The almonds with their delicate, rich, and slightly sweet flavor are cooked with ghee (clarified butter), milk, sugar, and pineapple puree to create this finger-licking goodness of badam halwa with almond flour. This is the easiest and quickest recipe to make this mouth-watering Indian delicacy almond flour halwa.
For me personally, badam halwa brings some very sweet memories to mind as this is one of those special dishes that my husband learnt and used to make regularly for me in my pregnancy 😊. Although he used to make it in the traditional long way ( poor him😉) of soaking the almonds, peeling them, grinding them with little milk and then cooking the mixture with ghee and sugar.
Even though the resulting dish used to be finger licking good, the long process always discouraged me to make it more often, with the little kids, busy lives and what not. There enters the almond flour realization. Once I realized that I can make this super rich badam halwa recipe with almond flour which is usually readily available in many grocery shops, it changed the whole game.
Imagine you being able to whip up the most famous Indian halwa in under 15 mins for any potlucks or parties or just an evening at home. It is usually made as part of the festival menu for many festivals like Diwali and navratri. Doesn't that make it a treasured recipe ? for me it sure is !!
What is Halwa?
Halwa is a pudding-like Indian dessert usually made from some kind of flour/ravva (ex: wheat flour or semolina), ghee, sugar/ jaggery, water/milk and topped with ghee roasted nuts. Sometimes instead of regular flour, nut flours ( ex: almond flour ) or vegetables or fruits or dals ( lentils) are used to make different kinds of halwa, like this one Apple Pumpkin Halwa | Easy Indian Pumpkin dessert.
What makes this badam halwa recipe easy?
Almond flour !!! Yes, that is the simple answer. Instead of soaking the almonds, peeling them and grinding them, we are simply using almond flour which is readily available in markets in many countries these days.
Almond flour is finely ground almonds typically made using blanched almond with no skins. It's commonly used in baked goods like cookies, cakes, quick breads, and perhaps most famously in macaroons. It has a finer texture than almond meal. Almond meal is little coarse than almond flour and usually made using almonds with skins ( although not always ). Make sure to buy the almond flour made from blanched almonds with no skins when you are buying for this recipe.
Is badam halwa good for health?
Because this halwa has ghee (clarified butter) and almonds as main ingredients, it is full of nutrition. It is also gluten free as we are not using any regular flour. Pregnant women and new mothers are normally offered this halwa for good baby growth and post pregnancy for quick recovery. Almonds has got good amount of proteins, fiber, vitamin-E, manganese and magnesium and they are also loaded with antioxidants.
Since this is one of the healthier dessert recipes, it can be given to kids for their dessert time especially those who are picky eaters when it comes to nuts like my elder one.
How to make
We are making badam halwa recipe in 2 different ways today
- Badam halwa with almond flour
- Badam pineapple halwa using almond flour and pineapple puree ( which is just a step more than plain badam halwa )
How to make almond flour badam halwa ( plain ) : Heat 4 tbsp of ghee on low to medium heat, once the ghee is hot, add 2 cups of almond flour and stir well until crumbly without lumps. Add ¾ cup sugar and stir well. Now add ¾ cup warm milk and stir well without lumps. Cook for few mins until it is slightly thickened and ghee is separating from the mixture to the sides of the pan. Check the sweetness and consistency. You can add more sugar if you like it little more sweet and add more milk and cook for few more mins if you like the consistency to be little more thin. Now add ½ tsp cardamom ( elaichi ) powder. If you just want the plain almond halwa and not the pineapple halwa, then at this point you can bowl it and serve warm with sliced or slivered almonds on top.
How to make Almond (badam) pineapple halwa : After adding cardamom powder in the above step if you want to turn it into almond pineapple halwa, then first add 1 cup of pineapple puree to the halwa and stir well. Cook for 3 to 4 mins stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. Check the taste for sweetness and also to see if it has enough pineapple flavor. If not add little more sugar and little more pineapple puree for the flavor. You can add up to 1.5 cup pineapple puree on the whole. After adding the pineapple puree, it might need more sugar because of the slight tartness of the pineapple. The amount of pineapple puree required, depends on the ripeness of the pineapple. Hence we are adding in phases. Cook until it slightly thickens and reaches the halwa consistency. If you want you can add little more ghee at this point. Now bowl it and serve warm with sliced or slivered almonds and small pineapple pieces on top.
Step by Step pictures of Almond halwa
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you substitute almonds for almond flour?
