My Badam Halwa made with almond flour is a delicious dessert that can be made in less than an hour. It’s a super easy recipe to make at home and enjoy on special occasions such as Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan or any other parties/get together.
I am sharing a quicker version of badam halwa, and it will have almost the same taste and texture of traditional badam halwa. I am using almond flour. No compromise at all, trust me!
In our house, we prepare it on Indian festivals such as Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Navratri or Diwali.
Almond flour or almond powder are both the same. Both are simply finely ground almonds resembling fine powder. Almond meal is prepared with almonds with skin on. It is also known as unbleached almond flour and is slightly grainier than almond flour.
We always pick up a bag of almond flour from the Indian grocery store or costco to make an almond flour recipe. Some delicious desserts includes
Almond French Toasts ,
Vegan Kesar Badam Katli ,
Almond Sukhdi ,
No added sugar Badam katli (Instant Pot) and
Badam Besan Ka Halwa .
I have many different kinds of halwa recipes on my blog.
Aate Ka Halwa
Doodh Halwa
Sooji no Siro (Suji Halwa) for Satyanarayan Katha Prasad
Doodhi/Lauki Halwa
Chikoo Halwa
Whilst red carrots or delhi carrots are available in the winter, we love to enjoy carrot halwa .
For get-togethers or on festivals, we like to pick Moong dal halwa .
Tips
Good quality ghee is a must for this recipe, we always use homemade fresh desi ghee for all our Indian desserts.
Same goes for almond flour too, don’t use very old or rancid almond flour. The halwa will be bitter and smelly.
Not using almond flour and making almond paste for halwa from scratch? Ensure to grind to a coarse paste and not fine, as badam halwa needs to be a bit coarse in texture (like rava/semolina).
To get soft and melt-in-mouth texture, it is very important to use right amount of ghee. Follow the right measurements and don’t reduce the ghee.
Cook Badam halwa on right temperature. that should be medium-low heat. If you cook in high temperature, there are chances that you can burn the mixture.
For perfect consistency of halwa, keep an eye on the heat and timing. As soon as the halwa is cooked and done, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the halwa in a bowl or another container.
If kept in a hot pan, halwa cooks further or overcooks and it gets chewy.
Ingredients
Full measurements of Ingredients are availabe in the recipe card below.
Almond flour – I have used blanched almond flour that is easily available in local supermarkets, Asian grocery shops, health stores and Costco.
Ghee – We will use homemade desi ghee in this recipe, good quality and freshly made ghee enhances the flavour and texture of the halwa. For rich and authentic taste, you don’t want to reduce the quantity of the ghee in the recipe.
Sugar – we are using white sugar to sweeten the halwa. Regular sugar won’t change halwa colour. For keto diet use stevia or any other keto sweetener.
Milk Powder and Milk – I am using full fat milk powder and full-fat dairy milk for this recipe. For Vegan Badam halwa recipe use almond milk or coconut milk.
Saffron and Cardamom – for flavours and colour you’ll need aromatic spices such as saffron and cardamom. Remember, while a bit of saffron wonderfully enhances recipes, even a smidgen too much will make them taste medicinal. If saffron is not available then use a pinch of turmeric powder or good quality edible yellow colour.
I have used freshly ground cardamom from 4 green cardamom pods. Freshly ground cardamom provides best flavours, store bought cardamom powders looses their freshness and aroma. For a change add few drops of rose water.
Garnish /Topping (optional)
Nuts – I have used slivered pistachios, silver foil (edible silver foil) also known as chandi varq and dried rose petals.
You may use fried cashew nuts and slivered almonds too, it’s your personal choice.
Serving Suggestions
Usually, Badam halwa is served along with the spicy Indian meal or thali.
We love warm Badam halwa that is oozing with ghee with Chana Bateta Nu Saak (chickpea and potato curry) and Poori for breakfast.
Badam halwa is served at room temperature, however in winter you can serve it warm too. A small bowl of badam halwa with warm milk in winter is bliss! Love milk dessert recipes? Why don’t you check out my Best Indian Milk Desserts
If you chill badam ka halwa, it becomes hard and thick and doesn’t taste great.
You may serve this halwa loose in a bowl or serve on a small side plate. Simply fill a small bowl with hot halwa, press it down using a spoon then invert it on the plate. Garnish it with chopped nuts and 1-2 dried rose petals.
Storage
Room Temperature – Badam halwa stays fresh 24 hours at room temperature. Make sure to keep it in an airtight container.
Fridge – the shelf life of this Badam halwa is about one week if kept in the refrigerator. Once cooled totally, put it in the airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
Freezer – You can make this halwa in advance and store it up to 1 month in the freezer. Allow the to halwa cool completely before storing it in freezer safe bags or containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat – If the halwa is kept in the fridge or freezer, bring it to room temperature before serving or warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds.
Method
First, in a one bowl take, one and a half cups of almond flour / ground almond and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (you won’t need warm water) and make a lump-free paste.
In another bowl add one cup sugar, 3 cup full-fat milk, 1 cup milk powder and a big pinch of saffron strands.
