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Stovetop: Gajar ka Halwa (Gajrela), Carrot Halwa

June 19, 2026

Stovetop: Gajar ka Halwa (Gajrela), Carrot Halwa Indian As Apple Pie

WHEN I WAS A KID, MAKING GAJAR KA HALWA WAS ALWAYS A PROJECT.

My mom would pull out heaps of carrots, and we'd spend the morning cleaning and grating them — our hands orange from the effort. Then, we'd boil them on the stovetop in a very large pot for hours on end, watching closely to make sure nothing stuck to the bottom or burned. We'd be so excited to taste the result — it was always delicious and, thankfully, well worth the wait. Hand-grating the carrots is 100% worth the effort — continue reading to see why. 

xoxo Anupy

P.S. You can watch me make it on my cooking show, Indian As Apple Pie, airing on PBS member stations across the country and streaming on their website here!

carrot halwa

Stovetop: Gajar ka Halwa, Carrot Halwa

Prep: ~30-40 minutes
Cook: ~4-5 hours
Rest: Up to 2 hours
Total: ~6-7.5 hours
Makes: 6 cups
Tools: Hand grater; a heavy-bottomed, 6-quart stockpot; a powerful blender, such as a Vitamix; and a mortar and pestle.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds carrots, trimmed and peeled
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 6 cups milk (whole, lowfat, or nonfat)
  • 1½ cups granulated or raw cane sugar, such as Sucanat, finely ground in a blender or food processor
  • Seeds of 6 green cardamom pods, plus more if using for garnish
  • 1 cup coarsely ground raw, unsalted almonds
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios, for garnish

Directions

  1. Using a hand grater, grate the carrots (If you have a food processor with a fine grate setting, you can also give that a try). The texture of the grated carrot is very important when making quality halwa. You don't want it to be too coarse, which is why I don't recommend prepackaged grated carrots from the store. You'll be glad you spent the time to grate the carrots yourself.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed, 6-quart stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the ghee. Add the carrots and sauté, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, for 4 minutes, until they soften. Add the milk and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The mixture is ready when all of the milk is absorbed, the carrots have swelled, and the mixture becomes fragrant. The heavier the pot, the less time it will take.
  4. Raise the heat to medium and slowly add the sugar. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and blends well. Superfine sugar is best for this recipe, as it will melt through the carrots much better. That's why my mother recommends using a blender or food processor to grind the sugar a bit before adding it.
  5. Using a mortar and pestle, finely grind the cardamom seeds. 
  6. Add the cardamom powder from Step 5, along with the almonds and raisins, to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the halwa starts to pull away from the sides of the pot and starts to thicken and come together. It should be very dry — that's precisely why you want to keep stirring. It can easily burn at this point. Remove from the heat and set aside, uncovered, for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
  7. Transfer the mixture to small serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a pinch of the ground pistachios. If you like, sprinkle a little more ground cardamom as garnish as well and serve warm or cold.

Notes

  • Stored in an airtight container, Gajar ka Halwa will last 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or as long as 3 months in the freezer.
  • This recipe can be found on pages 268-269 of Indian For Everyone
  • Make it in the Instant Pot (in half the time!) with this recipe.
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Stovetop: Gajar ka Halwa, Carrot Halwa

by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie

Servings: 6 cups

Keywords: Indian Recipes, Desert, Halwa, Gluten Free, vegetarian, gluten free dessert, indian dessert

  • Prep Time: 40 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 hours 0 mins
  • Total Time: 5 hours 40 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds carrots, trimmed and peeled
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 6 cups milk (whole, lowfat, or nonfat)
  • 1½ cups granulated or raw cane sugar, such as Sucanat, finely ground in a blender or food processor
  • Seeds of 6 green cardamom pods, plus more if using for garnish
  • 1 cup coarsely ground raw, unsalted almonds
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Using a hand grater, grate the carrots (If you have a food processor with a fine grate setting, you can also give that a try). The texture of the grated carrot is very important when making quality halwa. You don't want it to be too coarse, which is why I don't recommend prepackaged grated carrots from the store. You'll be glad you spent the time to grate the carrots yourself.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed, 6-quart stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the ghee. Add the carrots and sauté, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, for 4 minutes, until they soften. Add the milk and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The mixture is ready when all of the milk is absorbed, the carrots have swelled, and the mixture becomes fragrant. The heavier the pot, the less time it will take.
  4. Raise the heat to medium and slowly add the sugar. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and blends well. Superfine sugar is best for this recipe, as it will melt through the carrots much better. That's why my mother recommends using a blender or food processor to grind the sugar a bit before adding it.
  5. Using a mortar and pestle, finely grind the cardamom seeds. 
  6. Add the cardamom powder from Step 5, along with the almonds and raisins, to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the halwa starts to pull away from the sides of the pot and starts to thicken and come together. It should be very dry — that's precisely why you want to keep stirring. It can easily burn at this point. Remove from the heat and set aside, uncovered, for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
  7. Transfer the mixture to small serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a pinch of the ground pistachios. If you like, sprinkle a little more ground cardamom as garnish as well and serve warm or cold.

Notes

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