Gajar ka halwa is a simple and classic Indian dessert made with shredded carrots. The carrots are cooked down with a little sugar, cashew cream and cardamom until they shed their grassy flavor and become utterly sweet and delicious.
As much as I love most vegan Indian sweets, I am particularly partial to gajar ka halwa, a thick carrot pudding studded with nuts.
Part of the reason for this is the fact that it's made mostly with carrots, which means it is almost a healthy sweet -- an oxymoron if there ever was one. And yes, there's sugar here, but not as much sugar as you might think you'd need because the carrots, as they cook down, concentrate their own natural sugars.
What's more, if you really are on a health kick, you can make this recipe with dates, and cut out any added sugar altogether.
Gajar ka halwa traditionally features with both milk and khoya (made by reducing milk), but for this vegan version I use cashew cream instead. You don't lose any of the flavor - instead the nuts make the dish even more delicious.
I first shared my Gajar ka Halwa with you all the way back in 2008 and it was quite perfect, but with Diwali knocking at the door, I wanted to refresh it for you. I've made some changes to make it even better over the years. This is now a one-pot dish and it's still super easy to make, yet rich and delicious enough to enjoy on a special occasion. (You can also try my vegan carrot pudding, an equally delicious and naturally sweetened recipe that can double up both as breakfast and dessert)
Tips for making gajar ka halwa:
- Grate the carrots with the largest holes on the box grater. The carrot needs to cook for a while and it will become really soft as it absorbs the milk. If you shred it too fine it will become mushy with almost no texture.
- When you mix the milk and the carrots, it will look like you have a disproportionately large amount of milk, but don't worry. As you cook the halwa, the carrots will absorb the milk and some of the liquid will evaporate.
- You have some leeway in how long you cook your halwa. I like to make it really dry (as in it's still moist and succulent, but there isn't any visible liquid). But I've eaten versions of carrot halwa that are more pudding-y and they taste quite good. I like cooking it a bit longer because I find that removes the grassy flavor of the carrot and leaves just its deliciousness behind.
- You can use sugar to sweeten the carrot halwa, like I did, or you can sweeten it naturally with dates. Soak the dates in hot water for at least 30 minutes and blend them as smooth as possible. I would use half a cup of the cashew milk to blend them and then add them at the same time as the carrots and milk (instead of a little later, as with the sugar).
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Carrots. Richer colored carrots will give you better color. You can use color, although your garden variety orange carrots are most commonly used in India.
- Sugar. I use turbinado sugar or coconut sugar because they add a richer color as well. Again, any sugar is fine.
- Green cardamom powder. Always use green cardamom, which is more delicately flavored, in Indian dessert recipes.
More vegan Indian sweets
- Vegan doodhi halwa
- Vegan zucchini halwa
- Vegan cashew halwa
- Vegan almond halwa
- Or browse my collection of vegan Diwali sweets
Recipe card
Vegan Carrot Halwa, Gajar ka Halwa
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (divided)
- Ā½ cup sliced almonds (other nuts like cashews and pistachios would work too)
- 4 packed cups carrots (about 1 Ā½ pounds, grated coarsely. Use the grater with the largest holes.)
- 1 cups raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (always use green cardamom for sweets)
- 1 cup sugar (alternatively use 1 cup of dates soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, strained, then blended with part of the cashew milk you'll make for this recipe.)
Instructions
- Blend the cashews with 3 cups water into a very smooth milk/cream. If your blender isn't very powerful, soak the cashews in water for at least an hour first.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan, preferably nonstick. A wider pan will allow the liquid to thicken and evaporate more easily. Add the sliced almonds or any other nuts you are using. Saute them for a couple of minutes until they just begin to change color. Add the carrots and cardamom, saute a couple of minutes, then add the cashew milk. * (If using dates to sweeten, see notes below before adding all the milk).
- Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until most of the milk has been absorbed into the cashews. This will take at least 15-20 minutes. If it's going too slow, increase the heat a bit but keep an eye on the carrots and stir them often because you don't want them to stick to the bottom.
- Add the sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and stir until it's well mixed and the sugar has dissolved.
- At this stage, you can pretty much decide how much longer you want your halwa to cook -- taking it off the heat at this point will give you a more pudding-like texture, but you can continue to cook longer until the halwa pulls off the bottom and sides of the pan and there's absolutely no visible liquid. I like to cook the halwa to this stage, but it means some exercise for your arm, so be warned.
- Once the halwa reaches the desired state of doneness, take if off the heat. You can eat the halwa warm or at room temperature or cold, it's delicious every way. Garnish with sliced almonds before serving, if you wish.
Notes
- If cooking with dates, soak the dates for 30 minutes in hot water, then blend into a very smooth paste with Ā½ cup of the cashew milk you'll be using. Add the date-cashew milk mixture to the pan at the same time as you add the rest of the cashew milk and continue cooking. Skip over the step in the recipe where you add sugar.
Ambica says
Vaishali,
I finally made this last weekend. I was a little skeptical about this ever tasting like the real thing.. but I have to say this version tastes better than the original. The carrots are wonderfully caramelized and you can't really tell that this has not been made with oodles of ghee and milk. Thank you.
