Sooji Halwa Recipe
Updated: January 14, 2023, By Swasthi
Make delicious Sooji Halwa with my simple traditional recipe. Made with basic ingredients like semolina, ghee, sugar, water and nuts, this is simple to make and comes together under 25 minutes. Whether it’s a festival or you simply want to fulfill your sweet cravings, I am sure you will love this Sooji Halwa for everything. Soft, fluffy and mouth melting texture with great flavors of cardamom!!!
About Halwa
Halwa is said to have originated in the Middle East and the word comes from Arabic which means “sweet” & is a confectionary. However in Indian Cuisine it is a pudding like dessert made during occasions like festivals or for a special meal. It is also served as an after-meal dessert.
Table of contents
Indian Halwa comes in many forms and colors. It is made with either semolina or flour or lentils by roasting them in ghee and cooking with water or milk. It is sweetened with sugar & flavoured with various spices like cardamoms, nutmeg, saffron etc. Lastly it is garnished with nuts & a lot of times the halwa itself is cooked with nuts and raisins.
This Sooji Halwa is the most basic and is prepared with fine semolina. It is made all-over India and eaten as a after meal dessert or with Poori, a fried bread. In South India a similar version is known as Rava Kesari and in the Western Indian states it is known as Sheera.
This Sooji Halwa recipe needs only 5 basic ingredients like semolina, ghee, sugar, nuts & raisins and cardamoms (or other spice) for flavoring. It is cooked in water but you can also use half water and half milk for a richer taste. I prefer to make mine with water for a less heavy dessert.
Ingredients & Subtitutes
Semolina: You will use fine semolina known as sooji /suji for this recipe. If you have the larger kind, you may pulse it in a grinder so you get a slightly finer texture.
Spices: While cardamom is the essential spice used to flavor the halwa, you are always free to use saffron, nutmeg or even rose water for flavoring.
Sweetener: Sugar is the standard sweetener used but you can also use other sweeteners like jaggery or coconut sugar. You should note that the flavors & color of the halwa change with the use of other sweeteners.
Ghee: It is best to use good quality ghee, preferably homemade or store bought that smells good. There is no substitute for ghee.
Nuts & Raisins: Cashews, almonds, pistachios and raisins go well in this semolina halwa. Please use unsalted nuts. I prefer to fry them in ghee for this recipe. Feel free to blanch, peel and chop the almonds and pistachios if you want.
Photo Guide
Step-by-step photos to make Sooji Halwa
Preparation
1. Measure the ingredients required for the recipe
- 1 cup fine semolina (160 grams suji/ sooji/rava)
- ½ cup ghee (100 grams,120 ml) can use 2 tablespoons more, refer notes
- ¾ cup sugar (150 to 175 grams) can use 2 tablespoons more, read notes
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (or ½ teaspoon rose water, not essence)
- 2 tablespoons sweet raisins (optional)
- 1/3 cup cashews (split)
- 8 to 10 almonds (sliced or 2 tablespoons silvered, optional)
2. To a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and heat it. Add cashews and begin to fry them on a medium heat.
3. When the cashews turn golden, add the chopped raisins and sliced almonds.
4. Fry until the raisins turn pulp. If you want some crunchy nuts, you can set aside half of them at this stage.
5. Add the semolina to the pan and begin to roast on a medium to low heat stirring often. Meanwhile in a small pot or kettle, heat 2½ cups water (600 ml). If you want you may use half water and half milk.
6. Keep stirring to fry the semolina evenly. If required regulate the heat to low. When the semolina turns light and begins to smell aromatic it means it is done. It turns to a dark golden color. Don’t overcook and brown it as the flavor alters.
Make the Halwa
7. Reduce the heat and pour the hot water all at once to the pan. You don’t need to bring it to a rolling boil. Hot is enough.
8. Mix the water well with the semolina to make sure there are no lumps.
9. Increase the flame to medium and cover the pan. Let it cook for a few minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.
10. You will see the semolina is fluffy at this stage. Give a good mix.
11. Add sugar and cardamom powder. I also prefer to add ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg at this stage. Mix well and cook covered.
12. The sugar dissolves and makes the halwa runny. Mix and cook covered for a few minutes.
13. When done, your halwa is fluffy, aromatic and light. Mix in the rose water if using.
14. It will also begin to leave the pan and ghee begins to release from the halwa. Do not overcook as we don’t want it dry.
