Gajrela recipe | gajar ka halwa | Carrot pudding recipe

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A luxuriously tempting and delicious, winter favourite Indian dessert- gajrela or Gajar ka halwa recipe made using fresh seasonal carrots slowly simmered in creamy rich milk.

Gajrela served with fresh cream in a white bowl — Gajrela/ Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding)

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Why try this recipe ?

Ingredients required and substitutes

Cooking instructions

Garnishing and serving

FAQ’s

Top Tips

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Why try this gajrela recipe ? ????‍????

It is one of the healthiest and one of the most delicious winter desserts
One of the perfect ways of using seasonal local carrots in winters
The recipe requires very few ingredients.
Though the recipe takes time , and is a bit of labour (you have to keep stirring ),but it is relatively easy to cook.

If you have not had gajar ka halwa/ gajrela ever , you need to give this recipe a try , as you are missing one of the most delicious indian desserts/ pudding in your life.

And if you have had gajar ka halwa, i hope this recipe tempts you enough to cook it again today.

Gajrela served in a white bowl — Gajrela/ Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding)

Ingredients required and substitutes ????

Main Ingredients

Fresh Carrots/ Gajar – This is the main ingredient. If you have seasonal red indian carrots, it is just perfect.

But if you cannot get the red indian carrots, you can use the orange carrots available in the market. More importantly the carrots should be fresh and in season.

I don’t get Indian carrots here in UK easily , so i mostly use the British carrots, as gajrela turns out good with these carrots as well.

Whole milk– The carrots need to be simmered slowly for a long period of time in the milk.

Using whole milk ensures that the carrots get their glossy, creamy texture and rich creamy taste .

They get the beautiful creamy taste from the milk, as the milk slowly condenses while it cooks with carrots and imparts a rich taste to the carrot pudding.

However you can use skimmed or semi skimmed milk. Though the texture and flavour will not be as rich and creamy, it still tastes delicious.

Using plant based milks are not suggested, however if you want to try a vegan gajrela/ carrot pudding you can try using almond or cashew milk .

Sugar / Sweetener– I use regular unrefined sugar, but i would suggest not to replace regular sugar with any other sweetener in this halwa/ pudding.

Use white or unrefined granulated sugar for this.

Additional Ingredients

Ghee– This is not cooked in ghee, but ghee is added at a later stage to add beautiful intense flavour.

Also the recipe does not call for a crazy amount of ghee. Hence i would suggest not omitting ghee from the recipe.

But if for any reason you do not want to use ghee, you can skip adding it.

I would not suggest using coconut oil to cook this, as coconut oil has a strong flavour , and it will not go well with the flavours of carrot and milk.

Poppy seeds– I use white poppy seeds in this halwa. But using poppy seeds (White variety) is completely optional.

My mum uses white poppy seeds a lot in winters because it provides energy to the body and is healthy to be consumed in winters.

Poppy seeds can be used in various homemade sweets , and also in curries.

Using poppy seeds in the carrot halwa adds a very subtle nutty texture to the halwa, and we love that.

Nevertheless if for any reason you do not want to use poppy seeds, you can completely omit these.

Cardamom powder – This is also optional, and i looooove the cardamom flavour in sweets, especially indian sweets.

The aroma and taste of cardamom powder in desserts is unbeatable.

Some people do not like the flavour and taste of cardamom, so you have the option of omitting this ingredient.

It still tastes good without the cardamom powder.

Nuts– I very seldom use nuts, and raisins for my desserts as my family prefers the sweets sans too many distractions (nuts).

Traditionally this halwa is made using lots of rich nuts.

If you eat these desserts anywhere in India , it is full of rich nuts and dried fruits like almonds, cashews , pistachios and raisins.

You can add blanched almonds, soaked cashews and raisins or use chopped almonds and raisins.

It is optional and as per your preference.

In this recipe i have added cashews, pistachios and raisins.

Gajrela in a small glass bowl — Gajrela/ Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding)

Cooking Instructions ????

Preparing the Carrots ????

Wash , peel and grate the carrots and keep aside.

Grating carrots is a time consuming job, if you are making a large batch.

Using a food processor to grate the carrots quickens the process and you can easily grate the carrots within minutes.

Another option is using your chopper to chop the carrots really fine and use them to make the gajrela.

Chopping the carrots using a chopper will not give the same texture as the grated carrots, but it is an easy hack that helps save the grating time, if you do not have a food processor .