You can use cold or warm milk. If you use warm milk, sugar will melt quickly and saffron will release the colour quicker too.
Mix well until sugar melts, set it aside. Milk will turn yellow and saffron will releases it’s aroma and flavour.
Take a thick bottom pan or kadai, and heat it on low heat. Make sure to use thick deep bottom pan to avoid burning and spluttering of the badam halwa mixture. Nonstick pan works fine too.
Then add one fourth cup ghee and let it melt.
Once it melted add almond paste and mix it well with ghee.
On low to medium flame fry the almond paste for about 10-12 minutes without letting it brown and raw smell goes away.
Then add milk and sugar mixture, at this stage mixture will be liquid.
Keep stirring to avoid lumps in the mixture on medium heat. Make sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
After 20-25 minutes mixture will start thickening, add a tablespoon of ghee and teaspoon cardamom powder.
Cook the mixture till you get right consistency and the mass separates from sides of the pan. This is the sign that it is cooked and of the right consistency.
Turn off the heat.
Serve in a serving bowl and garnish it with slivered pistachio and silver foil.
In the spirit of the upcoming Diwali festivities, make this halwa to immerse yourself in Diwali cooking and get yourself in the festival mood!
Other Diwali recipes
Bombay Ice and Golden Halwa
Besan Barfi
Pistachio Halwa
Baklava Barfi
Sutarfeni
150+ Diwali Sweets and Snacks Recipes
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Badam Halwa with Almond Flour
Equipment
- 1 Heavy based pan/kadai
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 11/2 cup Almond flour* ground almond
- 3 cup Whole Milk
- ½ cup Milk powder
- ¾ cup Sugar or according to your taste
- ¼ cup Ghee + 1 tablespoon
- ½ teaspoon Saffron strands
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon Slivered pistachios
- Rose petals
- Silver foil Varq
Instructions
- Mix little water into the 11/2 cup Almond flour* or ground almond.
- Make a thick paste.
- Mix 1/2 cup Milk powder , 3/4 cup Sugar , and 1/2 teaspoon Saffron strands in the 3 cup Whole Milk . Mix till sugar dissolves. Leave it aside this saffron milk .
- Heat 1/4 cup Ghee ghee in a non-stick pan or heavy bottom pan
- Fry the paste for 10-12 minutes.
- Add milk mixture into the almond paste and keep stirring about 25-30 minutes on low flame till halwa comes together as a single mass.
- Add ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder and extra tablespoon ghee.
- Mix well and serve warm delicious halwa in a serving bowl.
- Garnish it with 2 tablespoon Slivered pistachios , chopped almonds (if using) Rose petals and Silver foil .
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note:- This post was originally posted in November 2010 but I have updated the post since with newer photos and content.
Badam Halwa with Almond Flour
Equipment
- 1 Heavy based pan/kadai
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 11/2 cup Almond flour* ground almond
- 3 cup Whole Milk
- ½ cup Milk powder
- ¾ cup Sugar or according to your taste
- ¼ cup Ghee + 1 tablespoon
- ½ teaspoon Saffron strands
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon Slivered pistachios
- Rose petals
- Silver foil Varq
Instructions
- Mix little water into the 11/2 cup Almond flour* or ground almond.
- Make a thick paste.
- Mix 1/2 cup Milk powder , 3/4 cup Sugar , and 1/2 teaspoon Saffron strands in the 3 cup Whole Milk . Mix till sugar dissolves. Leave it aside this saffron milk .
- Heat 1/4 cup Ghee ghee in a non-stick pan or heavy bottom pan
- Fry the paste for 10-12 minutes.
- Add milk mixture into the almond paste and keep stirring about 25-30 minutes on low flame till halwa comes together as a single mass.
- Add ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder and extra tablespoon ghee.
- Mix well and serve warm delicious halwa in a serving bowl.
- Garnish it with 2 tablespoon Slivered pistachios , chopped almonds (if using) Rose petals and Silver foil .
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Ratlami Sev are spicy, tangy and crispy noodles prepared with gram flour (besan) and aromatic spice powders. This deep-fried snack is easy to prepare and is one of the most popular snacks consumed by Indians all over the world and especially is given more importance on Indian festivals such as Diwali.
Usually, ‘The festival of Diwali’ is seen as ‘The festival of sweets’ but that’s not true at all! Savoury dishes also play a huge role in Diwali menu too.
On Diwali and New Years Day, when guests, friends and family pay a visit to wish Diwali greetings, we offer a plate full of Diwali Sweets and Snacks . We enjoy having sweets and savoury goodies turn by turn. That’s how I like to enjoy Diwali feasts, a couple of bites of Habshi Halwa , then a spoonful of Poha Chevdo , sweet and savoury combination works so well with these delicacies.
Most of the Gujarati households prepare a huge batch of sev, either plain or with flavoured during Diwali period. It is so easy to prepare, stays fresh for longer and can be made with basic ingredients that can be found easily in any Indian kitchens.
What is Sev
Sev is one of the Indian snacks that is prepared with gram flour and deep fried in oil. It’s crispy and crunchy thin or thick noodles that can be plain salty or spiced with spicy masalas such as red chilli powder, turmeric, black pepper powder or lemon juice.
