Creamy, smooth panna cotta
Panna cotta (or pannacotta) is an iconic Italian dessert, as popular as tiramisu. Originating from Piedmont, a region also famous for its hazelnuts, its name literally means “cooked cream.” Made with cream, milk, sugar, and a gelling agent such as gelatin or agar-agar, it charms with its silky texture, delicate flavor, and simplicity.
This budget-friendly dessert is prepared with ingredients you likely already have on hand. It can be served plain or topped with a fruit coulis once set. Available in countless flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, caramel, lemon, or red berries, panna cotta is a crowd-pleaser.
Just like crème brûlée, Caribbean flan, or crema catalana, it deserves a spot on any platter of assorted sweets. Easy to make ahead, it is perfect for an afternoon treat or a refined dessert.
Table of Contents
The Recipe Video
Ingredients:
Note: Find the printable recipe card below.
For the Panna Cotta
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 400 ml (13.5 fl oz) whole milk
- 4 sheets gelatin (8 g, 200 bloom)
- 80 g (2.8 oz) sugar, more or less to taste
- 2 packets vanilla sugar
For the Strawberry Coulis
I filled 3 glasses with salted caramel and crushed hazelnuts. If you want to fill all 10 small glasses with strawberry coulis only, multiply the coulis recipe by 1.5.
- 400 g (14 oz) strawberries or ready-made coulis
- 50 g (1.8 oz) granulated sugar
- 1½ sheets gelatin
- A few strawberries, for garnish
- Salted butter caramel
- A few hazelnuts, chopped
Preparation Steps:
For small quantities, it’s best to use a precision scale.
Soak the gelatin in a large bowl of very cold water for 10 minutes.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla, then heat gently while stirring. Once it’s hot and close to boiling, add the milk.
Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches a boil (when it starts to rise). Add the well-drained gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Strain the mixture (optional) into a measuring jug, this will make filling the glasses easier.
Place small glasses at an angle inside the cavities of a muffin tin. Fill them right up to the tilted edge.
Let cool slightly before refrigerating to set. Chill for at least 4 hours. Ideally, prepare it in the morning for the evening, or the day before serving.
You can speed up the process by placing the panna cotta in the freezer, but keep a close eye on it to avoid freezing it.
Once set, prepare the toppings of your choice.
Italian panna cotta
Prepare the strawberry coulis
Soak the gelatin in a large bowl of very cold water for 10 minutes.
Blend the strawberries and pour them into a saucepan. Add the sugar, stir, and heat gently until the sugar is fully dissolved.
To keep a bright red color in your strawberry coulis, you can heat only half of it with the sugar, then mix it with the remaining uncooked coulis.
Remove from the heat and add the drained gelatin. Stir well, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool slightly before pouring over the panna cotta.
Rehydrate gelatin in a large volume of very cold water for 10 min.
Blend the strawberries and pour them into a saucepan. Add the sugar, mix, and heat to dissolve the sugar.
To keep the color of the strawberry coulis, you can heat only half the coulis with the sugar and then add it to the remaining coulis.
Remove from the heat and add the gelatine. Mix well and strain through a chinois. Let it cool slightly before pouring over the panna cotta.
For the salted butter caramel panna cotta
Cover the panna cotta with a dollop of salted butter caramel and add a few toasted, crushed hazelnuts.
For the blueberry and strawberry panna cotta
Fill the glasses halfway with the panna cotta mixture and let them set slightly in the freezer. Keep the remaining cream at room temperature.
Drizzle strawberry coulis over the set cream and add a few blueberries. Allow this layer to set, then pour in the remaining panna cotta. Place the glasses in the refrigerator until fully set.
Gently confit a few blueberries with a little sugar over very low heat. Let them cool slightly, then spoon over the top of the glasses.
Once you’ve tried this panna cotta recipe, you’ll never want to go back.
How to make panna cotta with agar agar?
I’ve never personally used agar-agar, as I have no issue using gelatin in my recipes. However, if you prefer to use it. Whether for dietary reasons or personal choice. You can simply replace 2 g of gelatin with 0.66 g of agar-agar.
For this recipe, that would mean using about 2.64 g of agar-agar. As a general rule, for the equivalent of 3 sheets of gelatin, use 2 g of agar-agar.
Since agar-agar sets more firmly than gelatin, I recommend starting with just 2 g for this recipe and adjusting next time if you prefer a firmer texture.
When preparing panna cotta with agar-agar, follow the instructions on your packaging. Typically, you’ll mix the agar-agar into the cream from the start, then bring the mixture to a boil.
One of the things I love most about panna cotta is how versatile it is. You can adapt it endlessly to suit your tastes. My personal favorites are panna cotta with raspberry coulis, strawberry coulis, or topped with salted caramel and toasted hazelnuts.
Easy Panna Cotta Recipe
INGREDIENTS
For the Panna Cotta
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 400 ml whole milk
- 4 sheets gelatin 8 g, 200 bloom
- 80 g granulated sugar, more or less to taste
- 2 packets vanilla sugar
For the Strawberry Coulis
- I filled 3 glasses with salted caramel and crushed hazelnuts. If you want to fill all 10 small glasses with strawberry coulis only multiply the coulis recipe by 1.5.
- 400 g strawberries or ready-made coulis
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1½ sheets gelatin
- A few strawberries for garnish
- Salted butter caramel
- A few hazelnuts chopped
PREPARATION
Prepare the panna cotta
- For small quantities, it’s best to use a precision scale.
- Soak the gelatin in a large bowl of very cold water for 10 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla, then heat gently while stirring. Once it’s hot and close to boiling, add the milk.
- Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches a boil (when it starts to rise). Add the well-drained gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Strain the mixture (optional) into a measuring jug, this will make filling the glasses easier.
- Place small glasses at an angle inside the cavities of a muffin tin. Fill them right up to the tilted edge.
- Let cool slightly before refrigerating to set. Chill for at least 4 hours. Ideally, prepare it in the morning for the evening, or the day before serving.
- You can speed up the process by placing the panna cotta in the freezer, but keep a close eye on it to avoid freezing it.
- Once set, prepare the toppings of your choice.
Prepare the strawberry coulis
- Soak the gelatin in a large bowl of very cold water for 10 minutes.
- Blend the strawberries and pour them into a saucepan. Add the sugar, stir, and heat gently until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- To keep a bright red color in your strawberry coulis, you can heat only half of it with the sugar, then mix it with the remaining uncooked coulis.
- Remove from the heat and add the drained gelatin. Stir well, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool slightly before pouring over the panna cotta.
- Rehydrate gelatin in a large volume of very cold water for 10 min.
- Blend the strawberries and pour them into a saucepan. Add the sugar, mix, and heat to dissolve the sugar.
- To keep the color of the strawberry coulis, you can heat only half the coulis with the sugar and then add it to the remaining coulis.
- Remove from the heat and add the gelatine. Mix well and strain through a chinois. Let it cool slightly before pouring over the panna cotta.
For the salted butter caramel panna cotta
- Cover the panna cotta with a dollop of salted butter caramel and add a few toasted, crushed hazelnuts.
For the blueberry and strawberry panna cotta
- Fill the glasses halfway with the panna cotta mixture and let them set slightly in the freezer. Keep the remaining cream at room temperature.
- Drizzle strawberry coulis over the set cream and add a few blueberries. Allow this layer to set, then pour in the remaining panna cotta. Place the glasses in the refrigerator until fully set.
- Gently confit a few blueberries with a little sugar over very low heat. Let them cool slightly, then spoon over the top of the glasses.
- Once you’ve tried this panna cotta recipe, you’ll never want to go back.
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