Moong dal halwa recipe is popular Indian dessert made with split green gram. Moong dal halwa is often made for diwali, holi and other celebrations. With all the ghee, dry fruits and milk this halwa is a very rich and soulful dessert that everyone will love. Here is how to make moong dal halwa recipe with step by step photos. Do try it out!
What Is The Difference Between Moong Dal Halwa and South Indian Ashoka Halwa?
Making halwa with moong dal is very common in India. While we make ashoka halwa in Tamil nadu, this traditional moong dal halwa is from Rajasthan. While we do not use milk in ashoka halwa, this north Indian recipe uses a good amount of milk.
Also ashoka is made with cooked moong dal while this halwa is made with raw ground moong dal.
Making moong halwa is easy but it takes some time and effort. You need to do a lot of stirring just like other halwa recipes. Also you need a good amount of desi ghee in this recipe. Use as much or as less ghee as per your preference.
How To Make Moong Dal Ka Halwa At Home?
To make moong dal halwa use a very sturdy and thick pan. You can use a nonstick pan or thick pressure cooker base. I have used a pressure cooker base here.
To begin,soak the moong dal in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. Drain and pulse intoa coarse paste without adding water. Next the dal paste has to be sauteed in ghee till it turns fragrant and golden.
Next add the milk and cook till all the milk is absorbed and dal is thoroughly cooked. Now add sugar,cardamom powder and saffron. Mix well and add more ghee. Saute and stir for 5-6 minutes or till the ghee starts oozing out.
Garnish with fried nuts and serve moong dal halwa hot or warm
There are some variations you can make in this halwa recipe. Also if you want to save time and effort I have mentioned few variations below.
How To Make Moong Dal Halwa With Khoya?
To make this halwa richer and more tasty you can add 1/2 cup grated on crumbled khoya. Add thr lhoya along with sugar and mix well.
Moong Ka Halwa in Microwave.
You can make moong dal halwa very easily and quickly in microwave oven.
To make this halwa in MW first of all mix ghee and ground moong dal in a MW safe bowl. MW for 4 minutes in high. Remove, stir and micro wave for 3-4 more minutes.
Next add milk and micro wave for 6 minutes in high. Remove stir and sugar, cardamom powder, ghee and microwave for another 5-7 minutes. Remove after 4 minutes, check and microwave again only if needed.,
Serve moong dal halwa hot or warm as dessert or snack. You can store any leftovers in fridge and warm slightly before serving.
Moong dal is very good source of nutrition for toddlers and kids. You can serve this halwa even as after school. Few other moong dal recipes added in the blog are
Recipe Notes and Tips For Best Moong Dal Halwa
Do not skimp on the quantity of ghee for this halwa or any other halwa recipe.
Use very good quality desi ghee. Homemade ghee is best for this recipe.
Saute the moong dal in ghee in lowest flame. This is the very important step.
Few more Halwa Recipes you might like
How To Make Moong Dal Halwa Step by Step
Soak rinsed moong dal in plenty of water for 3-4 hours.
Drain and grind the dal coarsely without water.
Heat 3/4 cup ghee in a thick pan. Add the ground dal and saute well in low flame for 20-25 minutes.
Next add the milk and saffron strands. Mix well and cook till all the milk is absorbed and dal is completely cooked.
Once the dal is well cooked add sugar, cardamom powder and mix well.Adding sugar will dilute the halwa a bit, so continue to cook for 5-6 minutes in low flame. Also add the remaining ghee now.
Saute and cook till the halwa slightly darkens and leaves out ghee from the sides of the pan. Add ghee fried nuts and mix well. Serve hot.
Moong dal Halwa Recipe

Moong Dal Halwa
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
- 1 cup split green gram moong dal
- 1 cup ghee divided
- 2.5 cups whole milk boiled
- 1.25 cups sugar add more if needed
- 1/8 teaspoon saffron
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1/4 cup mixed chopped juts fried in ghee
Instructions
- Soak rinsed moong dal in plenty of water for 3-4 hours.
- Drain and grind the dal coarsely without water.
- Heat 3/4 cup ghee in a thick pan. Add the ground dal and saute well in low flame for 20-25 minutes.
- Next add the milk and saffron strands. Mix well and cook till all the milk is absorbed and dal is completely cooked.
- Once the dal is well cooked add sugar, cardamom powder and mix well.Adding sugar will dilute the halwa a bit, so continue to cook for 5-6 minutes in low flame. Also add the remaining ghee now.
- Saute and cook till the halwa slightly darkens and leaves out ghee from the sides of the pan. Add ghee fried nuts and mix well. Serve hot.
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