Greek chocolate halva (Χαλβάς με σοκολάτα)

Greek chocolate halva is a dessert made with semolina, cocoa powder and other basic ingredients like sugar, olive oil, walnuts and chocolate chips. It is a dessert that is made on the stovetop and which is naturally vegan, and therefore perfect for periods of Orthodox Lent.

Have you ever heard of halva?  If you are Greek like me, you probably have. Halva is a staple dessert during periods of lent when many abstain from eggs and dairy.  This delightfully vegan dessert is a breeze to put together and when it is done in chocolate as it is here, you’ll find yourself desperate to come up with excuses to make it over and over again.  I think that I just want to, is reason enough.

Not only is halva delicious, it is also so versatile.  I have previously posted a halva recipe which was flavoured with orange and raisins.  Super delicious! The lovely thing about halva is that once you get the basic recipe down, you will find it pretty easy to experiment with other flavours and combinations of ingredients.  I have created recipes for halva with petimezi, with cactus pear and a dual flavoured halva with apple and raspberry. All so wonderful! Here, I have moved into the delicious world of chocolate and created a chocolate halva. I decided to mix in some cocoa powder, dairy free chocolate pieces and finely chopped walnuts to create a vegan chocolate lover’s halva.

Why I love this recipe

It has an intense chocolate flavour.

It is easy to make and does not require any baking in the oven.

It can be shaped in any mould.

It contains no eggs and no dairy so it is perfect for vegan and those who are fasting for lent.

Key ingredients

Sugar I sweeten my halva with plain white granulated sugar. It offers sweetness, without imparting too much of a flavour. The sugar is dissolved when making the syrup by boiling it in water.

Thick semolina I use thick semolina. Semolina is the name given to coarsely milled durum wheat

Olive oil I use Greek olive oil to make my halva. You can really taste the fruitiness of the oil in the finished dessert.

Cinnamon sticks I add cinnamon sticks to my syrup instead of ground cinnamon because I get the flavour of cinnamon, without changing the colour of my syrup. This is less important with a chocolate halva which is dark, but I still like the gentle flavour of the sticks versus the powder.

Cardamom pods I know that cardamom pods are not typically used in Greek cooking, certainly not traditional cooking. However, I like the flavour that they add so I place a few in the pot when making my syrup.

Cocoa powder The deep chocolate flavour and colour comes form unsweetened cocoa powder.

Dairy free chocolate chips or chocolate pieces It is pretty easy to find dairy free chocolate these days, and I do so in order to keep this recipe vegan, and perfect for lent.

Walnuts I chop my walnuts into coarse pieces. They are perfect in halva because their irregular shape allows them to securely settle into the halva.

How to make it

I make this chocolate halva on the stovetop. I begin by making the syrup, setting it aside and then toasting my semolina. Making halva is easy, but does require some caution. Follow these easy steps for great success.

Step 1
In a large pot combine the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.  Keep the water over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure that the sugar melts. Once the sugar has melted, remove the pot from the heat.

Step 2
Take another large pot and combine the olive oil and the semolina.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for approximately 5 – 7 minutes.  You will notice that the semolina will take on a bit of a brown colour, and will smell nutty. Remove the pot from the heat.

Step 3
Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods from the syrup.  Carefully, using a ladle, add one ladle of syrup at a time to the semolina, stirring well after each addition.  You will see that steam gets created as you add the first few ladles of syrup to the semolina.  Once this no longer happens, carefully pour the rest of the syrup into the semolina mixture.

Step 4
Return the pot to the burner set over medium heat.  Add in the cocoa powder, chocolate chips and walnuts.  Stir well.

Step 5
Continue to stir constantly, while cooking the halva over medium heat, until the halva pulls away from the sides of the pot as you are mixing it.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Step 6
Lightly grease a cake mould.  Use a large serving spoon to scoop the halva into the mould.  When you are done, use a butter knife to run through the halva or tap the mould onto the counter a few times.  This is to eliminate any air pockets which may have been created.

Step 7
Set aside to cool completely.  When the halva has come to room temperature, you can place it in the refrigerator.

Step 8
When you are ready to serve your halva, invert the mould onto an appropriately sized serving plate or platter.

Cooking tips

Be careful when making semolina halva

I don’t want to scare you away from making this recipe, but I do want to be sure you are aware that when you combine the sugar syrup to the semolina mixture, you may have some splattering.  For this reason, it is very important to cook the semolina in a large, deep pot, and to add the liquid syrup slowly, and off the heat. Also, keep children and pets away from the stovetop when you are making your chocolate halva (and any halva).

Pin this recipe if you like it!

How to tell when the semolina is cooked enough.

When you are cooking the semolina in the oil, set it over medium heat and stir it constantly to prevent burning.  You will see that the semolina is done when it is a deeper colour that it was originally, and you will smell it is done when you notice a lovely nutty odour coming from your pot.

How to tell when your halva is ready.

Once everything is combined and has been cooked through, your finished product will be thick and sticky.  Use a large serving spoon or ladle to transfer the semolina mixture into a mould or cake pan so that it can set and cool.

Use any container you like to set your chocolate halva.

Another way that halva is versatile is that you can allow it to set in any container you like.  We tend to prefer pretty cake or gelatin moulds, but you can just as easily use a loaf pan or round cake tin.  We have even used a mini ice-cream scooper to portion out scoops of halva that we allow to set on a baking sheet.  Then we have halva balls!

Recipe substitutions

Chocolate halva is a vegan and lenten dessert.

I used dairy free chocolate in this halva in order to keep it lenten (and vegan).  If this is not a concern for you, then you can use any chocolate you like.

How to store

Halva will keep well in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Related recipes

If you love this chocolate halva then I think that you will enjoy these other versions of halva as well:

Marble halva

Halva with raisins

Semolina halva with petimezi

Thanks for sharing!