Take your badam halwa a level up by serving it in these beautiful jars! These Badam Halwa Jars have layers of rich badam halwa, mawa and nuts and topped with rose scented whipped cream. Too pretty to eat!

Now that I showed you guys how easy it is to make badam halwa in Instant pot, let’s take it a notch up and make halwa jars!

When I had the halwa, I thought sure it tastes great but lacks in presentation. And to make up for simple presentation, I thought of making halwa jars with it. Just a little effort and halwa transforms into a fancy looking dessert.

Desserts in jars have been so in these days. They are pretty to look at and easy to serve at parties. And that’s what makes them a winner. Over the last few years, I have shared so many desserts in jars like these gulab jamun shrikhand jars, motichoor ladoo cheesecake jars, malpua rabdi bites and this year for Diwali, these Badam Halwa Jars!

These Badam Halwa Jars

• make a stunning dessert for the festive season.
• easy to make and serve.
• can be made in advance
• is a beautiful way to serve halwa!

When I was a kid, atta halwa and sooji halwa were the 2 halwas that my mom always made. And we always ate them in simple steel bowls. If someone would have served halwa in such a fancy way back then, it would have totally changed my image/perception of halwa. After all we eat from our eyes first, isn’t it?

Three Layers In Halwa Jars

So, these jars have three three layers.

Badam Halwa Layer: The halwa makes the bottom layer of these jars. I made the badam halwa using almond flour in the Instant Pot. It’s super easy to make with almond flour and requires minimal efforts.

You can also make it on stove-top. Check the badam halwa recipe for instructions on that.

If you don’t want to use almond flour, you can also make the halwa the traditional way. You will have to soak the almonds first, peel them and then grind them and then cook them in ghee to make the halwa.

Mawa-Nuts Layer: The middle layer of these jars is made with a mixture of mawa/khoya and nuts. Mawa are milk solids and often used in making Indian sweets and desserts. For the middle layer, I sauté some mawa, flavor it with cardamom powder and added lots chopped almonds, cashews and pistachios to it.

I have used Vadilal brand of mawa which is the one I like in US. You can use any brand that you like or make mawa at home.

Whipped Cream Layer: The top layer is a simple homemade whipped cream which I flavored with little rose water.

Step by Step Instructions

Before you start, you have to make sure the badam halwa is already cooked and ready.

1- To a pan on medium heat, add mawa and start sautéing it.

2- It will become liquid-y at first. Cook for around 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often.

3- Then add sugar and reduce heat to low. It will melt again once you add sugar. Cook for around 2 minutes after adding sugar.

4- Add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and 1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used a food processor to finely chop the nuts).

5- Stir for a minute and remove pan from heat.

6- To make the last part of the jar, to the steel bowl of your stand mixer fitted with wire whisk attachment (or use your hand mixer), beat the heavy cream with powdered sugar and rose water until it forms peaks. Don’t over-beat else cream will separate.

7- To make the jars, first place the halwa at the bottom. I used a piping bag and tip to make a swirl shape. Then top with the mawa and nuts mixture.

8- Finally pipe the whipped cream on top. Garnish with nuts and edible gold leaves.

Making In Advance

If you are making these for a party, I recommend making the halwa and mawa-nuts mixture 24 hours to 36 hours in advance.

The halwa will become super solid once refrigerated so you might have to add some warm milk to loosen it it. You can also microwave it and also microwave the mawa nuts mixture once you want to assemble the jars.

Make the whipped cream on the day you plan to serve these at your party. And then assemble the jars with all the three components.

Vegan Variation

I have mentioned vegan variation in the badam halwa recipe. So, first make a vegan badam halwa by following the directions there.

Then for the middle layer, sauté some nuts in oil or vegan butter and add that. And for the top layer, use a non-dairy whipping cream or beat coconut cream until it forks peaks and use that.

Tips & Notes

• I have made these jars using 4 oz glasses. With that size, this made 5 to 6 servings. Smaller glasses will make more. I would not recommend a size bigger than 4 oz as this is quite a rich dessert.
• Make the halwa and mawa-nut component of the recipe in advance. Microwave it and then use to assemble the jars, you might have to add some warm milk to halwa to loosen it up. Make whipping cream on the same day as you plan to serve these jars.

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