Instant Pot Gajar Halwa – Vegan Carrot Halwa. Gajar Halwa is a classic Indian dessert: a flourless carrot pudding scented with cardamom and traditionally served at festivals. This version is vegan, gluten-free and soy-free. Jump to Recipe
Gajar Halwa is especially popular in northern India during the winter and early spring. My father’s favorite, slow-roasted version is cooked in a skillet until the grated carrots become almost candied and the texture turns into a soft crumble. The Instant Pot version streamlines that process: the carrots are briefly roasted with sugar, pressure-cooked, then finished by sautéing to reduce excess moisture. The result is a creamy, pudding-like halwa that firms up and develops deeper flavor as it cools.
I like to use a mix of purple and red carrots for vibrant color that usually appears only after long roasting. To make the recipe nut-free, substitute sunflower seed meal for the almond meal and omit the cashews. This halwa makes a lovely dessert for Holi (the festival of colors) or Valentine’s Day—use more purple carrots for dramatic color. See the video above the recipe for a quick walkthrough.
More Instant Pot Indian recipes:
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin (soycurls) — GF
- Lentil Veggie Dhansak — Lentil veggie stew in the Instant Pot — GF
- Kohlapuri Veggies — Vegetables in sesame-coconut-tomato sauce — GF
- Lentil Sweet Potato Soup — GF
- Aloo Palak Dal — Potato, spinach and lentils in the Instant Pot — GF
- Chana Saag — Chickpea and spinach curry — GF
- Instant Pot Chickin Saag with soy curls — GF
Serving sizes listed are dessert portions; the recipe indicates four servings. If you make this, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Consider subscribing to the author’s YouTube channel for more videos.
Video:
Instant Pot Gajar Halwa – Indian Carrot Halwa (Vegan, Dairy-free)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or oil
- 3 tbsp cashews
- 3 tbsp chopped dates or raisins or currants
- 2.5 cups shredded carrots use rainbow, red, or a mix of purple and red
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt use 1/4 tsp if using oil instead of butter
- 1/4 cup almond flour/meal
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (almond or soy; use 1/2 cup if carrots are dry)
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- pistachios or cashews for garnish
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (or heat a stovetop pressure cooker over medium). Add the vegan butter or oil.
- Add cashews and toast until golden, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the dates or raisins and cook briefly.
- Add the shredded carrots, sugar, salt and almond meal. Cook for 2–3 minutes, then stir in the non-dairy milk.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 6–7 minutes in the Instant Pot (about 3 minutes on a stovetop pressure cooker). Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and stir in the cardamom; adjust sweetness if needed.
- Return to Sauté and cook for 4–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has roasted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Optionally add 2 tsp vegan butter for a richer texture. When the mixture begins to stick and is fairly dry, cancel Sauté and let it sit in the hot pot for about 15 minutes so it slow-cooks and firms up. Stir once during resting. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with chopped pistachios or cashews.
Video
Notes
This recipe appears in the Instant Pot cookbook by the author. For a richer mava-like flavor, add 1/4 tsp nutritional yeast with the salt.
To make it nut-free, use sunflower seed meal in place of almond meal and omit the cashews.
Carrots: red or purple carrots give the best halwa flavor and color. A mix of sweet orange and darker carrots works well.
This Instant Pot method is adapted from the stovetop Vegan Gajar Halwa.
Nutrition shown is per serving (1 of 4).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
