Quick and delicious badam halwa recipe with store-bought almond flour. An easy-peasy instant badam halwa recipe that you can make for any occasion!
Learn how to make this badam halwa with detailed step-wise pictures and make a delicious Diwali dessert jar with chhena poda, apple basundi, and this badam halwa.
I know I am posting back to back sweet recipes in this Diwali recipe series. And today’s recipe is a classic Indian dessert – badam halwa. Badam means almonds, and halwa means thick pudding.
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My instant badam halwa
Traditionally we prepare the badam halwa by soaking almonds for a few hours, and we peel the skin. Then we grind it with milk and make the halwa. But today, I am presenting you the instant badam halwa with store-bought blanched almond flour.
All you have to do is roast the badam flour for a couple of minutes so that the raw smell goes off. Then we mix it with milk and cook for a few minutes and then add sugar and cook until it thickens. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this recipe on a stove-top. It does require constant supervision. But other than that, it’s a straight forward recipe.
Badam flour comes in handy for many recipes, including almond peda/fudge. For peda, we use condensed milk, and it is more like finger food. You can shape and make badam halwa more like finger food; I like to relish it warm. But for my dessert jar, I made small balls and used it as a top layer.
Let me talk about my dessert jars now. :-)
Diwali Dessert Jars
Diwali dessert jars are popular these days, and I have been looking to make one for a long time. I did not plan for it this time but made an impromptu one with the desserts I had in hand.
That’s the beauty of these dessert jars. You can combine and play with the combinations and create unique ones. And guess what, you don’t need to make them all from scratch. You can use some store-bought sweets also. I will share more dessert jars, and I will make a separate post. But for now, here is the one that I made.
- Layer 1 – I crumbled the chhena poda and used it as the bottom layer.
- Layer 2 – I added some apple basundi on top of the chhena poda.
- And Layer 3 – Finally, I added the badam halwa. I made a small round ball of badam halwa.
Garnish it with nuts and rose petals and serve. It is one sinful dessert for sure.
Serving & Storing
So far, I have stored the halwa for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I like warm halwa, and I always reheat before serving. You add a tsp of ghee and some nuts before serving.
Ingredients required:
- 1 tsp saffron strands, a big fat pinch
- ¾ cup luke-warm milk. I used 2% reduced-fat milk.
- ½ cup blanched almond flour; I used the Costco brand
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee, divided (You can add up to 3 tbsps)
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
How to make badam halwa with blanched almond flour
- Heat the pan and when it is hot, add the saffron strands and roast it for 30 to 45 seconds. Roasting the saffron strands helps to bring out its aroma.
- Add this toasted saffron to the luke-warm milk and let it sit for 5 minutes or until we roast the almond flour.
- In the same pan, add ½ tbsp of ghee and let it melt. Now add the almond flour and roast over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Now add the saffron milk mixture and mix it without any lumps.
- Let it cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. It will bubble-up, and that’s normal. At this stage, add ½ tbsp of ghee and cook again for 3 to 4 more minutes or until it thickens. (After adding milk, you need to cook until it thickens, and it takes about 7 to 8 minutes. I added ½ tbsp of ghee in between)
- Now add the sugar and the cardamom powder.
- Mix well, and the halwa will be runny, and that’s normal.
- Cook this halwa mix for 10 to 12 minutes until it thickens. Please do not leave it unattended. At around 4 minutes, add ½ tbsp of ghee, and again at around 8 minutes, add ½ more tbsp of ghee. I prefer adding a small amount of ghee at regular intervals than adding all at once. Around 10 to 12 minutes, the halwa will thicken, and it will come together as a ball. You will also see the halwa will be shiny and ghee oozing on the sides. This is the right stage, and turn off the heat.
- Alternatively, you can take a small piece of halwa and let it cool. If you can make a small ball without the halwa sticking your fingers, it is done. If not, cook again by adding little ghee. Overcooking the halwa makes it slightly chewy.
- The halwa cools as it thickens. You can serve it warm or cold. I always prefer it warm. I add a tsp of ghee and some nuts before serving.
