Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made with milk and cream. This easy and delicious panna cotta recipe is made without gelatin and thus a vegetarian version of panna cotta. To set the dessert agar agar is used instead of gelatin.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Desserts
  • Cuisine: Italian, World

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups light cream (or low-fat cream (20 to 30% fat), swap easily with 2 cups of whipping or heavy cream)
  • ½ cup sugar (or add as required)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence)
  • 2 tablespoons agar agar strands (- finely chopped)
  • ⅓ cup hot water

Method

  1. Do note that both the agar agar solution and the cream mixture should be hot when mixed with each other. So cook both simultaneously.

Making agar agar liquid

  1. First take the 2 tablespoons finely chopped agar agar strands in a small sauce pan. Do cut the agar agar strands in small or tiny pieces.
  2. Add hot water.
  3. Mix and let the agar agar strands soak in hot water for 5 minutes.
  4. Then keep the agar agar and water mixture on a low heat. Keep on stirring the agar agar solution and let it cook till the agar agar strands are dissolved.
  5. Continue to stir often when cooking this solution.
  6. Switch off the heat when all the agar agar strands have dissolved. You will see a clear solution.

Making vanilla panna cotta mixture

  1. Meanwhile mix the light cream (or whipping or heavy cream) and whole milk in a pan or saucepan.
  2. Add sugar.
  3. Keep the saucepan on the stovetop on a low to low-medium heat. Stir with a wired whisk. The sugar should dissolve completely.
  4. Keep on stirring at intervals while the cream mixture comes to a gentle boil.
  5. The mixture should just come to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat.
  6. Add the vanilla extract. If using vanilla essence, then add 1 teaspoon of it. Mix very well.
  7. Now add the hot agar agar liquid to the hot cream and milk mixture. Both the agar agar solution and the cream mixture should be hot when you mix them.
  8. Mix again very well with a wired whisk.

Setting panna cotta

  1. Pour the hot panna cotta mixture in bowls. If you plan to unmould the panna cotta, then grease the bowls with some neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil.
  2. Cover the bowls with aluminium foil or lids. When the panna cotta mixture becomes warm or comes to room temperature, then place the bowls in the fridge to set for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
  3. After setting, the panna cotta will have a gentle wobble on it. Serve Panna Cotta once it is set as is or topped with your favorite fruits or berries or drizzled with a fruit sauce or coulis.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.