To make atte ka halwa, roast whole wheat flour in ghee on a low flame until it turns deep golden brown and smells nutty, pour in hot sugar water in a thin stream while stirring, and cook until the halwa thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Equal weights of atta, ghee and sugar with three times the atta's weight in water is our starting point. A lighter version with 60 g of ghee and 60 g of sugar also works; neither is a standard.
At a glance
- Wikipedia's entry on karah parshad says it is made with equal portions of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter and sugar, and double the water.
- USDA FoodData Central lists whole-grain wheat flour at 340 kcal per 100 g, ghee at 900 kcal and granulated sugar at 387 kcal.
- On those figures, an equal-parts batch of 100 g each is 1,627 kcal, about 407 kcal a serving over four; our lighter batch about 278.
- ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say to limit ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day and define sugar above 25 g a day as high on a 2,000 kcal diet.
What is atte ka halwa, and how is it different from sooji halwa?
Atte ka halwa is whole wheat flour roasted in ghee and cooked with hot sweetened water until it thickens. Sikh gurdwaras serve it as karah parshad, which Wikipedia's entry says is made with equal portions of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter and sugar. The difference from sooji halwa is the grain: flour, not semolina.
In our kitchen, sooji grains swell and stay separate, so that halwa comes out loose and grainy; atta soaks the ghee into a paste, must be roasted far longer, and comes out darker, smoother and heavier. Our article on sooji halwa with ghee covers the semolina version.
What ratio of atta, ghee, sugar and water should you use?
Our starting point is 1:1:1:3 by weight: 100 g of atta, 100 g of ghee, 100 g of sugar and 300 ml of water. Our lighter version keeps the atta and water but cuts the ghee and the sugar to 60 g each. Both are starting points to adjust; we found no standard body that publishes a halwa ratio.
Wikipedia's karah parshad entry gives double the water rather than triple; in our experience two parts sets firmer as it cools, and we use three. Weigh the ghee: our guide to ghee spoon measures in grams explains why a tablespoon is not a fixed weight.
Why roast the atta in ghee on a low flame until it darkens?
Because raw flour tastes of flour, and only slow, even heat turns it brown and nutty; on a high flame the clumps scorch outside before they roast inside. Keep the flame low, stir without stopping, and go by colour and smell rather than the clock.
As far as one source opened explains the science: a 2025 review in Foods on the Maillard reaction in flour products says that "a moderate Maillard reaction contributes to desirable color and flavor profiles in flour products, whereas an excessive reaction leads to amino acid loss and the formation of harmful substances", and that it typically occurs above 120 °C. The review covers bread and other baked and fried flour products, not flour roasted in ghee.
At the stove, the stiff pale paste loosens and flows, the ghee shows as a sheen, and the colour moves from cream to deep golden brown as the smell turns to roasted nuts. That is the point to pour; dark brown tastes bitter, in our experience.
How do you make atte ka halwa step by step?
Dissolve the sugar in hot water, roast the atta in ghee on a low flame until deep golden brown, pour the sugar water in a thin stream while stirring, and cook until the halwa leaves the sides of the pan. Quantities are for the equal-parts version; the lighter one swaps in 60 g of ghee and 60 g of sugar.
- Make the sugar water. Boil 300 ml of water with 100 g of sugar until it dissolves, and keep it hot.
- Melt the ghee. Put 100 g of ghee in a heavy kadhai over a low flame.
- Add the atta. Stir in 100 g of atta and break up every lump.
- Roast. Keep the flame low and stir without stopping, scraping the base, until the paste loosens, flows, turns deep golden brown and smells nutty.
- Pour. Turn the flame to its lowest. Pour the hot sugar water down the side of the pan in a thin stream, stirring hard with a long ladle. It will spit; keep back.
- Cook. Stir over a low flame as the mixture thickens, with a pinch of crushed cardamom if you like.
- Finish. When the halwa gathers into one mass that leaves the sides of the pan and ghee shows at the edges, take it off the heat and serve warm.
Why does the sugar water spit, and how do you stay safe?
Because boiling sugar water is landing in a pan of hot ghee and flour. The pan hisses, throws up steam and spits drops of hot ghee and syrup over the rim. We offer no mechanism, having opened no source that explains it.
Treat the pour as the dangerous moment: lowest flame, a long-handled ladle, pour down the side of the pan, and keep children away.
If hot ghee or syrup reaches skin, the NHS page on burns and scalds says to hold the burn or scald under cool running water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible and within 3 hours, then to lay cling film over it without wrapping it round; not to put any creams, oils or butter on it; and not to burst blisters. See our article on whether to put ghee on a burn. The NHS says to get emergency help for a burn that is very large or deep, on the face, genitals or bottom, or caused by an acid, chemical or electricity.