Recipe Notes & VVK Tips for Best Badam Halwa
- As you can see from the pictures, I made this dessert in a stainless pan, and you can very well make any Indian desserts in the pan. Keep stirring the halwa at regular intervals, and do not leave it unattended. To make the cleaning process easy, I immediately transfer the halwa to another bowl and soak my pan.
- Roasting the store-bought almond flour enhances the flavor. So do not skip that step.
- You can make this recipe vegan by using almond milk and coconut oil or neutral oil.
- Like every other Indian dessert, I used saffron and cardamom as my flavorings, but you can use rose essence or other flavorings of your choice.
- Add ghee in batches as required. If you feel the halwa is sticking to the pan, add ghee and scrape it. I used my silicone spatula, and it worked well. This won’t be the case if you are using a non-stick pan.
- The halwa is on the sweeter side. You can reduce it to ¼ cup but not less than that.
- For this measure, you need a minimum of 1.5 to 2 tbsp of ghee, and you can add up to 3 tbsp.
PS: If you try this badam halwa, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it A.S.A.P. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
More Indian Desserts to enjoy this Diwali!
📖 Recipe
Badam Halwa with Almond Flour | Almond Halwa | Instant Badam Halwa
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;
- 1 tsp saffron strands a big fat pinch
- ¾ cup luke-warm milk. I used 2% reduced-fat milk.
- ½ cup blanched almond flour I used the Costco brand
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee divided (You can add up to 3 tbsps)
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Heat the pan and when it is hot, add the saffron strands and roast it for 30 to 45 seconds. Roasting the saffron strands helps to bring out its aroma.
- Add this toasted saffron to the luke-warm milk and let it sit for 5 minutes or until we roast the almond flour.
- In the same pan, add ½ tbsp of ghee and let it melt. Now add the almond flour and roast over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Now add the saffron milk mixture and mix it without any lumps.
- Let it cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. It will bubble-up, and that’s normal. At this stage, add ½ tbsp of ghee and cook again for 3 to 4 more minutes or until it thickens. (After adding milk, you need to cook until it thickens, and it takes about 7 to 8 minutes. I added ½ tbsp of ghee in between)
- Now add the sugar and the cardamom powder.
- Mix well, and the halwa will be runny, and that's normal.
- Cook this halwa mix for 10 to 12 minutes until it thickens. Please do not leave it unattended. At around 4 minutes, add ½ tbsp of ghee, and again at around 8 minutes, add ½ more tbsp of ghee. I prefer adding a small amount of ghee at regular intervals than adding all at once. Around 10 to 12 minutes, the halwa will thicken, and it will come together as a ball. You will also see the halwa will be shiny and ghee oozing on the sides. This is the right stage, and turn off the heat.
- Alternatively, you can take a small piece of halwa and let it cool. If you can make a small ball without the halwa sticking your fingers, it is done. If not, cook again by adding little ghee. Overcooking the halwa makes it slightly chewy. The halwa cools as it thickens. You can serve it warm or cold. I always prefer it warm. I add a tsp of ghee and some nuts before serving.
Notes
- As you can see from the pictures, I made this dessert in a stainless pan, and you can very well make any Indian desserts in the pan. Keep stirring the halwa at regular intervals, and do not leave it unattended. To make the cleaning process easy, I immediately transfer the halwa to another bowl and soak my pan.
- Roasting the store-bought almond flour enhances the flavor. So do not skip that step.
- You can make this recipe vegan by using almond milk and coconut oil or neutral oil.
- Like every other Indian dessert, I used saffron and cardamom as my flavorings, but you can use rose essence or other flavorings of your choice.
- Add ghee in batches as required. If you feel the halwa is sticking to the pan, add ghee and scrape it. I used my silicone spatula, and it worked well. This won’t be the case if you are using a non-stick pan.
- The halwa is on the sweeter side. You can reduce it to ¼ cup but not less than that.
- For this measure, you need a minimum of 1.5 to 2 tbsp of ghee, and you can add up to 3 tbsp.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
This recipe is superb and easy to follow.
The Halwa turned out to be amazing
Thank you so much.
I made on Dhantersh ( today) Badam Halva was very delicious, my family love it😊 Thank you for delicious recipe 🙏
Thanks so much. :-) Hope you had a great Diwali.