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)
- ½ cup sliced almonds (other nuts like cashews and pistachios would work too)
- 4 packed cups carrots (about 1 ½ 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 ½ 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.
Nutrition Information
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Saff says
Could this be frozen? 🙂
Thank you for this beautiful recipe!
Vaishali says
Hi, absolutely. Freeze up to three months and thaw overnight in fridge.
Saff says
Thank you Vaishali!🙏🏼
Sonia says
Hello, thank you for the recipe ! I will try it, but not in a nonstick pan, as I am aware that they are made of materials which are bad for health and cause a lot of pollution all around the world. Haven't you seen the movie "Dark Waters" ? I use only stainless steel pans. You need to pre-warm them before cooking to prevent food from sticking, and you will also need a little bit more oil, but I assume this is not as bad for health as the plastic of a nonstick pan.
Dehuti says
This is a great recipe! I loved it! I recently tried a variation that I thought would be wonderful as well, But I’m not sure how I can accommodate it. I tried a beetroot and carrot halwa. thank you so much for your help.
Romi A says
Hi Vaishali,
Thank you very much for this recipe. I just made it, both my husband and I loved it 😊… I just made a change by replacing the oil with coconut oil and added half a cup of desiccated coconut… all love ❤️
Niha says
Excellent recipe. Made it for vegan friends who visited. It’s as close as it gets to the traditional recipe. It’s more of a personal preference but I’m going to skip oil next time I make it. Would love to try the dates version of it. Thanks for the recipe and amazing job at keeping it simple.
Rachel Misra says
When it is almost done add a cup of sweetened shredded coconut. Increases volume and taste, also texture gets better as you eat it.
Jasmine Carter says
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow, nice ingredients and just the right amount for 12 people as stated.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear you loved it!
Paro says
Loved the recipe, have shared it with my circle too! I have PCOS and these sugar-free, diary-free recipes for desserts are a big savior to satiate the sweet cravings of folks like me!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear!
Nandita says
This came out really well. Thank you so much for the recipe. 2 modifications I did-
Added an additional cup of sugar
Added some orange red colouring
My non-vegan friends couldn't believe this was vegan.
Vaishali says
Awesome, happy you loved it!
Sita Parsons says
Thanks for speaking up about the cruelty of the dairy industry !! I haven't made the Carrot Halwa yet, but it looks really good and a healthy sweet to feed my grandchildren! I also want to try making many of your recipes for my elderly mum, who loves Indian food. Also, for my grandchildren, who I know would love some of your snack dishes such as the Frankies from Mumbai and Aloo Tikki potato patties. Vaishali you are awesome !
Vaishali says
Thanks, Sita, for making my day! 🙂
Gabriel says
Vaishali,
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. I loved it when I tried it from indian friends who make the trditional version, This next time I'll do yours.
Thanks also for including the explanation about the cow milk issue, I hope it helps to bring more awareness to people.
Keep bringing on your wonderful posts! I read them all!
Gabriel from Mexico
Vaishali says
Thanks for your kind words, Gabriel, and hope you do try the vegan version of the carrot halwa.
Karen M. Chapman says
Very beautifuly worded about facts of animal slaughter and how to find it in alternTe vegan foods.
Kenny says
I just made this to satisfy a craving I was having, and it did the trick. I only had a 1/2 lb of carrots on hand, so I cut the whole recipe in half which was the right amount for me to have a big heaping bowl all to myself. I didn't have almond milk, but I had cashew milk. I also used Earth Balance instead of oil, which gave it a nice buttery taste. I used agave for the sugar.
Believe it or not, this actually came out way creamier and richer than the real thing! The only thing I would change next time is I would probably put the cashews in with the carrots and milk in the first step. They were still very crunchy, but maybe because I halved my recipe and it only took about 30 mins total to cook. I will definitely be saving this recipe to make again!