Dizzzle says
Vaishali, my husbands doctor recently made him switch to an all vegan diet for his health so I made this today and it turned out wonderful! I used coconut oil instead of vegetable however I will try the Earth Balance butter substitute spread as someone mentioned above for a little more of the buttery flavor. Thanks for posting, looking forward to trying your other recipes!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Dizzle, so glad you tried the halwa-- one of my favorites. You can definitely try the vegan butter. Thanks for letting me know!
Chessie says
I made this yesterday--good stuff. Halwa at restaurants is always overpoweringly over-sweetened, but this was great. I used a scant 1/4 cup of sugar, and a little Earth Balance to give it a buttery flavor. I must make this again. Can a person overdose on carrots?
Bless you for the vegan Indian sweets. I found a vegan dessert made with chickpeas, I think, ONCE in an Indian grocery, but I never saw it again after that.
Next on my list: Kaju Katli. I don't have a nonstick pan, so it may get messy!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Catherine, so glad you tried it! Carrot halwa is truly a near-guilt-free snack. There are lots of Indian desserts with chickpeas, but I am guessing you're thinking of Soan Papdi-- they come in squares and are rather brittle and very sweet?
Hope you try the Kaju Katli. You can also use a cast-iron pan, if you have one of those and if it's well-seasoned. I use cast-iron pans for nearly all of my "non-stick" cooking.
ankita says
We made it just now and it's yum š
Vaishali says
Ankita, now I'm craving some carrot halwa. š Glad you liked it and thanks for letting me know.
Tammy Palmer says
Turned out yummy... wish I had doubled the recipe though. Thanks.
yehadut says
I made this and it was quite good. However, note that it only makes enough for one person!
The carrots did not turn a rich red on frying. I used 4 Tbsp sugar and it was very sweet, I'd recommend using less.
Emu says
Just made. Gorgeous.
I used sultanas, pistachio and a few cashews as the trimming at the end. It took me ages, I will experiment turning the heat up a bit next time!
Chic Chef says
I adore Indian food, and gajar ka halwa has always been one of my favorites, though it is nearly impossible to find in vegan form!
I just made this recipe using light soy milk, 2 Tbs brown sugar and 1 Tbs maple syrup for sweetener. I put in 5 whole cardamom pods and 1/4 tsp ground cardamom. I also added a pinch of safron threads, which made the color lovely, and I added a few drops of rose water to make up for the taste lost by switching from almond to soy milk.
Your proportions were ideal; it turned out perfect!
G3 says
Tried this over the weekend .. and yum yum yum! Loved it!
Pallavi says
Like everything else you have, this looks really awesome too...
Thanks for answers to my questions š
G.Pavani says
it looks colourful with cashews and yummy
Priyanka says
Gajar halwa is one of my favs.....and i am kind of partial to the whole milk, ghee sauteed halwa that my mom makes:) the use of almond milk is pretty cool...may be i will give it a try with one of the other halwas that i make
TBC says
I've never cooked with almond milk.
It's been a loooooong time since I had gajar ka halwa. Yours looks absolutely delicious!
Sheetal Kiran says
What a co-incidence! I have a post for carrot halwa languishing in my draft folder too š Made it for Dussera too! Love the sound of almond milk in halwa ... the photo looks fabulous, Vaishali!!
seitanismymotor says
You are a genius!
Ramya Vijaykumar says
Your look very different not flakes of carrot great one...
Divya Vikram says
Hey that looks divine Vaishali..Cant beleive that is made in a vegan way..
Uma says
Hey, stop tempting us like this! Just kidding. What a vibrant color for a halwa! Looks so delicious and guilt-free! BTW, reg. almond milk can you tell me how much calcium is there in it and is it good for coffees, and for kids too? I've been searching ways to cut down calories!:)
Vegan Eating Out says
My mouth is watering. Inspiring!
ANJALI J. says
Halwa looks amazing.. such a tempting picture.. lovely color too.
anudivya says
Neat idea subtituting almond milk for regular milk. I got to try this.
Alka says
Wow..such a guilty free recipe..though i am still wondering whether it tasted same or not,but going with your verdict,i can take a plunge,considering winter season is round the corner,markets are bound to be flooded with juicy red carrots,an apt season to eat halwa
Thanks for sharing!
Sireesha says
Carrot halwa looks soooooo tempting and mouthwatering.Love the colour.
Happy cook says
I have never seen such a delicious carrot halwa.
They look awesome.
Yummy
Raaga says
Hi,
I'm always on the lookout for vegan versions of Indian sweets as I have a lactose intolerant boss. Would you know what I could substitute for almond milk? I doubt we get that here.
The halwa looks very nice. The colour the sugar has given it is indeed lovely š
Kitchen Flavours says
Wow carrots in almond milk, sounds simply gr8. You rock dear.
Sunshinemom says
Looks so tempting! I too made some vegan almond burfis for the festive season but they are to be posted yet - will try to do it before 31st:)
magpie says
I love your recipes! Almond milk is the best - I use it all the time. I will definitely be trying this.
Cham says
This vegan sweet looks delectable Vaishu! I guess it is more tasty & rich with almonds milk š
RAKS KITCHEN says
carrot halwa looks delish! Nice idea to add aalmond milk for richness, substitute for milk.
You have a kewl blog!