Sev is easily available in Indian shops, but can be made at home in no time. Sev is a snack and can be consumed on its own, or with tea, also used as a topping on chaat dishes such as BhelPuri, Sevpuri or Dabeli.
Gujaratis use sev in making authentic kathiyawadi sabji ‘ SEV TAMETA NU SAAK ‘ – Sev and tomato curry.
There are many varieties of sev you can find in the market, Thin Sev, Thick Sev, Nylon Sev and Ratlami Sev.
Ratlami Sev
Ratlami Sev is a well-known snack from the Indian city Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. Sev made in Ratlam is very popular and one of the tastiest snacks found in India.
Usually, sev is made with a couple of spices, but in Ratlami Sev, you can find quite a few various spice powders. The sev is then again sprinkled with a tongue-tickling seasoning to make this sev more spicy, tangy and delicious.
How to store Ratlami Namkeen Sev
Once you have prepared a batch of sev, let it cool completely. Then break the sev into 1″ or 2″ sizes. Store in a clean and dry airtight container and keep it at room temperature. Ratlami sev will stay fresh and crunchy for 2-3 weeks.
How to serve Ratlami Sev
Ratlami sev can be served on its own or can be consumed with hot or cold beverages. I love to add this sev in my bombay sandwich for extra crunch.
You could also top it with finely chopped raw onion, pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander.
Ingredients for Ratlami Sev
For this delicious and tongue tickling snack, you will need
Gram flour aka Besan or chickpea flour. You will need fine variety.
Whole spices such as clove, cinnamon, peppercorn, cumin and whole coriander seeds, carom seeds and star anise.
Tangy and spicy powders like Garam masala (optional), Black salt ( Kala Namak-Sanchar) and Chaat Masala.
Oil to deep fry the sev. I have used sunflower oil.
Equipment
To make any kind of sev you’ll need SEV SANCHO ( hand pressed machine ) which is easily available in the Indian shops or online.
Frying Pan
Slotted spoon – Jaro
How to make Ratlami Sev
First, dry roast all the whole spices on a skillet without burning them. Once, cooled down grind roasted spices.
In a mixing bowl mix some oil oil and water, whisk well until well mixed. Add ground spice mix, garam masala, Black salt, regular salt and chaat masala. Mix well once again. Then add gram flour ( little by little ) and mix it well and knead a soft dough.
Heat the oil in a kadai, add a couple of tablespoons of hot oil into the dough and mix it with the spoon. Take a sev machine and use a medium whole disc. Fill the machine with the dough and press in hot oil in a large circle.
After a minute, sprinkle just a couple of drops of water on it. This process will make sev soft inside but crispy and crunchy outside.
Fry the sev both sides and remove it with the slotted spoon. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough.
Once it’s done, break sev in to small pieces. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix on the fried sev. Let it cool. Break it into small pieces and store in an airtight container.
Other Diwali Snacks Recipes
Farsi Puri
Kenyan Chevdo
Cornflakes Mixture (Makai No Chevdo)
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Ratlami Sev
Equipment
- 1 Sev Sancha
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Slotted spoon
Ingredients
For Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoon whole peppercorn Mari
- 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds Dhana
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds Jeeru
- 1 tablespoon cloves Laving
- 1 tablespoon carom seeds Ajwain-ajmo
- 1 star anise Badiya or Chakri Phool
- 1 teaspoon garam masala Optional
- 1 teaspoon black salt Kala Namak – Sanchar
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
For Ratlami Sev
- 250 grams gram flour Besan
- 4 tablespoon oil
- salt to taste
- 4 tablespoon spice mix
- 125 ml water
- oil to fry
Instructions
- Dry roast first six ingredients 2 tablespoon whole peppercorn , 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds , 1 tablespoon cumin seeds , 1 tablespoon cloves , 1 tablespoon carom seeds , 1 star anise in a pan or skillet without burning it.
- Let it cool completely.
- Place it in a coffee grinder and grind until you get a fine powder, you may want to sift the powder to get a finer powder.
- Now mix 1 teaspoon garam masala , 1 teaspoon black salt , 1 teaspoon chaat masala leave it aside for later use.
- In a big bowl, add 4 tablespoon oil and 125 ml water and mix well with electric bitter or egg whisker with the hands.
- Once it mixes well, add 3 tablespoon spice mix and salt ( not too much as there is some black salt in the mix) and mix well.
- Now add 250 grams gram flour little by little and knead a soft dough.
- Heat oil in a kadai, add one tablespoon HOT oil into the dough and mix it with the SPOON.
- Take a sev no snacho ( sev machine ) and fill it with the dough and press the machine over the HOT oil ( See pics above ) Make large circle of sev.
- After a minute, sprinkle a couple of drops of water onto the sev and fry the sev both sides.
- Remove it from the oil, and repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.
- Once all the sev done, sprinkle the remaining spice mix on it and break the sev into small pieces.
- Let it cool completely then store it in an airtight container.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
