Mango Panna Cotta Recipe | Layered Mango Panna Cotta Recipe

Panna cotta is one of the popular dessert from Italy and this no bake mango panna cotta made with cream, milk, mangoes, sugar and gelatin is truly a decadent dessert. Mango panna cotta a family favorite seasonal dessert just like my mango pudding and vanilla panna cotta. Learn how to make the most delicious dessert with step by step pictures and video. 

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Mango panna cotta 

Mango Panna Cotta Recipe with step by step pictures. This recipe makes the most delicious and light summer dessert which is creamy and packed with flavors. I love making panna cotta, more over I love how they turn out once they are un moulded. Just wobly and jiggly. Love it. 

I have shared few panna cotta recipes in my blog, this is another addition to it. This time it is a mango flavoured one. You can make this into a two layered panna cotta as well. Since it is mango season, I thought sharing this recipe. This panna cotta is so easy to make, you need few basic ingredients. But I am sure your kids will go crazy once you make this for them.

What is Panna cotta?

Panna cotta is one of the dessert that is fancy looking but it is super easy to put together. All you need is few ingredients heated together and poured in dessert moulds and allowed to set in fridge for few hours. 

Panna cotta is called as cooked cream in Italy. Cream, milk and sugar is flavoured with vanilla and set like a pudding with gelatin or agar agar. 

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Strawberry panna cotta

Watch Mango Panna Cotta Video

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About Mango Panna Cotta

Mango panna cotta is a no bake dessert made with fresh mangoes, cream, milk, sugar and gelatin. This is a fancy version of traditional panna cotta with mango added. Mango pairs well with cream, milk making it a perfect summer dessert of choice. 

I used gelatin to set my panna cotta, but you can use agar agar powder just like my mango pudding. Unlike mango pudding, panna cotta has different ratio of ingredients to ensure you get the proper wobbly texture. 

Authentic Panna cotta has creamy, silky texture which comes from the ratio of cream, milk, mango purée and gelatin used. If you add too much gelatin or agar agar then the panna cotta will get dense and more pudding like. So make sure you use the proper ratio of ingredients to get the epic wobbly texture. 

In this recipe, i used gelatin to set panna cotta, but I have shared measurement to set panna cotta using agar agar and gelatin leaves. 

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Mangoes – try to choose ripe sweet mangoes for the intense mango flavour. Alphonso mango is best but any variety that has best aroma and sweet taste can be used. 

Cream – use heavy cream or dessert cream for rich texture. Make sure you don’t heat it too much else the milk fats may separate. 

Milk – I prefer my panna cotta to have more cream than milk, but I like to lighten the custard mix with milk so the texture is better. 

Sugar – depending on the sweetness of mangoes, you might need to add more or less sugar. 

Gelatin – this panna cotta is set with gelatin. But you can use agar agar or gelatin sheets. Check below for the measurements. 

Flavourings – just simple vanilla extract would be perfect in this panna cotta. I flavoured it with cardamom and saffron. 

Gelatin Sheets vs Agar Agar powder

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How to Use Agar Agar powder in this recipe

What is Agar Agar?

Agar agar is completely plant based gelatin derived from seaweed. It is a vegan product used in sweets and dessert. Many asian pudding and jelly uses agar agar as main ingredient. You can easily find agar agar powder online. I use this brand of agar agar powder.

you can use agar agar powder instead of gelatin. If you are using agar agar powder. Use 1 tsp of agar agar powder instead of 2 tsp gelatin. 

• Add 1 tsp of agar agar powder in the sauce pan along with sugar, milk and cream. Add in cardamom and saffron if using. Whisk it well and heat till it comes to a simmer. 
• Now add other ingredients like mango purée and vanilla as mentioned and mix well. Let it warm through.
• Strain this mixture and Now you can pour this in moulds and set in fridge. 

How to use gelatin sheets in this recipe

What is Gelatin?

Gelatin or gelatine is a translucent, colorless, flavorless thickening ingredient, derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. Usually it is used to set pudding, jelly and many desserts. This is one of the main ingredient in making gummy bears and candies. 

• Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 15 minutes. 
• Heat milk, sugar, cream in a sauce pan. Add flavouring like cardamom and saffron if using. Let it come to a simmering point. Now strain the gelatin sheets and add the softened gelatin sheet into the hot milk cream mixture and whisk well.
• Add in mango purée, vanilla and mix well. Strain the mixture and pour into moulds to set in fridge. 

Panna cotta Moulds & Presentation 

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Panna cotta can be served multiple different ways. You can play with your creativity while setting or plating panna cotta. I like to use my pudding moulds for panna cotta which are individual servings. But if you don’t have pudding moulds, You can use any of these ways to set and serve your dessert.

Using Ramekins & Small Bowls – If you don’t have pudding moulds like the one I used. Use ceramic ramekins or any small bowls for setting. You might need to grease the moulds with very little oil for the panna cotta to release easily. 

Wine Glass, Martini Glass or Cups – If you are scared of un moulding panna cotta. You can serve them directly in serving glass. Use any of your pretty glassware which are individual size for setting and serving panna cotta. You can directly pour the sauce over the pudding and serve in the glass. You can check my coffee panna cotta for idea.

