Gajar ka Halwa, or Indian carrot pudding, is made of grated carrots slow cooked in milk and mixed with ghee, sugar, and cardamom. This super simple 5-ingredient recipe results in a luscious, aromatic rich dessert that is incredibly popular in India for any occasion!
Growing up, my mom was and is the QUEEN of Indian stovetop desserts - no baking necessary. In fact, most Indian desserts are cooked or fried stovetop and require just a bit of patience.
Now that I think about it, my mom only uses the oven for storage! She was recently inspired by me to start using it to roast vegetables, which is hilarious. Her gajar ka halwa is my absolute favorite.
It's served for just about any occasion in India and I have fond memories of eating it at the temple on Sundays. The dish is so popular for several reasons - the ingredients are simple and easy to come by, it requires almost no work, it's vegetarian in nature, and easy to make in large batches.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Rich, cozy, and packed with traditional flavor for holidays, celebration, or a winter / spring dessert
- Made with simple pantry ingredients, no mawa necessary
- Faster than traditional long-simmered versions
- Naturally gluten-free stovetop dessert
3 different ways to make Carrot Halwa
There are three different ways to make gajar ka halwa at home. I'm sharing the simplest way in this recipe where you're more likely to already have the ingredients at home to satiate your cravings.
- Traditionally with milk. The carrots are simmered in whole milk.
- In a pinch with sweetened condensed milk. This doesn't allow as much control of the sweetness of the halwa, which is definitely an advantage with the traditional method. But it does enable making this in 10-15 minutes.
- During festivals with khoya. Khoya is dried milk solids, made from simmering milk until all the water has evaporated. It's used in many desserts, especially around when Hindu festivals are because it's so rich. Gajar ka halwa with khoya is quicker and rich. However, khoya is quite difficult to find in the U.S. and takes time to make at home.
What is Gajar ka halwa?
Gajar, meaning carrots in Hindi, are simmered for around 20-30 minutes with milk until it's a pudding-like consistency, hence "halwa" which is a broad term for pudding-ish desserts.
Other popular versions include Kaddu ka Halwa (pumpkin) and Suji ka Halwa (semolina).
Five Simple Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
People are frequently intimidated by Indian cooking, especially our desserts. But it turns out that it takes five simple ingredients that you may already have on hand to make an incredible gajar ka halwa.
- Carrots: I fully recommend shredding your own carrots so that you can get the proper size and prevent mushy halwa.
- Milk/milk powder: The carrots soften in boiling milk to make the pudding-like texture. If you don't have milk powder, use mawa or add extra milk and continue to simmer on low to medium heat until thick.
- Ghee: By far my favorite golden ingredient for making desserts. Ghee is clarified butter and a fan favorite for Indians. There's really no similar vegan substitute, but you can use vegan butter.
- Sugar: To sweeten per your desire.
- Green Cardamom: Adds a sweet taste and aroma.
The base of the halwa is so so easy. You can also mix in nuts and raisins, which is incredibly common but optional.
How to Make Gajar ka Halwa
The only thing you'll need to prep are the carrots - otherwise all this recipe requires is a lot of simmering!
Grate the carrots. Use the medium-sized hole of a grater to shred the carrots. Avoid Purchasing the pre-shredded carrots. They're typically too large and won't work to get a pudding-like consistency.
- Step 1: Sauté the carrots in ghee in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat until slightly translucent and aromatic.
- Step 2: Cover the carrots in just enough milk. Simmer with the pot covered until the carrots soften, stirring in intervals to allow the carrots time to soften without the moisture evaporating too fast.
Pinch test
Carefully pinch a strand of the carrot. It should smear between your fingers before moving to the next step.
- Step 3: Slowly stir in the milk powder and sugar. The mixture will become liquidy as the sugar melts - continue mixing and simmering with the pot uncovered until the remaining milk thickens and coats the carrots.
- Step 4: Once the carrots are soft and glossy, stir in the chopped nuts and raisins and green cardamom. The ghee should separate on the edges to indicate it's done.
Don't leave the halwa unattended. You don't want the carrots to brown from the hot pan or burn the milk. Using a heavy bottom pan is preferred for simmering/boiling milk.
