Mango panna cotta is a chilled Italian cream dessert set with gelatin and flavoured with mango. Our Indian version serves four, uses 200 g of Alphonso puree from fruit or a pulp tin, adds cardamom, and sets in four to six hours.
What mango panna cotta is
Panna cotta means cooked cream in Italian. Cream, milk and sugar are warmed, set with gelatin and chilled until they wobble. Mango pulp takes the place of vanilla, and the result sits somewhere between a pudding and aamras set in cream. It needs no oven and no special equipment, so it is a good dessert for a first-time cook. The only real skill is patience: the cream must be warmed gently, the gelatin dissolved fully and the glasses left alone in the fridge until they set.
This page is written by the team at Powle Home Foods, who run AlphonsoMango.in in Mumbai. We sell Alphonso fruit in season and an Alphonso pulp tin all year, so the recipe below works in both situations.
Mango panna cotta recipe (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 250 ml fresh cream (35% fat)
- 150 ml whole milk
- 3 tbsp caster sugar (use 2 tbsp if the mango is very sweet)
- 2 tsp gelatin powder
- 3 tbsp cold water, to bloom the gelatin
- 200 g Alphonso or Kesar mango puree, fresh or from a tin
- ½ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
- Fresh mango chunks and mint, to garnish
Method
- Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes until it swells.
- Warm the cream. Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan on a low flame until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil.
- Add the gelatin. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until it dissolves completely.
- Stir in the mango. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then stir in the mango puree and cardamom. Blend it smooth if there are lumps.
- Pour and chill. Pour the mixture into four glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours.
- Garnish and serve. Top each panna cotta with fresh mango chunks and a mint leaf before serving.
Stir the puree in only after the pan is off the heat and the mixture has cooled a little. Hot cream and acidic fruit can split, and gentle handling keeps the fresh fragrance of the mango.
Which mango to use
Ripe Alphonso gives a deep orange colour and a rich, creamy, non-fibrous pulp, which suits a smooth dessert. Kesar also works. Taste the puree before you add sugar, because sweetness changes from fruit to fruit and from tin to tin. If the puree is very sweet, use the lower amount of sugar.
We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds. When you buy a ripe fruit or a firm one that you will ripen yourself, let it soften at room temperature until it smells sweet near the stalk, then peel, stone and blend it. Our guide to ripening Alphonso covers the steps, and mango puree recipe shows how to make the puree.
Alphonso is harvested about February to June, with the best supply from March to May, and the 2027 season opens on 1 February 2027. Outside the season, use the Alphonso mango pulp tin, which is available all year in 850 g and 3.1 kg tins from Rs 590. A tin saves the peeling and stoning, and gives you a steady flavour from one batch to the next, which helps if you plan to serve the dessert to guests more than once. A tin of 850 g is enough for several batches of this recipe at 200 g each.
Tips for a clean set
- Bloom first. Gelatin that is sprinkled on cold water and left to swell dissolves evenly. Dumping powder into hot cream leaves lumps.
- Do not boil. Boiling can weaken the set and gives the cream a cooked taste.
- Chill long enough. Give it the full 4 to 6 hours. A panna cotta that looks soft after two hours is usually not done yet.
- Cool before the fruit. Mixing a cold puree into scalding cream is the fastest way to a split texture.
- Use small moulds. Glasses and ramekins set faster and cleaner than one large bowl.
To unmould, dip the base of the ramekin in warm water for a few seconds and turn it onto a plate. If you serve it in the glass, you can skip this step.
Fixing common problems
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too soft or runny | Not enough chilling time, or gelatin that did not dissolve fully | Chill longer; next time stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved |
| Rubbery | Too much gelatin for the quantity of liquid | Keep to 2 tsp for this quantity of cream, milk and puree |
| Grainy or split | Puree stirred into very hot cream | Cool the mixture for a few minutes first, then blend smooth |
| Not sweet enough | Mild fruit or a diluted puree | Taste the puree before you start and add a little more sugar to the warm cream |
To serve eight, double every quantity and use a larger pan. The dessert can be made the evening before a lunch or dinner, which makes it handy for guests. A spoon of fresh mango cubes on top gives a second texture against the smooth set.
Variations and storage
Gelatin is not vegetarian. For a vegetarian version, replace it with agar-agar and follow the directions on the pack, because the quantities and the method differ and agar sets firmer. Some cooks add a pinch of saffron or a few crushed pistachios; neither is needed. For a milder dessert, serve it with a spoon of fresh mango cubes rather than a sauce.
Keep the panna cotta covered in the fridge and eat it within a day or two. Do not freeze it. Mango is a source of vitamin C: Wikipedia lists about 36 mg per 100 g of raw mango, roughly 40% of the Daily Value. This dessert also contains cream and sugar, so treat it as a treat. If you follow a special diet, check with your doctor or dietitian.
If you like this dessert, try our mango pudding recipe, aamras recipe and mango lassi recipe.
People also ask
What is mango panna cotta made of?
Mango panna cotta is made of fresh cream, milk, sugar, gelatin and mango puree. Our version uses 250 ml cream, 150 ml milk, three tablespoons of sugar, two teaspoons of gelatin and 200 g of puree, with a little cardamom. It serves four and needs no baking.
Can I use canned mango pulp for panna cotta?
Yes. A pulp tin is a good shortcut, and ours is available all year. Use it in place of fresh puree at the same 200 g, and taste before adding sugar. Stir it in after the pan is off the heat.
How long does mango panna cotta take to set?
It needs at least four to six hours in the fridge. Pour it into small glasses or ramekins, because small portions set faster and more cleanly than one large bowl. If it still wobbles loosely after six hours, it probably needs more time or slightly more gelatin next time.
Can I make mango panna cotta without gelatin?
Yes, with agar-agar, which is plant-based. Follow the quantities and method on the agar pack, since they differ from gelatin, and expect a firmer set. Agar must be boiled briefly in the liquid to work, while gelatin is only warmed. Use the same 200 g of mango puree.
Related searches
- Aamras recipe with Alphonso pulp
- Mango pudding recipe
- Mango dessert ideas
- Mango puree at home
- How to make mango pulp
- Mango lassi recipe
- Indian mango pudding recipe
- Alphonso mango pulp tin
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia, Mango.
- Wikipedia, Alphonso mango.
Written by Prashant Powle, founder of AlphonsoMango.in. Last reviewed October 2026.