Besan ka Halwa

Besan ka halwa is a rich, indulgent Indian sweet made with gram flour, ghee, sugar and cardamom powder. Plenty of stirrings are needed to make this sweet dish, but the end result is worth the effort. Try making my family recipe of this delicious Sweet for Diwali or any festive occasion and impress your guests.

About Besan Halwa

Besan is the Hindi word for gram flour which is finely ground hulled black chickpeas. Halwa means a sweet dish made with cereals, lentils, nuts or dry fruits. Besan Halwa means a sweet dish made from besan a.k.a gram flour.

My family loves sweets made with besan be it this halwa or Besan ladoo or Besan Barfi. I make this halwa occasionally but more so during festivals. You can make it during any Indian festival or religious occasion. You can also offer this sweet to the deities.

When you prepare any sweet with besan, the kitchen smells amazing with the nutty, sweet aroma of besan being roasted in ghee. The aroma gives hunger pangs, and one wants to savor the halwa or ladoo as soon as they are made.

Both ghee and dry fruits give a rich flavor to this sweet. In this method of besan halwa, which is a family recipe, gram flour is roasted with ghee first and later hot milk is added. It is important to roast the besan very well, otherwise it will give a raw taste to the halwa.

This roasting of besan very well is a crucial and important step. If you don’t roast the besan perfectly then you simply can’t correct this dish later.

Overall Besan ka halwa is a quick recipe but a lot of stirring is required, so too much of hand work. But every bit of effort is worth making this sweet.

Some of the popular Indian halwa recipes are Gajar Halwa, Moong Dal halwa, Suji Halwa and Atte ka Halwa. My personal favorite is gajar halwa and besan halwa. Which one is yours?

How to make Besan ka Halwa

Before you start with the recipe, measure and set aside all the ingredients you will need. Besan or gram flour is the key ingredient. So make sure it is fresh and does not smell rancid or stale.

Chop or sliver the nuts like almonds, cashews and set aside as you won’t be getting any time when you start stirring the halwa mixture. If left unattended even for some minutes, the halwa will get browned and may possibly also burn from the bottom.

Cook Milk and Roast Besan

1. Firstly heat 1.5 cups of whole milk in a thick bottomed pan till it comes to a boil. Stir a few times when the milk is getting heated.

2. At the same time, when you keep the milk for boiling, on another stovetop keep a thick bottomed pan. Add ¼ cup of ghee to it.

3. Once ghee melts, then lower the heat. Add 1 cup of gram flour (besan) and mix it very well with the ghee.

4. On a low heat. Keep stirring the besan so that it is evenly roasted.

5. Mix and stir well for 14 to 15 minutes on low heat, till the besan leaves a nutty aroma. Since I have used a thick bottomed pan and the heat is on low, it has taken me 14 to 15 minutes to roast.

In a steel pan or kadai depending on the thickness of the base and the intensity of the heat, it will take lesser time.

6. When the gram flour gets roasted well, it will start releasing ghee and become nicely aromatic. The color of the besan will also change.

Add Milk To Roasted Besan

7. By now the milk must have also got boiled. In case the milk gets boiled earlier, before the besan gets roasted, then switch off the heat and cover the milk pan. The milk has to be hot and poured in two batches.

Keep the heat to a low and first pour 1 cup of hot milk gradually into the roasted gram flour. While you are pouring the milk, simultaneously keep on stirring also with a wired whisk or spoon. Mix the milk very well with the roasted gram flour.

8. Keep continuously stirring the mixture.

9. Now pour the rest of the hot milk.

10. Continue stirring the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes with a wired whisk or spoon. A wired whisk is better as it gets rid of lumps while stirring.

Cook Besan Halwa

11. Add ⅓ cup of sugar. You can add more sugar if you want. It all depends upon your taste preferences.

12. Keep stirring continuously for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat. Stir well so that no lumps are formed.

Break any lumps with the spatula or spoon while stirring. Stir often or else this mixture can get browned from the bottom.

13. Soon the mixture will start thickening. You have to continuously keep stirring the mixture, then only halwa will be smooth and there won’t be any lumps.

14. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, 4 to 5 pistachios (slivered or chopped) and 4 to 5 almonds (slivered or chopped).

15. Stir and mix well.

16. You will see some ghee separating from the halwa at the sides. The halwa will also start leaving the edges of the pan and will appear smooth and glossy as shown in the below photo.

17. Switch off the heat. The besan halwa will become thick as it cools down.

18. Serve besan ka halwa hot or warm or chilled. If you want you can garnish halwa with chopped nuts and saffron strands.

Refrigerate any leftovers. While serving warm the halwa in a pan so that the ghee melts as on refrigeration it solidifies. This halwa keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Besan ka Halwa post from the archives (September 2016) has been updated and republished on 23 October 2021.