It is made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk, and cornflour until it becomes solid.

Unlike most other halwa dishes in the Indian subcontinent, it is solid, similar to its Middle Eastern counterparts.

One of its varieties, known as Multani or Hafiz Sohan Halwa, is very popular in Pakistan and among Pakistani diaspora across the globe.

In Old Delhi, in 1790, a Ghantewala sweet shop established during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II made sohan halwa.

According to John T. Platts' Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, the sweet was named after one Sohan Lal.