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Instant Pot Beetroot Halwa Recipe
Beetroot Halwa ( halwa meaning sweet dish) is a delicious dessert made with beetroots which is packed with nutrition. Super simple to make this dessert , you'll only need 5 ingredients, and 10 minutes of cooking time. The only preparation needed is to shred/ grate the beetroots. Perfect for a gathering, special occasions / festivals or simply make it to enjoy eating it as a dessert. Recipe includes detailed Instructions of how to cook the beetroot halwa in the Instant pot and stove top method , stepwise pictures and tips to get the right halwa consistency. Few reasons I make this beetroot halwa, because it is highly nutritious vegetable, when making it for my kids I reduce the sugar quantity, and in this recipe the mentioned sugar quantity is not too sweet ( just perfect). Secondly it is very simple and quick to make it for a dessert, and you'll only need few basic ingredients. And to make my kids eat beets, dessert is the only perfect way they will eat without fuzz. It is a great dish to make it for special occasions and festivals, when you've to make several dishes, this one comes in handy. I usually shred the beetroots in food processor and zip lock them and throw it into the refrigerator, which is a simple prep work you can do ahead of time, then its only the cooking time. Also this halwa is one of the traditional sweets made in many Indian houses. Try it, I'm sure you'll love it!

How to shred / grate the beetroots ?

To shred the beetroots faster, peel the skin, then cut it into small cubes, and shred it using the food processor. Make sure to use fine shred disk. Beetroots needs to be thinly shred, very important for the halwa texture. Note - Precut shredded beetroots will not work for this halwa because it will be thicker. If you do not have food processor, then use a hand grater .

Will the cooking time vary if I double the recipe ?

Pressure cook time will remain the same , sautéing time after pressure cooking the beetroots may slightly vary depending on the quantity ( approximately two to three minutes of extra time) .

How long to sauté before and after pressure cooking the beetroots?

Sautéing before pressure cooking - sauté the shredded beetroots approximately for only one minute in ghee / clarified butter , it gives good flavor and texture to the halwa. Sautéing after pressure cooking the beets - After pressure cooking , add sugar , mix well and bring the whole mixture to boil, once it starts to boil, continue to boil only for 4 to 5 minutes or until the halwa starts to leave the sides of the pot, consistency of the halwa will become thick ( not too thick , it should be semi solid consistency, after halwa cools down, it will becomes slightly thicker, so make sure to remove the pot from the heat immediately). Note - Its very important to not over cook the halwa with sugar, you'll loose the soft texture and consistency of the halwa. It will become solid like burfi after the halwa cools down to room temperature.

Sugar quantity in the halwa

In this this recipe I added perfect quantity of sugar, so halwa is not too sweet. If you like it more sweeter then add 1 cup sugar for 1/2 lb of beetroots. To make it less sweeter, then add only 1/4 cup of sugar for 1/2 lb beetroots.

What sugar to use ?

I prefer white granulated sugar for all Indian sweets for it texture and glaze it gives on the sweets. For this recipe to I used white granulated sugar and recommend using one, but if you don't have granulated then you may use fine ground white sugar. Note - I do not recommend brown sugar for this recipe.

Highly recommend using water and milk to pressure cook the beetroots

By adding some amount of water with milk, you can prevent the milk from getting burnt while pressure cooking it with beetroots. Not much water is required in this recipe, add the mentioned quantity in the recipe.

How to fix the halwa if it is too runny or too thick?

Runny ? After pressure cooking the beetroots , to cook the halwa faster to the required consistency or if you find the consistency too watery and taking longer to cook, you can add 2 tablespoons of milk mava powder (available online in amazon or Indian market,  or use any other brand milk powder ) for 1/2 lb of beetroots . Milk powder / mava powder acts like Khoa, khoya and gives that coarse texture to the sweets. Too thick ? Add few tablespoons of milk or add more if required , and heat in low power in instant pot or low flame on stove top , quickly stir to required consistency and turn off the heat .

