Indian-Style Spiced Carrot Bars (Gajar Ka Halwa) Recipe

The natural sweetness of carrots and milk is slowly concentrated and caramelized, then cooled and cut into these delicious bars.

By
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is the former national editor at Serious Eats, with a focus on all things sweet.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated November 25, 2023
Closeup of an Indian-style spiced carrot bar, garnished with sliced almond.

Serious Eats / Carrie Vasios Mullins

Why It Works

  • Simmering grated carrots in milk until it reduces concentrates their natural sugars.
  • Frying the reduced carrot-milk mixture caramelizes sugars while toasting milk solids, which gives the bar subtle caramel and brown-butter notes.
  • Cooling the halwa in a pan and refrigerating overnight allows the flavor to develop and makes it easier to cut into bars.

No, these aren't cookies. Halwa is a sweet Indian confection that's akin to a firm pudding, and I made a batch in celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights.

Halwa is a little labor-intensive but also pretty cool to make. First, you grate a few pounds of carrots, which I did while rocking out to the Higher Love Pandora station. Then you combine the carrots with milk in a large, heavy bottomed pot and cook them until the milk totally evaporates. This takes 30 to 40 minutes, but it's neat to watch the carrots absorb the liquid and see the milk steam into the air. When you have what is essentially a carrot-milk paste, you add vegetable oil, or ghee, and fry it, stirring constantly, for another 30 minutes. The mixture turns a deep orange, almost brown, and pulls away from the sides of the pot.

At this point, you can stir in fried raisins, almonds, or pistachios, and a little sugar is a must. A few more minutes in the pot and it's ready. I like to shape my halwa, though eating it freeform is acceptable too. I put it in a small square pan and let it cool, then stick it in the fridge to let the flavors settle and the shape take. Before eating, I let it come back to room temperature. Then, a topping of sliced almonds and, while untraditional, a sprinkling of cinnamon too.

What I love most about Halwa is that while there is a mild milky nuttiness, it's really about the natural sweetness of carrots. Especially with some raisins and a dash of cinnamon, it's what carrot cake should really mean.

November 2012

Recipe Details

Indian-Style Spiced Carrot Bars (Gajar Ka Halwa) Recipe

Cook 95 mins
Active 70 mins
Total 95 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil, divided

  • 1/4 cup almonds (optional)

  • 4 pounds carrots, peeled, then grated through the largest holes of a box grater

  • 8 cups whole milk

  • 4 green cardamom pods

  • 6 tablespoons sugar

  • Sliced almonds, clotted cream, and raisins for garnishing (optional)

Directions

  1. If using almonds (not just for garnish), heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1/4 cup almonds and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Set aside.

  2. Combine grated carrots, milk, and cardamom pods in pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until all milk has evaporated, about 40 minutes.

  3. When liquid has evaporated, add oil. Fry carrot mixture in oil, stirring constantly, until darkened to dark orange/brown in color, about 30 minutes. Add sugar and fried almonds if using. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Transfer halwa to an 8-inch square baking pan or other pan of your choice, spread into an even layer with an offset spatula, and let cool to room temperature. The flavor is best if the halwa is covered and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

  4. If not eating right away, store, covered, in refrigerator and bring back to room temperature before serving. The flavor is best if the halwa is stored overnight.

Special Equipment

Box grater, Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot, offset spatula

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
551Calories
42gFat
36gCarbs
9gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories551
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 42g54%
Saturated Fat 7g36%
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 212mg9%
Total Carbohydrate 36g13%
Dietary Fiber 6g20%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 7mg33%
Calcium 331mg25%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 756mg16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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