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Sabudana Halwa | Sago pearls pudding | How to make sabudana ka halwa for vrat

Name: Sabudana halwa recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 260 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Soaked sabudana; 2 tbsp Ghee or clarified butter; ¾ cup Sugar; 2 tbsp Chopped Almonds; 2 tbsp Chopped Cashew nuts; 2 tbsp Chopped pistachios; 2 tbsp Raisins or kishmish; 2 tbsp Saffron milk (20 to 25 strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk); 1.5 cup Water; ½ tsp Cardamom powder; 1.5 tbsp Milk powder

Sabudana halwa with step-by-step photos – creamy, rich and delicious sago pearls pudding made with tapioca pearls or sabudana, dry fruits, ghee and saffron milk. The Hindi name for sago or tapioca pearls is sabudana whereas halwa means sweet or dessert in a semi-thick consistency.

In India, sabudana is most often used for making various savoury or sweet dishes during fasting days. Since sabudana has a bland taste itself, the addition of spices is a great way to use this ingredient. Like the addition of peanuts, chillies and salt to sabudana make a delicious sabudana khichdi or sabudana thalipeeth. On the other hand, the addition of milk, sugar, dry fruits and cardamom powder makes a delicious sabudana halwa or sabudana kheer.

Sabudana can be used in myriad ways to make different delicacies. However, it is mostly consumed on fasting days or during vrats. Most popularly, it is prepared during Navratri festival when many women fasts for continuous 9 days. Sabudana is rich in carbohydrates and is rich in calcium and antioxidants which helps in providing energy on fasting days.

This sabudana halwa recipe is easy to make and quick recipe. It is my sons one of the favourite sweet recipes which he relishes upon. I very often make this halwa for him even on general non-fasting days.

Sabudana halwa is quite creamy and thick consistency. If you are planning to serve immediately then its good to go. But, if it is leftover, you can store in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days and reheat it with a quarter cup of milk.

If you are looking for more Dessert recipes for fasting, then do check the below recipes:

Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments. I love to hear from you.

If you enjoy this hearty recipe, be sure to check out my Blog for more!

Sabudana Halwa Recipe card

Sabudana halwa recipe

Sabudana halwa - creamy, rich and delicious sago pearls pudding made with tapioca pearls or sabudana, dry fruits, ghee and saffron milk.

Prep Time5 mins

Active Time15 mins

Soaking Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Sabudana halwa

Yield: 3

Calories: 435kcal

Materials

1 cup Soaked sabudana
2 tbsp Ghee or clarified butter
¾ cup Sugar
2 tbsp Chopped Almonds
2 tbsp Chopped Cashew nuts
2 tbsp Chopped pistachios
2 tbsp Raisins or kishmish
2 tbsp Saffron milk 20 to 25 strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
1.5 cup Water
½ tsp Cardamom powder
1.5 tbsp Milk powder

Instructions

Rinse sabudana pearls for 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear. Soak the rinsed sabudana for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight, if possible.
Before proceeding with the halwa recipe, check if the sabudana is puffed up after soaking. Just take a piece of sabudana and mash with your thumb and index finger. If it mashes easily, continue with the recipe.
Now, in a thick wide bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter.
When the ghee melts, add soaked sabudana in the hot ghee and give it a nice mix.
Fry the sabudana in ghee on low flame for about 4 to 5 mins, till it starts turning translucent.
After frying for 4 to 5 minutes, add 1.5 cups of water in the pan and turn the flame to medium-high.
Gently mix the cooked sabudana so that all the sabudana pearls are separated and start swelling up.
After 7 to 8 minutes, the sabudana has thickened up and doubles in size.
Now, add ¾ cup of sugar or more or less depending on your taste in the pan and mix well.
As sugar melts, the consistency will be again flowy. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then add chopped dry fruits - almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios and raisins.
Then add saffron strands soaked milk in the pan and mix well.
Mix all the ingredients together and cook on a medium flame for another 3 to 4 minutes.
When it starts boiling and consistency starts to thicken, add crushed cardamom or cardamom powder and mix well.
Lastly, add the milk powder or khoya, in the pan and give it a nice mix.
Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes and then turn off the flame.
Finally, serve hot or warm sabudana halwa as a dessert.

Step by step Instructions:

Rinse sabudana pearls for 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear. Soak the rinsed sabudana for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight, if possible.
Before proceeding with the halwa recipe, check if the sabudana is puffed up after soaking. Just take a piece of sabudana and mash with your thumb and index finger. If it mashes easily, continue with the recipe.
Now, in a thick wide bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter.
When the ghee melts, add soaked sabudana in the hot ghee and give it a nice mix.
Fry the sabudana in ghee on low flame for about 4 to 5 mins, till it starts turning translucent.
After frying for 4 to 5 minutes, add 1.5 cups of water in the pan and turn the flame to medium-high.
Gently mix the cooked sabudana so that all the sabudana pearls are separated and start swelling up.
After 7 to 8 minutes, the sabudana has thickened up and doubles in size.
Now, add ¾ cup of sugar or more or less depending on your taste in the pan and mix well.
As sugar melts, the consistency will be again flowy. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then add chopped dry fruits – almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios and raisins.
Then add saffron strands soaked milk in the pan and mix well.
Mix all the ingredients together and cook on a medium flame for another 3 to 4 minutes.
When it starts boiling and consistency starts to thicken, add crushed cardamom or cardamom powder and mix well.
Lastly, add the milk powder or khoya, in the pan and give it a nice mix.
Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes and then turn off the flame.
Finally, serve hot or warm sabudana halwa as a dessert.

Important tips to remember for making sabudana halwa:

Rinse the sabudana pearls under running water for few times until all the starch is removed and drained well.
The most important thing to note is, soak sabudana pearls only till it turns soft and not mushy. Keep an eye on soaked sabudana after 2 to 3 hours.
Before preparing any sabudana recipe, check on the soaked sabudana. Take a piece or two of sabudana pearls and mash it with your thumb and index finger. If it mashes easily you can continue.
If the soaked sabudana pearls are harder in the centre, sprinkle some water over sabudana and let it rest for another hour or two.
You can skip saffron strands if it is not available. And add a pinch of turmeric powder to give it a slightly yellowish colour.
Also, cardamom powder alone gives enough aroma and flavour to the halwa.
Make sure to stir it frequently to avoid milk and sabudana sticking on the bottom of the pan.
You can skip adding milk powder or mawa if you do not like. But, adding it gives a nice texture to halwa and you can feel while chewing it.

Finally, I would like to share my other Indian sweets recipe like Gulab jamun, lauki ka halwa, besan ke ladoo, Rabdi, etc. Explore our Snacks recipes from my blog. This includes Aloo matar kachori recipe, litti chokha recipe, matar ke chole recipe, nimki recipe, etc. Also, go through our Indian bread section for a variety of rotis like Butter naan recipe, palak paratha recipe, kachori recipes and thalipeeth recipe.