How to make EASY PANNA COTTA RECIPE | 15 Variations

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This is the best Panna Cotta recipe that comes out perfectly every time. This is a smooth rich Italian dessert made with cooked cream, sugar, and your favorite flavoring. You can make it ahead (up to 3 days) and be guaranteed it’ll be a hit every time!

One of the best things about it is once you’ve got the basic formula (below), it’s easy to add different flavorings to it. The variations are endless!

Watch the Video:

Easy Panna Cotta Recipe

Here’s how to make an easy vanilla panna cotta. Use this basic formula and method to explore the different flavors outlined below. It key is to add just enough gelatin to hold it together and let it set for at least 4 hours so comes out irresistibly rich, creamy, and oh-so-luscious!

This recipe makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 halved vanilla bean*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• whip topping Reddi Whip
• 1 small white chocolate bar for garnish
• 1 small dark chocolate bar for garnish

Instructions

1. In the saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and heat until the gelatin dissolves. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
2. Stir over medium heat until it steams but does not boil.
3. Add cream, sugar, and salt. Then stir in vanilla.
4. Lower heat and stir until sugar dissolves about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Pour the panna cotta mixture into serving glasses, cover, and refrigerate.
7. Stir every 20 minutes for the first hour.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days covered.

Panna Cotta Notes:

*If flavoring with a vanilla bean, place it in the steaming cream milk sugar mixture for 1 hour, then remove.  Then add the gelatin. To create these different panna cottas, incorporate the outlined flavors below into the liquid base before pouring the gelatin/cream mixture into the serving dishes.

Flavor Variations

• CARAMEL: Replace sugar with 1/4 cup of your favorite caramel sauce (or soft caramel candies) and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
• RASPBERRY: Make a berry sauce by placing 2 cups of frozen raspberries in a small sauce pot with 1/4 cup cold water over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Push them through a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl to remove the seeds. Replace the 1/2 cup of milk in the above recipe with 1/2 cup of this raspberry concentrate.
• STRAWBERRY: Make a berry sauce by placing 2 cups of frozen strawberries in a small sauce pot with 1/4 cup water over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Replace the 1/2 cup of milk in the above recipe with 1/2 cup of this strawberry concentrate.

• MANGO: Reduce 2 cups of mango nectar by 1/2 over medium heat.  Replace the 1/2 cup of milk in the above recipe with 1/2 cup of this mango concentrate. Use the remaining mango nectar to top panna cotta after it has set.
• CHOCOLATE: Mix in 2 tablespoons cocoa powder when you add the sugar to the above recipe.
• VIOLET: Replace the 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 cup of Creme de Violette.

• HONEY: Replace the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey.

• DRAGONFRUIT: Place 2 cups of frozen dragonfruit in a small sauce pot with 1/4 cup water over medium heat and simmer them for 15 minutes. Push them through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Replace the 1/2 cup of milk in the above recipe with 1/2 cup of this dragonfruit concentrate.
• BLUE MAGIK: Add 1 teaspoon of Blue Magik powder when adding the sugar to the above recipe.

• LEMON: Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest when adding the sugar to the above recipe. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of pure lemon extract after the sugar has dissolved.
• EARL GREY: Steep 3 Earl Grey tea bags in the milk as it heats up with the gelatin. Remove the bags and continue with the rest of the recipe.
• ESPRESSO: Add 2 – 3 teaspoons of powdered espresso to the milk as it heats up with the gelatin.

• WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY: Melt 6 ounces of white chocolate into the liquid base.  Over medium heat, cook down 4 ounces of fresh raspberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar until jammy.  Strain out seeds, cool, and top panna cotta after it has set.

Dietary Variations

• VEGAN & LACTOSE FREE: Instead of using milk and cream, use unsweetened oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. Instead of using gelatin, use 1 teaspoon agar agar for 4 cups of liquid.
• KETO: Substitute the sugar with your choice of sugar substitute. I’ve used both granulated Truvia with stevia and monk fruit with great success. 1/4 cup of sugar = 1/4 cup granulated Truvia
• GLUTEN-FREE: There’s no gluten in panna cotta! 🥳

Making it Ahead

This is my go-to dessert for dinner parties because I can make it 2 days in advance.  Then top them off with either a generous dollop of whip cream and a few chocolate shavings or fresh fruit compote. 

It’s also a fabulous dessert to make in the hot summer months because there’s very little time spent over the stove.  Plus, the finished dessert is a sweet cool creamy treat!

It can be frozen for up to several weeks before serving as long as you don’t skip the refrigeration phase. But it must set up in the frig first! Then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and freeze.

The day before you’re ready to serve it, place it in the refrigerator. It will be completely thawed out by dinner and ready to be garnished with your favorite topping!

Panna cotta looks like it should be difficult but it’s not and it’s very forgiving.  All of the ingredients are easy to find, and that makes getting creative fun and rewarding. 

You pretty much know you have a winner if you like how it tastes before it sets up in the refrigerator.

Panna Cotta Troubleshooting

Why is my panna cotta not getting solid?

If you are getting creative, good for you!  That’s great!  But it’s not much fun when you check on your panna cotta 4 hours later and it’s still a liquid. Hmmm… 2 things come to mind:

1. Did you add enough gelatin?
2. Are you using too much acid?

Fresh fruits with a lot of acid like pineapple and lemon, will keep your panna cotta from setting.  Fresh lemon juice may curdle the milk/cream mixture. 

If you’re determined to use these flavor profiles, use their extracts instead of fresh fruit.  You’ll get all the flavor and your panna cotta will set up beautifully.

What is the difference between Panna Cotta & Flan?

Although these are both milk-based desserts, gelatin is used to set up panna cotta, and eggs are used to thicken flan.

What is the difference between Panna Cotta & Pudding?

Pudding is also a milk-based dessert (like flan and panna cotta). However, it may or may not contain eggs to thicken it. Many times cornstarch and flour are used to thicken a homemade pudding.

History of Panna Cotta

Well, to be frank, there’s not much historical data on this dessert. It hails from the Piedmont region of Italy, about 2 1/2 hours southwest of Lake Como.

The recipe didn’t make it to print until the 1960s. However, many Italians can’t remember a time without it. Grandmothers have been handing this recipe down for generations.

I hope this dessert becomes one of your favorites that you’ll pass down to the next generation too. ❤️