Moong Dal Halwa in Instant Pot

5 from 34 votes

Moong dal halwa is a decadent dessert made with split mung bean (or petite yellow lentils), sugar, and ghee. Rich and warm halwa with ghee oozing from the sides and topped with nuts is perfect for your celebrations and festivals like Diwali.

Cook Time45

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 cup moong dal (yellow lentils)
2½ cups water (see tips section above)
¾-1 cup ghee (use store-bought or homemade ghee)
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon saffron
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
2 tablespoon almonds chopped or sliced

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode on high. Once it heats, set it to saute - low.
Add the moong dal and dry roast for 9-10 minutes.
Keep stirring every minute or so. Continue to roast the dal until it is golden but not burnt (see step-by-step image).
Add water and mix well.
Cancel saute mode and set the IP to pressure cook mode for 12 minutes.
In the meantime, slightly heat the milk and add saffron to warm milk. Set it aside.
Do a natural release of the pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Open the lid and mash the dal well.
Set the Instant Pot back to saute mode (normal).
Add sugar, melted ghee, and saffron milk. Mix well making sure there are no lumps.
The dal will absorb all the ghee at the beginning.
Keep stirring for 10-12 minutes until the halwa comes together and ghee begins to release from the side (see video for the different stages).
To check if the halva is done, cool a small portion and roll it. It should come together like a soft ball (see step-by-step image above).
Garnish with chopped almonds and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Use melted ghee and not solid ghee. This will help the dal to soak up the ghee quickly.

Dry roasting the moong dal is an important step. Make sure to fry the dal well, stirring occasionally. It should be lightly golden but not burnt.

For the best-tasting halwa, do not cut back on ghee. This halwa needs to be cooked in lots of ghee.

It is important to keep stirring after adding the ghee and sugar. Initially, the ghee will be fully absorbed. Continue to stir after this stage. Once halwa is done, the ghee will ooze out from the sides (see video).

Nutrition