The authentic and traditional cooking style of making gajrela/ gajar ka halwa requires using fresh carrots and grating them, though i find it time consuming .

Most of the times i end up finely chopping the carrots in a chopper and use them to make my gajar ka halwa.

If i’m making a small quantity i sometimes use the store bought grated british carrots, as these are easily available here in the supermarkets.Though the carrot halwa using store bought grated carrots does not turn out as fine , you can use this hack sometimes.

Lets get cooking our dessert- gajar ka halwa/ gajrela????‍????

Once you have prepared the carrots for cooking gajrela, take a thick bottomed pan/ kadhai , add the milk and soak the carrots in the milk.

Mix them well, and start cooking them on slow heat .

Let these simmer slowly , stirring in between and ensuring it does not stick to the pan.

Cook it till the quantity of milk is reduced to half .

Keep stirring and scraping the milk from the sides.

Once the milk is reduced , add the poppy seeds.

If you are using any nuts, add the nuts at this time while you keep stirring.

Let the mixture simmer more, till the milk has almost evaporated.

Now add sugar, and ghee, and mix well.

Though ghee is optional, it will add a beautiful glaze and richness in taste, which undoubtedly makes the gajrela so much more delicious .

I would suggest not omitting ghee.

Simmer, simmer and simmer ♨︎

Cooking gajrela really needs patience , but thats what makes this the best gajar ka halwa.

Once the carrots have soaked up all the milk and are glossy and mushy,add the cardamom powder. Mix well.

Cook for another few minutes till all flavours have incorporated in the gajrela. Do not rush and keep cooking the halwa till all the milk has evaporated and there is no liquid left.

By the time the gajrela is cooked you will only have the cooked carrots and dried fruit (is you have added) left in the pan.

There is no milk left, and the carrots have a glossy , rich colour and texture to them

When you know that your gajar ka halwa is cooked, turn off the heat , and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Grated Carrots soaked in milk — Mix milk and carrots and simmer on slow heat

Grated Carrots simmering in milk — Let it simmer and keep mixing and stirring to prevent sticking

Adding nuts and dry fruit to gajrela — Add nuts and raising if you are using

Gajrela/ Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding)

Adding sugar to gajrela / carrot pudding — Add sugar and mix

Garnishing and Serving

Garnish it with more nuts and dried fruits if you like.

You can also use edible silver/ golden foil to garnish the carrot pudding/ Gajrela.

Gajrela can be serve either warm or cold.

It tastes lush and creamy with a dollop of fresh cream , malai or a scoop of ice cream. Pair your carrot halwa with this amazing –easy torrone (nougat) ice cream (no churn )recipe by Girl with Spatula. This is THE best combination.

FAQ’s

Can you use Skimmed milk for making Gajrela?

As i mentioned earlier in the post, low fat skimmed milk can be used to make Gajrela, however it tastes at its best if you use whole fat/ full fat milk

Can you use plant milk to make Gajrela?

I would not suggest using plant milk, as Gajrela is all about its creaminess and richness. Using plant milk will not impart that texture and flavour to this Traditional indian pudding.

Can gajar ka halwa/ gajrela be made without any ghee/ Oil?

Of course you can make it without any ghee . In this recipe i have added ghee at the last, and the reason i added ghee is that it imparts that beautiful rich flavour and glossiness to the carrots. If you do not want to add more calories, you can absolutely skip adding ghee , or replace it with oil or unsalted butter.

Can this be stored in the fridge?

Gajrela can be easily stored in fridge for 5-7 days.

Top tips

The best gajrela/gajar ka halwa is made using Red indian carrots, so if you want the best results use those.
To quicken the process of making gajrela you can use grated store bought carrots and use condensed milk (inplace of milk and sugar) . Using condensed milk will almost half the cooking time.
Feel free to add khoya to the halwa to make it more rich and luxurious. You can add it before adding sugar.
It can be prepared 1-2 days before a party or a large gathering. Just reheat it at the time of serving, garnish with fresh nuts and serve.
If you are making this for babies skip adding any nuts, poppy seeds and ensure to grate the carrots very fine (use a small grater).
You can always double or halve the quantity depending on your choice.

If you are looking for more recipes using fresh seasonal carrots try these- incredibly moist and easy carrot cake by Girl with Spatula and Carrot cake with Pineapple by Sour and Sweets .

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