Beetroot Halwa Recipe

2 bowls of Beetroot Halwa served in a tray with spoons in them

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Servings people

Calories 189.25kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

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
⅛ 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

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.

Nutrition