Badam Ka Halwa (Almond Fudge Recipe)
The instant someone even mentions Badam Halwa, which is probably Almond Fudge to the rest of the world, my mind immediately goes to my dear grandmother. Every time she made a visit to our house, she would bring packets of fresh home made Pal Kova (doodh peda a.k.a Milk Sweet) along with absolutely heavenly Badam Halwa. In my house ( and probably for miles around), I am the only one who does not prefer sweets at all and would run away in the opposite direction. So while everyone thronged around my grandma for a piece of Pal Kova, I would try to disappear from that place. But not even me, ever could possibly stay away from her delicious Badam Halwa and I would inadvertently end up taking 1-2 spoonfuls of this sinfully yummy Indian sweet. You might think it does not sound much, but keeping in mind that I hate sweets it was quite a lot. I have never in so many years of stay at my grandma's place ever took trouble to ask the cook how he actually made the sweet, but now when I find that I have to make it for my family, I keep thinking of asking for that recipe.
Badam Ka Halwa (Almond Fudge Recipe)
Somehow I always didn't mind eating my grandma's version to that of outside shops. Now I realize why! Almond by itself is a rich nut and to top it off,  it is made even more richer by adding Ghee (clarified Butter) and sugar. But shopkeepers/commercial shops go beyond limits and add gallons of Ghee and Sugar to make it sickeningly rich ( at least for me) that even the smell makes me nauseous. I want it to be such that, this sweet is rich of Almonds and tastes so and is not corrupted with other richer ingredients. It should only compliment the almond taste and not take prominence themselves! Though this recipe which I always follow is no way low calorie, I can actually say it probably is, compared to the ones you get  in restaurants and shops :) The flavor oozes the richness of the almonds and is mildly sweet. You can of course increase both Ghee and Sugar to suit your preferences and taste :) This works for me.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Yields: Makes around 3-4 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 cup blanched almonds ( see how in simple steps )
  • 1 cup whole milk ( you can use low fat for health reasons)
  • about 3 tbsp ghee or add 2 tbsp more if you like  (no...push that butter away. Only Ghee!)
  • 3-4 tbsp Sugar ( you can use more if you want. I think 1 cup of sugar is used for 1 cup of almonds)
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • pinch of saffron (optional)
Method
1. Take the blanched almonds and little milk in a food processor and grind it to a coarse paste.
2. Use milk as much as needed. You can mix it later while cooking the almonds. I usually add all the milk while pulsing the almonds.
3. Take a non stick pan. I would recommend using it, esp. for beginners since it is helpful in making sure that your almond mixture does not burn as easily. Even a little burn will spoil the whole dish completely. Yeah! Finicky little sweet - but then as they say, totally worth it. Pour about 2 tbsp of ghee and when little warm, add the almond mixture. You can add any remaining milk, if any now.
4. Cook the mixture in medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring all the while slowly to avoid sticking to the bottom. See how it sticks to that bottom here?
5. In the beginning, the mixture will keep sticking to the pan hence supervision(read stirring) is required.
6. Now add the sugar, few tablespoons or 1 cup - whatever works for you - to the mixture. Mix well.
7. The mixture will become little more fluid thanks to all that sugar melting. I have known people to make sugar syrup and then add to the almond mixture. Gawd! The variety to make one single Indian sweet in so many different ways is boundless!!. But I find this method easier. I am not that pally with Sugar syrup fairy!!!
8. Cook for another 5-10 minutes  until you see the mixture boiling. Be careful since the behavior tends to match molten lava - with the bubbles bursting and splattering all over you! Those hot pricks of the mixture is not a nice experience to have. :). Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of ghee and saffron at this point and keep stirring for some more time.
9. You know its done when the mixture comes together into one sort of thick lump. It stops sticking to the pan and also remember the hot air shooting of the mixture earlier? - that stops and the mixture looks sedated now, calmly moving and dancing around the pan with absolute ease when you keep stirring it. I think this totally takes around 30 minutes to get done. The color of the sweet also turns slightly golden thanks to the saffron. You can add red/yellow food colors for a more attractive color, if needed.
You can now take a chill pill and flex your sore hand now from all that stirring! Your efforts are going to be paid off - Go ahead and take a spoonful of Badam Halwa and know what heaven might probably feel like :) The pain in your hand went away in a flash, didn't it? Badam Ka Halwa (Almond Fudge Recipe)

Leave a Reply

I love to hear from you! I read each and every comment, and will get back as soon as I am able to.
Did you try this recipe? Please share your feedback!
Upload Your Recipe Photos

8 Member Reviews

By Swati on Jul 31, 2012

I tried this recipe and it turned out really good......... My husband who is not much of a sweet lover enjoyed it the most. Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!!!!!

By sushma on Feb 2, 2012

Followed the recipe A-Z and it came out very tasty :).... reduced the quantity of ghee and sugar (to please my hubby). I have a question here, can we roast and powder the almonds to save the cooking time? if we do so, will the dish retain the same taste? Please advise

Read All 8 Reviews →

28 Comments

By swetha on Nov 5, 2014

:-D nice easy steps .i will try.

