Kulfi Tiramisu is the best of both worlds - Italian Tiramisu flavored with Indian kulfi flavors. Here is an Indian fusion dessert layered with ladyfingers dunked in rose-flavored evaporated milk and saffron-flavored pistachio mascarpone whipped cream. It's the perfect fusion dessert for a festive occasion.
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"Absolutely loved the Kulfi Tiramisu recipe. Such an easy people-pleaser dessert for a dinner date or even if we are hosting friends. Thanks, Nisha"
Dita
Indian Fusion Desserts
Every Diwali I love coming up with Indian fusion desserts. I mean, the traditional desserts are wonderful, but I also love experimenting with new ideas and allowing my creative juices to flow during the holidays. It's always fun to serve up creative and unique desserts to guests.
One of my all-time favorite fusion desserts is my Ras Malai Mousse. It is popular for a reason - it literally just melts in your mouth.
This year I opted for a similar dessert with a whipped cream-type mousse filling - Kulfi Tiramisu.
What is Kulfi Tiramisu?
Kulfi Tiramisu is combining the Italian classic, tiramisu with the classic Indian ice cream - kulfi. So essentially this dessert is like Indian-flavored tiramisu.
For the Kulfi part - I prepared a light pistachio mascarpone whipped cream flavored with cardamom and saffron.
For the Tiramisu part - I simply dunked ladyfingers in evaporated milk flavored with rose water and cardamom.
The next step - combine the layers starting with the kulfi cream, then topping with soaked ladyfingers, then kulfi cream, then the soaked ladyfingers, and finally ending with the kulfi cream layer.
The end result is fantastic, festive, and so delicious. Hope you guys give this easy dessert a try this Diwali. You can also make this recipe around Thanksgiving and Christmas for your holiday gatherings.
Why You'll Love Kulfi Tiramisu
- Mouthwatering & Delicious
- Easy to make
- Eggless Dessert (see FAQ)
- Flavored with rose, saffron, and cardamom
- If you love Kulfi and Tiramisu, you'll love this
- Indian Fusion Dessert
- A festive treat for Diwali, Holi, or any festive occasion
- It can be made up to 2 days in advance
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream - You'll need heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for this recipe. You can not use light cream or half & half, it won't work.
- Mascarpone Cheese - The cheapest place to find mascarpone is at Trader Joe's, but you can easily find it at any grocery store.
- Ladyfingers - You can find ladyfingers at any grocery store, but I get mine at Whole Foods. Note: ladyfingers are not eggless, so if you want a 100% eggless version, please see the FAQ section below.
- Saffron - Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, a little bit goes a long way. You can easily find saffron at the Indian grocery store, or even Trader Joe's for $6 - it's Spanish Saffron and that works.
- Cardamom - You'll need powdered cardamom for this recipe which can be found at the Indian grocery store or even Whole Foods.
- Rose Water - Do not use rose extract, you'll need rose water for this recipe which is mildly flavored. Rose water can be found at the Indian grocery store or Amazon.
- Sugar & Powdered Sugar - You'll need both sweeteners for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract - a touch of vanilla is needed to enhance the flavor of the cream layer.
- Pistachios - Chop your pistachios for this recipe which will be added to the cream layer.
- Rose Petals - You can easily find edible rose petals on Amazon.
How to Make Kulfi Tiramisu Recipe
Step 1 - Make Whipped Cream
1. Add heavy cream and powdered sugar to a large bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer, start beating the heavy cream. One minute later you'll know bubbles will form.
3. A minute later, the heavy cream will become a little thick, but still liquidy.
4. About 30 seconds to a minute later, the heavy cream will turn thick and slightly creamy.
5. 30 seconds later, this is what you have. DO NOT OVER MIX ELSE YOU'LL END UP WITH BUTTER. The whipped cream is ready. Set aside.
Step 2 - Make the Pistachio Mascarpone Layer
1. Start by warming up 1 tablespoon of evaporated milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then add a quarter teaspoon of saffron. Mix.
2. In a separate bowl, add mascarpone cheese (preferably at room temperature).
3. Then add sugar, cardamom, vanilla extract, and all the milk-infused saffron.
4. Using an electric mixer, blend for 2 minutes until it's creamy.
5. Now add the whipped cream a couple of dollops at a time, and fold it in the mascarpone cheese. Do not mix the whipped cream, but rather fold it in.
