Beetroot Halwa

Beetroot Halwa is a delish Indian sweet made by slow-cooking grated beetroots with milk, sugar, cardamom, ghee and dry fruits. This Beetroot Halwa recipe is the one that I have grown up eating. At home, we used to make this together with Carrot Halwa on most festive occasions. This tradition continues till today. Try this unique recipe which will make you fall in love with beetroots all the more.

More on Beetroot Halwa

Beetroot Halwa may not be as popular and favored as its siblings Carrot Halwa or Sooji Halwa, but many people do like it. The exceptional natural color and texture that the beetroots bring in this recipe is unmatched. So, the end result is beautiful too.

In addition to this, the Beetroot Halwa recipe is actually very nutritious and good for health too. It is also excellent for kids who are usually not fond of this root vegetable. Other ways to feed beetroot to your kids are by including it in chaat and salad recipes.

Beetroot Halwa is made in a similar way as that of carrot halwa. One major difference is that the texture of Beetroot Halwa is moist as compared to gajar halwa. You can increase the health quotient by adding dry fruits and nuts in the halwa. I have added cashews and flavored it with crushed cardamom powder. You can also add raisins, pistachios and almonds.

The best thing about the Beetroot Halwa recipe is that even after adding other ingredients, the taste of beetroot is quite prominent in the dessert. This Beetroot Halwa can be relished hot, warm or chilled as well.  

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Beetroot Halwa

1. Rinse, peel and grate 500 grams beetroots. You can either use a hand-held grater or a food processor to grate the beetroots.

2. Take the grated beetroots in a thick bottomed kadai or pan. Add 3 cups full fat whole milk.

3. Mix and cook the grated beetroot and milk mixture on a low to medium heat.

4. The milk will boil and froth while cooking. Continue to cook and keep stirring often.

5. When the milk has reduced to almost 75% to 80%, add 3 tablespoons ghee and 6 tablespoons sugar. Stir and continue to simmer the halwa till its almost done.

6. Towards the end, add ⅓ teaspoon cardamom powder.

7. Add 15 to 20 cashews.

8. Stir and continue to cook till the milk has evaporated.

9. Serve Beetroot Halwa hot or warm. You can also refrigerate the halwa for 3 to 4 days and while serving, just warm the halwa.

For more delicious beetroot recipes, you can check this link – Beetroot Recipes.

Expert Tips

1. Buy the best beetroots: It is important to buy tender beetroots so that they are easy to grate. Prepare yourself for an arm workout, unless you have a food processor.
2. Grating vs. shredding: I recommend grating the beets versus shredding. Grating can be done by using a hand-held grater or a food processor. Obviously, a food processor makes grating of the beetroots easier.
3. Best pan to make halwa: I suggest using a heavy iron skillet or kadai (wok) to make the halwa. You can also use any thick-bottomed pan or skillet.
4. Storing: You can store the halwa in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. While serving, just warm the halwa and then serve.
5. Scaling: You can easily halve, double or triple this Beetroot Halwa recipe depending on how many servings you’d like to make.
6. You can add nuts and dry fruits like cashews, almonds, pistachios and raisins in the halwa. If you don’t have these, you can skip adding these too.

FAQs

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Beetroot Halwa

By Dassana Amit

Beetroot Halwa is a tasty Indian sweet made by slow-cooking grated beetroots with milk, sugar, cardamom, dry fruits and nuts.

4.92 from 23 votes

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

• Rinse, peel and grate the beetroots using a hand held grater or food processor.

• In a kadai or deep thick bottomed pan, combine milk and grated beetroot.

• On a low to medium heat, bring the whole mixture to a boil and then simmer.

• Keep on stirring at intervals while the mixture comes to a boil and later simmers.

• The grated beetroot will cook in the milk and the milk will start to reduce and evaporate.

• When the milk has almost reduced to 75% to 80%, add the ghee and sugar to the halwa mixture.

• Stir well, continue to simmer and cook on a low heat.

• Keep stirring the Beetroot Halwa at intervals.

• Towards the end, add the cashews, cardamom powder and raisins (if using) and simmer till all the milk is evaporated. Stir often. Switch off the heat.

• Serve Beetroot Halwa hot, warm or cold.

1. Try to use beets which are fresh and tender. 
2. Do use whole milk and not toned or low-fat milk as it may split or curdle. 
3. Choose to add your choice of nuts and dry fruits depending on what is available to you.
4. Slow cooking is the key to the recipe. Try not to speed up the process as it may result in the halwa getting browned or burnt.
5. You can easily halve or double this beetroot halwa recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Beetroot Halwa

Amount Per Serving

Calories 302 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 41mg14%

Sodium 135mg6%

Potassium 603mg17%

Carbohydrates 35g12%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 30g33%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 270IU5%

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%

Vitamin B6 1mg50%

Vitamin B12 1µg17%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Vitamin D 2µg13%

Vitamin E 1mg7%

Vitamin K 2µg2%

Calcium 202mg20%

Vitamin B9 (Folate) 110µg28%

Iron 1mg6%

Magnesium 56mg14%

Phosphorus 219mg22%

Zinc 1mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Beetroot Halwa post from the archives first published on Feb 2014 has been republished and updated on 10 May 2022.