It’s October! I smell Autumn dancing in the air. Should we get a pumpkin spice latte and discuss fall? The world is becoming one big canvas in nature’s paintbrush. The leaves are beginning to turn gold, red, yellow, and orange and the breeze is getting crisp. The sky is blue as ever. And the world is ready for pumpkin and fall dessert.
Pumpkin halwa is one of my favorite halwa that I grew up eating. Oh, the aroma that filled the home every time my mom cooked pumpkin halwa! Then, the taste! Silky, smooth, luxurious!
If you like pumpkin pie, you’ll love pumpkin halva. Usually, halva is butter/ghee rich but my version uses very little and I haven’t found any difference in taste. Also, I usually use low fat milk products in my desserts to keep the calorie per serving lower, and no one can tell the difference. By all means, you are not restricted to follow my trait of using low fat milk product if you would rather use the full fat versions. Either way, this confection is a treat to the eye and the taste buds.
- 1 small pumpkin, cubed (approximately 4 cups cubed)
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 2-3 cardamom
- 3-4 one inch pieces of cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- Boil cubed pumpkin in milk.
- Add cardamom, cinnamon and boil until pumpkin is very soft.
- Let cool a bit. Discard cardamom and cinnamon pieces.
- Puree pumpkin to a smooth silky paste.
- Add butter/ghee in a pan.
- Add pumpkin puree and sugar.
- Cook in low heat stirring constantly, scrapping the pan bottom. Use a thick bottomed or non-stick pan.
- Cook until the mixture is sticky and a mass pulls away from the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Remove from heat. Let cool.
- Divide into even portions to make bite size pieces.
As pumpkin puree thickens, the halva needs to be stirred consistently to achieve a smooth texture.
Love this pumpkin dessert? Pin it to make it later
Cant wait to try this. Thank you:)
Thanks for stopping by, Tania. Let me know how this turns out for you. Enjoy!
I had never heard about this festival before so thanks for that little explanation! And yay, so glad you joined in the fun this month for the photography challenge. Looks delicious!
Simone – I am excited to take part at the photography challenge. Thank you for hosting. As for Eid, I’ll be writing more in the coming days.
I can’t wait to try these! They look delishious! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thank you Krista. I hope you get try these hard to resist, lip smackingly great halva.
Can one use pumpkin puree, in the can, that is typically used for pumpkin pie? If so, how would the recipe change? I hope to try this soon! Thank you.
Hi Shabnam – I have never used the pumpkin puree available in the market, so I can’t speak from experience. However, theoritically, you should be able to use commercially available pumpkin puree and make the halva. The color will most likely be not as vibrant and you may need to adjust seasoning and sweetner depending on what’s on the ingredients of the puree. Hope this helps.
I would love to know how the halva turns if you go with store-bough puree. Do let me know 🙂 THank you.
Can this be made without milk?
Milk gives the halva richness but off course you can make without milk. The taste would differ a bit though. Hope this helps. Thank you.
You’re photos look amazing–almost too good to eat! I never cared for sweets especially halva but I will have to try these pumpkin versions. Happy Nesting!
You’ll love them when you try. Also, I agree, the color flavor and the sight of these little delights are too good to enjoy with all our senses. Thank you so much for stopping by.