Serving Suggestions

Serve the beetroot halwa warm for best taste. You can also serve warm halwa with a scoop of ice cream, it tastes scrumptious.

Storing and reheating Instructions 

Cool down the cooked halwa completely to room temperature or store any leftover in the refrigerator in a air tight containers ( preferable glass). Beetroot halwa stays good for up to a week in the fridge. To reheat - microwave covered for one to two minutes or more depending upon the quantity ( microwave just until warm ). If you find the halwa to be to thick from the fridge, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk , mix well and microwave. Make this beetroot halwa ahead of time for a gathering /special occasions. Prepare the halwa and cool down completely to room temperature. Transfer to a microwave safe container to reheat it when required. For Reheating - I recommend to microwave the halwa ( and not reheat it in the oven) until warm, stirring in between. After heating it, you can either transfer it to party trays or any container you prefer. You can add few tablespoons of milk to loosen the consistency of the halwa, this is optional.

How to make beetroot halwa in pressure cooker on the stove top 

Follow the same recipe ingredients and the quantity to make on the stove top method, or double the recipe by changing / adjusting the serving size on the recipe card, and add accordingly.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in the pressure cooker on medium high flame, add cashew nut if using ( other wise skip this step), fry till golden brown , remove and set aside.
  • Add shredded beets in the same pressure cooker, sauté for one minutes, now add saffron - milk ( soak saffron in milk if using saffron) , water and mix well.
  • Pressure cook on the same medium - high flame with the rubber gasket fitted and put on the whistle weight and pressure cook for one whistle. Switch of the flame. Let the pressure release naturally.
  • Open the cooker lid, add sugar, and stir well. Switch on the flame to medium - low , let the mixture come to a boil, and continue to boil ( stirring in-between , making sure it doesn't get burnt in the bottom) for 3 to 4 minutes or cook until the halwa starts to leave the sides ( consistency will thicken ). Switch of the flame immediately. Now add remaining ghee , cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts, mix well. Let it cool down ( until warm enough to eat). Serve warm for best taste or serve warm halwa with a scoop of ice cream.
Other Indian cuisine dessert recipes, I've listed few below. Dessert Recipes , listed few below. For full recipe list check the link here - Dessert Recipes

