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Carrot Halwa

Ready in 25 mins

Recipe by Mamtha Sunil Kumar 

Carrot Halwa (sometimes written halva) is a classic recipe and is probably the most famous and most prepared dessert at Indian weddings. Originally a Punjabi dish, it's packed with fresh carrots, so is low on calories and provides you with plenty of vitamins.

Preparation Time

10 Minutes

Cooking Time

15 Minutes

Ingredients for Carrot Halwa

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.
If you want to know more about Indian ingredients, check our Indian Spices and our Indian Pulses, Rice and Seeds pages.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 8:

8-10 medium carrots
8 cashew nuts
8 fresh almonds
16 raisins
3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter or drawn butter)
7 fl oz milk
¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
7 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar)

How to Cook Carrot Halwa

  1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots and chop the cashew nuts. Soak the almonds in half a cup of hot water for five minutes then cool, peel and slice the nuts and keep them for garnishing. Wash the raisins and pat them dry.
  2. In a deep thick-bottomed pan, add the ghee then add the grated carrots and sauté for five minutes. Once the carrot shrinks add the milk and green cardamom powder and cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the milk evaporates and the carrots are cooked.
  3. Add the sugar and cook, stirring all the time, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar melts and mixes well. Garnish with the cashew nuts and almonds and serve either hot or cold... either way, it's quite delicious!
MAMTHA SUNIL KUMAR'S HOT TIP:
Serve with ice cream - the combination will work wonders for your taste buds!