Carrot Halwa or 'Gajar ka Halwa' can be made in an instant pot easily without much fuss. For folks who have not heard of Carrot Halwa, it is a delicious dessert made with carrots. It almost tastes like pudding and you can top it with fried dry fruits. I had originally posted a recipe for Carrot halwa using the stovetop method. This was how we generally made it at home, growing up.
Now with the instant pot taking over every kitchen, it has become a popular choice for making many dishes quickly. I was very happy with this no-fail recipe which I got from my neighbor and friend. It turned out perfect on the very first attempt. This dish is a great item to make for get-togethers and you can make it easily made without much monitoring. You will have to try it yourself to find out.
Why you'll love this Carrot Halwa recipe?
- Carrots are very healthy and are usually part of fresh salads and stir-fries. It is a great food to include in our diets. Desserts made with carrots can be a great way to get picky eaters like kids to eat.
- This does not need too much babysitting and is a one-pot dish and you can make it quickly.
- Carrot Halwa is wonderful for get-togethers and parties. Make it in advance and refrigerate it.
- Serve it hot or cold. If serving cold, have it with a dollop of ice cream
Ingredients for the carrot Halwa in instant pot
- Carrots grated - use a food processor to grate it if possible.
- Milk and Khoya (milk solids) or almond flour
- Sugar as needed
- Butter or clarified butter (ghee)
- Nuts and Dry fruits like cashews, almonds, pistachios, raisins
Substitutions and Variations
- This recipe uses butter, but you can also use clarified butter or ghee. I used butter and the quantity mentioned as is, but if you are calorie-conscious, you may want to reduce the butter or ghee used. If you are making and having this occasionally, I guess it's okay to indulge.
- Khoya (dried evaporated milk solids) used in this recipe can be made at home or purchased from Indian groceries. If you are unable to find it, you can substitute it with almond flour or dry milk powder. This is used in making many Indian sweet recipes like the mawa gujiya recipe, milk peda, ricotta cheese peda, fried modak, and many others.
How to make Carrot Halwa in Instant Pot?
It is so simple to make the Carrot Halwa in the Instant Pot. In my opinion, the majority of the effort to make this dish is to grate the carrots. Use a food processor if available, to grate and set it aside. This would help reduce the greater part of the work. Switch on and set the instant pot on saute mode. Add the butter and fry the dry fruits. Drain out and keep them aside. Saute the grated carrots for a couple of minutes. Next, add milk and sugar. Pressure cook on high mode for two minutes. Release pressure and add the khoya (grate it so it mixes well). Switch back to the saute mode and keep cooking to reduce the halwa, until the ghee or butter oozes out. Garnish with fried nuts and raisins.
What can be served with Carrot Halwa?
Carrot Halwa tastes out of the world, you can serve it as is. If you like to serve in combination with other desserts, the popular choices are vanilla ice cream or kulfi. They make a great pair. Serve it warm or cold.
A great sweet dish indeed that will impress your loved ones and guests. Garnish with any fried dry fruits like almonds, cashews, or pistachios for that crunchy bite. Some other popular desserts that will also impress your guests are rasmalai made with an easy rasmalai recipe and Instant Gulab jamun.
Carrot Halwa in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 cups carrots grated
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup khoya grated (substitute with almond flour or dry milk powder)
- 4 tbsp nuts (almonds, cashews, pista, raisins) fried in ghee
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
Instructions
- Switch on the sautee mode in the instant pot.
- Add butter and fry the dry fruits , drain and keep aside.
- In the remaining butter sautee the grated carrots for about 2 mins.
- Add milk and sugar .
- Close the lid and set to manual mode to pressure cook in high for 2 minutes.
- After natural pressure release , switch it back to saute mode .
- Add grated khoya , cardamom powder if using and keep cooking till the halwa reduces and oozes out butter or ghee.
- Garnish with fried dry fruits.
- Serve hot or cold with a big dollop of ice cream on the side.
Nutrition
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We had a bumper crop of carrots from our garden and this pudding was the perfect way to use them up in a delicious way!
I love using my instant pot and this easy dessert didn’t disappoint. I’ve been looking for new recipes to try so I’m glad I found this Halwa recipe. Thanks again!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Can't wait to give it a try! Sounds delish!