Traditional Indian dessert, sooji halwa is a pudding made with semolina (sooji), ghee and sugar. It’s one of those quintessential desserts that’s made in every Indian household. Growing up, there were 2 desserts that mom made on a regular basis- one was halwa and the other was rice kheer. While halwa is a broad term used for pudding like desserts in India, the most common halwa that mom made were sooji halwa and aate ka halwa.
Sooji ka halwa was made in my home whenever we wanted to have something sweet. It was an easy dessert which mom could whip up in 15 minutes and hence it was her go to dessert for sweet cravings. Her halwa was never flavored with cardamom/saffron and she also usually skipped nuts.
Sooji halwa was also made as prasad (offering) for various festivals. I remember eating bowls of sooji halwa during the auspicious Navratri days.
My ratio for perfect sooji halwa
The ratio of ghee, sooji, sugar and water basically decide the texture and flavor of the halwa you end up with. Everyone has their own rations that they stick to. When I was a kid, I remember one of aunts who used to make very good sooji halwa told me that for the perfect sooji halwa one should always use the same amount of sooji, ghee and sugar and double the water (so a ratio of 1:1:1:2).
For my recipe, I do use same amount (1/2 cup) of ghee and sooji. I slightly cut down on the sugar and use 1/3 cup and I triple the amount of water since I like my halwa more on the softer side. And I don’t do 100% water but rather 50% milk and 50% water for a creamier halwa. You can play around with these ratios and see which one you prefer.
Tips to make a good sooji halwa!
Roast the sooji until fragrant: this is one of the most important steps in this recipe. If you don’t roast the sooji properly, the halwa will have raw taste. I don’t like to brown my sooji for the halwa. So, I roast it on low heat, stirring continuously until it’s nice and fragrant.
It takes around 8 to 9 minutes for it to roast on low heat.
Be careful while adding the liquid: when you add hot liquid (water and milk in this case) to the hot pan of roasted sooji, it bubbles up like crazy. So be very careful! Add slowly and carefully else you will burn yourself. It’s also a good idea to use a pan with a long handle to heat up the milk, sugar and water mixture.
That makes it easier to pour the hot liquids into the sooji.
Stir constantly to avoid forming lumps: to make sure your halwa is smooth, stir continuously as you add the liquids. If you don’t do that, it will form lumps and won’t have the creamy texture.
Let’s Make Simple Sooji Halwa
You can skip the milk and use only water in this recipe, in that case you would use 1& 1/2 cups of water. Milk makes halwa creamier but it’s good with just water too.
- Roasting the sooji correctly is very important
I cannot emphasize this enough, if your sooji is not roasted properly then you are not going to end up with a good halwa. If it’s roasted less- the halwa will taste raw, and if you toast it more, it will get burnt and halwa will have a bitter taste. Meanwhile, also heat up milk, water and sugar together until sugar dissolves.
- Roast on low heat and stir constantly!
Roast stirring constantly on low-medium heat, it takes around 8 to 9 minutes on low heat for sooji to become fragrant. It also starts to change color at this point. For a darker looking halwa, you can roast the sooji more. You can also add cardamom powder at this point.
- Add the liquids and cook the halwa
Once the sooji is roasted, then add the liquids and stir constantly. Sooji will absorb the liquids and thicken up. Your halwa is done and ready to be served warm!
Vegan variation
Ever since I first posted this recipe, I often get comments on how to make this vegan. You would use vegan butter for this recipe in place of ghee and use just plain water for the liquids.
Sooji Halwa (Easy, 20 Minute Recipe)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar, 75 grams , or use ½ cup (100 grams) for a sweeter halwa
- ¾ cup water, 180 ml
- ¾ cup milk, 180 ml
- ½ cup ghee, in semi-solid state, use ⅓ cup ghee if you prefer less ghee in your halwa
- ½ cup sooji (semolina), 90 grams , use fine sooji
- 10 whole cashew nuts, broken into small pieces, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- To a heavy bottom pan, add ⅓ cup sugar (or ½ cup for a sweeter halwa), ¾ cup water and ¾ cup whole milk. Stir and let it heat up on medium heat. You don't want to boil it, but mixture should be heated through and sugar should be dissolved.
