This delicious nutty Pistachio Halwa is made with semolina, milk, sugar and crushed pistachios. It is an easy to make Indian dessert, perfect for a quick treat or as a delightful Diwali or Eid mithai.
I love semolina halwa, known as Sooji no Siro in Gujarati households. It is so comforting yet light. This Pistachio Halwa is basically the same recipe but with the addition of vibrant pistachio nuts.
Pistachio nuts add a sweet, nutty and slightly woody taste to recipes and are common in Indian cuisine. They go wonderfully with chocolate, especially in this Chocolate Pistachio Barfi.
For a similar treat, try this Turkish Semolina Halva (Irmik Helvasi) made with butter and pine nuts.
Ingredients and notes
- Semolina - you need the coarse variety suji/sooji for this recipe.
- Pistachio nuts - use whole or chopped pistachios. Do not use salted pistachios but plain roasted is okay to use.
- Cardamom powder - always added to Indian desserts, cardamom powder adds flavour.
- Ghee - I use my homemade desi ghee but you can use a flavourless oil such as sunflower oil
- Milk - for best results use whole milk, aka full fat milk but you can absolutely make it using skimmed milk too. You will be adding ghee anyway which adds fat.
- Sugar - white granulated sugar is best.
Storage
Store leftover pistachio halwa in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
I recommend serving immediately for the best texture. You can reheat halwa if you wish or serve at room temperature.
To reheat, warm in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of milk to loosen it.
Halwa can also be frozen for 1 month in a freezer safe container. Defrost in the microwave or at room temperature.
Other Indian Dessert Recipes
Instant Kalakand (2 ingredients)
Pista Halwa
Ingredients
- ½ cup pistachio nuts ground
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup ghee
- 3 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Lightly roast the pistachio (if using raw) and grind coarsely in a spice grinder.
- Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and set aside.
- In a heavy bottom kadai, heat the ghee and add the semolina. Roast on a low heat until you notice a roasting aroma. You need to continuously stir to prevent burning as this can make the halwa taste bitter. This step can take up to 10 minutes. The semolina should only turn golden, not brown in colour.
- Now add the milk and mix well, then tip in the sugar and pistachios and allow the mixture to cook.
- As it starts to thicken and become 1 mass, take off the heat.
- Spread the mixture evenly in a greased tray and allow it to cool slightly. You can then cut into diamond or squares. Optionally, serve loose halwa whilst warm in a bowl.
- You can sprinkle over more pistachio slivers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Share on Facebook Pin This RecipeNote – This recipe was first published in June 2010. This post has since been updated with helpful content and new images. The recipe remains the same.
Unknown says
Pista halwa is something very new to me..HAve to try this soon
Kiran says
Halwa looks very delicious.Hope you all had a wonderful time on this special day.
Padma says
Happy Father's Day!!! Halwa looks delicious. Nice clicks too.
Sarah Naveen says
nice post...halwa looks awesome!!!
Suja Manoj says
Wonderful post...Pistachio Halwa looks pretty and delicious:)
♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ says
A truly lovely poem and post...so heart felt and touching gurl!!!
And this is delicious , am sure going to try it soon!!!
Aruna Manikandan says
Happy Father's Day!!!
Halwa looks delicious 🙂
Unknown says
thats awesome
great sweet i like halwa
belated fathers day wishes to your father and husband
enjoy jagruthi
manisha says
halwa is lovely!!!Happy father's day
sonu says
yum yum...lovely clicks and nice colour ..
Indian Cuisine Blogroll says
That's sooooo sweet..both the cards and the halwa..very moving tribute...
Shabitha Karthikeyan says
Great !!! I meant both the sweet and your writeup !!!
Rachana says
Beautiful poetry Jagruti 🙂 and the halwa looks so tempting!
PJ says
what a wonderful father's day post, Jagruti! halwa looks so yummy and delicious
Unknown says
Jagruti, I have never had this kind of halwa and am surely going to try it out, looks and sounds lovely. Happy father's day to both the men in your life 🙂