Step by step pictures of how to make the beetroot halwa / sweet

Wash the beetroot in water, peel the skin of the beetroots, cut it into cubes, and use fine shredding disc to shred the beets. Other ingredients - milk, water, sugar, ghee, cardamom powder, ( cashew nut and saffron ) if using. Mix milk and saffron strands together and set aside. Sauté using the Instant Pot I used Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8 Quart for cooking. Place the inner vessel into the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for THREE minutes. Now Press START. Once it is ready and preheating is done ( you’ll get a beep sound), add 2 tablespoons of ghee , then add cashew nuts , sauté until slightly brown, remove from pot and set aside ( approximately ONE min, this step is only if you're adding cashew nuts, else skip this step). Now add shredded beets and sauté for ONE minute ( stir continuously for one minute). Press CANCEL. Add saffron - milk, and water, stir well ( make sure no food is stuck to the bottom of the pot to prevent burnt error). Pressure Cooking Close the LID of the Instant Pot . Press the PRESSURE COOK mode on HIGH power, and SET CUSTOM TIMER to “ONE” minutes. SEAL the Pressure Valve ( this model IP automatically seals the vent). Switch off the KEEP WARM MODE ( light should not be on in the keep warm mode). Now press START. After the pressure cooking is done. Press CANCEL , and QPR (quick pressure release) by moving quick release switch from SEAL TO VENT. Sauté finally After the steam is released, open the lid of the Instant Pot , add sugar now and stir well. Then press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for FIVE minutes. Now Press START, let the mixture come to a boil, and continue to boil for FOUR to FIVE minutes approximately, stir in-between making sure it doesn't get burnt in the bottom ( halwa becomes thicker in consistency, it will start to leaves the sides of the pot). Press CANCEL, Add the remaining ghee, fried cashew nuts, cardamom powder, and mix well ( you don’t have to wait for the pre heating to be done, press sauté mode and when the halwa starts to boil, SET MANUAL TIMER for FIVE minutes, once halwa consistency thickens and when you see it starts to leave the sides of the pot, press cancel ). Make sure to remove the inner pot from the instant pot immediately after cooking to prevent the halwa from loosing it consistency. Let it cool down ( until warm to eat ), serve the halwa warm for best taste or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Servings: 4 yield(s)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 And 1/2 cup Shredded Beetroots (Or 1/2 lbs or 8 oz , Thinly shred beetroots using a food processor)
  • 1/2 cup Milk (Can use any milk ( 2% , 1%)
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 3/4 cup Granulated White Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder (Grind few green whole cardamom or use readymade store brought powder)
  • Cashew nuts (Few ( Optional )
  • Saffron Strands (Few ( Optional)
Instructions
    Preparation
  1. Wash the beetroot in water, peel the skin of the beetroots, cut it into cubes, and use fine shredding disc to shred the beets. Other ingredients - milk, water, sugar, ghee, cardamom powder, ( cashew nut and saffron ) if using. Mix milk and saffron strands together and set aside.
    2. Sauté using the Instant Pot
  2. I used Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8 Quart for cooking. Place the inner vessel into the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for THREE minutes. Now Press START. Once it is ready and preheating is done ( you’ll get a beep sound), add 2 tablespoons of ghee , then add cashew nuts , sauté until slightly brown, remove from pot and set aside ( approximately ONE min, this step is only if you're adding cashews, else skip this step). Now add shredded beets and sauté for ONE minute ( stir continuously for one minute). Press CANCEL. Add saffron - milk, and water, stir well ( make sure no food is stuck to the bottom of the pot to prevent burnt error).
    3. Pressure Cooking
  3. Close the LID of the Instant Pot . Press the PRESSURE COOK mode on HIGH power, and SET CUSTOM TIMER to “ONE” minutes. SEAL the Pressure Valve ( this model IP automatically seals the vent). Switch off the KEEP WARM MODE ( light should not be on in the keep warm mode). Now press START. After the pressure cooking is done. Press CANCEL , and QPR (quick pressure release) by moving quick release switch from SEAL TO VENT.
    4. Sauté finally
  4. After the steam is released, open the lid of the Instant Pot , add sugar now and stir well. Then press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for FIVE minutes. Now Press START, let the mixture come to a boil, and continue to boil for FOUR to FIVE minutes approximately, stir in-between making sure it doesn't get burnt in the bottom ( halwa becomes thicker in consistency, it will start to leaves the sides of the pot). Press CANCEL, add the remaining ghee, fried cashew nuts, cardamom powder, and mix well ( you don’t have to wait for the pre heating to be done, press sauté mode and when the halwa starts to boil, SET MANUAL TIMER for FIVE minutes, once halwa consistency thickens and when you see it starts to leave the sides of the pot, press cancel ). Make sure to remove the inner pot from the instant pot immediately after cooking to prevent the halwa from loosing it consistency. Let it cool down ( until warm to eat ), serve the halwa warm for best taste or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes

  1. If you're allergic to nuts or don't want to add it ? you can skip the cashew nuts. And if you do not have saffron , you can skip it. Both nuts and saffron is optional.
  2. Highly recommend to use ghee / clarifies butter - It is readily available in Indian market / Amazon online or Costco.
  3. Whole milk , 2% or 1 % milk is okay to use for this recipe.
  4. Thinly shredding the beetroots is important for the halwa texture.
  5. Recommend using white granulated sugar or fine white sugar.
  6. Do not sauté more or over cook halwa after adding sugar, once you see the consistency of the halwa getting thicker ( not to thick or watery) and it starts to leave the sides of the pot , remove the inner pot from the Instant pot to stop further cooking.
  7. Consistency of the halwa thickens a little after it cools down, which is perfectly normal.
Other Indian cuisine dessert recipes, I've listed few below. I've listed few dessert recipe below. For full recipe list check the link here - Dessert Recipes

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