Hands down, the best panna cotta recipe ever! This easy dessert is a creamy and super smooth vanilla custard that’s melt in the mouth. Plus it’s really versatile, you can all kinds of garnish.. fruit? Yep! Chocolate? Oh yes! Or whatever takes your fancy!
How To Make The Best Panna Cotta – Step By Step
- Pour milk and heavy cream into a sauce pan. Sprinkle with gelatin and then set aside for ten minutes.
- Prepare an ice bath to set the gelatin in after you heat it. To make the bath, just add ice and a little cold water in a bowl.
- Heat the milk to 135 degrees. Medium heat for about 7 minutes. I brought mine to a boil for a minute too.
- Remove from heat and then add sugar, salt and vanilla.
- Place the sauce pan in the ice bath and whisk frequently. It will get a little thicker, but I found that it was still pretty liquidly when I poured it into my ramekins.
- Place 6 ramekins on a baking sheet and pour the cream into them.
- Refrigerate about 4 hours until it’s a custard consistency and then garnish how you want!!
What Is Panna Cotta Made Of?
Panna cotta is a basic pudding that is made of dairy thickened with gelatin. It originated in Italy and its name literally means “cooked cream,” since the earliest versions were made of thick cream, sometimes thickened with fish bones.
An Easy Dessert!
This dessert may look fancy five star, but it’s so easy to make! 10 minutes prep and then 10 to cook, after that pop them in the fridge to set, perfect make ahead desserts! Plus you can easily add all kinds of garnish to this base pudding from fruit to rum, to mint and chocolate – get creative!
How Long Will Panna Cotta Last In The Fridge?
Refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours, or until completely set. If you like, top with fresh fruit, berries, berry sauce, or lemon curd. It can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Top Tips For The Best Panna Cotta
- Choose unflavored gelatin and make sure it has completely dissolved in your mix.
- Not all fruit is good for panna cotta. Avoid fruit with a high bromelain content such as pineapples or kiwi. These types of fruit tend to affect how solid and smooth the panna cotta is.
- Simmer, don’t boil, when heating your base of cream and sugar.
- Oil each mold with a neutral, flavorless oil. This allows the dessert to come out smoothly after it has set.
Check Out These Other Delicious Dessert Recipes
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Peach and Pear Polenta Cobbler Recipe
The Best Grapefruit Ice Recipe
Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars by Kevin and Amanda
Oreo Four Layer Dessert Recipe by Belle of the Kitchen
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Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons gelatin
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- tiny pinch salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise to remove the seeds or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Instructions
- Pour milk and heavy cream into a sauce pan. Sprinkle with gelatin and then set aside for ten minutes.
- Prepare an ice bath to set the gelatin in after you heat it. To make the bath, just add ice and a little cold water in a bowl.
- Heat the milk to 135 degrees. Medium heat for about 7 minutes. I brought mine to a boil for a minute too.
- Remove from heat and then add sugar, salt and vanilla.
- Place the sauce pan in the ice bath and whisk frequently. It will get a little thicker, but I found that it was still pretty liquidly when I poured it into my ramekins.
- Place 6 ramekins on a baking sheet and pour the cream into them.
- Refrigerate about 4 hours until it’s a custard consistency and then garnish how you want!!
Sarah Kyle says
January 17, 2013 at 6:40 pmoh my gosh I love pana cotta! I am definitely going to try this.
Sarah says
January 17, 2013 at 11:43 pmPannacotta! When it’s got the right texture, it’s perfect. Always reminds me of Italy.
Katja says
January 25, 2013 at 3:41 pmIt looks great! I have to try this real soon!