Do we need to change the pressure cook time?
Thank you
Archana says
You can cook the same quantity in 3 QT Instant Pot. Pressure cooking time will be same. Enjoy!
Jinal says
Hi, Thanks for receipe.
Did you use powder form of sugar ?
Archana says
Regular cane sugar.
Mimi says
Hi there, can you use candarel sweetener instead of sugar and If so how much please , thankyou
Archana says
I have not tested the recipe using candarel sweetener. You can add it to taste.
Sakshi says
Hi! Love your recipes!
Could you use baby carrots for this recipe? Also, you use the condensed milk in place of the almond milk or almond meal?
Archana Mundhe says
You can use baby carrots, I would recommend using a food processor to grate them quickly. Almond milk and meal and used in place of milk. IF you are planning to use condensed milk, I would use that in-place of sugar, replace almond milk with whole milk and skip almond meal. Hope this helps.
Priti says
Hey Archana,
If we’re using ricotta cheese, do we just substitute it 1:1 ratio? Also is is required to dry it out or can just add it as it is?
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Priti, yes 1:1 ratio is perfect. Add ricotta cheese as is and cook along with halwa to remove some of the moisture.
Siva Swaminathan says
Hi I tried this Gajar halwa for a large party and yours was the only one that had measurements for 6 cups and used grated carrots and sugar instead of condensed milk. I used 1 cup sugar though as it was a party. It turned out excellent and I have already tried this recipe twice. The taste was just to the dot...neither too sweet nor lacking. Each time there was a rave response from the party and received compliments. Thank you very much
Archana Mundhe says
I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe.