Badam Halwa (Almond Flour Halwa)

Make this delicious Badam Halwa in the instant pot under 30 mins using store-bought almond flour. If you don’t have almond flour or an instant pot, you can still make this on the stovetop using whole almonds. This Badam Halwa is rich, smooth, delicious and aromatic, making it a perfect Indian dessert for any occasion.

In the past we would see this being made only during South Indian weddings, baby showers, house warming and naming ceremonies. Individual portions neatly wrapped in butter paper or plastic are given as return gifts to the guests. But these days we see almond halwa is being served as a breakfast dessert in South Indian restaurants.

About Badam Halwa

Badam Halwa is an Indian halwa made with whole almonds, sugar, ghee, food color and flavoring ingredients. Traditionally almonds are soaked, peeled and ground to a coarse paste before cooking it with sugar & ghee. Lastly it’s flavored with cardamoms and edible camphor.

I’ve made Badam Halwa that way for many years and now since store-bought almond flour is easily available I switched to the easier instant way. I make my Badam Burfi, Badam Milk, Almond Ladoo and Badam Kheer with store bought flour.

Now this halwa is a staple in my kitchen for every festival including birthdays because it’s much easier than any other halwa. Traditional badam halwa recipe use 1:1:1 ratios of almonds, sugar and ghee, by weight. But my version cuts down the ghee slightly. However you should note that using too little ghee will make the halwa dense.

Ingredients & Substitutes

• Almond flour: I use Bob’s red mill blanched almond flour. If it’s not easily available, you can make your own following this almond flour post. or simply use ¾ cup whole almonds and follow the recipe 2.
• Ghee: Use good quality fresh ghee. I use this homemade ghee made from Kerrygold unsalted butter. If you can’t eat ghee, you may use organic cold pressed coconut oil.
• Sugar: You may use white refined sugar or organic cane sugar. I find the organic sugar less sweet than the refined. So adjust accordingly.
• Saffron: Use good quality saffron for a bright color. Do note that using a lot can result in overwhelming taste & flavor. I use a generous pinch. You may use organic saffron or yellow food color if you want.
• Water/ milk: In the past I would use full fat milk to make the traditional badam halwa. For the instant pot version I like to use water so I can store it for many days. But if you want you may use 1 cup water and ½ cup milk.
• Ground cardamom: Ground cardamom infuses more aroma than the whole pods. If you don’t like stronger aroma, you may add the whole pods and discard before serving. If you want you may use natural/ organic rose water or edible camphor (only a small pinch).

I’ve made this a lot of times without any flavoring and saffron. It turns out pale cream color but still tastes good.

If you love halwa, you may love these
Carrot halwa
Moong dal halwa
Suji hawa
Lauki halwa

Photo Guide

How to make Badam Halwa with flour (Stepwise photos)

Stovetop

If you don’t have an instant pot, you may use a regular heavy bottom steel pan. Saute 1 cup almond flour in 2 tbsps ghee for 2 mins. Add 1 cup water or milk & a pinch of saffron. Cook until thick and add ⅓ to ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsps ghee and cardamom powder. Cook until the halwa begins to leave the pan & turn off. Do not overcook, it should be slightly runny.

Instant Pot

I made 2x recipe so you will find double the quantity of ingredients.

1. Add 2 tablespoons ghee to the steel insert of your instant pot and press saute.

2. When the ghee melts add 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour & saute for 2 mins. You just want to warm it up, not fry.

3. Press cancel. Add ½ cup sugar (100 grams). If you want lesser sweet, cut down to 1/3 cup, 70 grams.

4. Pour 1¼ cup water (300 ml) & a generous pinch of saffron. You don’t need to bloom the saffron first. If you want to use milk, pour 1 cup water (240 ml) and ½ cup full fat milk (120 ml).

5. Whisk or mix well until the sugar dissolves completely. (Very important to avoid burn notice.)

6. Secure the instant pot lid and pressure cook for 0 minutes. When the IP beeps, press cancel and release the pressure slowly.

7. Open the lid and you will find the halwa runny & bubbling at this stage. Press the saute button and continue to cook (switching between high and low as needed), stirring non-stop.

8. Add 2 to 4 tbsps ghee as per your preference and mix well. If you are making this for a special occasion you can go with the higher amount.

9. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

10. It’s done when it becomes thick, yet flowy & begins to leave the sides of the pot as seen in the image below. Usually takes about 7 to 8 mins. (Check the video for exact consistency).

11. Badam halwa will further thicken after cooling down like shown in the image below. Remove the steel insert after cooking and place it on the counter to cool down or transfer to a greased serving bowl immediately. Else it will continue to cook & turn too thick. If you prefer you can add a pinch of edible camphor or rose water at this stage.

Badam Halwa is best served warm. You can refrigerate the leftovers and reheat in the instant pot for 0 mins, high pressure. It can also be reheated in a microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.

How to make traditional badam halwa

1. Bring 1½ cups of water to a boil and add ¾ cup almonds (120 grams). Rest them for 3 mins and drain out the water. Pour cold water and you will see the skin will loosen immediately. Drain the water completely after 2 mins.

2. Peel off and soak them in fresh water for 4 hours. Later drain and rinse them well.

3. Add the soaked almonds, ½ to ¾ cup milk, ½ cup sugar, 2 skinned green cardamoms and a pinch of saffron to the blender jar.

4. Blend to a slightly coarse paste like super fine rava. Don’t worry, it will look super runny at this stage because the sugar in the blender melts. Do not make a smooth paste else it will stick to the mouth while eating.

5. Heat a heavy bottom wide pan and melt 2 tablespoons ghee (30 ml).

6. Add the ground paste. You may taste test and adjust sugar to your preference at this stage.

7. Partially cover the pan and cook on a medium heat. It will begin to splatter a bit. Keep stirring continuosly until the halwa thickens and begins to leave the sides of the pan. The color of saffron gets deeper as it cooks with sugar.

8. Add 2 tablespoon ghee in 2 batches (2 + 2), as you cook. The halwa thickens when it cools down, so turn off when it is slightly flowy yet thick as seen in the image below.

9. This is the consistency after cooling down.

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Recipe Card

Badam Halwa recipe first published in October 2014. Updated in August 2026