Carrot Halwa or Gajar ka halwa is a popular Indian dessert made with mainly shredded carrots, milk, and ghee. Today I am sharing a vegan version of gajar halwa without any dairy. Trust me this non-dairy recipe is as delicious and rich as the traditional one. An Instant Pot pressure cooker makes the process hands free and easy too!
I love making desserts in my Instant Pot. It saves me a lot of time and the results are yummy. If you haven’t tried making desserts in a pressure cooker yet, this gajar ka halwa recipe is a good starting point.
You should also try this insanely easy Vegan Rice Pudding, Vegan Brownies and my absolute favorite Vegan Chocolate Cake in your Instant Pot. These vegan desserts turn out amazing in a pressure cooker.
What is the Carrot Halwa?
Carrot halwa also is known as Gajar Ka Halwa or Gajerela in Hindi is a well known Indian dessert made in every Indian household when carrots are in season. This Indian carrot pudding is a comfort dessert for many homes. It made on a regular basis in winter when carrots are available in plenty.
Carrots are grated and cooked with ghee, full-fat milk, sugar, cardamom, and saffron until reduced to a pudding-like consistency.
Gajar Halwa is very easy to make at home. So it is a preferred choice of dessert during important Indian festivals and celebrations.
It tastes great warm or cold topped with chopped nuts.
A childhood favorite dessert
My favorite way to eat carrots was a glass of fresh carrot ginger juice and this carrot halwa.
Growing up, gajar ka halwa was a staple dessert for us all winter long.
The moment fresh red carrots hit the market my mom used to get kilos and kilos of carrots.
She used to grate it with a manual grater and cook the halwa for hours.
She used to stand in the kitchen constantly stirring the halwa until it was reduced to a perfect consistency. I saw her making the halwa with so much patience and love.
The entire house would smell divine. Over the years I shied away from making this pudding for the time and effort it requires.
Whenever I used to crave it, I bought a ready to eat frozen Gajar halwa from an Indian store to satisfy my cravings.
But it wasn’t the same taste and feel like the freshly homemade gajar halwa.
Mom’s bright idea
Two years back when my mom visited me she wanted to make my favorite Indian dessert, the “Gajar Halwa”.
I didn’t want her to slog in the kitchen and kept dismissing the idea.
She said ” Time has changed with so many kitchen gadgets, life has become easy. Work smart and not hard!”
Now she grates carrots in a food processor and uses a pressure cooker to cook it in the initial stage.
This saves a lot of time and energy and you get great tasting halwa with the least effort.
I loved her idea and since then I am using the combination of a food processor and an Instant Pot to make this halwa.
I have family and friends who are on a vegan and gluten-free diet. So I keep on making this dairy-free version of carrot halwa.
Making a big batch of this halwa is a breeze and it freezes well too.
Authentic Carrot Halwa VS Vegan Gajar Halwa
Authentic carrot halwa involves cooking grated carrots with milk and ghee. It is flavored with cardamom and saffron.
The traditional recipe is heavily dependent on dairy like ghee, milk, and khoya to make gajar halwa.
My vegan carrot halwa recipe swaps ghee with cold-pressed coconut oil and regular milk with almond milk.
I have added almond meal to the recipe instead of khoya that imparts an equally rich flavor to the halwa without using dairy.
Traditional cooking VS pressure cooking
Traditionally carrots are sautéed in ghee then simmered in full-fat milk in a cooking pan on a low flame.
This method requires constant stirring and keeping an eye on the carrot pudding.
Pressure cooking gajar ka halwa cuts your time considerably with very least monitoring.
The outcome is the same taste and texture of slow-cooked halwa in less time using a pressure cooker.
This Indian dessert recipe is completely dairy-free that makes it Vegan-friendly. It has no wheat so it’s gluten-free too.
Making Gajar Halwa in a pressure cooker cuts your cooking time considerably and still tastes a good as the traditional one.
Vegan Gajar Halwa Ingredients
Today I will show you how to make carrot halwa without milk or ghee.
Vegan carrot halwa uses a handful of ingredients that you will easily find at your home.
1. Carrots, lots of them.
Select juicy thin carrots to make halwa. They are the sweetest. Stay away from thick fibrous ones.
In the United States, I didn’t find Delhi carrots, the sweet and juicy red carrots that you get in India. So I use the orange ones. Tastewise they are not even close to the Indian carrots but it works with little extra added sugar.
2. Coconut oil
I have swapped ghee for coconut oil and the difference isn’t noticeable.
2. Plant milk of choice.
I love using Almond milk for making vegan Indian desserts. You may use your choice of plant-based milk.
Cashew milk works great too. If you have a nut allergy then go for oat or soy milk.
If you do not mind a coconut taste in your pudding then coconut milk is a good option. It will make the halwa creamier.
3. Granulated sugar.
I like using sugar in raw. You may use your choice of sweetener.
You may even go for coconut condensed milk for an extra rich taste.
To make gajar ka halwa healthier you may use jaggery or coconut sugar to sweeten it.
If you are diabetic feel free to use sugar-free options.
4. Almond Flour
If you have ever tasted the authentic carrot halwa you know what makes it really rich. It is khoya ( milk solids).
