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Indian Pista Kulfi Dessert. Creamy Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle. Non Dairy Ice Cream. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Kulfi is a dense unwhipped ice cream from the Indian subcontinent. The age old way of making kulfi involved slow cooking whole milk till it reduced to half and very thick consistency, then freezing it in molds kept in a mixture of ice and salt in an earthenware(matka) for the soft frozen texture. No Ice-maker needed.
These Pista Kulfi popsicles are easily made vegan with nondairy milk and cream made of nuts like pistachios or cashews. Add flavors like cardamom or saffron.
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Now to the Ice cream. Dairy is used in many many Indian desserts. Milk, thickened condensed milk,cream, butter, clarified butter (ghee), milk solids (khoya), milk powder and what not.
I mean seriously, I do not understand how thoughtlessly we have been using huge amounts of dairy since ages. It takes
– 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese
– 10-12 pounds of milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream
– 21 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of butter
– 28+ pounds of milk to make 1 pound of ghee(clarified butter)
Milk from the cow is for the calf to becomes a 1000 lb , slow moving, plant eating cow or bull. Thats totally not even the right kind of nutrition for humans.
This Ice cream however, is a dairy free, deliciously good Kulfi. With pistachios, almonds and almond milk, cardamom and pepper. You can change up the nuts, add flavors like mango or thick strawberry puree, rose essence, saffron strands, or even chocolate. Or add some candied ginger and coat it in some ginger snap crumbles. blisss . What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle - Pista Kulfi - vegan glutenfree
Indian Pista Kulfi Dessert. Creamy Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle. Non Dairy Ice Cream. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons raw Pistachios
- 1 Tablespoon raw almonds
- 1/2 cup almond milk or other non dairy milk , or make your own nut milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or any thickening starch, or 1 Tablespoon ground cashew
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
- a pinch of saffron, optional
- 2-4 Tablespoons raw sugar, powdered ( to taste)
For variations: Add a pinch of black pepper, or a Tablespoons of chopped dark chocolate, or a Tablespoon of ginger snap crumbs/crystallized ginger.
Instructions
- Grind the Pistachios and then the almonds into as fine a powder as possible.(some of it may become buttery, which is fine), or use pistachio or almond butter,
- In a blender, add the ground Pistachios and almonds, cornstarch, raw sugar, spices and Almond milk. Blend well until the mixture is well combined.
- Transfer mix to a pan and bring to just about a boil on low-medium heat, stirring almost constantly.
- Or microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds again(it should bubble slightly).
- The mixture will thicken at just about the boiling stage. Add a few tsp more nut flour(pistachio/almond or cashew) if you like it the kulfi mix to be really thick. If adding cashew flour, then bring to a boil.
- Take off heat. Let cool a bit. Taste and adjust sugar.
- Add in the cardamom, pepper/candied ginger is using, mix , then transfer to Popsicle, Kulfi, or ice cream molds or ramekins.
- Cover the open molds/ramekins with aluminium foil and let freeze overnight.
- Let the popsicles or molds sit out or dip in warm-hot water to take the frozen ice cream out.
- Serve as is, or in a parfait with fresh mango, pistachio, and ginger snap crumbs.
- Or drizzle some salted caramel or peppered sugar syrup.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Sodium: 81mg, Potassium: 150mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 45IU, Vitamin C: 0.7mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 0.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
I made a raw version of this and it was great, doubled the amount and added extra nuts instead of the thickener, didn’t boil it just straight to the freezer, was delish thanks 🙂
Awesome!
How many servings does this recipe yield? I have a party of 20 I’m making it for.
it depends on the size of the molds. i usually make small popsicles and get 5 to 6. you will need to make 4 to 6 times.
I do not know if it’s just me or if everyone
else experiencing issues with your blog. It appears
as if some of the text within your posts are running off the screen.
Can somebody else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them as well?
This might be a problem with my browser
because I’ve had this happen before. Cheers
Richa, I plan to make fruit salad with this recipe. So I can make custard and add some fruits. If I want to you use grounded cashews instead of corn starch, at what stage should I stop heating the mixture?
Thanks
At the same point, at just about starting to boil. Ground cashew will thicken the mixture to a loose custard. you can grind the raw cashews or any nuts with wheat or Oat flour. about a 1/4 cup flour with about a cup of cashews for a less buttery flour.
Hi I just found your blog and it is great! I also found that your recipe for this delicious kulfi is published on another website (https://curesinthekitchen.com/2012/vegan-cardamom-pistachio-kulfi/) but I see not citation of yours – just wanted to let you know! Thanks for all these great recipes!
Thank you for the heads up. I just sent them an email to remove it.
hey richa it turned out great with soy milk too. great recipe definitely a keeper. thanks heaps for sharing :-):-)
Hi Richa,
Gorgeous looking kulfi, well done on this.. Haven’t tried this but planning to do this very very soon. Can I substitute almond milk with Soy??? Please let me know
Thanks,
Mudra
yes you can substitute it with any non dairy milk. let me know how it turns out!:)
wow i love the pistachios and the almond milk here! what great flavors! i would totally eat this~ 😀 my sister tried making almond milk ice cream before but it wasn’t thick enough so it turned more like sorbet, but still good. 🙂 hope you are doing well! i can’t wait for my school year to end (next week!) so i can catch up on all of your posts….!!
Thanks Junia. This has ground pistachios and almonds, which also release a little fat when heated, and make the ice cream very soft. you can bite into it very easily. Take care and have a great week!
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