6. Keep folding in whipped cream little by little until there is none left.
7. This is what you should have.
8. Now add chopped pistachios and gently fold them in. The Pistachio Mascarpone Whipped Cream is ready.
Step 3 - Make Rose-flavored Milk
1. Add evaporated milk, cardamom, and rose water to a bowl. Mix. This will be used for dunking ladyfingers.
Step 4 - Layer Kulfi Tiramisu
1. Gather all your ingredients and grab a mason jar.
2. Start by adding 2 dollops of the pistachio mascarpone whipped cream to the bottom.
3. Break a ladyfinger into 3s, and dip it in the rose-flavored milk, but don't drench it, just dip it in on both sides and that's it. If you leave the ladyfinger in too long, it'll get soggy which we want to avoid. Then layer it on top.
4. Add 3 dollops of the mascarpone whipped cream. Add another ladyfinger - break into 3s. Dunk it in the rose-flavored milk mixture and layer.
5. Then add another 2 dollops of the mascarpone whipped cream.
6. Garnish with crushed pistachios and edible roses. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
How to Serve Kulfi Tiramisu
Order of Layering - You're going to have a total of 5 layers for Kulfi Tiramisu + some garnish on top. Start with a layer of pistachio mascarpone whipped cream followed by ladyfingers dunked in rose-flavored evaporated milk. Repeat again. Finish off with a final layer of pistachio mascarpone whipped cream. Garnish with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.
Room Temperature or Cold - Make sure you refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. Serve Kulfi Tiramisu at room temperature which you can leave out for about 30 minutes or cold straight out of the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions - I used cute little mason jars and layered the Indian Tiramisu directly in the jars, but you can serve this dessert in countless ways.
Here are some serving suggestions for serving Kulfi Tiramisu:
Storage
Store the Kulfi Tiramisu in the fridge for up 6 hours before serving. Tiramisu can be made up to 2 days in advance until you are ready to serve.
Pro Tips for Kulfi Tiramisu
- Place the mason jars in the fridge for at least 6 hours for the best results. This gives the ladyfingers a chance to soak up the milk and all the mascarpone whipped cream layer flavors.
- Do NOT overwhip the heavy cream else you'll end up with butter. There is a fine line before you have gone too far and end up with butter. You want to whip the heavy cream until the cream is light and stiff peaks form.
- Do NOT soak the ladyfingers in the rose-flavored evaporated milk and do not dunk it in more than once. Simply dunk in the ladyfinger and make sure the entire piece is coated, that's it.
FAQ
Yes! If you're allergic or simply don't like pistachios, just skip them.
If you don't wanna use pistachios, almonds or cashews would work well here.
No! This recipe uses heavy cream and mascarpone. Additionally, the ladyfingers contain eggs.
For a vegan version, you can probably consider using coconut whipped cream and vegan mascarpone - if it exists. Also, use vegan ladyfingers. I haven't tried this though.
No! Although this recipe is eggless meaning there is no addition of eggs, ladyfingers do consist of eggs. If you're able to find an egg-free ladyfinger brand, go ahead and use that.
If you prefer a 100% eggless Kulfi Tiramisu, you can replace ladyfingers with store-bought pound cake without eggs or biscotti without eggs.
You may bake your own eggless condensed milk vanilla cake.
Additionally, you may use Biscoff Cookies which are actually vegan. You can also use Parle-G cookies, but they may get soggy faster so you'll have to test this out. Another option that's been tested by a follower is Walker's Shortbread Cookies.
If you don't mind eggs, you can also use Nilla Wafers
Yes! All the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
Sure. That should work. Just fold in the cool whip into the mascarpone cheese mixture. With that said, homemade whipped cream is tastier and cleaner than using store-bought.
You can buy edible dried rose petals on Amazon. I love this and this organic version.
More Indian Desserts
- Ras Malai Mousse
- Eggless Mawa Cake
- Besan Ladoo
- Nankhatai - Eggless Shortbread Cookies
- Rose Barfi
- Milk Peda
Tried this recipe? If so, please leave a comment & rate this recipe. That would mean so much to me. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I'm happy to share and mention you. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Kulfi Tiramisu
Equipment
Ingredients
for whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
for mascarpone
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
- 1 tablespoon evaporated milk, warmed up to infuse saffron
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
for soaking mixture
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ tablespoon rose water
- 8 lady fingers, 2 lady fingers per jar
for garnish
- few pistachios, chopped
- few edible rose petals
Instructions
Make Whipped Cream
- Add heavy cream and powdered sugar to a large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, start beating the heavy cream. One minute later you'll know bubbles will form.
- A minute later, the heavy cream will become a little thick, but still liquidy.
- About 30 seconds to a minute later, the heavy cream will turn thick and slightly creamy.
- 30 seconds later, this is what you have. DO NOT OVER MIX ELSE YOU'LL END UP WITH BUTTER. The whipped cream is ready. Set aside.
Make the Pistachio Mascarpone Layer
- Start by warming up 1 tablespoon of evaporated milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then add a quarter teaspoon of saffron. Mix.
- In a separate bowl, add mascarpone cheese (preferably at room temperature).
- Then add sugar, cardamom, vanilla extract, and all the milk-infused saffron.
- Using an electric mixer, blend for 2 minutes until it's creamy.
- Now add the whipped cream a couple of dollops at a time, and fold it in the mascarpone cheese. Do not mix the whipped cream, but rather fold it in.
- Keep folding in whipped cream little by little until there is none left.
- This is what you should have.
- Now add chopped pistachios and gently fold them in. The Pistachio Mascarpone Whipped Cream is ready.
Make Rose-flavored Milk
- Add evaporated milk, cardamom, and rose water to a bowl. Mix. This will be used for dunking ladyfingers.
Assemble Kulfi Tiramisu
- Gather all your ingredients and grab a mason jar.
- Start by adding 2 dollops of the pistachio mascarpone whipped cream to the bottom.
- Break a ladyfinger into 3s, and dip it in the rose-flavored milk, but don't drench it, just dip it in on both sides and that's it. If you leave the ladyfinger in too long, it'll get soggy which we want to avoid. Then layer it on top.
- Add 3 dollops of the mascarpone whipped cream. Add another ladyfinger - break into 3s. Dunk it in the rose-flavored milk mixture and layer.
- Then add another 2 dollops of the mascarpone whipped cream.
- Garnish with crushed pistachios and edible roses. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
Notes
- Place the mason jars in the fridge for at least 6 hours for the best results. This gives the ladyfingers a chance to soak up the milk and all the mascarpone whipped cream layer flavors.
- Kulfi Tiramisu can be made up to 2 days in advance.
- Do NOT overwhip the heavy cream else you'll end up with butter. There is a fine line before you have gone too far and end up with butter. You want to whip the heavy cream until the cream is light and stiff peaks form.
- Do NOT soak the ladyfingers in the rose-flavored evaporated milk and do not dunk it in more than once else you will end up with soggy ladyfingers. Simply dunk in the ladyfinger and make sure the entire piece is coated, that's it.
- Ladyfingers are not eggless, so if you want a strictly eggless version of this recipe, please see the FAQ section above.
Kalyani says
Made this for a potluck and it was a hit!
Neha says
Yummy and easy no bake recipe! Everyone loved it! Thank you for this recipe!
Praveena says
The recipe was easy to follow and was a huge hit!
Shikha says
Thanks for this amazing recipe which is so easy to make. I made this in a 9x13 dish and tripled the recipe for a party and it tasted so yummy. Everybody loved it!
Amy C says
I love this take on tiramisu. Also this recipe was simple and a crowd pleaser. Cannot wait to make this again.
Jahnavi says
Thank you Nisha, for such a delicious fusion recipe! I followed your recipe and doubled the ingredients to make a large batch for my guests! Needless to say it was all polished off and everyone loved it! It was so satisfying, wonderfully flavoured and indulgent! Loved the addition of rose, saffron and pista! Wish I could share photos here!
A total crowd pleaser 😃
honeywhatscooking says
HI Jahnavi, So glad to hear. That makes me so happy to hear. It's one of my faves and perfect for the spring and summer months. Thanks so much! 🙂
Charlotte says
This sounds mouthwatering! I hope I'll find an occasion to try it out soon.
At the moment I am looking for an old recepie for "Spicy mustard egg curry". This one was so good! But I can't find it anymore. Could you help me? That would be so great!
honeywhatscooking says
HI Charlotte - here you go. https://www.honeywhatscooking.com/spicy-mustard-egg-curry/
Glad you like it. 🙂
Dita says
Absolutely loved the Kulfi Tiramisu recipe. Such an easy people pleaser dessert for a dinner date or even if we are hosting friends,
Thanks Nisha!!!
RK says
Love this recipe. Very easy to make and so tasty!