Instant Pot Gajar Ka Halwa (Indian Carrot Halwa)

Pressure Cooking the Gajar Halwa

Notes: *Use a food processor to shred the carrots, it’s fast and easy. If you use store-bought shredded carrots, the halwa will be a little thicker but that’s absolutely fine too.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots grated/shredded (approx. 4 cups)

½ cup whole milk or full-fat canned coconut milk if dairy-free/vegan

¼ cup water

Instructions

Add the carrots, milk and water to the pot.

Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 1 minute at high pressure.

Open the valve to quick release any remaining pressure.

Finishing the Gajar Halwa

Notes: You can stir raisins or any type of nut into this halwa if you’d like! I don’t use khoya when I make halwa, but if you’d like to use it, feel free to mix it in at the end when adding cardamom powder. If you are making this for a dinner party, serve a small portion of halwa with a large scoop of ice cream. If you want to make this dairy-free, you can use full-fat coconut milk and coconut oil instead of ghee (but it won’t taste quite as good).

Ingredients

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil if dairy-free/vegan

⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom

Chopped pistachios or other nut garnish

Instructions

Press sauté and add the sugar. Stir for 6-7 minutes, or until most of the liquid has reduced.

Then, add the ghee and stir-fry the carrots for another 6-7 minutes, or until the carrots become dry and the ghee separates from the mixture. The carrots should look dark orange/reddish in color.

Add the cardamom, mix well, then garnish with chopped nuts.