- While the milk-water heats up, put a pan on medium heat and add ½ cup ghee to it (or use ⅓ cup if you prefer less ghee). Let the ghee melt. Then add ½ cup sooji to the pan and stir. Add 10 cashews , broken (optional) and stir. Stirring continuously, roast the sooji on low-medium heat. Add ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder and continue to stir.
- Stir for around 8 to 9 minutes on low-medium heat. As soon as sooji is fragrant and begins to change color, that it the time to add the liquid. I don't like to brown my sooji, if you want darker color halwa, roast couple more minutes.
- Add the heated milk-water-sugar-mixture into the pan. It will bubble a lot as you add the liquids into the pan so be careful and add slowly.
- Whisk the sooji continuously as you add the liquids. Add the liquids in 2 to 3 parts, whisking continuously with one hand.
- Keep stirring, sooji will begin to absorb the liquid and thicken up. Stir for 2 minutes more until the halwa thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Garnish with more cashews and serve sooji halwa warm!
Notes
- You can add raisins and almonds to the halwa.
- If you think that’s a lot of ghee, you can cut it down to 1/3 cup. I would not recommend going below that.
- This halwa is lightly sweetened. For a sweeter halwa, use 1/2 cup sugar.
- You can add saffron for color and flavor. Add it to the liquids while heating them up.
- If you prefer a more roasted halwa, simply roast the sooji for additional 1 to 2 minutes for darker color halwa.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So simple and so tasty. I have just found my favorite recipe for halwa. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. Thank you for this recipe ❤️
Thanks Barby, glad you liked it!
Whats the differrnce bettween kesari and sooji halwa which yu described above, by the way yur recipes are GREAT but sometimes very complicated, thanxx
Hi Keerin, thanks for appreciating my recipes, I try to explain them in a simple way. Many Indian recipes call for a long list of ingredients and probably that’s why they seem complicated but hopefully my instructions help them make easier. Rava kesari and sooji halwa are more or less the same thing which rava kesari being the popular name in South India and sooji halwa in north India. The way they are prepared may vary slightly but the core ingredients are same- rava (sooji), sugar and ghee.
The top instructions were poorly written and it doesn’t call out Suji needs to be in a separate pan
I am sorry what? Sooji needs to be roasted in a pan after ghee melts. It’s clearly written and there are also clear step by step pictures for it?
Good morning,
I had written to you a week ago enquiring whether I could substitute soy milk for regular milk. However, I am disappointed that you have not responded to my queston.
I have another question: if I add some raisins to the Halva, can I add them at the time of the almond pieces?
Thank you for your response to my enquiry.
Bernard
I apologize for the delay in response, I was on a break for the holidays. You can add raisins, I would first fry them in ghee so that that plump up .
Good afternoon Manali,
Writing from Toronto, Canada. Sooji Halwa has long been a favourite of mine and when I came across your recipe it seems very basic, simple and doable. I too like my Suji Halwa on the soft side and I was wondering if in the 50/50 split with water and milk, I could substitute soy milk for regular milk.
I have always used soy milk as a substitute for regular milk in all my baking with no appreciable difference in the end product.
Thank you for your time in responding to my enquiry.
Kind regards
Bernard
Hi Bernard, apologies for the late reply. Yes you can replace the regular milk with soy milk, should not be a problem!
This recipe is spot on and absolutely delicious. I love the addition of the milk to make it creamier. My kids never really enjoyed sooji halwa until I made this recipe. Definitely a keeper. I am glad this showed up in my google search. I look forward to checking out more recipes on your site.
Thanks Shalini, glad you enjoyed it!
