By Devi Poojari
November 27, 2025
The fudgy carrot halwa scented with cardamom and speckled with ghee-roasted nuts is a seasonal dessert speciality that marks the onset of the winter season in India. Made using red carrots available abundantly at this time of the year, the time-intensive recipe can be tweaked slightly to be made faster than usual.
500 grams red carrots, grated 500 ml milk 250 grams khoya ¾ cup sugar 2 teaspoons cardamom powder 7-8 cashews, halved ½ cup ghee
Add most of the ghee in a pan and sauté the carrots for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to change colour slightly.
Add the milk and cover the pan to cook the carrots until they soften and the milk is mostly absorbed.
Crumble in the khoya, add the sugar and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, until the moisture from the carrots has considerably evaporated and the khoya has melted into the mixture.
Turn off the heat while heating ghee in a separate pan to fry the cashews in.
Add them to the carrot halwa once browned, along with the cardamom powder and mix well to combine. Serve hot.