Dairy-free & Vegan Dragon Fruit Panna Cotta is an elegant dessert to put together for Valentine's Day! It's free of refined sugar and gets done in minutes!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Recipes
  • Cuisine: Kitchen notes

Ingredients

  • 13.6 oz can coconut milk (around 2 cups, use full fat)
  • 5.5 tablespoons maple syrup (divided)
  • 2 teaspoons agar agar flakes
  • 1 cup chopped dragon fruit
  • 1/2 cup water (divided)
  • 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch

Method

  1. To a pan on medium heat, add the coconut milk. Then add the agar agar flakes and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and s tir to combine.
  2. Once the mixture heats up (do not boil), lower the heat to low-medium and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes on until the agar agar flakes dissolve completely. Keep stirring often.
  3. Remove pan from heat and pass the mixture through a strainer. This is important to get a smooth panna cotta.
  4. Pour the mixture into serving cups/glasses and let it cool down to room temperature. Place the glasses into the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours for the panna cotta to firm up.
  5. Meanwhile make the dragon fruit sauce. To a pan on medium heat, add the chopped dragon fruit along with the remaining 2.5 tablespoons maple syrup.
  6. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan and let the mixture come to a boil. Boil until the fruit breaks down and get really soft. Mash the dragon fruit using a masher.
  7. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup water with cornstarch. Stir well and then add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce.
  8. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens up a bit.
  9. Remove the sauce from heat and pass through a strainer to get rid of the black bits in the dragon fruit. You will have a smooth sauce. Place the sauce into the refrigerator to chill.
  10. Pour the prepared dragon fruit sauce over the panna cotta once it has set. Serve chilled.

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.