This classic Turkish confectionary flavoured with rose water has been given a makeover to make it sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan and naturally coloured.
📖 Recipe
Sugar-free Turkish Delight
Yield:
10
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
20 minutes
A beautiful rose-scented treat made sugar-free, vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 800 ml water
- 80 g / ⅔ cup arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
- 4 tbsp agar powder
- 150 g / ¾ cup xylitol
- 1 tsp beetroot powder or juice, for colouring
- 1 ½ tbsp rose water
For dusting:
- 4 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 4 tbsp xylitol
Instructions
- Mix 100ml of the water with the arrowroot powder in a bowl and set aside for later. Line a small tin with parchment paper.
- Add the remaining 700ml of water to a large saucepan and sprinkle the agar powder on top. Bring to a medium heat and whisk in the xylitol. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer, whisking until the xylitol and agar have dissolved.
- Once dissolved, add the mixture to a blender and mix with the beetroot powder and the arrowroot mixture you made earlier. Blend until smooth and thick. Return to the saucepan.
- Bring back to a low-medium heat and stir gently until the mixture becomes very thick and stretchy. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out evenly. Leave to cool and set in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, prepare an icing sugar by blending the arrowroot and xylitol together until it forms a fine powder. Warning: it will create a lot of dust! Alternatively, use a mixture of ordinary icing powder and arrowroot powder. The arrowroot powder is necessary to stop the Turkish delight from sticking or going soggy.
- Remove the Turkish delight from the fridge and cut into small squares. Coat in the powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
Xylitol is a natural low carb sweetener that can be found in most supermarkets or health food shops.
Trish Nunes says
Hello Aimee, I am hoping to make this recipe this week. Could you let me know how long the Turkish Delight keeps.
Thanks in advance
Best wishes, Trish
Sarah says
Update on turkish…this morning they are barely set, I had the pan on the hob for absolutely ages waiting for it to thicken, when I didn’t think it was gonna happen I turned off the hob and prayed for the best…I used agar flakes and used 3 spoons per ur syggestion of one spoon of powder. I added double the amount of rosewater as I couldn’t taste it at first….today they’re too gooey to handle and no taste there of rosewater, so gutted cos this isn’t a cheap thing to make and I sooo wanted to get it right…couldn’t find agar powder anywhere, is this where I went wrong do u think?
Aimee says
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. Yes, agar flakes and powder will need different measurements. You would need to use a lot more of the flakes to make up the same amount as the powder. You need to use 3 x as much for the flakes, I believe. I haven’t made this recipe in years but you should definitely get a strong flavour from the rosewater. If you make it again, just add a bit more and perhaps some more sweetener if you like!
Coco says
Perhaps you need to look at what rose water you are using? When you smell it does it have a strong perfume of roses? If not, I would find a better quality rose water as many cheaper versions are not made from real rose petals, but from chemicals.
Sarah says
Hi, I’m excited about this!! I’m making it right now :) please can u tell me how long this keeps for and where is it best stored? Ty ever so much for this amazing recipe! I’m making half with orange blossom water and half rose…I bet these would be awesome with violet water…I wonder if u can get it easy enough?
Chrisy says
Hi Aimée,
Turkish delight is one of my favourite treats which I haven’t enjoyed since I started eating clean. This is the first time I see a healthy recipe for this awsome dessert, thank you very much. It looks amazing!
Do you think I could use stevia instead of xylitol?
Aimee says
Thanks Chrisy! To be honest, I am not sure what to suggest for using Stevia… If your Stevia has instructions for substituting, like this: http://www.stevia.com/stevia_sugar_substitute.aspx then follow that (Xylitol is 1:1 with ordinary sugar, if that helps) and see how it turns out :-) Let me know if it works!
Chrisy says
Thank you, Aimee. I found xylitol at Sainsbury’s today so will not need to substitute unless I decide to try and cut the calories :) It’s the agar powder which is proving difficult to find. I might need to order some online.
Aimee says
I know Waitrose does it and you can also find it in Holland & Barrett (or other health food shops) Good luck! :-)
ginnie says
I have found that xylitol makes me feel kinda sick – bloaty!
Aimee says
Hi Ginne, yeah, that’s not uncommon. Especially in higher amounts, it can cause digestive issues. Some are more sensitive to that. I can only handle small amounts, myself!
rika@vm says
We went to Istanbul in 2008 and I remember it was freezing out there but there were lots of beautiful mosques out there and of course, Turkish delights, we snacked on them a lot during our trip since there wasn’t nothing else vegan to eat besides vegetarian hummus and falafel. It wasn’t vegan-friendly at that time, and I imagine it is right now. I’m loving your dream Mediterranean inspired home ideas, I’m into decorative potteries, French doors, and lovely wall walls. My goodness, Aimee, I love your Turkish delights, they are absolutely smashing and radiant, I feel like I can smell the roses already.