Gulkand panna cotta, a rich and creamy panna cotta with refreshing flavors of rose syrup and gulkand/rose petal preserves set using agar agar. Easy to make and a crowd-pleaser recipe perfect for this festive season.
The next recipe after baked boondi with rabri and namak para in the Deepavali/Diwali recipe series is the rich and creamy gulkand panna cotta. You can make this a single-serve dessert or set the panna cotta in a cake pan and make it a centerpiece dessert. Check out the detailed recipe with step-wise pictures and variations, and substitutions.
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Rose-flavored recipes
My love for rose-flavor is no secret. You can find many recipes on my blog with the refreshing flavors of rose syrup, like rose kulfi, rose lassi, rose-flavored ricotta cheese sandesh, Karachi halwa, and many more. Last year, I started to explore recipes with gulkand or the rose petal preserve, and I have shared paan cake, gulkand and dates lassi, and rose-flavored phyllo cream cheese bites. And now I will add one more to this recipe repertoire – gulkand panna cotta.
Ingredients required
Evaporated milk: I used evaporated milk for this recipe, but I have tested this recipe with whole milk too. You can use either one. I recommend either evaporated or whole milk for a rich and creamy version. If you plan to use reduced-fat milk, I recommend using it with heavy cream, as I did for the classic panna cotta.
Gulkand and rose syrup: I used gulkand/rose petal preserve and rose syrup in this recipe. Instead of rose syrup, you can add rose essence too. In that, add ¼ tsp of rose essence or as required depending upon the flavor strength of the rose essence.
Sugar: I used 3 tbsps of white sugar. The gulkand I used and rose syrup had added sugars, so this measure worked for me. So adjust it as per your taste and based on the added sugar measure of the other ingredients.
Agar Agar powder: To set the panna cotta, I have used vegetarian-vegan-friendly agar agar. I used the powder version.
Apart from these ingredients, we need some pink food color, which is optional (the heart-shaped panna cotta that you see in the picture is without food color), and some dried rose petals and sugar pearls to garnish.
Substitutions
You can use full-fat coconut milk instead of evaporated milk for a dairy-free version. I haven’t tried experimenting with agar agar with soy or almond milk.
I kept this recipe nut-free. But instead of sugar pearls and dried rose petals, you can use nuts to garnish.
Food color is optional. If you want a nice pink color, go for it; if not, feel free to skip it. Do not add more rose syrup for color, as it overpowers the flavor.
Variation | As a layered dessert
I kept this as a single-flavored and single-layered dessert. But like my mango panna cotta, you can easily make this into a layered dessert. You can use my classic panna cotta as one layer, and this rose flavor as another layer, making it a stunning dessert.
Agar agar measure
The agar agar measure depends on the gel strength of the powder. Please read the package instructions and adjust them accordingly.
I tested this recipe with both agar agar powder and flakes. If you are using flakes, you need a minimum of one tbsp for 1.5 cups of liquid and 2 tsp of agar agar powder for 1.5 cups of liquid. If you are using flakes, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes and then mix them with the milk solution. Ensure the flakes dissolve thoroughly.
Yield
This below measure yields 4 to 6 single-serve panna cotta. I made two batches, one without food color and one with food color. The heart-shaped one is the panna cotta without food color, and I used a heart-shaped glass vessel. After it sets, run the knife around the mold’s edges to take it out.
How to make gulkand panna cotta
- Add the evaporated milk, gulkand, rose syrup, sugar, and pink food color to a blender or mixer jar and blend it thoroughly. This is to ensure gulkand mixes well in the milk.
- Transfer the blended milk mixture to a saucepan and simmer it over medium-low heat.
- When the milk mixture is warm (we don’t need to bring it to a boil), add the agar agar powder and mix well. Keep scraping the bottom as agar agar gets deposited in the bottom. Also, mix well to avoid agar becoming clumpy. After adding agar, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer the milk for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Then turn off the heat and pour it into glasses or your desired pan/molds. Let it cool for half an hour and refrigerate until it is set. It took me 2 hours.
- Garnish it with rose petals and sugar pearls, and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the sugar to taste.
- Instead of evaporated milk, you can use whole or reduced-fat milk mixed with heavy cream. For a dairy-free option, use coconut milk.
- Adjust the agar measure as per the package instructions and the setting time and quantity depend upon the gel strength of the agar.
- I did not break the air pockets and let the foam form as a layer and it sets perfectly well. If you are not fond of it, please break the air pockets.
Explore more Diwali sweets
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📖 Recipe
Gulkand Panna Cotta
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- 12 oz evaporated milk 1 can
- 1.5 tbsp gulkand
- 1 tbsp rose syrup
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 drops pink food color
- 2 tsp agar agar powder
- 1 tbsp dried rose petals to garnish
- 1 tbsp edible sugar pearls to garnish
Instructions
- Add the evaporated milk, gulkand, rose syrup, sugar, and pink food color to a blender or mixer jar and blend it thoroughly. This is to ensure gulkand mixes well in the milk.
- Transfer the blended milk mixture to a saucepan and simmer it over medium-low heat.
- When the milk mixture is warm (we don’t need to bring it to a boil), add the agar agar powder and mix well. Keep scraping the bottom as agar agar gets deposited in the bottom. Also, mix well to avoid agar becoming clumpy. After adding agar, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer the milk for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Then turn off the heat and pour it into glasses or your desired pan/molds. Let it cool for half an hour and refrigerate until it is set. It took me 2 hours.
- Garnish it with rose petals and sugar pearls, and enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust the sugar to taste.
- Instead of evaporated milk, you can use whole or reduced-fat milk mixed with heavy cream. For a dairy-free option, use coconut milk.
- Adjust the agar measure as per the package instructions and the setting time and quantity depend upon the gel strength of the agar.
- I did not break the air pockets and let the foam form as a layer and it sets perfectly well. If you are not fond of it, please break the air pockets.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
I love this pannacotta is a little less guilty because of no cream. And who can ever say no to rose as a flavor? Love…
Thank you so much.
Awesome recipe Srividhya,love that pretty colour and I am sure the dessert is simply too good!
Thank you :-)