• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Cooking Journey logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
×

Home » Asian » Indian

Published: Mar 26, 2013 · Modified: Dec 28, 2021 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Gajar Ka Halwa | Carrot Halwa Recipe

Jump to Recipe

Growing up in North India, Carrot halwa is one of the deserts that is very close to my heart. I remember my mother making this Gajar ka halwa with the vibrant red color carrots that are available during winter.

For the third day of the Blogging marathon with the theme ‘Pick one and make three’, I chose to make a very famous Indian dessert Gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa.

Carrot halwa in a glass bowl

After moving to Southern India we did not find this carrot too often and my mother used to make it with the regular orange-colored carrots. Although the taste is not compromised by using either of the carrots, the color does make the dish more appealing to the eyes.

I made this with the regular orange carrot, but the only new thing that I learned when making it was learning to make the khoya from the ricotta cheese.

Sign up to my newsletter

I am not a big fan of ricotta and always stayed away from this. Recently I came across a youtube video of an authentic carrot halwa recipe by a person called Balwinder Singh.

His recipe was very inviting and I wanted to try it right away. The only thing standing between me and halwa was the fact that he made the khoya with ricotta.

I finally decided that I am going to try his exact same recipe and it worked GREAT! The halwa tasted delicious and I was carried to my homeland. So here I am sharing this recipe with you all.

Preparation time – 20 mins
Cooking time – 1 hr 30 mins
Difficulty level – medium


Tasty Carrot halwa served in a glass bowl

Ingredients to make Gajar Ka Halwa – serves 10 – 12

  • Carrot – 2 lbs (approx 1 kg)
  • Milk (I used 2 %) – 4 cups or 1000ml
  • Sugar – 1 cup
  • Nuts of your choice – 4 tablespoon (I used almonds)
  • Raisins – 4 tbsp
  • Butter – 3 tbsp

To make the Khoya –

  • Ricotta cheese – 1 ½ cups
  • Butter – 1 tbsp
Carrot halwa in a dish and spoon

Procedure to make Gajar Ka Halwa –

  • Clean the carrots and peel them. Grate them using a grater or preferably a food processor. It is a pretty time consuming process to grate by hand, so a food processor would help. If you do not own a food processor, do get your husband to do the work for you.
  • To make the Khoya - In a large heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter. Let it melt and then add the ricotta cheese.
Mixing and cooking the ingredients in pan.
Ricotta liquid cooking in pan
Cooked Ricotta in a pan
  • In the same pan, heat 3 tablespoon of butter. Let it melt and then add the chopped nut. Fry the nuts until golden brown.
Frying the nuts in the pan
  • Now add the grated carrots and sauté over medium low flame. Also add the raisins and the cook them for about 15 mins or until the carrots are aromatic and soft.
Mixing carrot with dry fruits.
Carrot halwa in a pan
  • Now add the milk and mix well. Cook the carrots in the milk for about an hour in low flame. Cook it until the carrots are cooked and about 90% of the milk is evaporated.
Cooking carrot with milk
Reducing milk and cooking
  • Add the sugar and mix well. The carrot would liquefy once we add the sugar.
Carrot halwa %%
Mixing halwa with spatula
Cooking some more time
  • Now add the crumbled khoya and mix it well. Turn off the flame and serve warm or at room temperature.
Adding khoya in the pan
Cooking with khoya and mixing
Carrot halwa is ready and served in a flower bowl

Notes and Observations -

  • Refrigerate the halwa for up to a week. Reheat it and serve warm.
  • The halwa freezes very well for up to a month. Make once and freeze for later use. thaw it and then reheat it microwave before serving.
Carrot halwa in a glass bowl

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

Carrot halwa in a glass bowl

Gajar Ka Halwa | Carrot Halwa Recipe

Growing up in North India, Carrot halwa is one of the deserts that is very close to my heart. I remember my mother making this Gajar ka halwa with the vibrant red color carrots that are available during winter.
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Milk Sweets, sweets
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
Diet: Low Fat
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 321kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

  • pan
  • spatula
  • bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Carrot approx 1 kg
  • 1000 ml Milk I used 2 % – 4 cups
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 4 tablespoon Nuts of your choice I used almonds
  • 4 tablespoon Raisins
  • 3 tablespoon Butter

To make the Khoya

  • 1 ½ cups Ricotta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Butter

Instructions

  • Clean the carrots and peel them. Grate them using a grater or preferably a food processor. It is a pretty time consuming process to grate by hand, so a food processor would help. If you do not own a food processor, do get your husband to do the work for you.
  • To make the Khoya - In a large heavy bottom pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter. Let it melt and then add the ricotta cheese. Mix it well and then keep cooking it over medium low flame until crumbly and light brown in color (about 20 mins). Remove it and keep it aside until needed.
  • Ricotta cheese in butter
  • Ricotta liquifies after heating
  • Ricotta cooked down for about 20 mins
  • In the same pan, heat 3 tablespoon of butter. Let it melt and then add the chopped nut. Fry the nuts until golden brown.
  • Now add the grated carrots and sauté over medium low flame. Also add the raisins and the cook them for about 15 mins or until the carrots are aromatic and soft.
  • Carrots and raisins added to the pan
  • Carrots cooked down for about 15 mins
  • Now add the milk and mix well. Cook the carrots in the milk for about an hour in low flame. Cook it until the carrots are cooked and about 90% of the milk is evaporated.
  • Carrots cooked with milk for about an hour
  • Add the sugar and mix well. The carrot would liquefy once we add the sugar. Cook it down further for about 15-20 mins until the desired consistency in reached.
  • Carrot liquefies after adding the sugar
  • Cooked down to desired consistency
  • Now add the crumbled khoya and mix it well. Turn off the flame and serve warm or at room temperature

Notes

Refrigerate the halwa for up to a week. Reheat it and serve warm.
The halwa freezes very well for up to a month. Make once and freeze for later use. thaw it and then reheat it microwave before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 15622IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!