Tilted panna cotta – Line a baking pan or loaf pan with a kitchen towel and place the glasses slightly tilted over the edge of the pan. Fill the glasses with the panna cotta mixture, you can do this step in the fridge. Allow the tilted panna cotta mixture to set for few hours before pouring the sauce or topping. This will result in a tilted looking panna cotta.

Silicon Moulds – You can use mini silicon cupcake liners for setting panna cotta. These are easy to un mould and looks pretty. 

Layered Panna cotta – you can see in the variation where I have used two flavours. You have to allow one layer to set before pouring the second layer. 

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Why my panna cotta is not setting?

There are few reason why your panna cotta is not setting. Here I have shared all the reasons so you can trouble shoot. 

Temperature – Your milk-cream mixture didn’t reach the proper temperature, which didn’t activate the gelatin for setting. You have to heat the mixture till you see steam coming from the top of the mixture. It will take around 10 minutes on the lowest heat. Also make sure you keep mixing them so it doesn’t burn at the bottom. 

Add extra agar agar or gelatin – try heating it up again, adding a little bit of extra gelatin. Never let it boil over. Always cook panna cotta mix on the lowest heat.

Some flavours never set – Some fruits such as pineapple or kiwi contain enzymes that break down the gelatin so it never sets. So I recommend not using those flavours in panna cotta. 

Setting agent didn’t melt – another reason is the setting agent didn’t get a chance to melt completely. If you are using Agar agar powder, you have keep cooking them on low heat till it is completely melted and the mixture looks creamy. If you are using gelatin, bloom the gelatin for at least 10 minutes in cold water, melt it gently for few seconds so it is a transparent liquid before mixing in the hot cream and mix well. 

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How to Make Mango Panna cotta (Stepwise pictures)

Blooming Gelatin

1)Take gelatin in a bowl. Instead of gelatin, you can use agar agar powder. Check my notes below to see how to use agar agar and when to use it.

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2)Add 4 tbsp of cold water over the gelatin. Set this aside for 10 minutes for the gelatin to soften and bloom until you prepare the other ingredients.

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Infusing Cream & Milk with flavours

3)Take sugar in a sauce pan. Depending on the sweetness of the mangoes you are using, you can adjust the sugar.

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4)Add in milk.

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5)Add in cream into the milk and sugar.

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6)Add in cardamom and saffron into the milk, cream mixture. These ingredients are optional. You can leave these out if you don’t prefer this flavourings.

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7)Heat this milk and cream mixture on low heat till the milk cream mixture gets hot.

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8)Heat this on low heat while constantly mixing. Let it come to a simmering point where you see steam coming over the milk and cream mixture. It shouldn’t boil over, but should get completely hot. 

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Melting Gelatin

9)Now the gelatin has softened. After 10 mins, I melted this in microwave for 10 seconds. You can melt this over a double boiler until melted. 

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Making Mango Panna Cotta Mixture

10)Now the cream mixture has heated through. Add in the melted gelatin mixture into the hot cream milk mix.

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11)Add in mango puree into the cream milk mixture.

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12)Add in vanilla extract.

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13)Heat this on low heat until the mixture is just combined. Now take it off the heat.

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14)The mixture should get creamy. Mango and gelatin should be evenly combined.

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Straining the Mixture

15)Now strain the mixture through a sieve. This is to remove the cardamom pods. It also makes the mixture super creamy.

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16)This is your mango panna cotta mixture.

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Setting Panna cotta

17)Divide the panna cotta mixture into separate moulds and individual cups. Place this in fridge and allow it to set for atleast 10 to 12 hours or overnight. You can leave this to set in fridge upto 2 days.

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18)Serve.

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How to Set Layered Mango Panna Cotta

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For a fancy version of mango panna cotta, you can set this in layers. I made a batch of my mango panna cotta as shown above. First pour mango panna cotta layer in your mould or serving cups. Allow it to set for minimum of 6 hours.

Now make my vanilla panna cotta mixture using gelatin, pour this over set mango panna cotta and place the moulds and serving glasses in fridge overnight until set. Now you can serve it as it is or un mould and enjoy.

Ingredients for White Vanilla Panna Cotta

• 1 cup Milk

• ½ cup Cream
• 1 tsp Gelatin
• ⅓ cup Sugar
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 tbsp Water

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How to use Agar Agar powder instead of Gelatin 

In this recipe, you can use agar agar powder instead of gelatin. If you are using agar agar powder. Use 1 tsp of agar agar powder instead of 2 tsp gelatin. 

For using agar agar powder. Add 1 tsp of agar agar powder in the sauce pan along with sugar, milk and cream. Whisk it well and heat till it comes to a simmer. 

Now add other ingredients as mentioned and mix well. Let it warm through. Now you can pour this in moulds and set in fridge. 

Expert Tips

• Always soak gelatin in cold water. Don’t over boil gelatin. Heat it gently until the gelatin melts completely. 
• If you are using agar agar powder. Use 1 tsp of agar agar powder instead of 2 tsp gelatin. 
• Use ripe sweet mangoes in your panna cotta for best taste, colour and aroma.
• Use good quality cream. I used milky mist pure cream. 
• Don’t over heat the cream else it may split and the fat may separate. 
• You can flavour the mango panna cotta with any flavourings of your choice

Serving and Storage 

Mango panna cotta taste best when served cold. Serve panna cotta with mango compote, mango sauce or mango syrup. 

You can store panna cotta in fridge for up to a week. 

More Panna Cotta Recipes

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If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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