Beetroot halwa is a light and delicious Indian dessert recipe that's vegan and gluten-free. It's made with jaggery powder and without khoya.
Make this quick and easy halwa recipe in just 25 minutes!
Beets never looked this good!
We all love halwa!
Halwa is one of the most made desserts in India. It's made with certain vegetables, fruits, flour, lentils, and grains and has a pudding-like texture.
The ingredients are simple but the method of cooking determines the flavor and consistency of the finished product.
It is so famous that nearly every Bollywood movie features this halwa as the hero's favorite treat made by his mother.
It's an open joke that if you can make a decent halwa then you can keep your spouse happy. It truly is one of the esteemed desserts of India with a lot of history.
We serve halwa on most happy festive occasions! Sometimes we make halwa just for the sake of it! But, yes, we all love halwa!
And we have a variety of halwa recipes in Indian cuisine just to prove that. However, hands down, the most popular one is called Carrot Halwa.
While I often make carrot halwa (I promise to share my recipe soon), I love trying out other variations too like Sweet Potato and Potato Halwa, Aval Kesari, Sweet Corn Pudding, and Carrot Halwa Ice Cream.
Recipe video
Carrots or Beets?
Although, carrot or gajar halwa has been a personal favorite. This time, however, I wanted to try making halwa with beets.
I heard of this recipe from my Mother-in-law and wanted to give it a try ever since.
Gajar or Carrot halwa is orange in color while beets give this dessert a nice deep red color. Plus beets have a distinctly sweet flavor which works well for this dish.
The main difference between gajar halwa and beetroot halwa is the taste, and the texture of beetroot halwa is moister.
The perfect dessert for any occasion!
Beets are good for us
Packed with essential nutrients, beetroots are a great source of fiber and vitamin C. Beets are also low in calories.
It actually is a delicious and nutritious vegetable with several impressive health benefits. Beetroot helps in boosting our stamina, it even reduces our blood pressure.
Beetroots and beetroot juice have been associated with other numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, and increased exercise performance.
Why make this
It is a slow-cooked dessert but that is what makes it so delicious! BTW, this halwa is also known as Chukandar ka Halwa in Hindi. Chukandar means sweet beets.
- Extremely appetizing to look at, thanks to the beautiful deep red color of beets.
- A very unique vegan and gluten-free dessert.
- It is creamy, mildly sweet, and addictive.
- Excellent for kids who are usually not too fond of beetroots. It's just another way to introduce this vegetable to kids.
- Can convert a beet-hater to a beet-lover.
Do give my beetroot halwa recipe a try and let me know how it goes for you.
Ingredients needed
Such a simple dessert recipe!
I make Chukandar ka halwa without milkmaid, cream, khoya, and refined sugar because we like it that way.
Beetroot - Use fresh organic red beets. Choose the ones that are hard and firm to touch. Since they contain an ample amount of sugar, it brings a natural sweetness to the dish.
Milk - You can make this dessert vegan by using almond milk or oat milk. But you can also use regular milk if not vegan.
Oil - Ghee is traditionally used to make halwa but it can be swapped with coconut oil or any vegetable cooking oil.
Jaggery - Powdered, grated jaggery or jaggery syrup can be used here. This is what brings in the sweetness. I have used jaggery powder.
Cardamom powder and nuts like cashews, pistachios, and almonds help give this vegan halwa an authentic rich flavor.
Here's how to make it
Watch the recipe video above to see how this vegan dessert is made.
Before you begin, making this beetroot halwa recipe, wash, peel, and grate the beets medium thick.
For that, you can either use a hand-held grater or make your life easier by using a food processor.
- Heat coconut oil or ghee in a pan.
- Fry cashews, almonds, and pistachios in ghee till they turn light golden. Transfer it to a plate once done.
- If you want, chop the nuts first using a nut chopper and then fry them.
- Add grated beets to it and saute it for 4-5 minutes on medium flame. Roasting the beets gives the halwa a nice, sweet smell and removes the earthy aroma of raw beets.
- Then add milk to the pan and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the flame and cook it for 10-12 minutes.
- Keep stirring at regular intervals. The milk has to reduce to 75% to 80%.
- Next, add the jaggery powder, salt, and cardamom powder. Mix and keep cooking the halwa till it thickens, turns glossy, and doesn't stick to the pan.
- Basically, you need to cook it till all the milk gets absorbed by the beets.
- Additionally, you can also add some almond flour to help thicken this halwa.
- Finish it off by adding the fried nuts on top.
Serve it hot or cold.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this beetroot halwa either warm or cold. It tastes great either way. In fact, serve it chilled in summers and warm in winters.
Need more ideas to serve halwa? Spread it on your toast and enjoy. You can also add it to your cereal or granola. For some more flavor, serve it with ice cream or make a trifle.