I use almond flour instead of khoya to make this vegan carrot halwa.
5. Flavoring
There are no artificial flavors involved when making carrot halwa.
Crushed cardamom and a generous pinch of saffron add a lot of flavor in this gajar halwa.
To keep the authenticity of this halwa, don’t swap these ingredients with anything else.
How to make Carrot Halwa – (Step by Step instructions)
- Wash, peel and grate carrots in a food processor or a grater.
- Switch on the Instant Pot.
- Add in coconut oil.
- Once warm I add in carrots and sautee for a minute coating it with oil.
- Now add in almond milk and stir well.
- Secure the lid of the pot and turn the black knob to the SEALING position.
- Press Manual High Pressure 7 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps perform a QUICK release by turning the black knob to VENTING.
- Once the silver pin drops carefully open the pot.
- Stir in the almond meal, cardamom, saffron, and sugar.
- Press saute mode and cook the halwa for 5-6 minutes until it thickens and most milk is evaporated.
- Give it a taste check and add more sugar if needed.
- Stir in a teaspoon of coconut oil for a lovely shine and rich taste.
- Press cancel and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and place it on a potholder to cool.
- Remember the gajar halwa thickens as it cools down.
- Serve in bowls with lots of nuts on the top.
Important tips to make the best Vegan Gajar Halwa
For quick and efficient homemade carrot halwa I highly recommend using two kitchen gadgets –
- A food processor
- An Instant Pot (or stovetop Pressure cooker)
Choice of carrots.
Use thin juicy carrots that are sweet in taste to make the best tasting carrot halwa.
The milk used matters.
Use the combination of almond milk and almond meal or flour for a rich taste.
Do not skip the flavoring.
Cardamom and saffron are needed for the authentic tasting halwa.
Add some oil after cooking
A touch of coconut oil towards the end gives a nice shine and intensifies the taste of carrot halwa.
How to store vegan carrot halwa?
Carrot halwa stays well in the fridge for 4 days.
Can you freeze gajar halwa?
Yes, gajar halwa freezes well. You can make a big batch of halwa ahead of time and freeze it in one time use freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
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Must try easy vegan dessert recipes –
Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding Trifle
Vegan Gajar Halwa recipe in a pressure cooker –
This recipe is made in a 6 QT Instant Pot.
Vegan Carrot Halwa (Instant Pot Dessert Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or of choice.
- 12 carrots , Approx 6 heaped cups grated
- ½ cup almond milk or choice
- ¼ cup almond flour ,(ground almonds)
- ½ cup raw sugar or of choice
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- Generous pinch of saffron
After cooking
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil , cold-pressed preferred
Toppings
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds pistachio, or of choice
Instructions
- Wash, peel and grate carrots in a food processor or a grater.
- Switch on the Instant Pot.
- Add in oil.
- Once warm add in carrots and sautee for a minute coating it with oil.
- Now add in almond milk and stir well.
- Secure the lid of the pot and turn the black knob to the SEALING position.
- Press Manual High Pressure 7 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps perform a QUICK release by turning the black knob to VENTING.
- Once the silver pin drops carefully open the pot.
- Stir in the almond flour, cardamom, saffron, and sugar.
- Press saute mode and cook the halwa for 5-6 minutes until it thickens and most milk is evaporated.
- Give it a taste check and add more sugar if needed.
- Stir in a teaspoon of coconut oil for a lovely shine and rich taste.
- Press cancel and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and place it on a potholder to cool.
- Remember the carrot halwa thickens as it cools down.
- Serve in bowls with lots of nuts on the top.
Notes
Important tips to make the best carrot halwa
For quick and efficient homemade carrot halwa I highly recommend using two kitchen gadgets -- A food processor
- An Instant Pot (or stovetop Pressure cooker)
Hi, Can I Use Maple syrup instead of 1/2cup of raw sugar? Any suggestions on how to manage the liquid part?
Thanks
Hello Gagan, yes you can use maple syrup. You will have to cook it for a few more minutes on sautee mode later on until you reach the desired consistency.
Hi, Ingredient list has almond flour however the cooking steps have almond meal. Would either of them work? Thanks!
Thank you for pointing that out. I use almond flour. It was once that I used meal and the color of the halva wasn’t great. The taste was amazing though. I will correct it.
Hey Khushboo. I love your recipes. Have tried a few. Me being a Jain too in the USA, can relate to your recipes well. Love the jadi roti recipe you shared. Can you tell me which food processor you are using? Keep sharing your cooking craft with us.
Hello Dimple, I have Cuisinart Elite 12 cup food processor and very happy with it.
Wonderful recipe. I have tried it and it taste amazing. I have used indian pressure cooker instead of instant pressure pot. And I didn’t have raw sugar so i used jeggery. It is nice, simple, and no fail recipe. Thank you for this amazing recipe
I am glad you liked it Priti and adjusted the recipe to your taste. Thank you for a lovely feedback.
Any ideas for substituting your Instant Pot pressure cooker for a slow cooker? Thanks.
Hello Leo, I have never tried this recipe in a slow cooker so no idea how it can be adapted.