Fig Walnut Halwa

Anjeer Halwa or Dry Fruit Halwa is a popular Indian Dessert. This 5 ingredient Fig Walnut halwa laced with cardamom, is my modern take on the traditional fig dessert. I have included both Instant Pot and stovetop recipes for this refined sugar-free, must-try dessert.

Picture yourself sitting in front of a fireplace with a glass of wine and a bowl of hot, rich, gooey halwa. This buttery and dense pudding, which has the natural sweetness and texture of fig coupled with the buttery bite of wholesome walnuts, makes for a luxurious treat. Take it to the next level with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

This EASY & HEALTHY fig walnut halwa is a yummy sugar-free Diwali sweet to share with family and friends. You can use dark figs, golden figs, or a combination of both. This impressive rich & gooey halwa comes together in no time! Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or serve it in the fancy phyllo cups, this recipe is sure to impress your family & friends.

Ingredients

1. Dried Figs – Also known as Anjeer in India, figs come in many varieties. They are a good source of fiber, calcium, iron, potassium. I love the dark variety and I also prefer buying the soft moist Turkish figs or California mission figs. The ones sold in most Indian grocery stores in a circular ring are delicious but tend to be dry. So If you use those make sure to add an extra 1/2 cup of water when cooking.
2. Walnuts – Also known as Akhrot, walnuts are a nutrition powerhouse packed with healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals! Rich in antioxidants, walnuts are a super plant source of omega 3’s. They promote a healthy gut and are good brain food. This recipe packs a whole cup full of these superfoods in a delicious dessert form.
3. Ghee – Popular in Indian cuisine, ghee is what makes the desserts truly heavenly. With its nutty aroma, ghee adds rich texture and aromas to this halwa.
4. Cardamom – Known as Elaichi, cardamom seeds are ground and added to Indian desserts for a sweet heavenly aroma.
5. Pistachios – You can use any nuts in this recipe. I love green pistachios as they add nice color contrast to desserts.

Tips

• Make sure the figs are soft and fresh. Older figs tend to get dry and you may need to add more water
• You can quick release after the pressure cooking cycle completes or allow natural pressure release. This recipe is very forgiving
• Add a mix of light and dark figs
• Use homemade ghee for authentic flavor and aromas
• To make this recipe on the stovetop, add 2 cups of water to the chopped figs in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook on medium heat for 20 to 25 mins or until most of the water is evaporated and the figs are soft and mushy. Then, mash the figs and add the remaining ingredients and cook on low-medium for 5 to 10 mins

Process

De-stem and chop figs. Coarsely chop the walnuts. Combine the figs and water in the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 5 minutes at high pressure (Photos 1 – 4)

Perform a quick release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Open the pot and coarsely mash the figs with a potato masher or immersion blender. Add the walnuts, pistachios, ghee, and cardamom and stir together. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the low Sauté setting and cook the halwa, stirring frequently, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 5 to 10 minutes (Photos 5 – 8)

Serving

1. Spoon the fig walnut halwa into bowls and serve
2. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream
3. Spoon the halwa over a bed of cool whip in crispy phyllo cups
4. Serve fig halwa in phyllo cups, top it with a tiny dollop of whip cream

Did you enjoy this easy dessert? Here are few more simple yet festive desserts to try:

• Badam Barfi
• Instant Pot Kheer
• Gajar Halwa
• Raspberry Trifle
• Mango Shrikhand

Recipe

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4.75 from 8 votes

Fig Walnut Halwa

Buttery and dense pudding, with natural sweetness and texture of fig coupled with the buttery bite of wholesome walnuts

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Immersion Blender

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound dried figs stemmed and coarsely chopped (California black mission or turkish figs recommended)
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
• ▢ ½ cup shelled pistachios finely chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup ghee
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

• Combine the figs and water in the Instant Pot.
• Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook
• or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 5 minutes at high pressure.
• Perform a quick release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Open the pot and coarsely mash the figs with a potato masher or wooden spatula. Add the walnuts, pistachios, ghee, and cardamom and stir together. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the low Sauté setting and cook the halwa, stirring frequently, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
• Spoon the halwa into bowls and serve.

Video

Notes

Tips:

• Make sure the figs are not too old or dry. Add more water if they look too dry
• You can quick release after the pressure cooking cycle completes or allow natural pressure release. This recipe is very forgiving
• Add a mix of light and dark figs
• Use homemade ghee for authentic flavor and aromas

Stove Top Recipe:

• Add chopped figs and 2 cups of water to a heavy-bottomed pot
• Cook partially covered on medium heat for 20 to 25 mins or until most of the water is evaporated and figs and super soft and mushy.
• Mash the figs and then add the remaining ingredients and cook on low-medium for 5 to 10 mins

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 2mg

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