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    Home > Vegan Desserts

    Creamy Vegan Panna Cotta (No agar agar or gelatine!)

    By My Pure Plants on 05/25/2022 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    This vegan panna cotta is not only creamy but velvety. It is a silky smooth cooked cream that just melts in your mouth. Making this vegan Italian dessert requires little effort, but delivers a stunning result. If you find panna cotta with agar-agar stiff and too firm, you will love this recipe.

    3 white plates with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.

    If you like creamy custard-like desserts, here are some of our favorites. Check out our vegan tapioca pudding with strawberry sauce or our vegan custard tart or our vegan chocolate pudding using sweet potato puree or our overnight chia pudding or the creamiest vegan rice pudding.

    Table of Contents hide
    1. What is panna cotta?
    2. Ingredients
    3. How to make vegan panna cotta
    4. Top tips to make it perfectly
    5. How to make quick berry sauce?
    6. Top 3 panna cotta toppings
    7. FAQs and substitutions
    8. More vegan pudding-like recipes
    9. More fruity vegan dessert recipes
    10. Vegan Panna Cotta (Way Better Than With Agar Agar!)

    What is panna cotta?

    It is another Italian dare I say masterpiece dessert—the definition of simple and stunning. The name panna cotta actually means “cooked cream” in Italian. The main ingredients of this traditional Italian dessert are whole milk, heavy cream, and gelatine. It is quite a heavy dessert, so it is usually served with a refreshing fruit coulis or sauce. I have always loved panna cotta and it hasn’t changed since I make it dairy-free.

    Ingredients

    First, let’s see what panna cotta should taste like, so you know what to expect from this dessert. I found the perfect description on the MasterClass website. I tell you now that if you make THIS vegan panna cotta recipe, you will experience just that.

    “Panna cotta is all about the mouthfeel: The smooth, velvety cream has enough tension to hold up to a spoon but melts in the mouth. The best panna cotta has an understated character, highlighting the inherent sweetness of the dairy and the warmth from a fresh vanilla bean. Panna cotta shouldn’t be cloying, or heavy. The creamy dessert naturally complements tart, fresh toppings as well as stronger, sweeter ones.”

    A white plate with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.

    At first, you would think it is hard to make it vegan as you have to change all main ingredients to something else since neither milk, heavy cream, or gelatine are vegan. But here is what you exactly need and why:

    • Coconut milk (full-fat, canned) – There is really no other alternative with a “fatty” heavy creamy texture. I refrain from using any store-bought plant-based heavy creams as they have too many ingredients. Full-fat coconut milk is at least 100% coconut.
    • Almond or cashew milk (unsweetened) – We recommend these two, as none of the other kinds of dairy-free milk gives me the perfect result. Other types of nut milk have a too strong nut flavor. Oat milk and soy milk are too characteristic. Coconut milk (light) and the full-fat coconut cream together will take panna cotta in a very coconutty direction, which is hard to compensate for even with vanilla flavor.
    • Cornstarch – Yes. You don’t need agar-agar flakes. Its binding power is too much for this creamy delicate dessert. You don’t want to end up with a firm and stiff cream instead of panna cotta, do you?
    • White sugar – I know. I usually use coconut sugar or maple syrup, which is somewhat on the healthier side, but if you want a white panna cotta you can’t really use a brown sweetener. Using caster sugar or white sugar is more about aesthetics than anything else.
    • Vanilla – You absolutely need vanilla extract or paste or the seeds of the vanilla pod. Unless you prefer a true coconut panna cotta. In that case, you can skip it.

    How to make vegan panna cotta

    1. Measure up all ingredients. Shake your coconut milk can (stored at room temperature).
    2. Take a small saucepan and warm up full-fat coconut milk and sugar on medium heat. Stir it until sugar dissolves.
    3. Take a small bowl and mix dairy-free milk and cornstarch and add it to the saucepan. If you add it without pre-mixing it might get lumpy. Better be safe than sorry.
    4. Simmer it over medium heat until cornstarch is activated and the cream has thickened. Whisk it regularly. It should be similar to a slow-flowing paste. It took me approx. 10 minutes. Check out our video to see the consistency better.
    5. Add vanilla extract.
    6. Pour the mixture into 8 serving bowls or ramekins (⅓ cup each).
    7. Prepare the berry sauce (or your favorite topping), while the panna cotta is set in the fridge. I cool them first on the kitchen counter and only place them in the refrigerator when they are not hot to the touch anymore.
    8. How to serve panna cotta? You can serve them in glasses topped with berry sauce. I also like using silicone muffin tins* so I can flip them out to a plate and top them with the berry sauce there.
    The last two steps of making vegan panna cotta showing a saucepan with white liquid with a whisk before it is thickened and after

