The Best Instant Pot Gajar Halwa Recipe - Ministry of Curry (2024)

Carrot Halwa orGajar Halwa is a popular Indian dessert with grated carrots cooked in ghee, milk, aromatic cardamom, and saffron. Enjoyed warm during the cold winter nights or chilled with a scoop of ice cream on summer evenings, this dessert makes a perfect treat for the entire family. The best part is that it only takes 30 minutes for this make-ahead recipe using the Instant Pot pressure cooker.

This year we celebratedMother's Day with Gajar Halwa, a delicious Indian dessert cooked in the Instant Pot! Gajar ka halwa is a popular North Indian dessert that is traditionally made in winter months by slow-cooking red carrots with milk and sugar.

You will often find this popular dessert at Indian restaurant buffets made with full-fat milk, condensed milk, khoya, or Mawa (thickened whole milk) and loaded with ghee.

I was hosting an extended family that included seniors with a more strict diet to kids and everyone in between who prefers eating healthy. So I decided to lighten up the recipe and make it healthy-dish. And, I am thrilled to report that everyone devoured the Instant Pot Gajar Halwa and it is now become our go-to recipe.

How to Make Instant Pot Carrot Halwa

Step-by-step recipe for Instant Pot Carrot Halwa:

Step 1: Prepare the carrots

Peel and grate the carrots. To grate the carrots you can either use the coarse setting on a manual grater or grate using the food processor. I prefer the food processor method especially when I am grating large amounts of carrots as it takes less than a minute to grate 8 -10 carrots. Alternatively, you can also buy pre-shredded carrots from stores like Trader Joe's that are available in the produce sections.

Step 2: Pressure Cook

Turn theInstant Potto Sauté(Hi) mode. Add ghee and grated carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add milk and close the lid with the pressure value set to sealing. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Quick-release and open the Instant Pot lid. Add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, raisins, and saffron.

Step 3: Sauté until desired consistency

Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté(Hi) and cook for 5-7 mins as the liquids evaporate, stirring frequently. Make sure that the halwa does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the halwa starts to thicken you make want to turn off the Instant Pot. Not: The halwa will continue to thicken as it cools down. Take the Halwa out in a serving dish and garnish with more sliced almonds or pistachios.

Serve Gajar Halwa warm or chilled.

Note: Carrot halwa can be made ahead and stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week. This Gajar Halwa also freezes well. I simply, place it in freezer zip lock bags and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use. Microwave for short times, to reheat.

Tips

Love the traditional Gajar ka halwa? Here are a few tips to easily change the recipe for that:

1. Use regular milk instead of almond milk
2. Substitute almond meal with khoya(mawa), non-fat dairy milk powder, or ricotta cheese
3. Use condensed milk (milkmaid) instead of almond meal. Since condensed milk is sweetened, remember to reduce the amount of sugar
4. To make dairy-free carrot halwa, substitute gheewith any neutral oil, coconut oil, or vegan butter

You can also check out a variation of this recipe in the BEST-SELLER The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. My cookbook recipe uses low-fat milk and condensed milk to add a fudge-like texture to the halwa. I made it recently to celebrate the one year anniversary of my book:

When I host dinners, I not only include this carrot halwa in the menu but also start with this make-ahead halwa recipe. Here is one of my go-to and colorful Vegetarian Indian meal ideas that is always a hit for a party or celebration

• Appetizer: Aloo Chat - The best way to start any party with this colorful easy to assemble starter
• Drink: Mango Lassi - A crowd-pleaser Indian drink that is enjoyed by adults and kids
• Main Dish: Dum Aloo - No-fail recipe with baby potatoes cooked in a creamy tomato sauce
• Main Dish: Palak Paneer - Vibrant green spinach with paneer cheese that takes only 15 minutes to make
• Rice Dish: - Vegetable Biryani with Raita - Another colorful rice dish loaded with veggies and served with cooling raita
• Bread: - Whole Wheat Parathas - Surprise your guests with homemade bread instead of the usual naan

Did you enjoy this delicious and EASY Indian Dessert? Here are some more sweet dishes to try:

• Instant Pot Dudhi Halwa
• EASY Instant Pot Kheer {Indian Rice Pudding}
• Pineapple Sheera- Stovetop recipe
• Carrot Sheera - Stovetop recipe
• Instant Pot Sevai Kheer
• Mango Shrikhand - No cook recipe

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Recipe

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