Rose Panna Cotta (with agar agar)

Delicious rich creamy rose panna cotta recipe made without gelatin or eggs. Panna Cotta is a classic chilled Italian dessert made by setting thickened sweet flavoured cream. The flavourings can be vanilla, coffee, coconut, chocolate or fresh fruits like mango, strawberry etc.

This cute looking heart shaped dessert is perfect for special occasions like anniversary, valentines day etc. The panna cotta recipe shared here is:

Vegetarian
Eggless
No bake
Made without gelatin
So easy to make

I have used silicon mould to set the pannacotta as I wanted to demould it later. You can even set it directly in glass, cups, ramekin mold or dessert jars.

What is Panna Cotta?

The words “Panna Cotta” in Italian literally translates to “Cooked Cream” in English. This dessert is typically set using gelatine which is collagen derived from animals. However in this rose panna cotta recipe we will use agar agar, a vegan substitute for gelatine. It is basically seaweed extract and works really well as thickener or in setting desserts like Panna Cotta.

The first time I tried Panna Cotta was in Rome. I really liked how it was so smooth, melt in the mouth & not to forget how sophisticated it looked. Recently, I again tried vanilla panna cotta in one of the Italian restaurants (Aromi Diversi) in Thailand and was so mesmerised by it that I decided to replicate it on coming back home.

Inspiration- Vanilla Panna Cotta

Rose Pannacotta:

I have tried to give this dish my twist and made rose panna cotta by adding rose syrup in the recipe. You can even add few drops of rosewater to intensify the rose aroma.

As Holi festival is really close, the colour and flavour of this panna cotta will go really well with the occassion. The beautiful delicate pink colour of rose with lite green coloured pistachios is really eye pleaser. The taste and aroma is so cool and refreshing.

I have garnished the panna cotta with some chopped pistachios. You can even serve some fresh fruits, juicy ripe berries like strawberries, raspberries or raspberry coulis with it.

All ingredients used in this rose panna cotta recipe are common and generally available in kitchen pantries except agar agar. I was struggling to find good quality agar agar powder when found urban platter brand on Amazon. I am quite satisfied by it and would definitely recommend it (not a promotional post).

I have also shared the complete step by step recipe of rose or gulab panna cotta on our Youtube channel “Kuch Pak Raha Hai”. If you like the recipe don’t forget to like or subscribe 🙂

Youtube Video:

https://youtu.be/CS0M23d-490

If you are searching recipes for valentines day then definitely checkout the links below:

Penne Arrabiata (Red Sauce Pasta)
Roasted Beetroot Salad
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients: (Serves 4 to 5 persons)

Milk – 1 cup
Agar Agar powder- 1 tsp
Cream – 1/2 cup
Sugar* – 2 to 4 tsp (or to taste)
Rose Syrup – 3 tsp
Chopped Pistachios-3 to 4 (For garnishing)

Notes:

1. *As rose syrup already has sugar in it I have not added too much sugar here. Taste the mixture once and increase the sugar as per your taste.

2. Use full fat milk & heavy cream for rich creamy texture. For a lighter version you can use low fat cream.

3. You can even add few drops of rosewater to intensify the rose flavour.

Directions:

Step 1:

Take milk in a non stick pan. Don’t switch on the flame yet. Add agar-agar powder and mix well for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2:

Switch on the flame now but keep it on Medium-low. Our intent here is to heat the milk but not to boil it. Keep stirring in between.

Step 3:

Add cream to the milk and mix once again. I have used Amul Fresh cream here. You can use any other brand also.

Step 4:

Add sugar to the heated milk-cream mixture. Stir well so that all the sugar is dissolved.

Step 5:

In the end, add rose syrup. Mix well once again. Taste and increase the sugar as per your taste if required. Switch off the flame when milk starts steaming. Please take care that the milk should not come to boiling state.