If you’re looking for that simple perfect dessert to “wow” your family this holi season – or any time of year – this simple, yet delightful dessert is your answer. There’s no sweeter way to start celebrating holi! Let me start with a colourful Beetroot Halwa – Chukandar Ka Halwa for this colourful holi. Holi festival also known as the ‘Spring Festival’, is one of the most fun-filled and entertaining festivals celebrated in India. It brings with it beautiful colours. The thought of vibrant colours not only freshens up my mind but also gets extended to my cooking. I think beetroot is one of the beautiful creations of God.

Beetroot halwa is a scrumptious pudding made from grated beetroot simmered in milk & sugar, spiced with cardamom and finished with roasted nuts. Beetroot halwa may not be as popular as carrot halwa or Suji halwa, but it’s my all time favourite. It is very nutritious and healthy. “Beetroot Halwa” is a sweet way to give your body daily nutrition.

When it comes to festivals or any celebrations, we often crave for desserts. We overeat and then feel bad. Well, I call this Beetroot Halwa – Chukandar Ka Halwa a guilt free dessert filled with all the goodness of nature. The best part of this recipe is that beetroots are already sweet, so you don’t have to add much sugar in it. Also, I used very little butter and that was quite enough. If you wish, you can add more ghee/butter to suit your needs and taste buds. What’s more delicious and nutritious than having a dessert without having to keep a watch on calories? I LOVE the way beetroot halwa tastes… The gorgeous color is to die for. Any food that is so vibrant is irresistible to me! I’m sure most of the dessert lovers out there will agree with me;-).

Let’s quickly go through the recipe. Try this delectable dessert and enjoy!!

Step-by-Step Process to make Beetroot Halwa – Chukandar Ka Halwa:

WATCH QUICK VIDEO

CHUKANDAR KA HALWA-HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT HALWA

Let’s get into the process:

Grab all the ingredients.
Wash beetroots and peel them.
Grate beetroots to thick strands manually or using a food processor. Do not grate extra fine because you want to feel some tiny chunks of beetroot in your halwa.

Heat butter in a wide skillet on medium heat and add grated beetroot.
Sauté for about 5 minutes till the raw smell vanishes.

To this, add the milk and allow it to boil.

Continue to boil the contents till the milk reduces to half the quantity. This may take about 15 minutes.

Now, add sugar and mix well.

Simmer and allow to reduce till the fat starts to leave the sides of the pan.
This may take another 12 to 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat once done.

Heat a little butter in another small pan over medium heat and fry cashews till golden brown, remove and set aside. Turn off the heat.

Keep some fried cashews for garnish and add the rest to the halwa.
Sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.

Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot.

A Quick Summary:

Print Recipe

Beetroot Halwa - Chukandar Ka Halwa | How to make Beetroot Halwa

Beetroot halwa is a scrumptious pudding made from grated beetroot, simmered in milk, spiced with cardamom and finished with roasted nuts.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8 to 10 servings

Author: Padma

Ingredients

750 grams beetroots
1½ inch cube unsalted butter or 2 Tablespoons ghee clarified butter, divided
500 ml whole milk
¾ to 1 cup sugar
10 to 15 unsalted Cashews fried till golden brown in little butter
1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

Wash, peel and grate the beetroots to thick strands manually or in a food processor.
Heat butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and add grated beetroot.
Sauté for about 5 min till the raw smell vanishes.
Now, add milk to this and allow it to boil till the milk reduces to half the quantity. This may take about 15 minutes.
To this, add sugar and let it reduce till the fat leaves the sides of the pan. This will take another 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat once done.
Keep some fried cashews for garnish and add the rest to the beetroot halwa along with cardamom powder and mix well.
Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot.

My Notes:

Adjust sugar based on the sweetness of beetroots.
You can also substitute sugar with jaggery and try out for a variation.
The proportions of sugar and butter/ghee can always be adjusted suit your taste.
You can also include your favourite dry fruits. I avoid raisins as they are too sweet and dominate the taste of the halwa.
Using a food processor to grate beetroots simplifies the job and saves time and effort.
Apart from the extended simmering time, it’s very simple to prepare this halwa.

You may want to try other desserts from blog: To name a few-

Do check out other DESSERT RECIPES and some collections from blog!!

Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!

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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Cheers!!

Padma.