Pressure Cooker Gajjar Halwa or Instant Pot Carrot Halva is a great Indian dessert that benefits from being made in a pressure cooker. Sweet, redolent with cardamom and just delightful. Much better than the restaurant Gajjar ka Halva that is mainly sugar.
There’s this wonderful taste of childhood, a dessert made out of carrots, with a lovely milky taste, redolent with cardamom, with the occasional bite of a sweet raisin or cashew in it. It’s a special memory, and one I cherish.
But there are three problems with making it. One, it takes literally hours to make, two, it needs a special milk solid called Khoya which isn’t widely available in the States and three, it has a ton of sugar in it.
Having needing the time, the khoya nor the desire to consume sugar, I had to come up with a different way of approaching this.
So, of course, I turned to my handy dandy Instant Pot to try this. The texture is a little different than halva made with khoya, but the taste is the same. I’m so excited at being able to make this so easily and happy to be able to share this with anyone who wants to try a hands-off version of Gajjar Halva.
Let me warn you, this recipe works, but when you open the pot you’re going to be horrified and think you messed up because everything looks like a big curdled mess.
It’s not.
Milk separates under pressure, but to me, this is what helps thicken up the final product. It actually acts like an ersatz version of Khoya, which is milk solids with the water evaporated out of it.
Just keep calm, stir it well, and you’ll find the milk solids get incorporated back into the dish, and thicken up the final dish.
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Instant Pot Gajjar Halwa or Carrot Halwa is a great Indian dessert that benefits from being made in a pressure cooker. Sweet, redolent with cardamom and just delightful. Much better than the restaurant Gajjar ka Halva that is mainly sugar.
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons cashews, raw and unroasted
- 2 cups carrots, shredded
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup Splenda, Truvia or sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered cashews (you do this to add a little thickness to the milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom
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Melt ghee in your Instant Pot, and then add the cashews and raisins. Fry them until the cashews are golden brown.
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Add all other ingredients except cardamom and cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes. Let it release pressure naturally.
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Open up the lid and do not freak out at the curdled milk. It will homogenize shortly. Just stir it up really well.
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Smoosh the carrots together a bit, and cook on Sauté for a few minutes to thicken the mixture.
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Add the cardamom and let it rest for a while to thicken up. This can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature.
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Feel free to pour in a little heavy cream or half and half if you're trying to add fat to your diet--or taste to your life.
I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER CARROT HALVA:
Instant Pot Carrot Halva
Pressure Cooker Gajjar Halwa or Instant Pot Carrot Halva is a great Indian dessert that benefits from being made in a pressure cooker. Sweet, redolent with cardamom and just delightful. Much better than restaurant halwa that’s mainly sugar…
Roxana says
I cant wait to give this a try, I had this dish for the first time a few weeks ago at a restaurant and loved it. My son, however, is allergic to cashews. Would you recommend subs for another nut such as almonds or will it do without?
URVASHI PITRE says
Almonds or pistachios would make a lovely sub
Tumara Baap says
Most of the cooking for this recipe takes place in the pressure cooker. This means minimal water loss. I wonder whether condensed milk in place of whole milk would also be a wise choice. In terms of milk solids, it would be a closer match to khoya. In a lot of desserts, from homemade caramel pudding to commercial chocolate bars, condensed milk yields a superior taste and textural mouthfeel.
URVASHI PITRE says
You are correct it absolutely does. We don’t eat sugar though so I was trying to approximate something close. But if carbs/sugar are not a problem condensed milk would be the way to go
Lisa Saunders says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Any thoughts on where you can buy cashew powder? I keep seeing Cashew flour and cashew meal?
URVASHI PITRE says
I actually just grind cashews myself into a powder. Fastest and prob cheapest too!
Medha says
Hi Urvashi, I plan to make this for our weekend get together, I have a couple questions. Carrots usually shrink in halwa. How many cups do you recommend for 10 people? Also, how much heavy cream and does it replace cashew powder since it will be a thickening agent too.
URVASHI PITRE says
I listed this for 6 servings, if you wanted to give hefty portions, let’s say 4 servings. You can triple this recipe. If you look in the recipe card, you’ll see where it says 6 servings. Just change that to 12 servings or 18 servings, and it will change all the other ingredients proportionately.
Medha says
Awesome, thanks! And about the heavy cream vs cashew powder? Both? How much heavy cream and what step would you add it in, after it cooks while its thickening or with other ingredients during pressure cooking?
By the way love your book! Already made langar daal, spinach and black eyed peas and pulao. This weekend is gajar halwa and your famous butter chicken 🙂
URVASHI PITRE says
I do add both. Cashew powder while it’s cooking. Cream after so it doesn’t split