This easy panna cotta is a silky vanilla custard set with a little gelatin and served cold. My recipe has no eggs, no baking, and no torching. It requires just about 15 minutes of hands-on work before the fridge does the rest. I serve mine with fresh fruit and a spoonful of berry sauce. I can assure you that it tastes just like a restaurant-quality dessert.
My first taste of panna cotta was at the very first restaurant I ever worked at, back in Saint Louis. We always had a few setting in the walk-in, because it was the dessert that never let us down on a busy service. If you have made my creme brulee or spooned creme anglaise over berries, you already know I have a soft spot for a simple custard, and this one might be the easiest of the bunch. There are no eggs, no water bath, no torch. That’s right! The gelatin does the work while it sits in the fridge, and you walk away.
Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is Italian for cooked cream, and that is exactly what it is. Cream sweetened, flavored, and set soft with gelatin until it is just firm enough to hold in its mold. Unlike most custards, there are no eggs in it. It is always served cold, because the gelatin is what sets it and gives you that spoon through silk texture.
The way we did it back on the line, panna cotta was never just vanilla. We would swap out some of the cream for Kahlúa, Baileys, or coconut milk in the summer. That coconut version with fresh berries and toasted sweet coconut shreds was insane. The last time I made it at home was probably 10 years ago, a Kahlúa and eggnog batch for Christmas when the whole family was in town.
I made it again this week for the first time in a decade, and honestly, it is going back into the regular rotation. You know me, I like to keep things classic, so the version I am giving you here is straight vanilla. You can flavor it however you want once you have the method down. I highly recommend making a batch this weekend and serving it cold with whatever fruit looks best at the market. Enjoy it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this Panna cotta I only use 5 ingredients. Here is what each one does and how to swap it:
- Heavy whipping cream – This is where all the fatty goodness comes from, the same way a higher fat percentage makes ice cream taste fuller. Swap a few tablespoons for a liqueur like kahlua or Baileys if you want to flavor it.
- Whole milk – It lightens the cream just enough so the panna cotta is not heavy as a brick. After committing to all that cream, there is no reason to reach for skim or 1%, so I stick with whole.
- Regular granulated sugar is what gives you the sweetness in the panna cotta. Coconut sugar or stevia will both work if you want to change it up, though they shift the flavor slightly.
- Vanilla – A fresh vanilla bean gives you the most flavor, plus those little black flecks that signal the real thing. The rule of thumb is one bean to one tablespoon of extract. If you go with extract, be a little heavy-handed.
- Gelatin is the main stabilizer that thickens the cream and sets it soft. I use powder here, but sheet gelatin works just as well.
How to Make Panna Cotta
Scald the cream: Add half the cream, the milk, sugar, and the split vanilla pod to a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the milk is scalded, right before it simmers.
Steep the vanilla: Off the heat, lift out the pod halves, scrape the seeds from the pods, and whisk the seeds back into the warm cream. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois into a pourable container so no bits of pod make it into the final custard.
Cool it down: Whisk the remaining cold cream into the warm mixture to bring the temperature down. Then, set it in the fridge while you handle the gelatin.
Bloom the gelatin: Add the reserved milk to a small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top while mixing, so it absorbs rather than clumps. Let it stand 5 minutes to bloom.
Melt the gelatin: Microwave the bloomed gelatin for 10 seconds, then whisk until it is smooth and fully dissolved. Give it another 5-second burst if you still see any grain.
Combine: Pour the dissolved gelatin into the sweetened vanilla cream and whisk until completely smooth. Return it to the fridge and chill 30 minutes.
Portion: Divide the mixture between the ramekins or serving jars.
Set: Refrigerate until completely set, at least 6 hours.
Serve: Serve it straight from the jar, or invert it onto a plate while knocking the bottom of the jar to release it. Top with fresh fruit, a fruit coulis, or a sauce.
Chef Tip + Notes
You only get one shot to season panna cotta, and that is before it ever gets in the fridge. Once the gelatin sets there is no stirring in more sugar or vanilla, so I recommend to taste the warm cream and make sure it is sweeter and more vanilla-forward than you think it needs to be.
- Strain the base before it sets: I pour the scalded cream through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois to catch the empty pod and any stray bits. That one pass is the difference between a silky spoonful and a grainy one.
- Dissolve the gelatin all the way: Undissolved gelatin is what gives you a grainy or rubbery texture, so I bloom it in the milk first, melt it fully in the microwave, and whisk it smooth before it goes into the cream.
- Do not overheat the gelatin: I melt the bloomed gelatin in short bursts just until it is smooth, and I never let it boil. Boiling weakens gelatin’s setting power, and you can end up with a base that never firms up no matter how long it chills.
- Give it the full 6 hours: If you want to invert the panna cotta out of the jar, it needs at least 6 hours to set firm. Anything less and it will slump the second it hits the plate, so I serve those straight from the jar with a spoon.
- Grease the jars if you plan to invert them: I rub a thin film of neutral oil inside each ramekin or jar, and that is the difference between the panna cotta sliding out in one piece and it clinging to the sides.
Serving Suggestions
In my house there is no panna cotta without something decadent spooned over the top. My favorite is a spoonful of strawberry sauce or a raspberry coulis, because that little hit of tart fruit against all the sweet vanilla cream is what makes it taste like a plated restaurant dessert. My daughter wants homemade whipped cream on hers too, so I always put a bowl of it out.
When I want it richer, I drizzle warm easy chocolate sauce or a spoonful of homemade caramel over the top and finish it with toasted coconut or a few chopped candied nuts. So good! It is the dessert I put in front of my guests after a big meal, because it is cold and light and nobody is ever too full to finish one. I highly recommend it!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: I make panna cotta up to 2 days before I need it, which is one of the reasons it is my favorite dessert for hosting. Cover each one once it is set so it does not pick up any fridge odors.
How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the texture holds the whole time. I do not freeze these if I want them creamy, because they slump and weep once they thaw. If you want to have fun with it, freeze them solid and eat them frozen, and you basically have vanilla ice cream.
How to Reheat: I never reheat panna cotta, since it is served cold straight from the fridge.
More Dessert Recipes
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Classic Cheesecake
- Creamy Rice Pudding
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue
- Monkey Bread
Panna Cotta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk, plus 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
- 1 vanilla pod, sliced in half longways
- 7 grams gelatin powder, or 1 .25 ounce packet
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, ½ cup of milk, sugar, and the sliced in half vanilla pod and add it to a small to medium-sized sauce pot and cook over low to medium heat. Constantly whisk it until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is scalded.
- Remove from the heat and take out the vanilla pod halves. Scrape the vanilla beans from the pod and add them back to the milk and whisk it until combined.
- Strain the mixture through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a pourable container.
- Whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cold cream to help bring down the temperature even more. Place it in the refrigerator.
- In the meantime, add the 3 tablespoons of remaining milk to a small microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over top while gently mixing to ensure it is absorbed. Let stand to bloom the gelatin for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the bowl to a microwave and heat for 10 seconds. Remove and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. You may need to do another 5 second microwave burst to achieve this.
- Pour the mixture into the sugary vanilla cream mixture and whisk until completely combined. Return to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, divide the mixture between six 2-ounce ramekins or serving jars. I like to serve it right in the jars, but if you’d like to take it out of the jar, be sure to grease of the jar first.
- Place in the refrigerator until it is completely set for at least 6 hours.
- Remove and serve as is or invert onto a serving plate while gently knocking the bottom of the jar to loosen it.
- Serve with fresh fruit or a raspberry coulis or strawberry sauce. See how I serve it up in my video below.
Panna Cotta Recipe