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Desserts & mithaiPunjabi recipes

Gajar ka Halwa Recipe

گاجر کا حلوہ بنانے کا طریقہ

Winter gajar ka halwa: grated red carrots slow-cooked in milk until dry, then roasted in desi ghee with sugar, khoya and nuts until deep red and glossy.
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Illustration of Gajar ka Halwa

Prep

25 min

Cook

1 hr 30 min

Total

1 hr 55 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Spice

Mild

When the long red desi carrots arrive in Punjab's markets in December, every home makes gajar ka halwa, often a big pot at a time. The carrots are grated and cooked in milk until every drop has evaporated, then the halwa is roasted in ghee with sugar until it turns glossy and the ghee shows at the edges. Patience at both stages is what separates a rich, chewy halwa from a wet, bland one.

Ingredients

8 servings

For 8 servings

Measures

To finish

Method

  1. Put the grated carrots, milk and cardamom in a large, heavy pan and bring to the boil on high heat.

    ⏱ 10 min

  2. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the milk has completely evaporated and the carrots look dry and soft.

    ⏱ 45 min

  3. Add the ghee and roast the carrots on medium heat, stirring often, until they darken a shade and smell toasty.

    ⏱ 10 min

  4. Add the sugar. It will melt and make the halwa wet again; keep stirring and cooking until the liquid dries up and the halwa turns glossy.

    ⏱ 15 min

  5. Crumble in the khoya and add the almonds. Stir and roast until the khoya melts in and the ghee begins to separate at the edges.

    ⏱ 8 min

  6. Dish out and top with pistachios and raisins. Serve warm.

Tips for the best result

  • Use the long, deep red desi carrots of winter. Orange carrots work but give a paler, less sweet halwa.
  • No khoya? Stir in half a cup of milk powder with a splash of milk at the khoya stage.
  • Use a wide pan rather than a deep pot; the milk evaporates much faster.

Common mistakes

  • Adding sugar before the milk has dried. The carrots stop softening and you end up cooking far longer.
  • Stopping too early. If no ghee shows at the edges, the halwa will taste raw and turn watery in the fridge.

How to serve

Serve warm on a winter evening, on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storing and reheating

Keeps a week in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer. Warm in a pan on low heat.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
585kcal
Protein
15g
Fat
29g
Carbs
69g
Fibre
6.1g
Sodium
300mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 44

Whole dish ≈ Rs 350 · 48% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Gajar ka Halwa: questions people ask

Why is my gajar ka halwa watery?

The milk or the melted sugar was not fully cooked off. Put it back on medium heat and keep stirring until it is dry and the ghee separates.

Can I make gajar ka halwa with condensed milk?

Yes. Replace the khoya and about half the sugar with a 400 g tin of condensed milk added after the milk has dried; it is quicker and very rich.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

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Read this recipe in Urdu: گاجر کا حلوہ بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/gajar-ka-halwa · Handi, DanixSoft