Badam Kheer Panna Cotta | Almond Panna Cotta

Luscious creamy panna cotta that literally melts in your mouth – ready in just 15 minutes with only 6 ingredients!

How to make an ultra-rich almond panna cotta the Indian way?

Badam kheer is an incredibly easy Indian smoothie and panna cotta is a versatile, luscious, quick to make creamy dessert. So why not combine them and have some fun? After playing around a bit and not to forget having a blast, this delicious Indian smoothie turned into a creamy smooth super-rich panna cotta fit for any of the festivities.

So what are the ingredients for panna cotta?

All you need to prepare this indulgent rich Indian panna cotta are almonds, saffron, milk, sugar, gelatine with a teeny tiny pinch of cardamom for extra flavour.

Definitely very fattening but worth the calories!

In a nutshell

How to make the best badam kheer panna cotta dessert recipe?

• To give a rich and royal feel to the almond panna cotta use full-fat milk. Don’t compensate. Only a matter of another 30 minutes on the treadmill!
• Unlike badam kheer, there is no need to thicken the milk or reduce it to half. The gelatine added to the almond paste helps the milk to thicken and moreover gives the panna cotta the jiggly wiggly texture.
• To get a silky smooth textured panna cotta, blanch almonds and grind them to a very fine paste. Make sure it is not grainy. This is the only step that takes a bit of time and patience.
• I used about 10 strands of saffron. The saffron appears more yellow as the milk starts to boil. So be careful when adding more. Don’t forget the secret for the beautiful yellow colour is not the quantity but the quality of the saffron.

• Use fresh cardamom powder. Like I always stress you get the maximum flavour and aroma from freshly ground cardamom powder.
• When you soak the gelatin in cold milk, make sure to use farm-fresh milk that was already boiled and cooled or the pasteurized version of it. This is because once the gelatine is added to the almond milk mixture the chance of letting the milk boil is very low. So to be safe it is always better to use boiled milk or pasteurized milk.
• Soak the gelatin in cold milk. Wait for 10 minutes. If it doesn’t soften, fill a flat pan with hot water. The saucepan should be filled such that at least half the gelatin bowl can be immersed.  Leave the bowl in the water for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once dissolved, strain the gelatin into the panna cotta mixture to avoid lumps.
• When the badam milk mixture is ready, pour it into the prepared moulds. Add a layer of plastic wrap over the milk layer to prevent skin from forming on top.

How to serve badam kheer panna cotta for a crowd?

Panna cotta should be served chilled. This delicious pudding can be served either directly from the mould or it can be unmolded and plopped on to your serving plate. Either way, the panna cotta can be garnished with chopped almonds, pistachios and a couple of strands of saffron just before serving.

How to use gelatin for panna cotta?

To make a smooth panna cotta, add gelatin to the chilled milk. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes. If the gelatin still doesn’t soften, place the bowl over hot water and gently stir until it dissolves. Now strain the gelatin into the hot badam milk. Give the milk mixture a good stir and pour it into moulds.

How to unmold panna cotta from the moulds?

Lightly grease the mould with a mild flavoured oil before pouring the milk mixture into them. Chill the pudding for at least 4 hours allowing the panna cotta to set. When serving, allow the mould to sit in a bowl of warm water for a minute. Don’t leave it for too long otherwise, it would melt. Next, gently slide a sharp knife along the sides of the mould. Then using your fingers gently push the panna cotta inward. Keep repeating this process while rotating the cup or until the panna cotta leaves the sides of the mould. Invert the panna cotta on to your serving plate and patiently wait for it to unmold. Garnish and serve immediately.

How to store almond panna cotta?

The panna cotta definitely needs time to set. This is one of the best desserts to make the previous day of the party. This luscious panna cotta should be chilled for at least 4 hours or until set.  To know if the panna cotta is set, lightly touch the top. The texture should be firm but soft and jiggly. The panna cotta can be kept chilled for up to 5 days.

Hope you love this recipe as much as I did. If you have tried this recipe, I would love for you to comment and rate this recipe. You can also tag me on Instagram and Facebook!

For more no bake desserts, try the refreshing  mango flavoured pudding or the coconut flavoured panna cotta

Print Recipe

Badam kheer panna cotta | Almond Panna cotta

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Serves: 8 ramekins

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Luscious, creamy, literally melt in your mouth dessert ready in just 15 minutes with only 6 ingredients!

Ingredients

• 4 cups of full-fat milk, boiled and cooled
• 120 grams sugar
• 2 tablespoons gelatin powder
• 80 grams almonds, blanched
• 10 strands saffron or a pinch
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, freshly ground

Instructions

1

In a saucepan, measure and add 3 ½ cups of milk. Chill the other ½ cup of milk until needed.

2

In a blender, blend blanched almonds without adding any water.

3

If needed, use the milk from the saucepan to make a very smooth almond paste.

4

Add the finely ground almond paste, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron strands to the milk in the saucepan.

5

On a stovetop, heat the almond milk mixture on medium, stirring and scraping the sides of the pan occasionally until the milk comes to a boil.

6

Continue heating on low for another 5 minutes until the milk becomes slightly thick and turns a beautiful yellow. The milk should still be in pouring consistency. Remove from heat and keep aside.

7

In another small bowl, add the leftover half cup of cold milk. Sprinkle the gelatin into it. Wait for the gelatine to bloom for about 5 minutes.

8

Meanwhile, strain the almond milk mixture into another bowl.

9

Using a mild flavoured oil, lightly grease the ramekins and set aside.

10

By this time if the gelatine does not soften and dissolve. Place the bowl over another bowl of hot water and gently stir the gelatine until it dissolves.

11

Once the gelatine is completely dissolved, strain it through a fine-mesh into the almond milk mixture. Stir until completely mixed.

12

Pour the milk into the prepared ramekins.

13

Cut ramekin size pieces of plastic wrap and line the top of each cup making sure the wrap is touching the top layer. This helps to prevent the formation of skin on the top layer when cooled.

14

Let the panna cotta chill for at least 4 hours so that the panna cotta sets completely.

15

To check if the almond panna cotta is set, lightly touch the top layer. The panna cotta should have a bouncy feel to it.

16

The panna cotta can be served directly from the mould or this delicious dessert can be unmolded on to the serving plate.

17

To unmold, remove the plastic wrap from the top layer. Then let the ramekin sit on a bowl of warm water for a minute before unmolding.

18

Remove the ramekin from the water and carefully run a sharp knife along the edges of the mould. Then place the serving plate on top of the ramekin and flip it. Gently tap the bottom of the ramekin and patiently wait for it to unmold.

19

Garnish with slivered almonds, pistachios and a couple of strands of saffron just before serving.

Notes

The badam kheer panna cotta can be chilled for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.