Moong dal halwa is a yellow split lentil pudding and easily made in the instant pot. It is a flavorful Indian dessert and can satisfy your sweet tooth.
However, the traditional way of making moong dal halwa dessert, which I had learned from my mom, was too tedious. It involved continuous stirring, scraping and roasting for over an hour, non-stop. It was more of a gym class and would definitely leave you with an aching arm at the end.
Nevertheless, my love for this dish has never diminished and I have been making it, albeit less frequently, over the years.
Recently, I was craving for this halwa once again but was determined to simplify the process and make it less tedious after all, it was my favorite dessert. And, lo and behold, my very first attempt in the instant pot turned out to be a success.
I was delighted and made it several times since then and every time it lived up to my expectations. Hence would like to proudly share this instant pot recipe with you all lovers of "Moong Dal Halwa".
Hope you will try this instant pot moong dal halwa recipe and enjoy it with friends and family.
Soak and grind the moong dal
Moong dal halwa is usually made with deskinned yellow moong dal. As in the traditional method, the first step is to rinse and soak the 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.
How to make moong dal halwa in instant pot?
The traditional method at this point would be to roast the dal in ghee continuously so that it does not stick. But thanks to the instant pot, this process can be easily simplified.
Pot in Pot pressure cook moong dal
Grease a small pot with ghee, this is optional as I did not find much difference by greasing. Add the moong dal batter to the pot and 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.
Making moong dal halwa in instant pot
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 the 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 in serving bowl else the heat of the instant pot can make it dry further.
How do you serve moong dal halwa?
Moong dal halwa is a dessert which is served warm. It is a true delight in cold weather.
How do you store moong dal halwa?
Moong dal halwa can be refrigerated for about a week. It can also be frozen for upto a month.
How do you reheat moong dal halwa?
Refrigerated moong dal halwa can simply be reheated in the microwave and served warm. To reheat frozen halwa, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature and then serve warm by reheating in microwave.
You may also enjoy other instant pot Indian dessert recipes
Don't forget to rate the recipe by clicking the stars. Also, pin the recipe by clicking the "Pin" button, for your future reference.
Moong Dal Halwa in Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Yellow Moong Dal (soak for 4-5 hours)
- ½ cup Organic cane sugar
- ½ cup Ghee
- 1 ¼ cup Water (¼ cup for grinding, 1 cup for cooking)
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- Few Saffron strands
- Cashews (split)
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
Instructions
- Soak the moong dal in enough water for 5-6 hours.
- Discard water once it is soaked well
- Grind the moong dal to a smooth batter using ¼ cup water. If using Vitamix, setting 5 works well for a smooth batter.
- Grease a small pot with ghee and add the batter to the pot.
- Add 5 tablespoon melted ghee at room temperature to the batter and mix it well until it gets absorbed in the batter.
- Pressure cook on "High" for 10 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release.
- Take the pot out. Discard the water from inner pot and set on Saute mode on Normal for 20 minutes.
- Break the mixture into pieces with a spoon.
- Add 3 tablespoon ghee to the pot and add the mixture.
- Continuously stir, scrape and roast the mixture for 8-10 minutes. Later continue to roast intermittently until well roasted and you see ghee oozing out of the mixture.
- Add sugar, 1 cup water, cardamom powder, soaked saffron, raisins and cashews and mix well. (Turn Saute mode on if it gets turned off).
- Once the water evaporates, press cancel and transfer the halwa into a serving bowl.
Sejal says
Hello Alpa . I tried already . Came out very testy . Can I use milk or heavy cream instead water ?? Make like soji halwa ?
SEJAL
Alpa Jain says
Hi Sejal
Thankyou for the feedback. Yes you can use milk instead of water.
Regards
Alpa
Ranjini says
Love your take on Moong Dal Halwa. When you add the sugar. Nuts and raisins to the roasted dhal you have added that water needs to be added. The mixture looks wet after it has been sautéed and the ghee has oozed out. Can you please specify how much water to add. Thank you
Alpa Jain says
Hi Ranjini,
Glad you liked it. Yes, water must be added to the roasted mixture along with sugar and nuts. I see the confusion, 1/4 cup water is used while grinding and rest one cup is added to halwa. Please allow the water to evaporate to desired consistency of halwa. I have updated the recipe now. Thankyou for pointing it out.
Hope this helps
Regards
Alpa
Elizabeth Newman says
I have never heard of Moong Dal, but this sounds really, really good.
Lathiya says
Moong dal halwa looks absolutely delicious. Making it in Instant pot is a clever way to make this dessert.
Jacqueline Debono says
I have never had moong dal halwa but it sounds really interesting! I'd love to try it!
Saif says
I tried Dal Halwa once in my friend's house who is from India. It taste really good. It's sweet but very flavorful.
Beth says
You make this dish sound so good, and I'm especially glad I won't have to feel like I've been to the gym after making it. Thanks for sharing this version!
Felicia Austin says
I love my Instant Pot and every time I can find a recipe I've never tried before that is a total win for the whole day lol. I love how you didn't give up on this recipe because it was very tedious. I would have lol I am inspired by you to do the same with some of the recipes that I know of that take a long time. I am loving my instant pot because of this reason alone! There are other reasons but cutting the time in half sometimes more is at the top of the list.
Rochelle says
I love finding new recipes for my instant pot. Especially vegetarian ones. This looks perfect for me and my family 🙂