Panna Cotta
Silky set cream scented with vanilla.
Ingredients
- 500 ml Heavy cream
- 80 g Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla
- 100 ml Milk
- 7 g Gelatin
Method
- Warm the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla gently until the sugar dissolves.
- Soften the gelatin in a little cold water, then stir it into the warm cream until fully dissolved and pour into moulds.
- Chill until just set with a delicate wobble, at least 4 hours.
- Turn out and serve with fruit.
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About Panna Cotta
Panna cotta, literally 'cooked cream' in Italian, is a Northern Italian dessert from the Piedmont region: sweetened cream set with just enough gelatin to hold a delicate shape. It's a study in minimalism, relying on the quality of the dairy and a whisper of vanilla rather than any elaborate technique. The whole thing is little more than warming, dissolving, and chilling, which makes it one of the most forgiving showpiece desserts a home cook can attempt.
The mark of a well-made panna cotta is the wobble — set just firmly enough to turn out of its mould, but soft enough to quiver and melt on the tongue. It tastes clean and lightly sweet, rich with cream yet never heavy, the vanilla perfuming each spoonful. Because the flavour is so restrained, it's a natural canvas for contrast: a spoonful of macerated berries, a sharp fruit coulis, or a drizzle of caramel all play against its smoothness. Chill it for at least four hours before turning out, and it becomes an easy, elegant finish to a dinner.
Panna Cotta: frequently asked questions
What does "panna cotta" mean?
Panna cotta is Italian for "cooked cream," which describes exactly how it's made: cream (often mixed with milk and sugar) is gently heated, sweetened, flavored (typically with vanilla), and set with gelatin into a soft, wobbly custard-like dessert. The name is literal rather than poetic, and the dish is traditionally associated with the Piedmont region of northern Italy.
How many calories are in Panna Cotta?
A serving has about 539 calories — 4.8g protein, 26.5g carbs, 45.3g fat, 0g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Panna Cotta gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Panna Cotta has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Panna Cotta dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Heavy cream, Milk. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Panna Cotta take to make?
About 20 minutes start to finish, but only around 12 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Panna Cotta make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.