Yummy! So close to my mom’s. I will roast the sooji a bit more next time. I’m used to a tad more color to my halwa.
glad you liked it Ruchika
Excellent
Best quantity of ingredients prepared perfect delicious food.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the recipe
Simple ratios and instructions, came out great. Thank you
fantastic! turned out really well – I made this vegan using oat milk and vegan butter; not sure any of my dinner guests noticed! lovely, thank you!
Hi I’m from Fiji Islands. I love Sooji Halwa and have been trying to get an easy recipe to try making it myself. Thank you so much for this recipe. I loved it.
VERY TESTY HALWA MY MOUTH IS WATERING
THANKS
I tried your Sooji Halwa recipe and liked it very much! I left out the milk, nuts and cardamom powder, but added the raisins and it was still delicious! Thank you very much!
How many people will it serve as Parsad if I make with 1cup suji please
probably 8-10 as prasad
Been wanting to try! Finally made it! Used half the sugar with brown sugar (: used bruised ardamom pods as didn’t really want an overwhelming flavor (:
I had this pudding for the first time the other day and had the chef tell me what was in it-your recipe matches perfectly. My son and I both love Indian cuisine!
Do you have a recipe for mango pudding? I have had it with apples and bananas and yesterday I had it with fruit cocktail added.
I don’t sorry. Was it an Indian mango pudding?
Hi, can I use evaporated milk instead of normal milk?
yes you can!
Hi! Can I use corn semolina r it has to be weath?
Thank you 🙂
don’t think corn semolina will work for this recipe
Hi Manali,
Absolutely love this recipe! I have made this a few times, it’s foolproof and super delicious.
How long can you store this in the fridge for?
it will be best if you consume it within 48 hours, reheat in microwave!
Thank you for the recipe. I finally know how to make it. The last time I had this was when I was in the orphanage in Kolkata. Thanks to the internet and people like you I am learning to cook Indian food. Thank you again
welcome, I am glad to hear that 🙂
This recipe is wonderful!! I add just a bit more sugar and cardamom to my taste and it comes out great each time! I have used this recipe often and have a question, can I use regular unsalted butter instead of the ghee ? Thanks so much for all your great recipes !
yes butter can be used! 🙂
Absolutely loved the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
welcome!
Maybe this is a cultural thing, but i founx this recipe to be quite bland – texture was pleasant, but not particularly flavourful I found
Hi Ben, yeah this is how we make in India. Usual sooji halwa is just ghee, sugar and sooji. Rest of the things like nuts, and spices like cardamom, saffron etc. are optional. My mom actually never added any of these when she made them at home. Thanks for trying
Really lovely texture. I flavored mine with orange blossom. Easy and quick, thank you!!
hello everybody,
i think 75g of ghee is too much
Hello Anatole, you can reduce ghee to your preference. This is what works for me!
Very delicious.. thanks
Love how easy this is. Made it for myself after coming out of surgery and feeling absolutely miserable. I can only say it tastes just like a warm hug feels.
Hope you feel better soon Stacey, take care!
Made for my mom. Your recipe provides appropriate measures. It turned out to be great. Thanks
welcome 🙂
Hi Manali
Loved the recipe. Simply perfect. So easy, quick and delish.
Love Samantha Duerschinger
Thank you Manali, this recipe produces a wonderfully addictive Halva – I just add a bit more Cardamom – Yum!
However, I do have friends who are totally vegan and I thought to substitute Coconut milk for this recipe, any advice… whether 100% or just use 505/50 % ?
Yeah go with coconut milk or cashew milk! Coconut milk makes everything very coconut-y which I am personally not a fan. But if your friends love it then sure add 100% coconut milk! Else cashew or oat milk are also good options.
Hi Petals ! I too add a bit more cardamom because I love the flavor so much. Your idea of using coconut milk sounds delicious, did you ever try it that way? I think I will make an attempt at that myself. I always make rice pudding using coconut milk and I love it. I’ll see if it’s a good addition here to Manali’s excellent recipe😊 Thanks