Easy Lauki Halwa Recipe without Khoya | Dudhi Halwa

Lauki Halwa is a luscious rich creamy traditional Indian dessert made using lauki (bottle gourd), khoya, sugar, ghee, and nuts. With this easy Lauki Halwa Recipe without Khoya, even an amateur can make this dessert easily.

Sorakaya (lauki) is one of the popular vegetables in my house. We always have a bottle gourd at home to mix with other veggies to make vegetable sambar. A part goes into sambar, the rest is used to make halwa.

I have fond memories attached to this sweet dish. I still remember my childhood days, I use to help my mom grate the lauki. We didn’t have to wait for any festival or special occasion to enjoy this delicacy. It was made whenever dad got a big-size bottle gourd.

Here are some of my favorite Indian sweets recipes made at home – Sooji Halwa, Bread Halwa, Instant Gulab Jamun, Vermicelli Kheer, Rice Kheer with Jaggery.

What is Lauki Halwa?

Lauki Halwa is a classic North Indian dessert and the name itself explains the dish. Here lauki stands for bottle gourd and halwa means sweet pudding.

Essentially, lauki ka halwa requires four key ingredients to get prepared – lauki, milk or mawa, ghee, and sugar. Adding dry fruits and flavoring ingredient is completely optional.

In India, no festival, ceremony, celebration, or occasion can be complete without Indian sweets. Dudhi Halwa can be made for festivals like Holi, Diwali, Rakshabandhan, etc, or for special occasions. It is also a great sweet dish on vrat days (Hindu fasting) like Navratri, Shivaratri, or Ekadashi.

About Lauki Halwa Recipe without Khoya

Lauki Halwa Recipe without Khoya is prepared with grated bottle gourd (Lauki or Doodhi), milk, sugar, ghee, nuts, and flavored with delicate cardamom powder.

This Lauki Halwa recipe using milk is a great alternative to the traditional recipe which is made using khoya.

The lauki ka halwa we buy from the sweet shops or served in functions is slightly green in color. The color is because of the green food color. You can add a drop of organic plant-based green food color, but it’s optional.

There are three ways of making lauki halwa.

1. With khoya or mawa: Cook the grated lauki first. In a kadhai, saute cooked lauki in ghee and khoya.

2. With milk and without khoya: Saute grated lauki first in some ghee and then cook in the milk.

3. Pressure cooker or Instant pot: This method is preferred during busy schedules. I do not prefer this method as there are high chances of milk getting curdled.

In sweet shops, halwai style lauki ka halwa is prepared by cooking (boiling) the grated lauki till tender. Later it is sauteed with ghee and then mawa and sugar are added.

As this recipe is without khoya, it takes some time but the taste is totally worth it. The basic of this recipe is reducing milk so as to make it rich. 

The halwa is made by slow-cooking grated lauki with whole milk and stirring continuously. In this process of slow cooking, the milk begins to evaporate and solidifies to thick consistency like mawa.

So some handwork and patience are needed. I usually make this halwa when cooking something else in the kitchen.

Reasons to make

Easy to make.

Needs minimal ingredients.

Easily available ingredients.

A delight for the taste buds.

Treat your sweet tooth.

Purely vegetarian sweet pudding.

Relish as dessert post lunch or dinner or as evening snacks.

Can easily double or triple the recipe.

Kids friendly.

Free of any additives.

Pro Tips

The taste of halwa depends on lauki, so choosing a good lauki is very important. Also for the best taste, prepare lauki halwa as soon as you buy it as we want it at its freshest. Taste the lauki and make sure it’s not bitter.

The texture of halwa will depend on the size of the grated lauki. I prefer to medium grate the lauki. If grated too thin, the halwa will turn mushy and if grated too thick, it will take more time to cook and will have bigger strands.

After grating the lauki, do not keep it for a long time. It will turn black in color. If making in a large quantity, add the grated lauki to water.

Use a heavy bottom pot to make the halwa.

I prefer to use warm milk instead of raw milk, it prevents the milk from splitting (curdling) in the halwa.

Be patient while simmering the milk.

If the milk splits, continue to cook the halwa on medium flame so that the whey evaporates. The tiny milk solids resemble paneer granules and this tastes good too.

While simmering the milk, keep stirring at regular intervals. It is to avoid burning the milk.

Quantity of sugar depends on the taste of lauki and milk. Start by adding less and you can adjust later.

