Creamy Vegan Panna Cotta

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

• Impressive, yet so easy. This vegan Panna Cotta might look like a complicated dessert, but it’s not. It comes together in less than 20 minutes with just 5 ingredients!
• Fresh and delicate. If you are looking for a light and delicate dessert, look no further. With its silky smooth texture and fruity raspberry sauce, this is the ultimate vegan dessert.
• Budget-friendly. This plant-based recipe is cheap to make as it uses very basic ingredients you most probably already have on hand.

📘 What Is Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that is traditionally prepared with milk, cream, sugar, and gelatin. The mixture is heated and then transferred to a ramekin and chilled. It is then served with a sauce that is usually made with berries. Different versions are served with caramel sauce, melted chocolate, or mango/passion fruit sauce.

My vegan version substitutes agar agar for the gelatin and a combination of almond and coconut milk for the cream. While it doesn’t taste exactly like the authentic one, it’s still a delicious dessert!

🥛 Ingredient Notes

You will need just a handful of ingredients to make this Panna cotta. Here are the ingredients we will be using:

• Plant-based milk – I used unsweetened almond milk, but you can use soy, cashew, or oat milk.
• Coconut milk – Use full-fat coconut milk for a rich and creamy texture. Check out the FAQ if you want to omit it.
• Sugar – Preferably granulated white sugar. While coconut sugar will work, it will make your panna cotta darker and alter its flavor.
• Agar agar – Agar agar will replace the gelatin in this recipe. It helps the panna cotta set. Make sure you are using powdered agar agar.
• Vanilla – Optional, but highly recommended! Use high-quality vanilla extract, homemade vanilla extract, or the seeds from half of a vanilla bean.

🥣 How to Make It

To make the panna cotta:

1. Whisk together the almond milk, coconut milk, sugar, agar agar powder, and vanilla extract in a small pot.
2. Heat over medium heat and keep whisking until the milk reaches a simmer.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to small ramekins and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Next comes the optional but recommended raspberry sauce. It consists of just 3 ingredients: raspberry (fresh or frozen), sugar, and vanilla extract. To make the sauce:

1. Add the raspberries, sugar, vanilla extract, and water to a pot.
2. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the raspberries have melted.
3. Let cool for a few minutes and blend until smooth.
4. Strain using a fine sieve and let cool before transferring to the refrigerator.

To dress your panna cotta, run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and flip the panna cotta on a small dessert plate. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over the panna cotta and top with fresh raspberries!

🍫 Flavor Ideas

If you are not into vanilla, you can flavor your panna cotta with:

• Chocolate: Add 2-3 tablespoons of cacao powder.
• Matcha: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of matcha powder in 2 tablespoons of warm milk or water. Next, add the dissolved matcha to the milk.
• Espresso: Add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee or 1/2 teaspoon of coffee extract.
• Almond: Add 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract.
• Pandan: Add 1/4 teaspoon of pandan extract.

💬 FAQ

I hope you are going to love this vegan panna cotta as much as I do! It’s a creamy, fresh, and fruity dessert that is very simple to make.

🍮 More Creamy Vegan Desserts

Vegan Creme Caramel (Flan)

Vegan Matcha Panna Cotta

Vegan Caramel Pots De Creme

Vegan Île Flottante

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