Gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa or carrot fudge is a popular traditional Indian dessert and is enjoyed by all age groups. In India, during winters we get red and juicy carrots. The carrot halwa made with red carrots gets a nice red colour. However, you can use the orange carrots if red color carrots are not available.
The gajar ka halwa is a light dessert perfect for any occasion and celebration. Since it does not use any flour it is gluten-free.
The gajar ka halwa is made by simmering the grated carrots in full-fat milk. It is cooked until the milk evaporates and only milk solids (mawa/khoya) are left. Sugar and ghee are added at the end. The halwa gets a nice dark color as the sugar gets caramelized on cooking.
But can the gajar ka halwa be enjoyed by the people who follow vegan diet or are allergic to dairy products? Yes of course they can enjoy the “vegan carrot halwa”. The dairy products are replaced by non dairy products such as almond milk, powdered almonds, and oil. The process of making the halwa remains the same as that of making the normal carrot halwa.
I had invited an Australian family ( Duffy and his wife Lil along with children Franky and Luke) for dinner. Lil is allergic to dairy products. I had made tandoori aloo and Hariyali tofu tikka for starters. I have made undhiyu for main dish with parathas. I wanted to balance the heavy food with refreshing and light dessert. Carrot halwa suited for the category. Since Lil was allergic to dairy, I thought of making the halwa with almond milk and powdered almonds. Believe me the vegan carrot halwa was so delicious and had good flavor of almonds.
I enjoyed making it for my guests and also packed them some!!
Please friends do try out this recipe and I would love to hear your views and comments!!
Happy healthy cooking!!
Vegan Carrot Halwa
Ingredients
- 1 kg carrot washed,peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp oil any flavorless oil. I have used peanut oil
- 4 cup almond milk
- 2 cup almond meal powdered almonds ( I have blanched almonds, peeled, dried and ground them)
- 3/4 cup sugar I have used raw sugar
- 2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp almonds blanched and sliced
- 1 tbsp pistachio blanched and sliced
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. (you can use any flavorless oil. I have used flavorless refined peanut oil).
- When the oil is heated, add the grated carrot and saute on medium heat. After 5-8 minutes the carrots will start to cook and shrink in size.
- Add milk to it and mix well. Stir in between and let the milk boil on medium heat. (I prefer using almond milk as a non dairy milk for making halwa the taste of almond will penetrate well in making the halwa). The milk will start boiling. Now cook the mixture on medium heat stirring continuously.
- After some time the milk will reduce. Stir continuously and scrap the carrots from the sides.
- The milk is now 90% evaporated. Add sugar and mix well.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add the blanched , peeled and ground almond to the halwa. (the ground almonds gives the texture similar to that of milk granules or khoya like the normal dairy carrot halwa).
- Mix well and cook for a minute. The vegan carrot halwa is ready to serve.
- Garnish with almonds and pistachio slices and serve warm or cold. You can also serve with a non dairy ice cream.
awesome recipe for people following vegan diet.
Nice and delicious recipe for vegan diet…
thank you so much
So yummy and healthy option for traditional halwa…taste is unaltered to the authentic one! ThNks!!
Thank you so much!!