Name: Instant Pot Gajar Halwa Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Carrots; 2 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter); 5 Almonds (chopped); 5 Cashew nuts (chopped); 8-10 Raisins (golden); ¾ cups Milk (full-fat whole milk); 4 strands Saffron (crushed between thumb and index finger); ½ cup Sugar ( (⅓ cup if using red delhi carrots)); ½ cup Almond flour (or mawa powder or real khoya/mawa)

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

This instant pot gajar halwa is rich, full of carrot flavors and perfectly sweet. This carrot halwa gets ready in just 20 minutes, thanks to your pressure cooker. Plus, it tastes almost similar to stovetop traditional gajar halwa with so much less effort.

3 bowls of carrot halwa in a tray with spoons.

❤️You’ll Love This Gajar Halwa Recipe

Quick to make: Traditional method of making carrot halwa on a stovetop takes hours to prepare. While instant pot gajar halwa is super quick. You’ll need 5 mins of prep time (if using a food processor) and 15 minutes of cooking time in a pressure cooker (instant pot).

Less effort required: When you make it on the stovetop, you need to be present in the kitchen and need to stir it frequently to avoid sticking. But when you make gajar halwa in instant pot, it eliminates the steps of stirring and babysitting.

Not compromising taste & texture: Because we’re pressure cooking for just 3 minutes you won’t lose the fresh carrot flavor. Plus, to get rich, creamy texture (the same as you get from milk fat), we’re using almond flour.

Make a large batch: When you make a big batch of carrot halwa in instant pot, you don’t need to increase the cooking time. While the stovetop version requires more time as you increase the quantity. So this instant pot method is perfect if making for a crowd for parties or potluck.

🧾Ingredient Notes

You’ll need 5 main ingredients (plus garnish) to make this quick instant pot gajar halwa recipe.

Instant pot gajar halwa ingredients in bowls and spoons with labels.

Carrot (gajar): If your local farmer’s market is selling red carrots then I highly recommend using those. Red carrots are sweeter and juicier than regular orange carrots. Here I have used orange ones.
Milk: To get the best results, you need to use whole milk (full-fat).
Ghee: It is a must when it comes to Indian sweets.
Sugar: Of course, you’ll need it to make it sweet.
Almond flour: It adds a rich and creamy texture. You can use mawa powder (easily available in Indian grocery stores) instead to get real milk solid flavor just like authentic gajar halwa. I have used almond flour as it’s easily available and is a little healthy for my kids.
Saffron: It adds a nice flavor.
Nuts and raisins: They add a nice crunch and texture to the halwa.

NOTE: Many like to add cardamom powder to halwa, but when it comes to carrot halwa I do not prefer adding that. If you like then you can add around ¼ teaspoon of green cardamom seeds powder.

👩‍🍳How To Make Instant Pot Carrot Halwa? (With Photos)

1) Turn on the instant pot with saute mode and add ghee. Once hot add almonds and cashews. Fry until golden brown.

2) Drain the excess ghee and remove the nuts in a bowl.

3) In the same ghee add raisins and they will puff up within seconds.

4) Drain the excess ghee and remove the raisins right away in the same bowl as the nuts. Keep that aside.

Collage of 4 images showing roasting nuts and raisins and removed to a bowl.

5) In the same ghee, add grated carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes.

6) Add milk, sugar and saffron.

7) Mix everything and push the carrot down so they are submerged in the milk.

8) Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve to sealing. Cancel the saute mode and cook on manual (high pressure) for 3 minutes.

As soon as 3 minutes of pressure cooking is done, release the pressure by positioning the valve to venting position. (QPR – quick pressure release)

Collage of 4 images showing sauteing carrots, adding milk, sugar and pressure cooking.

9) Once the pin drops open the lid.

10) As you can see the liquid at the bottom of the instant pot liner.

11) Now turn the saute mode and add almond flour.

12) Mix and saute until it thickens and becomes halwa consistency. It will take only 2-3 minutes.

13) Turn off the saute mode, and add fried nuts (and cardamom powder if using).

14) Mix and halwa is ready. You can serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Collage of 6 images showing cooked carrots, adding and cooking almond flour, garnished with nuts.

💭Expert Tips To Make BEST Carrot Halwa

Grating Carrots: I prefer using a food processor for grating purposes as it makes the task easy and gets done in minutes.
Roasting grated carrots in ghee step is a must. If added milk to raw carrots then milk may get curdled.
Instead of almond flour, you can add mawa powder or khoya (mawa). But do not use milk powder, as it doesn’t absorb the liquid quickly and so it increases the cooking time.

🥣 Storage Instructions

In the refrigerator, gajar halwa stays good for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Because of its longer shelf-life, people usually prefer to make a large batch.
In the freezer, it stays good for up to 2 months.
At the time of serving, reheat the carrot halwa in the microwave for a few seconds (or until warmed up). However, it can be enjoyed chilled.

3 bowls of carrot halwa in a tray with spoons and instant pot in back.

Check Out Other Quick Indian Sweets

Did you try this instant pot gajar halwa recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.