By Krithika Anand on Jul 22, 2013

This is the only site i refer to if i want to make my favorite dishes:) Thanks DK. I dont really have to call my mom for any receipes these days:)It is made so simple and delicious by your effort.thanks again.

Thank you so much for these words. Totally made my day :) --DK

By gaya on Nov 11, 2012

I made this Badam Halwa. It turned out yummy. I was always scared of trying this because Iam not the syrup fairy too. But your recipe was simple and took less time to prepare.Thanks for the recipe.

Awesome. I am glad to hear that :) --DK

By Mom Photographer on Aug 22, 2012

that sounds more like a marzipan recipe! :)

By Sangeetha on Feb 11, 2012

Hi, for how long time can i keep the halwa? ( days?)Can i put it in fridge? Thanks a billion for the recipie, it tastes great;p

By harini on Feb 1, 2012

Thanks for the recipe.It came out very beautifully.Blanching the almonds was fun.My family enjoyed it :) :) :) .

By Chitra on Aug 22, 2011

I tried this receipe and it was just awesome. Everybody just loved it. I was impatient in blanching though especially with a 6 month old around :) but it was all worth it. My 6 month old tasted it too and was wanting more of it :wink:

By adrian on Jul 29, 2011

I will try it now, but... you missed to write when to add the cardamom...

By Mona on Dec 20, 2010

Very happy to find this since halwa recipes always seemed so complicated when explained by the Aunty's. For a first try ever, it came out really really good...at first I went by the recipe, but the result was a lump of badam "candy", so I put it back in the pot and cooked with 3 more cups of milk and came out more like kheer. I'm gonna try the vanilla cake next!

By Sasi on Feb 24, 2010

Just wanted congratulate you on the wonderful job you are doing. I wanted to try making besan ka ladoo. I stumbled on your to your blog last week and have tried several of your recipes already. Badam halwa came out very well. Today it is going to be Potato and Lima beans. I also like the fact the at the recipes are nutritious and delicious. Lastly, awesome pictures.

By Sandhya Oza on Dec 18, 2009

I am amazed with your beautiful recipies and the detail in which u care to write with pictures....love it. I teach Indian cooking and have not really been a big fan of Indian sweets but have wanted to make gulab jamoon at home and googled. I love your site. Well done to you...i have enjoyed your site and think just for the effort you have put in I will make lots of sweets..:D will watch the waist line too :-P

Thank you so much for such sweet words Sandhya :) It makes it all worth it -- DK

By karpaham balaji on Nov 22, 2009

hi....! very nice presentation . looking out for this recipe for quite some time...i am going to try it out today. thank u...!

By poma on Nov 15, 2009

Tried this recipie today. Was an instant hit! Thanks and look forward to many more such recipies!

By Mamatha on Oct 24, 2009

How I wish I shared your aversion for sweets! Sweets, especially Indian ones, make me weak in the knee. And Badam Halwa is one of my favoritest! I love your low-sugar version. Yeah, I think I too have used 1C of sugar for 1C of Badam in the past.

By shyamala on Oct 10, 2009

I tried the recipe yesterday. It tasted yum. The kids loved it and so did I. I wonder if the recipe will work if you make it with unpeeled, dry badam.

Thank you Shyama. I am not sure about unpeeled badam. My instincts tell me that there would be too many skins in the halwa and the texture might suffer. I am not sure since I havent tried that way before :) -- DK

By Lakshmi on Oct 8, 2009

This is the best looking halwa I have seen so far... Congrats and Happy Diwali!!

Dear Lakshmi, thank you for such a generous comment :) Wishing you a gala Diwali too ----DK

By Suma Gandlur on Oct 7, 2009

Halwa looks fabulous in that beautiful dish.

By anushruti on Oct 7, 2009

That looks so delicious! Badam halva is one of my favourites.

By meeso on Oct 6, 2009

Your description made me want to try your grandmother's! I like your version :)

By CurryLeaf on Oct 6, 2009

Rich and mouthwatering Great pics and Great Halwa DK

By chitra on Oct 6, 2009

thanks for the step by step pics..have bookmarked it.

By singh b on Oct 6, 2009

oh my god that seems very rich and mouth watering...............thanks for sharing such a nice recipe

By neha on Oct 6, 2009

Even i don't like sweets much, had this once only when my mom was stuffng me up with fats post pregnancy...(i had one full bowl) . Was so so rich and too uch too, but tasted heavenly... Thanks for sharing..

By Priya on Oct 6, 2009

Yumm!!!such a lip smacking halwa..

By Uma on Oct 5, 2009

Gorgeous looking halwa. mmmm. mouth-watering :)

By prathibha on Oct 5, 2009

very rich halwa...looks mouth watering..

By Cilantro on Oct 5, 2009

Super Delicious Badam halwa. Great narration !!! Once had the Badam halwa from Sarvana Bhavan @ vancouver and there was so much ghee from it that I could have made some more halwa out of it. I did`nt like the taste there. I too prefer making them at home.

By Pavani on Oct 5, 2009

Looks mouth watering DK.. Yummyyyyyyy.