Do not overcook otherwise the halwa will turn dry. It has to be moist yet thick and not runny.

Ingredients

Bottle gourd: In Indian languages, bottle gourd has many names doodhi (in Marathi), lauki or ghiya (in Hindi), anapakay or sorakaya (in Telugu), and lau (in Bengali). It is also known as Cucuzza, Calabash, Opo Squash in other countries.

Pick a bottle gourd that is young, slender, firm, has bright green skin, and has minimal bruising, blemishes, and discoloration. Also, make sure that the lauki isn’t too heavy.

Milk: I used toned milk. For a richer taste, you can use whole milk or full-fat milk.

Ghee (clarified butter): Use either homemade ghee or store-bought ghee.

Sugar: I use granulated white sugar. You can also substitute sugar with brown sugar, sugar-free, jaggery powder, or condensed milk.

You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar according to your taste

Green Cardamom: It gives a nice flavor and aroma. You can add it in a powdered form or crush a few whole green cardamoms.

The options to flavor the halwa are – rose water, vanilla essence,

Nuts:  You can use mixed nuts that are chopped finely or slivered. I use raisins, cashews, and almonds to garnish the dish. They add a lovely crunch.

To make the lauki halwa appealing, you can add a drop of organic plant-based green food color, but it’s optional.

How to make Lauki Halwa without Khoya

Pre-prep

Firstly, heat 2 cups of milk and let it come to a boil.

Meanwhile, you can wash the bottle gourd well.

Making Lauki Halwa

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel to remove the outer hard skin until you reach the soft part. Discard all the hard skin. Cut off the end portions of lauki and cut it into two parts. Next, cut the lauki into half vertically. Discard the center white part with the seeds.

Before grating taste the lauki, if it tastes bitter then do not use it.

2. Grate the firm green part using the medium hole of a grater. You can use a food processor to grate the lauki.

To reduce the cooking time, you can squeeze the grated bottle gourd through a muslin cloth to remove all the water.

3. Heat 3 tbsps ghee in a heavy bottom pan/kadhai.

4. Add the grated bottle gourd.

5. Saute over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the moisture dries and the grated bottle gourd becomes soft. Keep stirring at regular intervals to fry evenly.

6. After the lauki is sauteed well, add in the 2 cups of boiled milk and mix well.

7. Continue to cook the bottle gourd-milk mixture on medium-low flame till the milk comes to a boil.

8. Stir it at regular intervals so it does not burn and stick to the bottom. Keep scraping the sides of the pan regularly and add the thickened milk back to the pan.

9. Continue to cook stirring frequently. Once three-fourths of the milk is reduced, add 1/4 cup sugar.

Because of sugar, it will start getting watery again. Keep stirring until it gets dry and halwa starts coming together.

10. Stirring often cook till the halwa mixture starts coming together and thickens.

If you do not like roasted nuts, add chopped nuts at this stage.

11. Add green cardamom powder or crushed and stir for about 5 minutes. If you prefer moist and gooey halwa, you can turn off the flame at this stage. Taste test for sweetness, add more if needed, and continue to cook.

Sign of halwa is ready: there are no more bubbles from the mixture means all the moisture is evaporated.

12. I prefer the halwa a bit dry. So I continue to simmer till the moisture reduces completely and there is a thick mixture with the ghee oozing from the sides.

13. In a small saucepan, heat the rest of the ghee. When warm, add chopped cashew nuts, almonds, and chironji. Fry until a light golden color. Next, add raisins and saute until they puff up.

Make sure the flame is low. If it is high, there are chances of nuts getting burnt.

14. Immediately add into the halwa and mix well.

Lauki ka Halwa is ready. Serve hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Lauki Halwa warm straight out of the pan or at room temperature as a post-meal dessert or evening snack.

My favorite way of serving this halwa is with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. This is a popular combo in functions like wedding ceremonies, reception parties, etc. 

Storage Suggestions

Lauki ka halwa tastes best when made fresh. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

The halwa continues to thicken as it cools down. Before serving, reheat in a microwave or in a pan on the stovetop. This helps melt the solidified ghee and milk solids. While reheating, splash a little milk or water if the halwa has thickened a lot.

You can easily freeze the halwa too. Make sure to freeze in small portions.

If you’ve tried this Easy Lauki ka Halwa Recipe without Khoya, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

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