Yes, you can but then you will have to make it the traditional way of soaking, peeling, grinding and cooking. It gives an excellent tasting halwa but it involves some planning. If you are in a hurry, then this method of making badam halwa using almond flour is the best route to go as this can be done under 15 mins. So try stocking the almond flour when you next shop for groceries. It is the best gluten free alternative for regular flour in many recipes.
How to make badam halwa if I don't have almond flour ?
Soak 1 cup of almonds in hot water for half an hour to an hour and peel them. Now blend the almonds with ½ cup of milk to make a slightly coarse paste. Now add 2 to 3 tbsp of ghee to the pan, add this paste and cook in ghee with around ½ cup of sugar stirring continuously until it is thickened and ghee separates to the sides of the pan. Add ½ tsp cardamom powder, little saffron milk ( few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk for 10 mins) and serve it with some chopped nuts.
How can I make this into a vegan badam halwa recipe?
This can be easily made vegan by using vegan butter or oil in place of ghee and by using almond milk in place of regular milk. Now I didn't try these alternatives myself, so if you are a vegan and try making this recipe using vegan options, don't forget to leave a comment below with any feedback or suggestions so it would help other vegans make it.
Should you refrigerate almond flour?
If you use almond flour regularly and can always finish it before the use it before date then you don't have to refrigerate it. But always store it in an airtight container or zip lock bag. If you are not a regular user of almond flour then storing it in the refrigerator or freezer prolongs the freshness beyond the use before date.
Storage instructions
When stored in an air tight box in the refrigerator, it can stay fresh for 5 to 7 days. Just warm it up in the microwave in the individual bowls in the increments of 20 secs checking in between until it is warm enough for you. Alternatively if you don't own a microwave like me, then warm it up on stove top on low to medium heat making sure not to burn it.
Ok, let's go ahead and quickly make this amazing almond flour halwa. I am sure you will agree with me that this is one of the best almond flour Indian recipes. Don't forget to leave me a comment below if you like it and pin it for later.
Recipe
15 min badam halwa with almond flour
Ingredients
Plain badam halwa :
- 4 tbsp Ghee clarified butter
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup sugar more for more sweetness
- ¾ cup milk warm
- ½ tsp cardamom powder elaichi powder
- few strands of saffron optional
- slivered or sliced almonds for garnish
Badam pineapple halwa :
- All the above and 1 to 1.5 cup pineapple puree
- few pineapple pieces for garnish
Instructions
How to make badam halwa with almond flour (plain)
- Heat 4 tbsp of ghee on medium heat in a non-stick fry pan. If you are using saffron in this recipe then in a separate bowl soak few strands of saffron in little warm milk to use in the end.
- once the ghee is hot, add 2 cups of almond flour and stir well until crumbly without lumps. Cook 3 to 4 mins on medium heat. It should start turning slightly golden brown. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Add ¾ cup sugar and stir well. Cook for couple mins until sugar dissolves.
- Now add ¾ cup warm milk and stir well without lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 mins until it is slightly thickened to desired consistency.
- Check the sweetness and consistency. You can add more sugar if you like it a little more sweet and add more milk and cook for few more mins if you like the consistency to be a little thinner. Add the saffron milk now if you are using it and stir well.
- Now add ½ tsp cardamom ( elaichi ) powder. If you just want the plain almond halwa and not the pineapple halwa, then at this point you can bowl it and serve warm with sliced or slivered almonds on top.
How to make Almond (badam) pineapple halwa
- After adding cardamom powder in the above step if you want to turn it into almond pineapple halwa, then first add 1 cup of pineapple puree to the halwa and stir well. Cook for 3 to 4 mins stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Check the taste for sweetness and also to see if it has enough pineapple flavor. If not add a little more sugar and a little more pineapple puree for the flavor. You can add up to 1.5 cup pineapple puree on the whole. After adding the pineapple puree, it might need more sugar because of the slight tartness of the pineapple. Cook until it slightly thickens and reaches the halwa consistency. If you want you can add little more ghee at this point. Now bowl it and serve warm with sliced or slivered almonds and small pineapple pieces on top.
Notes
- The amount of pineapple puree required depends on the ripeness of the pineapple. Hence we are adding in phases.
- Cook the halwa on medium flame, when required low flame, and stirring in between to avoid sticking or burning as halwa won't taste good if either of those happens.
- Even though I like using stainless steel pans for healthy cooking, it is important to use a nonstick pan for some recipes and this is one of those recipes.
Don't forget to pin the recipe for later. Want to try some other Indian recipes? check out my Indian style scrambled tofu curry | Scrambled tofu matar masala( Vegan) or my Garlic pepper mushroom masala
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