How many calories are in a serving of atte ka halwa?
About 407 kcal a serving for the equal-parts version and about 278 kcal for the lighter one, when a 100 g atta batch is split four ways. USDA's whole-grain wheat flour stands in for Indian atta, which may differ a little.
The figures use USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy records: whole-grain wheat flour at 340 kcal per 100 g, clarified butter (ghee) at 900 kcal and 60 g of saturated fat per 100 g, and granulated sugar at 387 kcal per 100 g. That is 3.40, 9.00 and 3.87 kcal per gram; the 300 ml of water adds nothing.
| Per batch | Classic, 1:1:1:3 | Lighter |
|---|---|---|
| Atta | 100 g: 100 × 3.40 = 340 kcal | 100 g: 340 kcal |
| Ghee | 100 g: 100 × 9.00 = 900 kcal | 60 g: 60 × 9.00 = 540 kcal |
| Sugar | 100 g: 100 × 3.87 = 387 kcal | 60 g: 60 × 3.87 = 232.2 kcal |
| Batch total | 340 + 900 + 387 = 1,627 kcal | 340 + 540 + 232.2 = 1,112.2 kcal |
| Per serving, 4 servings | 1,627 ÷ 4 = 406.75, about 407 kcal | 1,112.2 ÷ 4 = 278.05, about 278 kcal |
| Ghee per serving | 100 ÷ 4 = 25 g (5 teaspoons at 5 g) | 60 ÷ 4 = 15 g (3 teaspoons) |
How does a serving fit the ICMR-NIN 2024 guidelines?
As an occasional sweet. The ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024) say: "Limit ghee or butter to just 1 to 2 teaspoons/day or avoid, if possible." On their 5 g teaspoon, the equal-parts serving carries 25 g of ghee, five teaspoons; the lighter serving 15 g, three.
On saturated fat, the guidelines say its use "is considered high when more than 10g/day of visible saturated fats (for a 2000 Kcal diet/ day) is consumed in the form of ghee, butter". At USDA's 60 g per 100 g, the equal-parts serving's 25 g of ghee carries 25 × 0.6 = 15 g; the lighter serving's 15 g carries 9 g.
On sugar: "Consumption of sugar in quantities that contribute over 5% of total energy intake per day or 25 g/day (based on average intake of 2000 Kcal/day) is defined as 'high' sugar." The equal-parts serving carries exactly 25 g (100 ÷ 4); the lighter one 15 g (60 ÷ 4). If a doctor or dietitian has set your fat or sugar intake, follow their advice.
What is kada prasad, and how is it made in a gurdwara?
Kada prasad, or karah parshad, is this halwa served in a Sikh gurdwara. Wikipedia's entry describes it as a sweet distributed to those visiting the gurdwara and during certain Sikh rituals, and the Sikh form of the prasada custom of Indian religions. The rest is from that entry.
It says the equal amounts of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter and sugar emphasise the equality of men and women; that it is usually cooked by a granthi, who bathes first and recites gurbani throughout; that it is placed near the Adi Granth; that after a plea for its blessing during the ardas an attendant stirs it with a small sword; and that it is received in cupped hands as a gift from God. One line of the same entry calls it a semolina halwa, against its own ingredient list; we follow the ingredient list.
At home, ours is Himdhara's A2 bilona ghee, churned from curd on a wooden bilona and clarified slowly over a wood fire.
The short version
Atte ka halwa is whole wheat flour roasted slowly in ghee until deep golden brown and nutty, then cooked with hot sugar water until it leaves the sides of the pan. Equal weights of atta, ghee and sugar with three times the atta's weight in water is our starting point; 60 g of ghee and 60 g of sugar to 100 g of atta is our lighter one. On USDA figures that is about 407 and 278 kcal a serving, split four ways, and the pour is the dangerous moment.
Sources
Further reading behind the figures above. Himdhara's own numbers — yields, batch results — come from our production records and the batch reports on the lab reports page.
- Wikipedia contributors (2026). Karah Parshad. Wikipedia.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (2019). Wheat flour, whole-grain (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program). FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (2019). Butter, Clarified butter (ghee). FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (2024). Dietary Guidelines for Indians. ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad.
- Qi Y, Wang W, Yang T, Ding W, Xu B (2025). Maillard Reaction in Flour Product Processing: Mechanism, Impact on Quality, and Mitigation Strategies of Harmful Products. Foods.