Moong Dal Halwa in Instant Pot

Moong dal halwa is a flavorful Indian dessert made with split yellow lentils. It is a gluten-free dessert and is made on special occasions, celebrations, weddings, and Indian festivals like Diwali.

I love making moong dal halwa in the instant pot as it is very easy to make. The traditional way of making moong dal ka halwa is tedious involving continuous stirring, scraping, and roasting for long.

This instant pot moong dal halwa recipe is made by soaking moong dal for a few hours before making the halwa.

This decadent halwa recipe is a true delight and sure to please your family and friends.

Ingredients

Moong dal halwa is made with only a few ingredients. Yellow moong dal or split yellow lentils are the main ingredients. You will need ghee, sugar, and some dry fruits like raisins, cashews, and optionally sliced pistachios. Adding some spices like saffron and ground cardamom makes this decadent dessert very flavorful.

Instructions

The first step to making moong dal ka halwa is to rinse and soak the moong dal for about 5-6 hours. Once soaked, discard the water and grind the dal in a blender with minimal water. I use Vitamix at speed 5 and get a nice smooth batter by using just half the amount of water as dry dal.

Grease a small pot with ghee and add the moong dal paste to the pot. Add melted ghee at room temperature to it. It is important that ghee is not hot, else it can change the texture of the batter.

Mix the batter and ghee very well so that ghee gets well absorbed in the batter.

Place a trivet in the inner pot and pour one cup of water. Place the batter and ghee mixture on the trivet and cover it well with a lid.

Cover the instant pot with the lid and set it on high pressure for 10 minutes with the pressure release valve in the sealing position followed by a natural pressure release.

Once you open the lid and check the batter and ghee mixture, you will see it is nicely cooked. Take the pot out, remove the trivet and discard the water in the inner pot. Turn the Saute mode on for 20 minutes on "Normal".

While the time the pot is getting hot, break the mixture into pieces and scrape the sides if needed with a spoon. This is fairly simple, as the mixture is very soft and non-sticky.

Add ghee to the instant pot, add the dal mixture to it and continue roasting. Initial 8-10 minutes of roasting can be a bit tedious trying to ensure that it does not stick to the pot.

A stainless steel spatula helps scrape the mixture from the bottom but it is not tedious like the traditional method. After a few minutes, only occasional roasting is required.

Continue this until the mixture oozes out some ghee which is a sign that it is well roasted. It took me about 20 minutes total to roast it in a 3 qt. instant pot.

Add the water, cardamom powder, soaked saffron, cashew pieces, and raisins and mix well. Stir occasionally until all liquid evaporates.

Turn the saute mode off and transfer the halwa to a serving bowl else the heat of the instant pot can make it dry further.

Serving suggestions

Moong dal halwa is a dessert that is served warm. It is a true delight in cold weather. You can garnish it with some sliced pistachios while serving

Storage

Moong dal halwa can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week. It can also be frozen for up to a month.

Refrigerated moong dal halwa will tend to harden. To soften hard halwa, simply reheat it in the microwave. If needed, you can add a few spons of milk or water to make it soft.

To reheat frozen halwa, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and then serve warm by reheating it in a microwave.

You may also enjoy other instant pot Indian dessert recipes

• Kalakand
• Cham Cham
• Mishti Doi
• Dudhi Halwa
• Rice pudding
• Vermicelli pudding
• Ras malai
• Instant pot Indian desserts

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📖 Recipe