Festive sweet · Winter favourite

Badam Halwa Recipe (Rich Almond Halwa)

Coarse paste. Patient stirring. Ghee leaves the sides.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Badam halwa is ground almonds cooked in milk, sugar and ghee until rich and glossy. It turns grainy or greasy when rushed. The fix is a coarse almond paste, steady stirring on low heat and adding ghee in parts until the halwa leaves the sides of the pan.

Prep20m
Cook35m
Servings6
kcal / serving420
LevelMedium
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of badam halwa

Why this recipe works

Blanch and grind

Raw skins

Peeled almonds give a smooth halwa.

Low heat

High heat

Almonds burn quickly.

Ghee in parts

All at once

Adding gradually keeps it glossy.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Halwa

The NineFoods halwa gauge

Is the halwa done?

Push the halwa to one side of the pan.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Paste

No heat · 10 min
  1. Blend peeled almonds with milk to a coarse paste.
Look for: coarse, grainy paste.
10:00
2

Cook paste

Low · 15 min
  1. Cook the paste with half the ghee, stirring constantly.
  2. It will thicken and turn light golden.
Look for: light golden, thick.
15:00
3

Sugar and ghee

Low · 15 min
  1. Add sugar, saffron and cardamom.
  2. Add remaining ghee in parts and stir. Use the gauge above.
Look for: glossy halwa leaving the sides.
15:00
4

Garnish

Off heat · 2 min
  1. Top with sliced nuts.
  2. Serve warm.
Look for: glossy halwa with nuts.
02:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Sugar crystallised or overcooked.

Fix next time

Stir in warm milk off the heat.

Why

Too much ghee.

Fix next time

Spoon off extra ghee.

Why

Heat too high.

Fix next time

Use a heavy pan on low and stir constantly.

Why

Less sugar.

Fix next time

Add powdered sugar at the end.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
AlmondsBaseAlmond flour, cook 10 minutes less
MilkBodyEvaporated milk
SugarSweetnessJaggery
GheeRichnessButter, clarified

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Warm, on its own or with vanilla ice cream.

Store

Fridge 1 week.

Reheat

Warm in a pan with 1 tsp ghee.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 6 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (is the halwa done) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

All dessert recipesSugar Syrup Stages for MithaiHow to Make KhoyaHow to Make Ghee at Home

Quick answers

Badam Halwa FAQ

Should almonds be peeled?

Yes, soaked and peeled almonds give a smoother halwa.

Can I use almond flour?

Yes, it saves time and cooks faster.

How do I know halwa is done?

It leaves the sides of the pan as one glossy mass.

Can I make it with less ghee?

Yes, but it will be less glossy.