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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Instant Pot Carrot Halwa (Gajar Halwa)

Dec 18, 2022. by Bhavana Patil. No Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka halwa) is a rich Indian dessert recipe made with fresh carrots, milk, and sugar with a generous amount of ghee in an Instant pot Pressure cooker or stovetop.

instant pot carrot halwa served in a bowl garnished with nuts
Carrot Halwa

I have prepared this carrot halwa recipe in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

Carrot Halwa Ingredients

  • Ghee:  Adding a good quantity of homemade ghee, enhances the taste and texture of the halwa. I highly recommend not cutting down the quantity of ghee for this recipe.
  • Carrot: Choose fresh and tender carrots. You can also use Indian red carrots.
  • Milk: I have used full-fat dairy milk, you can also make it with almond milk, if you are vegan.
  • Sugar: I have used refined sugar in this recipe.
  • Almond meal (or khova): I have used blanched almond flour that is easily available in Costco and any Indian grocery store. It enhances the taste. You can also use khova.
  • Cardamom powder: I have used freshly ground cardamom from 3 whole green cardamom pods.
  • Mixed nuts: Used sliced almonds or pistachios. You can also use roasted cashews & raisins.

How to make Carrot Halwa in Instant Pot

Take eight large carrots, peel the skin and grate them using a grater or food processor. I have used a thick shredder/grater attachment.

Sanitize the Instant Pot parts well before making the sweet dish.

Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add one tablespoon of ghee into the Pot. Then add the shredded carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of carrots disappears.

Add milk and mix well.

Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.

Once the pot beeps, do a QUICK RELEASE. Open the lid and turn the pot to SAUTE (HIGH) again.

Then add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, and remaining ghee, and cook until all the milk has been reduced (evaporated). It approximately takes another 5-6 minutes.

Garnish with sliced almonds or pistachios.

Serve Instant pot pressure cooker carrot/gajar ka halwa hot, warm, or you can also serve it cold.

carrot halwa in instant pot insert garnished with nuts

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

  • In a stovetop pressure cooker, add 1 tablespoon of ghee into the pot, once hot then add the shredded carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of carrots disappears.
  • Add milk and mix well. Close the lid. Place a whistle and cook for 1 whistle on medium flame.
  • After pressure has released naturally, open the lid and add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, and remaining ghee and cook until all the milk has been reduced (evaporated). It takes approximately another 5-6 minutes.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds or pistachios. Serve carrot halwa hot, warm, or you can also serve it cold.

Variations & Tips

  • You can replace sugar with jaggery or brown sugar.
  • If you don't have cardamom, replace it with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • I highly recommend adding sugar after the pressure cooking, sometimes impurities in the sugar can curdle the milk and spoil.
  • To make the gajar halwa richer, you can add condensed milk after the pressure cooking and adjust the sugar quantity accordingly or add khoya/khova instead of an almond meal.
  • If you are not adding almond flour or khoya you can increase the amount of milk while pressure cooking carrots.
  • Sanitize the Instant Pot steel insert, lid, and sealing ring before making sweet to avoid milk curdling. I always keep an extra sealing ring for sweets separately.

FAQs

Can I make Vegan Carrot Halwa?

Yes, replace dairy milk with almond milk and ghee with coconut oil.

How long can I store carrot halwa?

Carrot Halwa stays good when refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

More Instant Pot Dessert Recipes

  • Rice Kheer
  • Badam Halwa Recipe (with Almond Flour)
  • Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer)
  • Moong Dal Payasam
  • Sweet Pongal
  • Beetroot Halwa
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Carrot Halwa served in a black bowl garnished with slivered almonds and pistachios

Instant pot Carrot Halwa - Pressure Cooker

Bhavana Patil
Carrot Halwa - Rich Indian Dessert made with fresh carrots, milk and sugar with generous amount of ghee added.
5 from 8 votes
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Servings: 3
Calories : 586
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop
Prep Time : 10 minutes
Cook Time : 15 minutes
Total Time : 25 minutes

Equipment

  • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
  

Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml

  • 4 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil
  • 5 cups carrot (fresh & tender) ,shredded (about 8 large carrots)
  • 1 cup milk (full fat preferable) OR almond milk
  • ½ to ¾ cup sugar (adjust as per your taste)
  • ½ cup almond meal OR khova ,optional but recommended
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 2-3 tablespoon sliced almonds or pistachios

Instructions
 

  • Take eight large carrots, peel the skin and grate them using a grater or food processor. I have used a thick shredder/grater attachment.

Instant Pot Method:

  • Sanitize the Instant Pot parts well before making the sweet dish.
  • Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add one tablespoon of ghee into the Pot.
    Then add the shredded carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of carrots disappears.
  • Add milk and mix well.
  • Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
  • Once the pot beeps, do a QUICK RELEASE. Open the lid and turn the pot to SAUTE (HIGH) again.
  • Then add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, remaining ghee, and cook until all the milk has been reduced (evaporated). It approximately takes another 5-6 minutes.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds or pistachios. Serve gajar ka halwa hot, warm, or you can also serve it cold.
    carrot halwa in instant pot insert garnished with nuts

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

  • In a stovetop pressure cooker, add 1 tablespoon of ghee into the pot, once hot then add the shredded carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of carrots disappears.
  • Add milk and mix well. Close the lid. Place a whistle and cook for 1 whistle on medium flame.
  • After pressure has released naturally, open the lid and add sugar, almond meal, cardamom powder, remaining ghee and cook until all the milk has been reduced (evaporated). It approximately takes another 5-6 minutes.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds or pistachios. Serve carrot halwa hot, warm or you can also serve it cold.

Notes

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

Variations & Tips

  1. Can replace sugar with jaggery or brown sugar.
  2. If you don't have cardamom, replace it with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  3. I highly recommend adding sugar after the pressure cooking, sometimes impurities in the sugar can curdle the milk and spoil.
  4. To make the gajar halwa richer you can add condensed milk after the pressure cooking and adjust sugar quantity accordingly or add khoya/khova instead of almond meal.
  5. If you are not adding almond flour or khoya you can increase the amount of milk while pressure cooking carrots.
  6. Sanitize the Instant Pot steel insert, lid, and sealing ring before making sweet to avoid curdling of milk. I always keep an extra sealing ring for sweets separately.
 
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 586kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 10gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 183mgPotassium: 842mgFiber: 9gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 35771IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 221mgIron: 2mg
Keyword carrot, carrot halwa, instant pot, pressure cooker recipe, vegan
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Hi There! Welcome to my blog! I’m Bhavana. Here you’ll find easy recipes for your Instant Pot, Kids Lunch Box ideas, Keto/LowCarb, Air-fryer recipes plus more wholesome, easy Vegetarian/Vegan Indian recipes that your family will love. More about me →

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