A dairy-free, melt-in-the-mouth vegan, Indian-style Zucchini Halwa made with almond milk and infused with the fragrance of cardamom.
This Zucchini Halwa is a great way to use up all those summer zucchini -- or other -- squashes you no doubt still have in your vegetable garden. And if you don't have a vegetable garden, I'm willing to bet there is an abundance of them at your nearest market or supermarket.
Any kind of halwa, including this zucchini halwa, is a minimum-ingredient and low-labor recipe, but that does not mean you can walk away from it. It takes an hour or more for the liquid to reduce, so you do need to stick around and stir the halwa frequently. The result is totally worth your time.
More Indian vegan sweets you might like
- This delectable vegan sooji halwa is so easy to make for a snack or easy dessert.
- Try this simple but unique chik-cha halwa, a delicate Indian Jewish pudding made with coconut milk and cardamom.
- A vegan carrot halwa, or gajar halwa, is a classic Indian sweet that's also secretly healthy!
- For a seasonal winter dessert, try this vegan butternut squash halwa recipe.
Recipe card
Vegan Zucchini Halwa
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini (or yellow squash or one of each. Peel and grate coarsely.)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups almond milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ to ¾ cup sugar (use the lesser or greater quantity more based on your preference)
- ¼ cup walnuts (chopped)
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy-bottomed, large saucepan.
- Add the grated squash and salt. Saute about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will exude a lot of liquid.
- Add the almond milk, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low so it boils gently, and let it cook about an hour to 90 minutes, or until the liquid has completely evaporated. Stir frequently while the mixture reduces. Don't be tempted to rush the process by using less liquid. You really need to let the liquid and heat infuse the squash over a period of time so it gets all silky and tender.
- Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Turn off the heat.
- In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil, add the chopped walnuts and cardamom, and saute for a minute or until the walnuts turn lightly golden.
- Add to the halwa and mix thoroughly.
- Halwa, to my mind, tastes best chilled. But if you just can't wait, allow it to cool slightly and attack. After that first bite, you'll be a new person.
Nutrition Information
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Shobhali says
Hi,
I want to try this recipe, though I wanted your thoughts on a few tweaks:
1. Is it OK to use Oat Milk instead? (I think I saw a comment where you've said the kind of milk doesn't matter much)
2. Around how many grams/ cups of zucchini? (The recipe says two large zucchini - large could be relative?)
3. Can I use jaggery instead of sugar?
Looking forward to your response. Thank you!
Shannon Morris says
I'm Also in the DC area & happy to find this recipe. As a vegetarian keto type, I plan to sub the sugar for a natural low glycemic sweetener and the vegetable oil for ghee. Maybe the zucchini version will help me to not miss gajar halwa so much
Vaishali says
Hi Shannon, hope you try! Nice to "meet" a fellow DC area resident.
Santhoshi says
Thanks for this recipe!! I've been on a gluten free, vegan diet for the last few months and have been craving a creamy dessert - this was perfect.
Gita Jaishankar says
What an awesome idea to create a dessert with zucchini ....I am definitely going to try this 🙂
Ambica says
This sounds utterly delicious. if you get tired of the squashes, I have had good luck, grating and freezing them (1 . measures). To use, thaw and use with any liquid remaining.
East Meets West Veg says
I can just imagine how luscious this must be. Zucchini really does make sweets so silky and creamy. Looks delicious!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi EMWV, yes, it's quite amazing how well it works in desserts, isn't it? One of my other favorites is Zucchini Bread.
Amrita says
This looks divine! I had two silly questions - does the almond milk split on high heat? Would coconut milk work as well? Thanks for such a lovely recipe, will definitely be trying this 🙂
Vaishali says
The liquid gets absorbed into the zucchini so it doesn't really affect the texture. But you can certainly use coconut milk--that's a flavor that goes great with Indian sweets.
Amrita says
Thanks for such a yummy and healthy recipe! I followed your method with a few tweaks (I kept the skin on the zucchinis, substituted almond milk with coconut milk and used swerve as a sweetener) Such a lovely keto dessert! My sister followed the exact same recipe as yours and she loved it as well.
Geeta says
I love your blog and feel inspired by your dedication to veganism. I've tried a similar recipe using papayas. However i tried cooking it in the microwave. It was fast and convenient with no compromise on the taste.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Geeta, thanks for your kind words. I am not a great fan of papayas because they are never sweet enough, and making a halwa with them sounds like a brilliant idea and one I know I'd love.
Deb @ Saving the Crumbs says
I've had the sesame and sunflower halwas but not this kind before. It's great learning a lot about authentic Indian food from you! Especially when it means using up zucchini in dessert.....that's awesome!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Deb, the seed halwas are more middle eastern in origin. Indian halwas are usually made with fruits or veggies or sometimes with grains. They are very different. I am glad you're enjoying the blog! 🙂