Apple Halwa is the simplest and easiest dessert, yet it is so delicious and flavorful, prepared in 20 minutes. It is one of the best apple recipes to try when in season, especially during Fall, Navratri, or Diwali. This apple pudding dessert is gluten-free, flourless, eggless, and made without an oven.
Check out our list of best sweets and desserts for Indian festivals, Navratri recipes for 9 days, and Special Diwali sweets.
About Indian Apple Pudding
Halwa (Halva) also known as aluva, halua is an easy-to-make popular pudding dessert from Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern cuisine prepared mainly using semolina (sooji), wheat flour, grains, or nuts by roasting them in ghee and cooking with water or milk. But these days, you get to see a lot of variations to it prepared using fresh fruits and vegetables in season.
Because halua requires very basic ingredients, you can find halwa served for large gatherings during special occasions or festivals like Holi, Diwali, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Karwa Chauth, etc. It is also offered to God in the form of Naivedyam.
This apple halwa recipe is made without using any flour. You just need apples, ghee, nuts, and cardamom for flavoring and sugar. Thus, seb halwa or apple halwa, gajar ka halwa, and banana halwa are considered one of the best recipes for vrat, fasting during the nine days of Navratri and karva chauth.
While you are here, check out our sheera (sooji ka halwa), Bombay Karachi halwa, popular carrot halwa, apple sheera, and atta halwa recipes.
Serve this apple halwa pudding as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream or as a filling for your cinnamon rolls or to make meetha paratha (stuffed flatbread, puran poli, obbattu, ubbati).
Ingredients
To make this Indian-style apple pudding or apple halwa sweet, you need very basic ingredients.
Apples: Any variety of apples can be used, from fuji, gala, honey crisp, granny smith, pink lady apple, and McIntosh red, to make this halwa. Just keep in mind the sweeter the apples, the less amount of sugar you will be adding to the recipe.
Ghee: Homemade desi ghee or clarified brown butter adds a nutty aroma.
Dry fruits and nuts: For the crunch.
Sugar: As a sweetener. You can also make sugar-free apple halwa if the sweetness of apples is sufficient for you. Or even add jaggery instead of sugar.
Flavoring: Cinnamon and cardamom gives you the warm fall flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Peel, chop and grate the apples and keep them ready. If you are looking for smooth apple halwa, then instead of grating, grind it.
Step 2: Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add cashews and almonds and saute just till it becomes light. Add raisins. Saute for a few seconds. Transfer this to a plate and keep it aside.
Step 3: In the same pan, add grated apples and sauté till juice from the apple is released and then evaporates completely.
Step 4: This will take approximately 8 minutes. The time will vary based on the thickness of the pan, the moisture content in apples, and the intensity of the flame.
Step 5: Now add the sugar and continue to sauté.
Step 6: Once the sugar is added, the mixture loosens up and appears moist. Continue to cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens.
Step 7: Add cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, and mix. Cook for one more minute.
Step 8: Finally, add the roasted nuts and mix, and switch off the flame.
Tips
- You can reduce the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the apple.
- For flavorings, you can add vanilla extract, a pinch of nutmeg, or even pumpkin spice.
- If you like it dark brown or orange, add a pinch of saffron food color.
- Use any combination of dry fruits and nuts, or skip it completely.
- To avoid the apple from browning, grate it just before you are going to use or drizzle some lemon juice and keep it.
- This is a very light dessert, as no flour, no milk, cream, or khoya is used.
- Best way to add apples to your kid's diet. You can use jaggery instead of sugar.
Storage Suggestions
- Halwa can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for seven days. Just reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds if you like it warm.
- Apple pudding is a make-ahead dessert option for parties and gatherings.
Serving Suggestions
- Apple halwa or pudding can be served alone, warm or cold, optionally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- You can also use it as a filling for bread, cinnamon rolls or as a side with Indian flatbread like Chapati, Phulka, etc.
Sugar-Free Apple Halwa dessert
You can also make apple halwa dessert without adding sugar if you are on a diet or weight loss program. Adding sugar is optional. For best results, select sweet apples. You can also consider alternate sweeteners such as stevia, jaggery, Sugar Free, Splenda, etc., instead of regular sugar.
Vegan Apple pudding
You can easily make this recipe vegan by substituting butter with vegan butter or coconut oil.
Apple Halwa with jaggery
If you love Indian sweets and desserts with jaggery, then simply substitute sugar with jaggery powder or grated jaggery. All other steps for halwa remain the same.
Recipe FAQS
You can make halwa with any variety of apples, from fuji, pick lady honey crisp, or gala to granny smith. Adjust the sugar in the recipe based on the tartness of apples.
Make sure you stir the apples continuously during the cooking and add the sugar only once the moisture is released from the apples.
More Halwa recipes
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Recipe card
Apple Halwa | Apple Pudding | Easy Apple Dessert Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 4 Apples, peeled, chopped and grated
- 2 tablespoon Ghee or Brown butter (use vegan butter for vegan version)
- ¼ cup Sugar (adjust to taste depending on sweetness of apple)
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon Cashews (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Almonds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Peel, chop and grate the apples and keep them ready. If you are looking for smooth apple halwa, then instead of grating, grind it.4 Apples, peeled, chopped and grated
- Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add cashews and almonds and saute just till it becomes light. Add raisins. Saute for a few seconds. Transfer this to a plate and keep it aside.2 tablespoon Ghee or Brown butter, 1 tablespoon Cashews (optional), 1 tablespoon Almonds (optional), 1 tablespoon Raisins (optional)
- In the same pan, add grated apples and sauté till juice from the apple is released and then evaporated completely.
- Now add the sugar and continue to sauté. Once the sugar is added, the mixture loosens up and appears moist. Continue to cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens.¼ cup Sugar
- Add cinnamon powder cardamom powder, and mix. Cook for one more minute.¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder, ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- Finally, add the roasted nuts and mix, and switch off the flame.
Video
Notes
- You can reduce the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the apple.
- For flavorings, you can add vanilla extract, a pinch of nutmeg, or even pumpkin spice.
- If you like it dark brown or orange, add a pinch of saffron food color.
- Use any combination of dry fruits and nuts, or skip it completely.
- To avoid the apple from browning, grate it just before you are going to use or drizzle some lemon juice and keep it.
- This is a very light dessert, as no flour, no milk, cream, or khoya is used.
- Best way to add apples to your kid's diet. You can use jaggery instead of sugar.
Serving suggestions
- Apple halwa or pudding can be served alone, warm or cold, optionally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- You can also use it as a filling for bread, cinnamon rolls or as a side with Indian flatbread like Chapati, Phulka, etc.
Storage suggestions
- Halwa can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for seven days. Just reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds if you like it warm.
- Apple pudding is a make-ahead dessert option for parties and gatherings.
Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this recipe in June 2021. It has now been modified in Aug 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Ieva
Made this recipe yesterday - it was my first time making Apple Halwa, but I was very happy with how easy it was to achieve the delicious result! Just a few ingredients and you have a wonderful sweet treat. We served it hot with vanilla ice cream! Thanks a lot for the recipe!
Serena
I love that this comes together with just a few simple pantry ingredients. So simple, and delish!
Dana
Oh my goodness, this was so tasty! Thanks for introducing me to a new way to enjoy apples in dessert.
Holley
This apple dessert is delicious! Definitely making again and again! Great recipe!
Sara Welch
What a delicious recipe! Such a great combination of flavors and textures; easily, a new favorite recipe!