Garnish with the fried nuts and raisins if you had set aside. Serve halwa as a dessert or with puri.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Sooji Halwa Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup (160 grams) fine semolina (suji/ sooji/rava, or roasted rava)
- ½ cup (100 grams,120 ml) ghee (can use 2 tablespoons more)
- ¾ to 1 cup (150 to 175 grams) sugar (adjust to taste, ¾ + 2 tbsps is good enough)
- 2½ cups (600 ml) water (or 2 cups water & ½ cup milk or 50/50 water & milk)
- ⅓ cup cashews (split)
- 8 to 10 almonds (sliced or 2 tablespoons silvered, optional)
- 2 tablespoons sweet raisins (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (or ½ teaspoon rose water, not essence)
Instructions
How to make Sooji Halwa
- Heat ghee in a pan or pot. Fry cashews until light golden and then stir in the chopped almonds and raisins.
- Fry until the raisins turn plump. Set aside half of the nuts & raisins if you want for garnish.
- Reduce the heat and add the semolina to the ghee. Begin to fry on a low to medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Meanwhile pour water to a pot or kettle and heat it. You don’t need to boil it, just very hot water is enough.
- When the semolina turns light golden and aromatic, pour all of the hot water at once carefully.
- Give a good stir to ensure there are no lumps. Cover and cook until all of the water is absorbed, for a few minutes.
- Stir in the sugar & cardamom powder. You will see the halwa turns runny. At this stage you can also taste test and add more sugar if you want.
- Cover and cook until all of the sugar has dissolved and the halwa begins to leave the pan. At this stage you can see ghee begins to release from the halwa. If you prefer more ghee, add it at this stage.
- Add rose water if using and turn off. Add the fried nuts and raisins if you had set aside.
- Serve Halwa hot or warm as a dessert or with Poori.
Notes
- Traditional halwa is made with 1:1:1 ratios of semolina, ghee and sugar. This is my version of halwa where I cut down the ghee to half cup. If you want you may use 2 tablespoons more.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
Iโm Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Easy and perfect
Thanks Dipali
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Your instructions are so clear. How long does it last in the fridge if I use water and no milk. Thank you.
Hi Sandra,
It keeps good for a week in the refrigerator and for 2 months in the freezer. Thaw it in the refrigerator and steam it (no additional liquid required).
Hello
I made this for a pot luck along with your sabudana vada. Both turned out delish. Thank you
Happy to read that Namita. You are welcome
Turned out great
Thanks Madhuri
Just made this sheera following your recipe, customised a little by reducing the sugar further since the main reason I’m making it is for my 4 year old son ๐ It’s turned out so tasty and fluffy!!! Looks very different to yours but tastes so good! Thank you ๐
Happy to read that Melissa. You are most welcome
This was the first time I made a recipe from your website. The instructions are so clear and crisp. My sooji halwa turned out delish. I am sure I will be back here for more recipes. Thank you
So glad to read this Gargi. Thank you for trying. Hope you enjoy more recipes from here
Your recipes are very good. I am a retired professor and learning to cook using your recipes. I made this halwa today and my wife says it is as good as hers.
That’s really nice to know. Thank you so much
Turns out perfect every single time. With and without milk both taste great
Glad you like it. Thank you
Yummy!! Tastes divine!! I cut down 2 tablespoons ghee but still my halwa turned out delicious
Thanks Damini
Delicious sooji halwa. I made this for a dinner party and it was great!
Glad you like it Zora. Thank you
I love all your recipes.
Whenever I am searching a recipe my first choice is to check swasthis recipe if there isn’t any then I go for other options.
Keep posting โค๏ธ
Thank you so much!
Sure will keep posting.
๐
I like rajma
And palak paneer
Thank you!
Palak paneer was lovely
Thanks Minal
Yummy o yummy! Perfect sooji ka halwa. I made it for my dadโs birthday and my dad liked it
I always had lumps in my halwa but this time it came out perfect. I made it for my dad’s birthday. Used rose water. My dad said it is tasty
Your recipes are very reliable and come handy every time I make something new. I made this halwa for the third time and it was a super hit again
Please give some snacks that kids like most easily at home
Yummy. I made sooji halwa for pooja and it came out delicious. Not too greasy or heavy.
This is the best sooji halwa I ever made. Turned out so good. Thank you for posting
So delicious recipes
Thanks