Carrot Kheer (Gajar Ki Kheer)

5 from 3 votes

on Nov 18, 2024, Updated May 06, 2025

Make this delicious Carrot Kheer (Gajar Ki Kheer) using fresh winter carrots and milk. Serve it chilled or warm.

I make a variety of kheer for festivals and special occasions. Here are some of my favorites – Makhana Kheer, Seviyan Kheer, Sabudana Kheer, and Rice Kheer.

Winters in North India is a vibe. The vegetable markets are at their best, loaded with fresh winter produce. The entire population makes it their life purpose to enjoy the bounty while it lasts.

Red carrot is one of the vegetables available only during the winter months. They are much sweeter and juicier than the orange variety and I make some recipes only using this red variety.

So when I see them in the market, I make sure to buy a few kilos and use them to make my favorite winter desserts like Gajar ka Halwa, Carrot Milk, or this delicious Carrot Kheer.

About Carrot Kheer

Carrot Kheer (Gajar Ki Kheer, Indian Carrot Pudding) is a North Indian dessert which is popularly made in winter when red carrots are in season. It is made by cooking grated carrots with milk until the two combine to make a delightful sweet.

Most people just cook the carrot and milk together, then add sugar and some flavoring. But my recipe to make gajar kheer is slightly different and if I can say so myself, it is much more delicious than most people’s version.

I cook carrots with ghee and some sugar. This step caramelizes the carrot, giving the kheer a delicious taste.

Pro Tip By Neha

To save time, you can cook the carrots and reduce the milk simultaneously on different stoves.

Ingredients

Milk – For the best taste, use whole milk (full-fat milk). It makes the kheer rich and creamy. Skim milk or low-fat milk will not yield great results.

Ghee is used to cook the carrots.

Carrot – Try using Indian red carrots to make carrot kheer. They are available only during the winter months. Check out any Indian grocery store; they will have them stocked from Dec until Feb.

Although this dessert tastes the best when made using red carrots, you can still make it using regular orange carrots. The taste will be slightly different, but it will still be good.

Sugar – I like my kheer mildly sweet and the quantity of sugar mentioned in the recipe is according to my taste. You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.

You can also replace sugar with powdered jaggery or date puree.

Cardamom Powder and Saffron (Kesar) are used to flavor the kheer.

Dried Nuts and Fruits give a nice crunch to the kheer. I have used cashews, almonds, and raisins, but you can also use pistachios.

How To Make Gajar Ki Kheer

Preparation

Wash 2 medium red carrots and peel them using a vegetable peeler. Discard ½-inch of the top and bottom using a knife. Grate the carrots using the small or medium side of a box grater. You need 1 cup of grated carrots.

Note – Instead of grating, you can also puree the carrots for a smooth texture of the Kheer. I personally like to grate the carrots as it gives a nice texture to the kheer.

Chop the nuts using a knife or roughly crush them using a mortar and pestle.

Then gather the remaining ingredients.

Cook The Carrots

Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a nonstick pan over medium heat.

Once the ghee is hot, add the following ingredients and fry for 3-4 seconds.

10-12 cashew nuts, chopped
10-12 almonds, chopped
10-12 raisins

Cashews, almonds and raisins added to the pan.

Add 1 cup of grated red carrots to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell goes off. Stir frequently while frying.

Add 2 tablespoon granulated white sugar to the pan and cook for a minute.

Remove the pan from the heat and keep aside.

Make The Kheer

Add 2 cups of whole milk and 1 pinch of saffron to another nonstick pan and boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Then cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add carrot mixture to the milk and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoon granulated white sugar and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Taste the kheer for sweetness. Add more sugar if needed and cook for another minute.

Remaining sugar and cardamom powder added to the pan.

Serve hot or chilled.

Frequently Asked Question

Can I make it vegan?

Two ingredients in this recipe are not vegan – Ghee and milk. To make a vegan version of carrot kheer, replace dairy milk with any plant-based milk like coconut milk, almond milk or cashew milk and replace ghee with coconut oil.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve it chilled, but you can also serve it piping hot or at room temperature. When you chill the kheer, the ghee in it solidifies at the top. I like to stir the kheer well so that the solidified ghee gets mixed with the kheer and a little bit of it comes in each bite. If you don’t like the ghee bits coming in your mouth, then serve the kheer hot or at room temperature.

Garnish the kheer with slivered almonds and pistachios before serving. You can also use dried rose petals or edible silver or gold leaf to make it look extra special.

This kheer can be served on Vrat days (Hindu fasting) as well.

Storage Suggestions

This kheer can be stored for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Cool it down to room temperature and transfer in an airtight container before refrigerating.

I do not recommend freezing it as the milk might curdle after thawing the kheer.