Recipes

Gajar ka Halwa (Gajrela) Recipe

A simple Indian carrot and cardamom dessert

Gajar ka Halwa, also known as Gajrela, is a traditional Indian carrot dessert made by slowly cooking grated carrots with whole milk and cardamom until rich, sweet and almost fudgy.

Popular in Punjab, both at home and as a street-food sweet, it’s a brilliant example of how a handful of inexpensive ingredients can create something seriously delicious. As the milk slowly reduces, it becomes naturally richer and sweeter, before butter and golden caster sugar are added to give the halwa its sticky, indulgent finish.

Serve it warm on its own, with a scoop of ice cream or, for a British twist, with warm custard.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: Approx. 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

500g carrots, peeled and grated
500ml whole milk
8 cardamom pods, lightly cracked
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
20g unsalted butter

Optional additions

This recipe also makes a great base for adding:

Sultanas
Raisins
Chopped almonds
Pistachios or other nuts
Your favourite dried fruit

Method

1. Start the Gajar ka Halwa

Place the grated carrots, whole milk and lightly cracked cardamom pods into a heavy-based saucepan.

2. Bring to the boil

Bring the mixture to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low.

3. Slowly reduce the milk

Leave to simmer gently for around 1 hour, stirring regularly to prevent the mixture catching on the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the milk has evaporated and the carrots are soft and rich.

4. Add the butter and sugar

Stir in the unsalted butter and golden caster sugar. If you’re adding nuts, raisins, sultanas or other dried fruit, add them at this stage too.

5. Cook until fudgy

Continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until there is no excess liquid and the mixture has developed a rich, slightly sticky and fudgy consistency.

6. Rest before serving

Remove from the heat and leave the Gajar ka Halwa to rest for 5 minutes. This allows it to become even more gooey.

7. Serve

Enjoy warm on its own, with vanilla ice cream, or take inspiration from the chef and make it a little more British with warm custard.

Chef’s tip

Don’t rush the reduction. Slowly evaporating the whole milk concentrates its flavour and sweetness, while the cracked cardamom pods release their aromatic flavour into the carrots. You’re looking for a rich, soft and almost fudgy consistency rather than a wet pudding.

What is Gajar ka Halwa?

Gajar ka Halwa, also known as Gajrela, is an Indian carrot-based dessert particularly popular in Punjab. Grated carrots are slowly cooked with milk and cardamom before being finished with sugar and butter.

It’s simple, comforting and surprisingly versatile. Keep it classic, or use the basic recipe as a starting point for adding nuts and dried fruit.