Creamy Pumpkin Burfi: A delightful Indian dessert for Fall
Welcome fall with a refreshingly new dessert recipe, Creamy Pumpkin Burfi! Made with vitamin and mineral rich pumpkin and the goodness of chickpea flour, this dessert is ready in just a few minutes, can be made ahead of time and enjoyed for upto 2 weeks!
What type of pumpkin to use for pumpkin burfi?
I’ve used Kabocha, a Japanese variety pumpkin with dark green skin and firm orange interior. These pumpkins are sweet and cook well in the oven. Sugar pumpkins will also work very well in this recipe. Large pumpkins (the ones used for carving) are not well suited for this recipe. You can also use canned pumpkin for this recipe. Canned pumpkin is already cooked, but you’ll need to cook it on the stovetop to remove the excess moisture.
Can I cook the oven on the stove top instead of baking it?
Absolutely! I prefer baking the pumpkin for this recipe as it saves me the trouble of stirring and there’s No ghee/ butter needed to cook it. However, you can also puree the pumpkin and cook it on the stove top with 2-3 tbsp of ghee until the pumpkin has the consistency of boiled potatoes.
How to make Pumpkin Burfi
Can this recipe be made vegan?
The core ingredients in this recipe, pumpkin and chickpea flour are vegan, you can easily switch out ghee with coconut butter and milk powder with soy milk powder/ oat milk powder or cashew powder.
Can I make this recipe without using sugar syrup?
You bet! Honey, and/or Maple syrup are great substitutes for sugar syrup. Honey and Maple syrup are sweeter than sugar, so make sure the ratio is adjusted accordingly.
What ingredients do I need to make pumpkin Barfi?
This recipe uses easily available ingredients in most pantries:
- Pumpkin
- Chickpea flour
- Sugar
- Roasted and ground peanut
- Milk powder
- Ground cardamom
For garnish:
- Pistachios
- Sliced almonds
Step by step instructions for making pumpkin Burfi
Preparation:
- Roast Pumpkin & peanuts: Cut the pumpkin to a size weighing about 350 grams (pic#1). Take out the pumpkin seeds and the stringy flesh (pic#2). Place the pumpkin in the middle rack of the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes (pic#3). Add the peanuts onto the same baking tray and take them out after 8-10 minutes(pic#4).
- Grind peanuts: Once cool, grind coarsely and set aside. I don’t remove the skin from the peanuts as they are full of rich nutrients. However, you can remove them per your preference.
- Line a dish or a box to be used for setting the burfi with ghee and set aside.
Roast Chickpea flour
In a heavy bottom pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee, once it melts, sieve in chickpea flour. This helps remove any lumps, impurities. Using a spatula keep stirring the chickpea flour frequently as it roasts. Roast until the chickpea flour turns aromatic and golden brown. Turn off heat.
Sugar Syrup
In a pan on medium heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Make sure the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. As the mixture comes to a boil, the sugar impurities form froth on the surface. Remove the frothy residue and discard. Let the mixture boil on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until a drop of mixture when placed between the thumb and index finger forms 1 thin strand. This is a sign that the sugar mixture is ready.
The mixture
- Once the pumpkin has cooled, using a box grater or a potato masher, grate the pumpkin flesh.
- In the heavy bottom pan with roasted chickpea flour on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of ghee and the roasted and grated pumpkin. Roast for about 5-7 minutes, mixing the chickpea flour with the grated pumpkin.
- Add in roasted and ground peanuts and mix for about 2-3 minutes. Then, mix in cardamom powder.
- Lower the heat and add the sugar syrup mixing continuously. Continue mixing on low heat for 5 minutes, turn off heat.
Setting the Pumpkin Burfi
- Transfer the contents to the greased container and flatten with the back of the spatula for an even surface. Garnish with chopped pistachios, sliced almonds or any other chopped nuts of your choice.
- Set aside for 2-4 hours or overnight at room temperature for the burfi to be set.
- Once set, using a sharp knife cut the burfi into rectangular pieces and enjoy!
Related recipes
Creamy Pumpkin Burfi| A delightful Indian dessert for Fall
Equipment
- 1 Box grater
- 1 Heavy bottom pan
Ingredients
- 350 grams Pumpkin
- ¾ cup Chickpea flour
- 1 cup Granulated white sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Ghee
- ½ cup Roasted and ground peanuts
- ¾ cup Milk powder optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut the pumpkin to a size weighing about 350 grams. Take out the pumpkin seeds and the white stringy flesh. Place the pumpkin in the middle rack of the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes.
- Roast and grind peanuts: Roast peanuts in the oven or on the stovetop. Once cool, grind coarsely and set aside. I don't remove the skin from the peanuts as they are full of rich nutrients. However, you can remove them per your preference. Line a dish or a box to be used for setting the burfi with ghee and set aside.
Roast Chickpea flour
- In a heavy bottom pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee, once it melts, add chickpea flour. Using a spatula keep stirring the chickpea flour frequently as it roasts. Roast until the chickpea flour turns aromatic and golden brown. Turn off heat.
Prepare Sugar Syrup
- In a pan on medium heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Make sure the sugar doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. As the mixture comes to a boil, the sugar impurities form froth on the surface. Remove the frothy residue and discard. Let the mixture boil on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until a drop of mixture when placed between the thumb and index finger forms 1 thin strand. This is a sign that the sugar mixture is ready.
The mixture
- Once the pumpkin has cooled, using a box grater or a potato masher, grate the pumpkin flesh. In the heavy bottom pan with roasted chickpea flour on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of ghee and the roasted and grated pumpkin. Roast for about 5-7 minutes, mixing the chickpea flour with the grated pumpkin.
- Add in roasted and ground peanuts and mix for about 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the sugar syrup mixing continuously.
Setting the Pumpkin Burfi
- Transfer the contents to the greased container and flatten with the back of the spatula for an even surface. Garnish with chopped pistachios, sliced almonds or any other chopped nuts of your choice.
- Set aside for 2-4 hours or overnight at room temperature for the burfi to be set.
- Once set, using a sharp knife cut the burfi into rectangular pieces and enjoy!