4 Ingredient Pumpkin Halwa

Pumpkin Halwa or Kaddu Ka Halwa is an easy seasonal Indian dessert made with just 4 ingredients. I have used organic canned pumpkin to make it even easier and it takes about 20 mins to make this delicious dessert.

Halwa is a thick pudding like dessert made with sugar, ghee, milk and some form of flour, fruit or vegetable, that is cooked down. There is Sooji halwa made with semolina, Besan halwa made with split chickpea flour, and of course, the ubiquitous Gajar ka halwa made with carrots. 

I have also made Pineapple halwa and Beetroot halwa that are lesser known than their other halwa counterparts, but decadent and delicious, nevertheless.

This Pumpkin halwa is

• Made with just 4 ingredients!
• Takes only about 20 mins to make it.
• Easy to make with shortcuts like organic canned pumpkin and condensed milk which does not make it any less delicious or healthy.
• Nutritious with a lot of pumpkin in it - which means lots of fiber, Vitamin A and C.
• A seasonal favorite to make for Diwali
• So very delicious

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin?

Yes, you can absolutely use fresh pumpkin. I have used organic canned pumpkin just for convenience and also because I happen to have a lot of them in my pantry this season.

For making this pumpkin halwa with fresh pumpkin, cut the pumpkin and get the guts and seeds out. Peel the pumpkin and grate it to use in the halwa. Follow the directions with the grated pumpkin instead of the canned pumpkin in this halwa recipe.

Ingredients for Pumpkin halwa

This pumpkin halwa requires just 4 ingredients that are readily available in your pantry or at your local store.

• Canned pumpkin - I use organic canned pumpkin that is BPA free, but feel free to use whatever you have in hand.
• Condensed milk - this is the secret-ish ingredient that makes this recipe so quick. The condensed milk has milk and sugar in it which is already cooked down, so all you need to do is give the pumpkin and the condensed milk just enough time to mix well together.
• Ghee - all Indian dessert should have ghee. That is just the rule. Sautéing the pumpkin puree in ghee gives it a little more of texture than just using canned pumpkin
• Cardamom - this is the flavor base for this recipe. Again, most all Indian desserts have cardamom in it.

Steps to make Pumpkin halwa

1. Sauté the pumpkin - heat the ghee in a pan and add the canned pumpkin to this. Sauté over medium high heat for 3-4 mins.
2. Add the other ingredients - add the condensed milk and ground cardamom to the pumpkin ghee mixture. Mix to incorporate well.
3. Thicken the halwa - this is probably what takes the majority of the 20 mins. Lower the heat to medium and stir the halwa almost constantly. Scrape down the sides every once in a while and keep mixing it all together. In about 15, or maximum 20 mins, the halwa will come together to be a single mass that becomes slightly harder to move it around the pan. 
4. Garnish with sliced almonds and edible silver foil. Serve warm.

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Cooking tips

• To add some variation to the recipe, you can use desiccated coconut along with the pumpkin to make it a pumpkin coconut halwa and give it some extra texture.
• You could also add ground nuts to this to add more body and extra nutrition.
• If you don't have canned pumpkin, you can always use fresh pumpkin in place of canned pumpkin in this recipe. Peel, scoop out seeds and grate the pumpkin before you use it in this recipe.

Fancy some other pumpkin recipes? Here are a few favorites

• Easy homemade pumpkin buttermilk waffles
• Pumpkin pie oatmeal bake
• Easy pumpkin alfredo pasta
• Spicy and creamy pumpkin linguine
• Pumpkin pie chia pudding with pecan crumble
• Pumpkin curry with beans and coconut
• Pumpkin hummus