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Gajar burfi is a traditional Indian sweet that captures the flavors of gajar halwa into a rich, fudge-like dessert. Prepared using freshly grated carrots that are slow-cooked with full-cream milk, sugar, and perfumed with green cardamom, this classic carrot burfi has a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture and vibrant natural color. Popular during Indian festivals, weddings, and celebrations, it’s ideal for festive gifting, dessert platters, and special occasions.
Safe to say I get a little gajar crazy the moment they show up in the markets. Cooked carrots often get a bad rap, but I think they are absolutely delicious, especially in slow cooked winter pickles and in a quick sabzi like gajar matar. I even turn them into warming milky drinks.
Gajar burfi uses the same base flavors as gajar halwa but is cooked further and set into a firm sweet. The idea is to cook the sugar longer so the burfi mixture sets after cooling and doesn’t fall apart when cut into squares.
I love mithai that comes together with easily available ingredients at home and this carrot burfi falls into that category. Its made without khoya or condensed milk etc. All you need are basic ingredients such as sugar, milk, nuts etc.
Making Mithai With Carrots
Carrots contain a high amount of natural moisture, and once you understand how to properly cook them down for shaped sweets like burfi or gajar ladoo, the rest becomes easy. Cooking the carrots low and slow is essential. Not only to enhance their natural sweetness, but also to soften them evenly so they hold their shape without drying out or remaining soggy. Burfi may not set if the carrots weren’t cooked long enough or if excess moisture remains.
Many people finely chop the carrots while making burfi, but grated works just fine. Once the carrots soften and you saute them, the shreds break down easily and become cohesive to hold together.
Another key tip for a perfect carrot burfi recipe is to avoid adding chopped nuts. Unlike mawa or milk powder burfi, where chopped nuts work fine, gajar burfi relies on ground nuts instead. Combined with khoya (mawa), ground nuts act as a natural binder, and help the burfi set properly, and hold its shape.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat up ghee in a wide, heavy pan or kadai (10 inch or 12 inch).Add the carrots. Saute the ghee and carrots for 3-4 minutes on low medium heat to get them started. As the carrots warm up, you will see them steaming.
- Next, add the sugar and milk to the carrots. Mix well and cover the pan
- Cook the carrots on low heat with milk and sugar until they feel soft and mushy under the spatula and all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Takes about 12-15 minutes.
- Next, add the ground nuts powder and dessicated coconut to the softened carrot mixture.
5. Immediately, the nuts will absorb moisture and you will notice that the carrot mixture will thicken.
6. Next, add the milk powder, green cardamom powder and more ghee to the burfi mixture.
7. Combine everything very well and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat while stirring. The burfi mixture will clump around the spatula and look glossy. Its ready to be set.
8.Transfer the burfi mixture to a greased ⅛ sheet or any tray that you prefer. Using a flat spaluta, smoothen the carrot mixture with even thickness. Sprinkle nuts of chocie on top. You can set it as thick or thin as desired. Let set for 4-6 hours (refrigerated if it’s warm weather).
Once set, cut the burfi into 12-16 squares. Using a flat spatula, lift the burfi pieces and transfer to a serving plate. This gajar burfi keeps well for 5-6 days refrigerated. You can freeze it too.
Tanvi’s Tips
- When the burfi mixture is ready, it will clump around the spatula into a soft ball shape. Watch the video to get an idea. Another way is to roll the burfi mixture into a small ball, you should be able to form a neat ball without sticking. Your fingers will look shiny from ghee after rolling.
- If desired, you can cook the carrot+sugar+milk mixture in pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. This cooks the carrots quickly and saves you time. Transfer the cooked carrots to a pan and then follow rest of the recipe as written.
Carrot Burfi (Gajar Pak Recipe)
Gahar Burfi is a rich traditional Indian sweet made with fresh carrots, milk, sugar, nuts and pure ghee. Known for its delicious taste and festive appeal, it is perfect for celebrations, gifting, and special occasions.
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Ingredients
- 500 g carrots grated, measured after grating
- 4 tablespoon ghee divided, measure after melting
- 400 ml whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar can be reduced to ½ cup if desired
- 2 tablespoon ground almonds
- 2 tablespoon ground cashew nut
- 2 tablespoon ground pistachios
- ½ cup dessicated coconut unsweetened
- ⅓ cup milk powder I use Nido brand whole milk powder
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder
Instructions
Heat up 2 tablespoon ghee in a wide, heavy pan or kadai that is about ten or twelve inches wide. Add the grated carrots and gently sauté them in the ghee for 3-4 minutes while stirring frequently on low to medium heat. As the carrots warm up, you will notice steam rising from the pan.
Add the sugar and milk to the carrots and mix everything well. Let milk warm up and sugar will melt too. When the mixture is bubbling, cover the pan and let the carrots cook on low heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until the carrots become very soft and mash easily under the spatula and all the liquid has dried up. This usually takes about 12-15 minutes.
Once the carrots are soft, add all the ground nuts and desiccated coconut. Stir immediately. The nuts will soak up the remaining moisture and the mixture will start to thicken.Keep the heat on low.
Next, add the milk powder, green cardamom powder, and remaining ghee. Mix everything thoroughly and continue cooking on low heat for another two to three minutes while stirring. The burfi mixture will come together, cling to the spatula, and develop a glossy look. At this point, it is ready to set.Please see video or pictures in post to get a clearer idea.
Transfer the burfi mixture to a greased sheet pan or any tray you like. Use a flat spatula to spread it evenly to your preferred thickness. Sprinkle chopped nuts of your choice on top. Let it set for four to six hours until ghee hardens slightly. If the weather is warm or if needed, you can refrigerate it.
Once fully set, cut the burfi into sixteen squares. Gently lift each piece with a flat spatula and place them on a serving plate. This gajar burfi stays fresh in the refrigerator for five to six days and can also be frozen for longer storage.
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