Other Similar Recipes

  • Mango Burfi | Mango Rava Kesari
  • Asoka Halwa | Moong Dal And Whole Wheat Flour Halwa
  • Chakka Varatti | Jackfruit Halwa | Jackfruit Preserve
  • Barnyard Millet Kesari | Kuthiraivali Kesari
« Carrot Subzi / Carrot Gravy Recipe
Badam Kheer | Almond Payasam »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Awaz Ha says

    June 09, 2013 at 11:30 am

    nice and looks tasty https://t.co/Pnc4VRB8z6

    Reply
  2. Chef Mireille says

    April 01, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    one of my favorite indian desserts - looks so good

    Reply
  3. veena krishnakumar says

    March 31, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    I love carrot halwa and this looks so inviting!!!

    Reply
  4. Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi says

    March 30, 2013 at 10:30 pm

    Awesome idea of making khoya with ricotta cheese..shall try it out the next time!

    Reply
  5. Pavani says

    March 28, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    I'm drooling here just looking at the pics. Gajar halwa is time consuming to make, but at the end it's well worth the effort.. yumm!!

    Reply
  6. Pallavi Purani says

    March 28, 2013 at 8:30 am

    This is very very well cooked. I have seen mom slave for hours to make this prefect. Your recipe looks a little simple 🙂 Noted.

    Reply
  7. Corporate to Kitchen says

    March 28, 2013 at 1:47 am

    Yummy halwa & great pics!

    Reply
  8. Sona S says

    March 28, 2013 at 1:40 am

    delicious halwa..

    Reply
  9. PriyaVaasu says

    March 27, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    using ricotta to cook gajar halwa. wonderful fusion!!! it is our family favorite looks super delicious!!!

    Reply
  10. The Pumpkin Farm says

    March 27, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    good idea to make khoya using ricotta, and love the presentation in the first picture

    Reply
  11. divya says

    March 27, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    look fantastic.. simply superb... amazing clicks...

    Reply
  12. Sharanya palanisshami (sara's TASTY BUDS) says

    March 27, 2013 at 6:06 am

    crumbles of cheese in the halwa are super sis............

    Reply
  13. vaishali sabnani says

    March 27, 2013 at 5:07 am

    Sandhya, I have tasted the ricotta cheese khoya , on my trip to US...it surely does wonders to the dish..well even I make orange carrot halwa..in emergency..turns out pretty good.your halwa looks good n inviting.

    Reply
  14. Rita Bose says

    March 27, 2013 at 4:01 am

    Lovely gajar ka halwa!! 🙂
    https://www.rita-bose-cooking.com/

    Reply
  15. Nivedhanams Sowmya says

    March 27, 2013 at 3:17 am

    I knew this is coming and was waiting for it!! delicious pictures!!! I should say your pictures have improved so much and am loving these droolworthy pictures!!!
    Sowmya
    Ongoing Event - HITS - Diabetic Friendly
    Ongoing Event + Giveaway - Italian Dishes

    Reply
  16. Rajani S says

    March 27, 2013 at 7:04 am

    Nice use of the cheese there! The halwa looks yummy!

    Reply
  17. Rafeeda AR says

    March 27, 2013 at 5:33 am

    i could just grab that from the screen... looks really yum...

    Reply
  18. Shama Nagarajan says

    March 27, 2013 at 4:12 am

    yummy delicious

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Sandhya

I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

Learn More about me →

Popular Posts

  • Boulanee Katchalu | Afghani Bolani | Stuffed Flatbread
  • Xian Bing | Chinese Stuffed Pancake - Vegetarian
  • Spicy Roasted Makhana | Roasted Foxnut
  • Gur Papdi | Gol Papdi | Sukhdi
  • Saag Aloo | Vegan Spinach And Potato Curry
  • 4 Ingredients Fruit Salad With Mango Pulp
  • Ginger Chutney | Andhra Allam Pachadi
  • Kerala Style Peas Masala Curry

Street Foods

  • Spicy Schezwan Fried Rice
  • Bhutte Ka Kees | Indore Style Grated Corn Snack
  • Churumuri | Beach Style Masala Pori
  • Green Peas Kachori | Bengali Matar Kachori
  • Air Fryer Arancini | Italian Rice Balls
  • Gobi Manchurian | Cauliflower Manchurian
  • Masala Chaas | Spiced Buttermilk
  • Dry Garlic Chutney Powder Recipe

Sign Up to Newsletter

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • About

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 · MyCookingJourney LLC

Sign Up to Newsletter

We'll keep you in the loop with our latest news and new content that we add at MyCookingJourney.com.

Enjoy the journey with us and share it with your family and friends!