    Top tips to make it perfectly

    • How to avoid lumps? – If you are using any thickeners (starches or agar-agar powder or anything similar) we recommend dissolving them separately in any small amount of liquid that is at room temperature. If you add a thickener to hot liquid, you will get lumps. Alternatively, since an eggless panna cotta doesn’t really need cooking you can add all ingredients in one go and heat it up like that.
    • Add vanilla extract after it has thickened – If you want to capture the vanilla aroma, we recommend adding it at the last minute. If you add it in the first step and it is heated even for like 5-10 minutes, vanilla extract loses all its aroma. So if you end up with a more coconutty panna cotta, you probably added vanilla extract too early.
    • What if it is not thick enough? – Cornstarch needs high heat to be activated. If you don’t heat it high enough or long enough, you may end up with custard texture instead of panna cotta texture. You will definitely not be able to turn it out of silicone molds.
    • Cool it down before placing it in the fridge – Cool them first on the kitchen counter and only place them in the refrigerator when they are not hot to the touch anymore. If you place them hot in the fridge, the condensation might appear at the top.
    2 white plates with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.

    How to make quick berry sauce?

    It is really quick even if you made it with fresh or frozen fruit. The sauce is lovely with a mix of berries some of them sweet and some of them sour. You don’t even need to add lemon juice since they will bring out each other’s flavors even without it. You can skip cinnamon, but we recommend it wholeheartedly. It makes this berry sauce quite unique.

    1. Take a saucepan and add 2 cups of mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, red currant, black current).
    2. Add ½ cup water and ½ cup coconut sugar. Bring it to boil.
    3. When the berries are soft, use an immersion blender to blend them into a sauce. (If the berries were frozen, they will soften even quicker.)
    4. Finally, add cinnamon and cornstarch and bring them to a boil to activate the starch. It will thicken to a slow-flowing sauce that is perfect to top your panna cotta. It took me approx. 10 minutes.
    2 photo collage showing a saucepan with mixed berries in a bubbling liquid and a finished red smooth sauce

    Top 3 panna cotta toppings

    • Berry Sauce – The number ONE panna cotta flavor is, without doubt, a berry sauce. Whatever berry you have: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and a combination of these. Follow the directions in this recipe to make a Mixed Berries Sauce, or check out our quick strawberry sauce recipe.
    • Salted Caramel – I don’t know about you, but I love salted caramel desserts. You make a quick vegan caramel by melting ½ cup (35g) coconut sugar and one 14-oz (400g) full-fat coconut milk in a saucepan. Make sure you have sea salt flakes (fleur de sel) not regular salt to make this delicious sauce. Add ½ tsp and check for taste.
    • Fresh Mango Puree – Peel, slice, and blend ripe(!) mangos into a creamy mousse. No need to add any other ingredient. It will make your vegan panna cotta absolutely refreshing.

    FAQs and substitutions

    What kind of dairy-free milk can you use?

    We recommend unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk. If you use other kinds of nut milk, the nutty flavor may come across as too much. The same is true for oat milk and soy milk, as they are too characteristic. Coconut milk (light) and the full-fat coconut cream together will take panna cotta in a very coconutty direction. If you like a hint of coconut, that is perfect then. If you’re not, try choosing another alternative.

    What can you use instead of cornstarch?

    You may think of using agar-agar powder as you see it in several vegan panna cotta recipes. We love using it to make sliceable cheese (like our Pistachio Nut Cheese) or jelly (like our Cranberry Jelly), but for a creamy delicate dessert like this, its binding power is too much. You don’t want to end up with something stiff and firm instead of melt-in-the-mouth creamy panna cotta, do you?

    Tapioca starch makes it a little gummy too. Panna cotta is often referred to as custard-like so there is really no surprise here that cornstarch works the best. Here is more info on gluten-free flours and starches or research about substitutes here.

    Can you use other fruits for the sauce?

    Absolutely, whatever berry you have: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and a combination of these. You can absolutely use frozen fruit as well. No need to thaw them, just add them to the pan. Here is our quick strawberry puree recipe that we love with this panna cotta recipe as well as tips, FAQs, and instructions.

    Can you use other sweeteners?

    Sure you can, although I only tested this recipe with white sugar. I usually use coconut sugar, cane sugar, or maple syrup, but I really wanted a white panna cotta. Any brown sweetener would alter that color too much. I am not familiar with the measurements for other low-carb sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. If you do, please let us know in the comments.

    3 white plates and a glass with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.

    This Panna Cotta recipe is vegan, so dairy-free, egg-free, and gelatine-free. It is also suitable for vegetarian, soy-free, and gluten-free diets. It is not WFPB-friendly (whole foods, plant-based) as white sugar is not compliant. You can change to date sugar or maple syrup but that will turn your panna cotta more brown than white.

