Sweet, warming and full of comforting flavours.

Gajar Halwa is a much-loved dessert enjoyed across South Asia, particularly during celebrations and special occasions. Made with slow-cooked carrots, milk, sugar and fragrant spices, this rich pudding is often served warm and topped with nuts for extra texture.

In our Ramadan recipe series, this dish is a wonderful way to turn surplus carrots into something truly special. Naturally sweet and nourishing, Gajar Halwa is perfect for sharing with family and friends after Iftar. It’s also a great example of how simple ingredients can be transformed into a delicious dessert that brings people together around the table.

Makes

30 pieces

Ingredients

5kg Grated carrots
5 litres Oat Milk (you can use whole milk)
500g Ghee (can use butter)
500kg Sugar (you can add more to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
2 tablespoons Cornflour (not needed if using whole milk)

Optional Garnishes

Pistachio nuts
Almonds
Cashew nuts
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds

Method

Pour your milk into a pan and add in your spices. We didn’t have any cardamom at the time of making this, so we just used cinnamon sticks and ground ginger.
Add in your grated carrots and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer. You will need to cook them until all of the milk has evaporated. Make sure you stir occasionally to make sure the pan doesn’t stick!
When all of the milk has gone, start melting you ghee or butter in a pan. Transfer the carrot mixture into the ghee/ butter and fry off for around the 20 minutes, or until the milky texture has gone and the carrots have darkened.
Add in the sugar and stir. This will release some moisture, so keep cooking through until the halwa is looking more goey
You can serve the halwa as a warm gooey dessert in a bowl like this, but if you would prefer to cut it, then add in the cornflour and stir until it has thickened. If you are using whole milk, then the mixture will thicken itself naturally.
Transfer the mixture into a baking dish lined with baking parchment. Press down until firm. Cover with more baking parchment, and put a weighted lid on top. I used a smaller tray with a bottle of water on top.
Put this in the fridge overnight, and the next day flip the halwa out, slice, and top with the garnishes of your choosing. As we’re a nut-free kitchen, I went for a bit more sugar and sesame and pumpkin seeds.

Download the recipe pdf here.