A sweet carrot and beet recipe (Carrot and Beet Payasam)

This dessert is made with carrots and beets and prepared in a traditional, South Indian way that is called Payasam. Sweetened with jaggery and thickened with coconut milk, this is a much healthier version of the original recipe. It tastes delicious and is rich and creamy.

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In case you are wondering what Payasam is, it is a South Indian dessert made during festivals and special occasions. It is a very popular dessert and has a thick pudding like consistency.

Also called Kheer in North India, this sweet, wet, pudding is usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery with rice, daals, wheat, millet, tapioca (or sago) pearls, vermicelli etc.

Payasams can be made healthier, especially if you have a dessert loving family or are a dessert lover yourself and need a dessert more often than on an auspicious occasion. Treat yourself with this indulgent, yet healthy dessert, even when you are short of time.

This is an Instant Pot recipe which makes it super quick too, for those days when you crave an indulgent yet healthy dessert.

How is this version healthier?

This payasam is made healthier by the addition of steamed, cooked, pureed, carrots and beets and then using coconut milk to thicken it up. Substituting rice/vermicelli with steamed vegetables, contrary to what you may think, is super delicious! It comes out a rich purple color and you can use dry fruits like raisins and nuts like pistachios, cashews as a finishing touch to this recipe

How to make this beet and carrot payasam?

Steam the carrots and beets in the Instant Pot. Cool and grind the cooked carrots and beets together with a couple of tablespoons of thick coconut milk.

Put the Instant Pot on sauté mode and add the ground mixture back into it. Stir continuously for a few minutes until the mixture thickens and starts getting lumpy. Add the powdered jaggery and stir well. Sprinkle cardamom and dried ginger powder and mix well.

Add the thin coconut milk and stir for a few minutes. Switch off heat and add cooked tapioca pearls and thick coconut milk. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

To cook the sabudana (tapioca/sago pearls): Add them to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 10-12 minutes over medium heat with the lid slightly open. The core of the sabudana will still look whitish because it is not completely cooked. Turn off the flame and let it stand for 30 minutes to allow the pearls to cook through. Sieve and rinse the pearls. Here is a complete guide on the common mistakes to avoid while cooking tapioca pearls.

Here is a recipe to make coconut milk at home. The second and third extracts are thin coconut milk, and the first extract from the coconuts is the thick milk. If you are using from the can, the thick milk usually floats at the top of the can and the thin watery milk is right below the thick milk.

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It will be tough not to love this recipe, especially if you have a sweet tooth but still want to make healthy choices. Be sure to check out this healthy, jackfruit-based, recipe next.