Enjoy this as a light dessert after-meals, serve it as an after-school snack, or make it for your guests at your next house party.
This vegan Indian dessert called Sweet Beets halwa can be made for occasions like Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, or Janmashtami.
In fact, it's also perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Valentine's day! This dessert is apt for any festival, happy occasion, or if you are just in the mood for a sweet treat.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
Just remember, the beets are not cooked before but are added raw. They get cooked along with the milk. You can also use frozen beets. Just thaw it to room temperature and grate.
Grate the beetroot medium thick. Grating it very fine will cause it to dissolve while cooking and will not give you the desired texture.
Feel free to add khoya or milk powder if you are not vegan to help thicken the halwa and to make it richer. Along with nuts, you can also add a few raisins.
You can follow this same recipe to make carrot halwa with jaggery. Even better, mix grated carrots and beets to make this halwa!
If using regular milk, use full-fat to make it rich and creamy. Other than almond milk, you can also use coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk. You can also use water instead.
Finish off the recipe with a teaspoon of rosewater if you have and want, it adds a lovely depth of flavor.
If making for a crowd, be sure to use a ton of beets as they drastically reduce once fully cooked.
Jaggery substitutions
In place of jaggery powder, you can use regular sugar or brown sugar. Also, feel free to substitute coconut oil or ghee with regular cooking oil or butter (regular or dairy-free).
You can also use pitted Dates. Blend ½ cup of Dates in little milk and add this Dates puree once the beets have cooked in milk.
Alternately, instead of adding any kind of sugar, you can simply add ¼ cup of condensed milk.
How to make it in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker?
Follow the recipe until step 4. After adding the milk, turn off the saute mode, close the lid and cook in manual mode for 4 minutes.
Release pressure manually. Turn on the saute mode and then follow the recipe from the 5th step.
How to store this halwa?
This Beets dessert can be stored in the fridge for 6-7 days. Just cover it with a lid and store it.
Do not keep it out at room temperature for more than 2 days (even that depends on the weather). It won't remain fresh.
You can also freeze a batch for 2 months. Transfer it to the fridge the previous night and enjoy it the next day by warming it in a microwave.
Love Beets? Try these recipes!
- Instant Pot Beetroot Rasam Rice
- Beetroot Pesto Sauce
- Dabeli Pita Bread Pizza
- Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes With Beets
- Mango Orange Beets Mocktail
- Beetroot Uttapam
- Instant Pot Carrot Beets Khichdi
An indulgent treat!
If you’ve tried this Beetroot Halwa Recipe or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how it went by commenting below, I love hearing from you!
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Recipe 📖
Beetroot Halwa Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
- 4-5 cashews
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- 4-5 pistachios
- 2 cups beetroots grated
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ cup jaggery powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup almond powder optional
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and grate the beets medium thick.
- Heat coconut oil or ghee in a pan.
- Fry cashews, almonds, and pistachios in ghee till they turn light golden. Transfer it to a plate once done.
- Add grated beets to it and saute it for 4-5 minutes on medium flame. Roasting the beets gives the halwa a nice, sweet smell and removes the earthy aroma of raw beets.
- Then, add milk to the pan and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the flame and cook it for 10-12 minutes.
- Keep stirring at regular intervals. The milk has to reduce to 75% to 80%.
- Next, add the jaggery powder, salt, and cardamom powder. Mix and keep cooking the halwa till it thickens, turns glossy, and doesn't stick to the pan.
- Basically, you need to cook it till all the milk gets absorbed by the beets.
- Additionally, you can also add some almond flour to help thicken this halwa.
- Finish it off by adding the fried nuts on top.
- Serve it hot or cold.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This looks so delicious! I'm so excited to give this a try! My family is going to love this!
Thank you so much.
This is the most appetizing and colorful and unique dessert. I love the color of the beet root and the combination of the nuts and spices. So good!
I am so glad you liked it. Thank you
I love that this can be made in less than 30 minutes!
Thank you.
This was my first time making halwa! Thanks to your detailed instructions it was pretty easy to make! I loved it!
That makes me so happy! Thank you.
I love gajar halwa too but the color of this one looks awesome
Thank you so much
I am very interested to try this dessert recipe! It's is definitely worth trying.
Thank you. Please do give it a try. 🙂
I love this dessert! We had something similar when I was little. Thank you for the inspiration and for bringing back your childhood memories! 🙂
Thank you so much
Love halwa but never tried betroot flavored. Looks so pretty and perfect texture. Thanks for sharing.
You must try! It's very delicious. Thank you.
We love Halwa but have never had this kind. Can't wait to try it!
Thank you. Do give it a try.
Fabulous delicious healthy preparation..
thank you so much.
Oh man, this looks so good. I can imagine how delicious the halwa is!
Wow! Learn something new every day. I love beets......this is such an interesting idea.
I didnt know it was a dessert type! I must try one day. Love indian food?