Instant Pot Vegan Carrot Halwa

What is halwa

It is a traditional sweet pudding made in many Asian countries. It's either made with fruits or certain vegetables. One of the most popular kind is Gajar ka Halwa (Gajrela).

Gajar means carrot in Hindi and halwa is derived from Arabic and it means sweet. This gajar halwa or carrot pudding recipe is a decadent dessert that has a cult fan following.

It's normally made with milk, nuts, sugar, khoya/mawa, or condensed milk. It is a bit tedious to make because it takes a long time to cook and you need to keep stirring it.

In India, it was considered a wintertime dessert because that's the season for red carrots. But now it's made all year round due to the easy availability of orange carrots.

My memories of it

Mom would always make this dessert for Diwali! I would always look forward to it because this is my favorite Indian dessert! I am not a dessert person, but I love this one.

She would obviously make it the traditional way - on a stovetop where she would spend a long time cooking it. I would sometimes help her grate the carrots.

But back then, I never realized how much effort went into making this lip-smacking dessert. I was only interested in eating it.

Today, when I have to make it for myself, I look for the easy way out but just cannot compromise with the taste. Thankfully, Instant Pot comes to the rescue.

Why make it in the Instant Pot

Having made gajar halwa recipe a million times, I can say that nothing beats the convenience of making gajar halwa in the Instant Pot! The microwave method comes a close second.

It doesn't require you to be standing in front of your stovetop to keep stirring it for a long time. The Instant Pot cooks the carrots well with reduced effort and time!

If you want some alternate cooking options, check out my Carrot Halwa Baklava recipe to see how to make it in the microwave. I love how easy and simple even this is.

You can also make it on a stovetop by following this Carrot Halwa Ice Cream recipe. So now, with the Instant pot version added, I have 3 ways to make the gajar ka halwa recipe!

I also have a Beetroot Halwa recipe on the blog that's a take on this Indian carrot dessert! It's very delicious to taste as well.

Why make this

• An Indian carrot dessert
• This recipe does not call for khoya, cream, or condensed milk
• vegan and gluten-free carrot recipe
• Made in the Instant Pot
• Is made with jaggery
• Very easy to make
• It's a one-pot meal
• No food color added
• Needs just 7 basic ingredients
• It's a healthier version

Carrots - In India, during the winters, you get red carrots that are perfect for making this halwa. Since here in the US I don't get them, I use regular orange ones.

In this recipe, to save time, I have used pre-shredded carrots. Since this was being cooked in the Instant Pot, it cooked beautifully.

Non-dairy milk - Any vegan milk like almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk will work in this recipe. I have used oat milk here. You can also skip the milk and add water.

Sweetener - I have used jaggery powder in this gajar ka halwa recipe. You can also use white or brown sugar or stevia.

Almond meal or powder - This helps with the binding of the pudding and also gives it a nice grainy texture. Add milk powder or khoya if you are not vegan.

Almond slices and cardamom are added for more flavor. You can also add raisins and cashews. If adding these two, then fry them in vegan ghee for a few seconds and then add them to the halwa as garnish.

Ghee - Like most Indian desserts, this one too calls for ghee. I have used homemade vegan ghee here and it worked wonderfully. Ghee enhances the bright red color of the carrot pudding.

This vegan carrot recipe is made in an Instant Pot. I have used the Duo Nova 6-Quart and I love it!

1. Turn on the saute mode and then adjust the setting to low or less. Add grated or shredded carrots to the pot.
2. Then add the oat milk. Give it a mix.
3. Cover with a glass lid and let it cook for 30 minutes. Set an external timer or since the saute mode defaults to 30 minutes, the Instant Pot will automatically shut off after 30 mins.
4. The mixture will turn foamy or frothy. That is normal. Keep lifting the lid and stirring it twice or thrice if you want to.

5. After 30 minutes, lift the lid. Be careful, the lid will be hot. The carrots will be fully cooked and there is no liquid left behind. Mix and scrape the bottom in case the carrots are stuck.
6. Add the jaggery powder and cardamom powder along with a tablespoon of almond slices.
7. Now add the almond powder. Give it all a good mix. Turn on the saute mode in a normal setting and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Chef Tip - Keep stirring it. There should not be any liquid remaining and it should thicken.
8. Garnish with the remaining almond slices and vegan ghee. Mix and turn off the Instant Pot. Chef Tip - Transfer the carrot pudding to another bowl immediately because otherwise, the heat will continue to cook it and make it drier.

Serving suggestions 🍽 

Serve them in small individual bowls. To make them more presentable, garnish the halwa with sliced almonds and saffron.

Depending on the weather outside you can serve gajar ka halwa hot or cold. Some like to enjoy a hot bowl of gajar halwa with vanilla ice cream.

To make it fancier, serve them as parfaits similar to Mango Cranachan. Alternate layers of halwa and whipped cream and serve chilled.

This Instant pot gajar halwa is the perfect festive treat for Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Navratri, Diwali, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

You can also serve this vegan carrot halwa for special occasions like birthdays, potlucks, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, parties, get-togethers, events, date nights, etc.

Leftover carrot pudding can be reused to create a totally new recipe like Carrot Halwa Baklava or Carrot Halwa Ice Cream!

Top recipe tips 💭

Besides oat milk, you can also make this vegan Indian carrot halwa recipe with almond milk, coconut milk, or any other dairy-free milk. You can also skip adding the milk and add water instead.

Add more jaggery powder if you want more sweetness. This recipe has just the right amount of sweetness. You can also add white or brown sugar or even Stevia.

I got shredded carrots to save time. If after 30 minutes, they are still not fully cooked, cook them for another 3-5 minutes.

You can always buy whole carrots and grate them. You can double or half the recipe but that will not change the pressure cooking time.

Recipe FAQs 📖

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