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.
Perfect texture and sweetness! I like mind roasted a little more so i did that. I didn’t have cashews so i used pistachios. Very delicious recipe. I think i will add some more cardamom next time because I really love cardamom 😋
cardamom is always a great addition, yum!
Hi
Love your recipe. Used it a couple of times.Thanks for putting it up.Just wanted to ask is the calorie amount written (373) for one serving or the entire recipe?
It’s calculated automatically by a recipe plugin that I use. It divides the total numbers of calories by the number of servings I put in the recipe card and gives the value for single serving. It’s just an estimate though, for accurate nutritional information please consult a nutritionist.
Excellent recipe and my new go to for halwa! I used roasted almonds as I didn’t have cashews. Wow! Top notch and worthy of any dinner party dessert!!
Thanks Michelle for the lovely feedback!
Very nice recipe
Thanks Aasma
Hi ! I love your recipes they’re so simple and easy and so very delicious! Sometimes it’s hard for me to find semolina so I I was wondering if I could use cream of wheat in this recipe In place of it? Thanks for all the Wonderful recipes!
hmm the texture will be different but sure if you want to give it a try!
Turned out perfect. Thank you for share your recipe 😀
welcome!
Just perfect! Thanks for the precise measurements and instructions. I followed the recipe (for a change) and didn’t feel like anything needed changing.
that’s always good to hear! 🙂
Hi Manali,
I’ve just made sooji for the first time using your recipe and it’s just how I like it!! Tastes amazing and kids love it too!!
glad to know!
Hi Manali this is always my go to recipe as it always works out and tastes perfect. A quick question, I accidently bought roasted suji, how long would I need to cook in ghee for before adding the milk? Thanks
probably roast 2 minutes until you have a nice aroma
Mother in law makes it and the kids love it. Too shy to ask for recipe, so found yours.
Used far less sugar and ghee as the amount seems alot(on a healthier note) and used more milk/water None the less it was more pudding and enjoyed by all
Thanks for trying
Thank you I have used this recipe three times already! First time I used peanuts on top, and I use coconut milk. Amazing
glad you like it Wendy!
Thank you for the hints. I substituted salt free butter for ghee, used sliced almonds instead of cashews and I tried 50% evaporated can milk for a richer taste. It was amazing!!! Your instructions and photos are the best😋
glad you enjoyed it Rhenu!
DAY 2 Cooking own food in bachelor,
Yesterday we made poha, Let’s see how this goes
hopefully it will turn out good!
Hi Manali! Today it is my grand daughter’s birthday and I made sooji halwa with your recipe, it turn out delicious😋Thank you!!
wonderful! Happy birthday to her!
I made it today for my navmi prashad today. It turned out to be so yummy that i got only one spoon to eat😅 family loved it
Thank you so much for the lovely recipe 😍
glad to know! Happy Navmi 🙂
Hi Manali
Greetings 😊
I have tried your this recipe first time, it turned out awesome.
Thanks 😊
glad to know Pragati!
Love this recipe!
Thanks! 🙂
Hi I was born in India and my mum would make sooji for us and carrot halwa and gulabjams and loads more .. tonight I got a craving , rushed out to get ghee and have just made your receipe. It looks good and I will let you know about the taste !
hope you like it 🙂
This was delicious! I’ve been craving Sooji Halwa for a few days but had no idea how to make it. Glad I had everything at hand to make it!
Thank you. My grandmother was Indian and was a wonderful cook but terrible teacher. I take what she taught me and substitute the missing pieces with lots of your recipes with great success.
Amazing recipe Manali. I added 1/4 cup mango pulp and 2/4 cup milk and used jaggery instead of sugar. Turned out so yummy and perfect proportions too. Very easy recipe.
sounds yummy!
So it turned out well. Love the detail instructions . Will be making this again .
Perfect
It turned out perfectly yummy! I veganised the recipe by swapping the milk with homemade almond milk, sugar with coconut sugar and ghee with vegan margarine to the exact measurement which you have provided and it turned out amazing. Thank you, adding this to my collection 🙂
awesome, glad to know it works with those substitutions as well!
Hi, I was wondering if there’s a way to make ahead and if so, should you keep it in the fridge and what is the best way to re-heat? Thanks
microwave is best to re-heat! It solidifies when it cools since there’s ghee in it but re-heats well in the microwave
Thank you for sharing the recipe. Can’t wait to try it this weekend. Can I use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar?
you can try, haven’t tested with coconut sugar
Great recipe! I made it tonight and it tasted delicious. Only change I made was less cardamom and used coarse sooji. Can’t wait to try it with fine sooji. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thank you for sharing – i made it with just over half the butter to semolina and used half semi-skimmed milk and half water – we loved it!
A very well written Recipe. Iam no chef or cook. My mum use to make this as a favorite of mine. I will make this in her memory. Looking forward to making this.