    More vegan pudding-like recipes

    • Purple Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding (Vegan, Paleo)
    • Light Vegan Custard Tart
    • The Creamiest Vegan Rice Pudding (8 Flavor Variations!)
    • Vegan Tapioca Pudding
    • Overnight Chia Seed Pudding with Spicy Melon Puree

    More fruity vegan dessert recipes

    You can browse through our vegan gluten-free dessert recipes or check out

    • Blueberry Pie with Lemon Crumble
    • Gluten-free Caramel Apple Crumble
    • Gluten-free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
    • Gluten-free Blueberry Crisp
    • Vegan Pop Tarts (with 3 Flavors!)
    • Juicy Caramel Apple Crisp Pie
    3 white plates with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.

    Vegan Panna Cotta (Way Better Than With Agar Agar!)

    Emese Maczko
    This vegan panna cotta is not only creamy but velvety. It is a silky smooth cooked cream that just melts in your mouth. Making this vegan Italian dessert requires little effort but delivers a stunning result. If you find panna cotta with agar-agar stiff and firm, you will love this recipe.
    4.3 from 52 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Cooling time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 8 ⅓ cup serving (80 ml)
    Calories 92kcal

    Equipment

    • Immersion hand blender with 20 fl oz container
    • Silicone muffin tin

    Ingredients
     
     

    Vegan Panna Cotta

    • 1 14-oz can Full-fat coconut cream (canned)
    • 1 cup Dairy-free milk (I used almond milk)
    • ¼ cup White sugar
    • ⅓ cup Corn starch
    • 2 tsp Vanilla extract

    Mixed Berries Sauce

    • 2 cup Frozen mixed berries
    • ½ cup Water
    • ¼ cup Cane sugar or coconut sugar
    • ½ tsp Cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp Corn starch
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    Instructions
     

    Vegan Panna Cotta

    • Measure up all ingredients. Shake your coconut milk can (stored at room temperature).
    • Take a saucepan and warm up full-fat coconut milk and sugar on medium heat.
    • Take a small bowl and mix dairy-free milk and cornstarch and add it to the saucepan once the sugar has dissolved. If you add it without pre-mixing, it might get lumpy. Better be safe than sorry.
    • Cook it on medium heat until cornstarch is activated and the cream has thickened. It should be similar to a slow-flowing paste. It took me approx. 10 minutes. Check out our video to see the consistency better.
    • Add vanilla extract. Stir well.
    • Pour the mixture into 8 serving bowls (⅓ cup each).
    • Prepare the berry sauce (or your favorite topping) while the panna cotta is set in the fridge. I cool them first on the kitchen counter and only place them in the fridge when they are not hot to the touch anymore.
    • How to serve panna cotta? You can serve them in glasses topped with berry sauce. I also like using silicone muffin tins to flip them out to a plate and top them with berry sauce.

    Mixed berries sauce

    • Take a saucepan and add mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, red currant, black currant), water, and coconut sugar. Bring it to a boil.
    • When the berries are soft, use an immersion blender to blend them into a sauce. (If the berries were frozen, they will soften even quicker.)
    • Finally, add cinnamon and cornstarch and bring them to a boil to activate the starch. It will thicken to a slow-flowing sauce that is perfect to top your panna cotta. It took me approx. 10 minutes.
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Notes

    Top tips

    • How to avoid lumps? – If you are using any thickeners (starches or agar-agar powder or anything similar) we recommend dissolving them separately in any small amount of liquid that is at room temperature. If you add a thickener to hot liquid, you will get lumps. Alternatively, since an eggless panna cotta doesn’t really need cooking, you can add all ingredients in one go and heat it up like that.
    • Add vanilla extract after it has thickened – If you want to capture the vanilla aroma, we recommend adding it at the last minute. If you add it in the first step and it is heated even for like 5-10 minutes, vanilla extract loses all its aroma. So if you end up with a more coconutty panna cotta, you probably added vanilla extract too early.
    • What if it is not thick enough? – Cornstarch needs high heat to be activated. If you don’t heat it high enough or long enough, you may end up with a custard texture instead of a panna cotta texture. You will not be able to turn it out of silicone molds.
    • Cool it down before placing it in the fridge – Cool them first on the kitchen counter and only place them in the refrigerator when they are not hot to the touch anymore. If you place them hot in the fridge, condensation might appear at the top.
    If you need any substitutions, please read the FAQs and substitutions, where I explain in detail which ingredients can be swapped and why. 