Expert Tips
Here's a few tips to get the perfect halwa!
Use dark orange/red carrots: If you can find farm-fresh carrots that are a bit red, these are the perfect carrots to use for halwa. This is what lends a gorgeous color to the dessert, but can be hard to find outside of a farmer's market.
Using shredded carrots: Don't buy pre-shredded carrots if possible. You'll want to shred them yourself with a grater, using the medium-sized holes. Too large, and the texture will be more like thickened mushy milk. Too small, and the halwa will be mushy and watery but just a slight notch up can result in halwa that melts in your mouth. You'll also want to choose carrots that are less fibrous.
The best milk to use: I recommend whole milk, but have seen some aunties use sweetened condensed milk and omit the sugar. I've also seen a 50/50 mix of whole milk and heavy cream used to make it extra rich. The milk powder helps thicken the consistency of the halwa, but too much can also ruin the texture. If you're unsure, omit the milk powder and use an extra quarter cup of milk. You may need to continue simmering for a longer period in this case.
Milk-to-carrot ratio: This is so important, I cannot stress it enough! Having too much milk in your halwa will leave you with a weird thickened milk mushy texture at the end. You want just enough milk to cover the carrots and nothing more than that. Don't be tempted to add more. If you get to this mushy state, simply add more shredded carrots and a quarter cup of water at a time until the carrots are tender.
Checking the doneness: You'll know when the halwa is done when the fat (in this case, the ghee) starts separating on the sides. The halwa will be thick and pudding-like, the carrots will slightly mush into each other, but the individual shreds of carrots will still be there.
Variations & Add-Ins
- Add saffron and edible rose petals for extra aroma
- Stir in khoya for a richer, more traditional version
- Add sweetened condensed milk for a sweeter, creamier halwa
- Top with edible silver leaf foil for festive occasions
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or pile on top of cheesecake for a unique twist
Serving Suggestions
Gajar ka halwa is best served warm, especially during the colder months. It pairs beautifully with a hot cup of masala chai. Alternatively, it's divine with a scoop of ice cream for extra creaminess!
It's a popular dessert for Diwali, Holi, Eid, and dinner parties.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store gajar ka halwa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Substitute milk in gajar ka halwa with coconut milk for a vegan version. Substitute the milk powder with coconut milk powder or omit entirely and add a ¼ cup more of coconut milk. Substitute the ghee with a vegan butter.
Yes! Ghee is simply clarified butter, meaning the butter has been simmered until the milk solids and impurities separate and are then removed.
More Indian-Inspired Desserts to try
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Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding)
Recipe Video
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Pot or kadhai
Ingredients
- 10 oz carrots, shredded
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ½ cup whole milk powder
- ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
- ¼ cup sugar
- almonds, pistachios, cashews, golden raisins, for topping
Instructions
- Heat the ghee on a medium heat in a heavy bottom pan. Once melted, add the shredded carrots. Toss in the ghee and sauté, stirring occasionally, until slightly translucent and aromatic.
- Pour just enough milk to cover the carrots. Cover with a lid and simmer on low to medium until the carrots have softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in intervals so that the milk does not stick to the bottom.
- Once the carrots have darkened in color, slowly mix in the milk powder and sugar and simmer, stirring continuously, with the lid off which will thicken up the last of the remaining milk.
- Stir in the the ground cardamom and half of the nuts and raisins mixture towards the end of the cook time. The milk will be fully incorporated, and the carrots should be soft and darkened in color. The ghee will also separate on the edges.
- Remove the halwa from heat, and stir in the rest of the chopped almonds, pistachios, halved cashews, and golden raisins. Serve.
Notes
- Don't buy pre-shredded carrots. Buy whole carrots and shred them at a small to medium size in a grater.
- Use only enough milk to cover the carrots.
Nutrition
This recipe was updated with clearer instructions, photos, and images on May 11, 2026.
Dolores says
We tried this for the first time at an Indian buffet in our neighborhood and loved it. I was really pleased to find a simple recipe. It's on the stove now and it smells delightful!
Shweta Garg says
Hi Dolores,
I hope you love it, keep me updated!
- Shweta