This recipe will give you the perfectly sweet, rich, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth kind of moong dal halwa. Patience and tips shared in this recipe result in the best-tasting halwa.  

❤️About This Moong Dal Halwa Recipe

As being a rich and heavy dessert, this moong dal halwa is usually made on special occasions, wedding functions or festivals like Diwali, Rakshabandhan, Holi, etc.  It is mostly prepared during the winter months as it is believed that halwa keeps your body warm and protects you from the effect of cold. Not only moong dal halwa, but atta halwa, gajar halwa, besan halwa, etc are perfect for the winter season. Moong dal halwa is called ‘mag ni dal no shiro’ in the Gujarati language. How is it made traditionally? The whole traditional moong dal halwa making process takes 4-5 hours (soaking time + cooking time).

You’ll Love This Moong Dal Halwa

Quick to make: My recipe for making moong dal halwa is an instant version. It takes only 5 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cooking time. Easy to make (not tricky at all): Here we are making a coarse (or fine) powder from the lentils instead of soaking and making a paste. Cooking this lentil powder in the ghee is much easier than cooking a paste. No worry about getting lumps or sticking to the pan. Not compromising the taste & texture: Even though this is an instant version, the taste and texture are perfectly fluffy, soft and the same as traditional halwa.

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious moong dal halwa recipe. All the ingredients are pantry staples and easy to find.

Moong dal: This is yellow, split and skinless moong dal. Easily available in Indian grocery stores. Semolina: It is the coarse sooji or rava that we use for making upma or rava uttapam. A little amount is used to avoid the pasty texture of the halwa. Semolina helps to make a non-sticky, fluffy texture. Ghee: Yes, you’ll need a generous amount of ghee otherwise you won’t get the right texture of halwa. Use the good quality ghee. I always use homemade ghee made from Kerrygold Irish butter. Sugar: Regular white sugar is used. Saffron and Cardamom powder: Both add flavor and aroma to the halwa. Water: Yes, water is the right choice. You may have seen many recipes online that use milk in halwa. But milk and lentils are not a good combination. As per Ayurveda, this combo creates indigestion and creates toxins in the digestive system. Nuts: Almonds and cashews are used here. If you like then you can add pistachios and raisins, too. 

👩‍🍳 How To Make Moong Dal Halwa? (Pics)

Prep-Work {No-Soaking}:

  1. Take moong dal in a strainer and rinse under running tap water until water runs clear. Transfer the rinsed lentils to a clean kitchen towel. Rub and pat dry the dal until most of the moisture is absorbed. 
  2. Transfer the moong dal to a wide pan and turn the heat on medium. Dry roast until all the moisture is gone and dal becomes dry. We are not looking for browning or color change. It takes around 5-7 minutes.
  3. Remove it to a plate and let it cool down. 
  4. Grind into a fine or coarse powder using a spice grinder. My spice grinder is small so I had to do it in batches. If you have an Indian mixer (preethi style) then you can do it all in one batch.  TIP: Coarse or Fine – It depends on how you like your halwa texture. Some prefer smooth halwa vs some prefer grainy (danendar) halwa. For a smooth texture, make fine powder from roasted dal. For grainy texture, grind into a coarse powder. Making Halwa:
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large wide pan. Once hot add chopped almonds and cashews. Fry until they are golden brown. 
  6. Remove it to a bowl and keep it aside.
  7. While you are roasting the nuts, on another stove heat water, sugar and saffron mixture in a saucepan.
  8. Let the sugar melt and bring it to a simmer only (no need to boil or simmer for longer). As soon as it starts simmering, turn off the stove.
  9. While the sugar syrup is getting hot, heat the remaining ghee in the pan on low heat. Once hot add sooji.
  10. With stirring constantly roast it until it gets slight brown color. It takes around 5 minutes.
  11. Then add prepared dal powder and mix immediately. 
  12. Roast the dal with stirring constantly until they get golden brown in color. It takes around 15 minutes on low heat.
  13. Now add the sugar-water mixture and keep stirring the mixture with another hand. Be careful the mixture will get bubbly and may splutter.
  14. Keep mixing and within a few minutes, it will become like a thin paste.
  15. Keep stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan and continue cooking. Within 5-7 minutes it starts to thicken up.
  16. Similarly, continue cooking with stirring on low heat and within 15 minutes total (after adding sugar-water) it comes together like a dough.
  17. Continue cooking, after another 10 mins (25 minutes total), it starts to leave the sides of the pan. We are still not there yet.
  18. After another 10 mins of cooking (35 minutes total), you’ll notice little ghee oozes out from the sides. Plus, you’ll notice the color change from the beginning. 
  19. At this time, cover the pan and keep the heat lowest possible and cook for 5 minutes.
  20. As you open the lid, you’ll see a lot more ghee is separated from all the sides and halwa gets darker in color. At this time, halwa is cooked perfectly.
  21. Add cardamom powder and fried nuts.
  22. Mix well and halwa is ready.

💭 Tips For BEST Moong Dal Halwa

Patience is the key. Cooking halwa on low flame after adding sugar-water mixture may take more than 35-40 minutes. So be patient and keep cooking. Stirring constantly during halwa cooking process is important to avoid sticking to the pan and for even cooking. Also, scrap the sides and bottom of the pan at intervals. The entire halwa cooking process has to be done on low-medium heat. If cooked on medium or high heat then it gets brown color quickly but tastes raw. Roasting dal powder until it gets golden brown color is a must otherwise you’ll get a raw taste of dal in halwa. Ghee to lentil proportion has to be right to get the perfect texture. So don’t reduce the amount of ghee. This is a rich dessert and made on occasions only so don’t be stingy on ghee. It is much easier to make in a non-stick pan or enamel-coated dutch oven vs steel or iron pan.

🥣 Storage Instructions

In the refrigerator, halwa stays good for 8-10 days in an airtight container. After storing, ghee will solidify and halwa becomes hard. Always reheat the halwa in a microwave for a few seconds only until it is warm to enjoy the best taste.

Did you try this moong dal halwa recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below in the comment section.

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