This carrot pudding recipe is one of my favorite Indian dessert recipes.
Carrots for dessert? Believe it or not – YES! This carrot pudding is delicious and so easy to make.
Although I love, love Indian food, I don’t often eat Indian desserts. I find most of them far too sweet for my liking.
That said, I do like a bit of something sweet after dinner, so when carrot pudding or halwa is on offer I always go for it.
This carrot pudding is different than other Indian desserts. It’s sweet enough that it’s really enjoyable as a dessert, but not all sugar. It is my favorite by far, so I wanted to share it with you.
I love that this recipe is super tasty, easy to make (if you know me, you know that I always want to make things easy on the cook) and is good on the budget. It can also be served hot or cold, so it’s a dessert or a snack, ready in the fridge any time you want to enjoy it.
So… what exactly is carrot pudding or carrot halwa?
What Is Carrot Halwa?
In the Indian culture this sweet dessert is called Gajar ka halwa (which means carrot pudding), or carrot halwa.
It’s a staple in Indian kitchens, restaurants and often found on buffet tables. When I see it as one of the desserts offered on a buffet table, that’s the dessert I go for.
You will see below just how easy it is to make this wonderful dessert.
Plus, on top of being delicious, it’s healthy and fairly budget friendly.
How To Make Carrot Halwa or Carrot Pudding
This super simple carrot dessert is made of grated carrots slow cooked in milk and a bit of sugar and spice.
Start out by assembling all of your ingredients. Get out the milk and cream as they are best went they are warmed up just a bit from being in the cold fridge.
The first step in making carrot pudding is to grate the carrots. You can use a grater for the carrots or put them into a food processor, whatever method works best for you. The carrots should be shredded fairly finely, not cut into sticks. The carrot shreds need to cook fully in the milk and cream mixture.
Here is what the carrots should look like when they are shredded. You can shred them more finely if you want.
Once the carrots are shredded, add them to a saucepan with the milk.
Combine the cream with a bit of flour. Mix it together well and then add this mixture to the carrots and milk.
If you need the carrot pudding to be gluten free you can use a gluten free flour, or cornstarch to mix with the milk. I would use the cornstarch. The flour or cornstarch will help to thicken the milk mixture.
Bring this mixture (the carrots with the milk, cream and flour or cornstarch) to a boil VERY slowly. Cook the pudding until the milk and cream are almost evaporated. Then add the ghee, ground almonds, brown sugar, raisins, turmeric and cardamom.
If you are not familiar with ghee, it is clarified butter. That is, butter that has been melted and the milk solids removed. It’s quite healthy for us and can be kept in the cupboard for a long time. In the Indian culture ghee is used in much of the cooking from curries to desserts
Cook the mixture for another 7 to 10 minutes to cook everything together. Remove it from the heat and cool a bit before serving the carrot halwa.
Carrot halwa is often served topped with whole or chopped nuts, but they are optional. The pudding is delicious with or without it.
Carrot pudding can be served warm or chilled. I have had it both ways and it is equally good.
After a full meal I like my gajar ka halwa nice and warm. I enjoy it chilled as a snack.
Whether you like Indian food or it’s not your favorite, I think this carrot pudding recipe is worth a try. If you are looking for a simple dessert recipe, but something that is just a bit different from what we might usually make, give this carrot pudding recipe a try. I think it will surprise you.
Another good reason to try making carrot pudding? This carrot halwa recipe is low in sugar so it’s a good recipe for those who have diabetes, or who are watching their sugar intake.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please let me know how it worked for you in the comments below. I always love to hear of other people’s cooking adventures.
Carrot Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, cleaned, trimmed & grated
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, or gluten free flour if you need to eat gluten free
- 1 cup almonds, blanched, ground
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, or less to your liking
- 1/4 cup ghee, or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup raisins, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
- Combine the carrots with the milk in a saucepan and turn heat to medium.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream with the flour and stir it until the mixture is smooth. Pour this mixture over the carrots and milk in the saucepan. Bring it all to a very slow boil and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of liquid is evaporated. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
- Stir in the ground almonds, sugar, ghee or oil, raisins, turmeric and cardamom. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the carrot pudding to a serving bowl.
- This carrot pudding can be served warm or chilled. Either tastes great.
- Serves 6 to 8.
Notes
Add chopped or whole nuts to the top of the pudding. Indian favorites would include almonds, pistachios and cashews.
You can also mix in 1/2 cup of chopped almonds, cashews or pistachios before serving the pudding.Nutrition
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