    Top 3 panna cotta flavors

    Berry Sauce – Follow the directions in this recipe to make a Mixed Berries Sauce, or check out our quick strawberry sauce recipe.
    Salted Caramel – Make a quick vegan caramel by melting ½ cup (35g) of coconut sugar and one 14-oz (400g) full-fat coconut milk in a saucepan. Make sure you have sea salt flakes (fleur de sel), not regular salt, to make this delicious sauce. Add ½ tsp and check for taste.
    Fresh Mango Puree – Peel, slice, and blend ripe(!) mangos into a creamy mousse. No need to add any other ingredient. It will make your vegan panna cotta absolutely refreshing.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Panna Cotta (Way Better Than With Agar Agar!)
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving with topping)
    Calories 92 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Sodium 329mg14%
    Potassium 25mg1%
    Carbohydrates 22g7%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 10g11%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 18IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 43mg4%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    UPDATED: This recipe was originally published in February 2021. It has been updated with step photos, top tips, and more details in May 2022.

    694 shares

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Brittany

      October 27, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      You post link to Coconut Creme in the ingredient list but then mention Coconut Milk in the rest of the directions. Which one is it? They are two different things.

      Reply
      • Emese

        October 27, 2022 at 6:04 pm

        It is coconut milk, where you shake the can and you have a thick liquid consistency like heavy cream. Not the coconut cream which you need for whipped cream.

        Reply
        • Kalliope

          November 17, 2022 at 11:37 pm

          That’s actually confusing, since whipped cream c a n be made with coconut milk (refrigerated, watery part discarded). I’ve never used coconut cream for whipping.

    2. Judy

      September 30, 2022 at 2:10 pm

      Hi, I tried this recipe and the texture was perfect but it had a overwhelming coconut flavor, I used coconut cream should I have used coconut milk?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        October 03, 2022 at 6:31 am

        Hi Judy, we tried this recipe with light canned coconut milk (shaken) and the texture was completely off. You need the fatty part for sure to make it work. You can increase the amount of the vanilla flavor you add to make it less coconutty. We are so happy you tried our recipe.

        Reply
    3. Ria

      September 02, 2022 at 12:39 pm

      Are we supposed to use full fat coconut milk or full fat coconut cream?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        September 05, 2022 at 7:05 am

        Hi Ria, full-fat coconut milk, not just the cream part. You need to shake the can and use it in a heavy cream consistency.

        Reply
    4. Linda

      June 15, 2022 at 1:18 am

      Can this panna cotta be made ahead of time, if so how many days will it hold?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        June 15, 2022 at 6:57 am

        It should be good for 2-3 days without any problem. Store it covered so it doesn’t get the smell of other food in the fridge.

        Reply
        • Sherry

          November 08, 2022 at 8:39 pm

          To store it overnight, should the sauce be kept separate or should the whole dessert be prepared and then refrigerated?

        • Emese

          November 08, 2022 at 8:41 pm

          You can prepare it at the same time. Store it per serving in glasses topped with the sauce in the fridge.

    5. Robin

      February 27, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      5 stars
      So good! Wish I could post a pic… topped a cara car orange sauce and fresh raspberries. I added lemon zest and juice to the custard.

      Reply
    6. Marsha Cady

      February 14, 2022 at 10:02 pm

      Can arrowroot be substituted for the cornstarch?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        February 15, 2022 at 9:02 am

        Hi Marsha, I haven’t tried it with arrowroot starch. If you do, please note that it is usually not a 1:1 substitute as corn starch is a stronger binder.

        Reply
    7. Susana

      December 23, 2021 at 4:19 am

      Can you substitute another starch for the cornstarch? Arrowroot perhaps??

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        December 23, 2021 at 1:03 pm

        Hi, I haven’t tried it with arrowroot, but the arrowroot to cornstarch ratio is usually 2:1. It is not as strong binder as cornstarch so you need to double the amount. Let us know if you try it.

        Reply
    8. Melissa

      April 07, 2021 at 5:45 pm

      4 stars
      Delicious. I called my dessert Vanilla Custard pudding because that’s what it looked and tasted like. Would make it again.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        April 07, 2021 at 9:31 pm

        Hi Melissa, thanks for trying our recipes. Was your panna cotta too soft? It can happen if it is not thick enough when you stop the cooking. It needs to be really really thick for it to hold its shape.

        Reply
    9. Andrea

      February 20, 2021 at 5:13 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!! A keeper of a recipe!!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        February 20, 2021 at 9:07 pm

        We are so happy you liked it. Thanks for trying our recipe.

        Reply
    10. LJinSC

      February 19, 2021 at 11:21 pm

      Oh wow! I can’t wait to try this. Panna Cotta, Creme Brûlée and All the custard cousins are my faves.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        February 20, 2021 at 9:08 pm

        Thank you so much. Let us know if you do.

        Reply

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