I don’t have an Indian store near me. Can I use Italian Semolina instead?
sorry I don’t know how Italian semolina works so I am not sure
Hi Manali,
I used to always get confused with the sheera measurements, today made it as per yr receipe, turned out perfect, offered prasad also
Thank you so much ?
Glad to know Monisha!
I just made this and it turned out awesome. I added saffron in the milk, skipped the nuts and added extra semolina to balance the ghee. Thank for the amazing recipe!
I just made this recipe. Easy to make. I substituted unsalted butter for the ghee because I used what I had in hand. Just moved and haven’t been to the specialty store yet.
So, I browned the sooji for about 3-4 minutes instead of the suggested time and I prefer it raw. I’m from the Midwest. So once I started browning it, the dry sooji started smelling like burnt popcorn. Then the finished product tasted like kettle corn. Don’t get me wrong I love those flavors, but I think I prefer sooji raw or just barely browned.
I’ve shared it and it’s already gone. Cooked in about 15 minutes and eaten in less than 10 minutes.
I just made it and it turned out awesome. I added saffron in the milk and skipped the nuts.
Thank you for the amazing recipe.
you are welcome! glad you liked it Shilpa
I love this recipe, except one thing. My only thing is that I added almost the same amount as you did of the ghee and when everything was combined, there was a nice, soft halwa, sitting in a bed of ghee. And that is not very appetizing as everything is oily and had to pour it out which was hard. But I have to say that you did say we can reduce it and you shared it as you like it, so kudos to you. And I absolutely love this site. Just wanted to share my feedback..
Thanks for the feedback
I hadn’t made this for years, so looked for a recipe to remind me – so glad I came across yours – it came out perfectly !!!! I added sultanas which were fabulous. So impressed, I’ve signed up for your recipes ? thank you ?
welcome! 🙂
Your recipe is wondrous. I was looking for such a recipe. The creamy texture is the best part! This is usual serve in temples and gurudawras, today you seem to have decoded it for me..really amazed my it!!
Just tempting!
so glad!
So delicious & easy to make! I hesitated to try this because my mom is such a good cook but this recipe is delicious and it came out perfectly!
She will definitely enjoy this!
Thank you!!
glad to know 🙂
Can i add jaggery instead of sugar, would that make a difference as far as taste is concerned?
you can try, I have never tried this halwa with jaggery 🙂
Tried this today! Simple to make. Thanks to your awesome recipe ? my husband loved it!
glad to know!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This is my Mauritian father in laws favourite desserts. I made this for him and he absolutely loved it! He said it was as good as my mother in laws Halwa, which was a great compliment!
Jazaakallah Khairan kaceera for the recipe. Shayad I made it for the first time. Very nicely instructed .
Alhamdulillah loved it
glad to know!
Made a beautiful brown, fragrant & crumbly sooji ka halwa with your recipe today. Regret not adding as much almonds/cashews as was recommended. But this reminded me of Gurudware ka kadha prashad; this is the best ever halwa I have made. Thanks ?
awesome 🙂
The recipe looks delicious and I intend to try it. Could I skip the ghee/butter totally i.e can I just roast the semolina in the pan without the fat? Thank you!
no you can’t, it won’t be halwa then, it will be some other dish. The taste of the halwa comes from the ghee, you can reduce it if you want but can’t skip it if you want to make halwa.
Awesome recipe as it turned out perfectly. Soft but not too sweet (followed recipe exactly). My family all commented on how wonderful it tasted and asked for the recipe. 10/10!!
yay 🙂
Thank you, I made this but was told the the sooji was not properly cooked because it wasn’t browned enough. I personally loved it this way – I don’t like the taste of brown semi burnt sooji – what’s the feedback on this?
Thank you
everyone makes it differently , there’s no right or wrong way of doing it. You sooji should be roasted enough, doesn’t matter if it still looks white or dark brown!
I don’t like ghee. Is there any alternative of ghee and what should be the quantity?
butter, same quantity
Made this for the first time in years . For got how to make it.come on this site . I made it with full milk and ghee so soft thank you but I couldn’t find a recipe for the puri .
glad you liked it! don’t have a recipe for puri yet 🙂
I can only find coarse Suji, do you think I can use it.
Thank you ,
Pam
fine is preferred but you can definitely make halwa with coarse too
It was too much ghee.
Ghee and sugar can always be adjusted to taste, I shared how I like it!
Can you use coconut milk instead of full fat milk?
yes should work!
Best recipe ever
I didn’t have ghee so used butter; doubled the recipe and added a bit of cinnamon and vanilla extract at the end. Simply divine!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Many years ago, I dined regularly at an Indian restaurant. I became friends with the owner/chef, and my love for Indian cuisines started there.
Sooji Halwa was a dessert that I enjoyed regularly at his restaurant, but I never learned how it was made until now. I made a batch tonight. I added a half-dozen whole green cardamom pods, and it turned out exactly as I remembered. Perfect. Thank you!
I tried this recipe today and it turned out great.thanx 🙂
Looks so delicious!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
welcome 🙂
Very nice