Atta Halwa Recipe (Wheat Flour Halwa)
Atta Halwa (Wheat Flour Halwa, Atta Ka Sheera) is a traditional North Indian dessert made with whole wheat flour, ghee, sugar, and water, slowly roasted until it turns nutty, aromatic, and deeply caramelized. This melt-in-your-mouth Indian pudding is easy to make and perfect for festivals or special occasions. Make this one-pan dessert in about 30 minutes using my easy recipe.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- Kadai
- Heavy Bottom Pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup ghee
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (gehu ka atta, chapati atta)
- 10-12 roughly crushed almonds
- 10-12 roughly crushed cashew nuts
- 2 cups water or milk
- 1 cup granulated white sugar or powdered jaggery
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan over medium-low heat.
- Tip – Use a heavy-bottomed pan or a thick pan, to avoid burning the flour while roasting.
- Add whole wheat flour to the pan and fry on medium-low heat until the flour is slightly browned (6-8 minutes). Stir very frequently while frying.
- Add almonds and cashew nuts and fry until the color of the flour is changed to dark brown and it starts to emit a nutty aroma (12-15 minutes ). Stir very frequently and do not let the flour burn.
- Tip – Roasting the flour is the most important step in this recipe. The final color of the halwa will the same as that of the roasted flour. Make sure that you do not over roast it, otherwise, it will turn dark brown and will smell of burnt flour. And if not roasted well, it will taste raw.
- Once the flour is roasted well, add 2 cups of water, stirring continuously, and cook until the water is almost absorbed. You can replace water with milk for a richer halwa. The halwa will become very light in color at this stage but worry not.
- Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Once the sugar starts to melt and caramelize, the halwa will start to darken in color. Stir very frequently.
- Garnish atta halwa with slivered almonds and pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Heavy Bottom Pan - Use a heavy-bottomed pan to roast the flour until it is nicely browned.
Heat - Roasting the flour on medium-low heat yields the best results. Do not roast the flour on high heat; otherwise, atta halwa will taste burned.
Proportion is the Key - Make sure that you use the correct measurements of wheat flour and ghee. The halwa will turn out dry if not enough ghee is used.
Nuts - Go generous with nuts. They add a lovely crunch to the halwa.
Stir - Keep stirring frequently while roasting the flour.
My Little Secret - Adding nuts midway through roasting is my innovative step. The slightly roasted nuts give a very nice taste in each bit and you don't have to roast them separately, making the process easier.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
