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.
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.
⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES HERE! ⇐
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 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 to make Panna Cotta vegan
First, let’s see how 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.”
At first, you would think it is hard to make it vegan as you have to change all main ingredients to something else, since none of milk, heavy cream and gelatine is vegan. But here is what you exactly need and why:
- Coconut milk (full-fat, canned) – There is really no other alternative that has a “fatty” heavy creamy texture. I refrain 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 dairy-free milks gives me the perfect result. Other nut milks have a too strong nut flavor. Oat milk and soy milk is too characteristic. Coconut milk (light) and the full-fat coconut cream together will take panna cotta to a very coconut-y direction, which is hard to compensate even with vanilla flavor.
- Cornstarch – Yes. You don’t need agar agar. 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. It is more about aesthetics than anything else.
- Vanilla – You absolutely need vanilla extract or paste or the seeds of the vanilla pod.
How to make Vegan Panna Cotta
Let me show you how easy it is to make a panna cotta.
- Measure up all ingredients. Shake your coconut milk can (stored in 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 been dissolved. Add vanilla extract. 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.
- Pour the mixture to 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 any more.
- How to serve panna cotta? You can serve them in glasses topped with the berry sauce. I also like using silicone muffin tins* so I can flip them out to a plate and top with the berry sauce there.
Let’s make a quick Berry Sauce!
It is really quick even if you made it with fresh or frozen fruit.
- Take a saucepan and add 2 cups of mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, red currant, black current).
- Add ½ cup water and ½ cup coconut sugar. Bring it to boil.
- When the berries are soft, use an immersion blender to blend it to a sauce. (If the berries were frozen, they will soften even quicker.)
- Finally, add cinnamon and cornstarch and bring it to 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.
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. I 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 to 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 I use?
We recommend these almond milk or cashew milk (here is our Homemade Cashew Milk recipe). If you use other nut milks, the nutty flavor may come across. 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 to a very coconut-y direction. If you like a hint of coconut, that is perfect then. If you’re not, try choosing another alternative.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
You may think of using agar agar as you see it in several vegan panna cotta recipes. We love using agar agar to make sliceable cheese (like our Pistachio Nut Cheese) or jelly (like our Cranberry Jelly), but for a creamy delicate dessert 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. For more info on gluten-free flours and starches, check out our 90+ Gluten-free Flours List.
Can I 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 it to the pot. Here is our quick Strawberry Puree recipe that we love with this panna cotta recipe as well with tips, FAQs and instructions.
Can I 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 sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. If you do, please let us know in the comments.
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.
⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES HERE! ⇐
More fruity vegan dessert recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dessert Recipes or check out
- Vegan Pop Tarts (GF)
- Apple Crisp Pie (GF)
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (GF)
- Vegan Blueberry Crisp (GF)
- Cranberry Jelly (GF)
Vegan Panna Cotta (Way Better Than With Agar Agar!)
Equipment
- Silicone muffin tin
Ingredients
Vegan Panna Cotta
- 1 14-oz can Canned coconut milk (light or shaken if full-fat)
- 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
- ½ cup Cane sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp Corn starch
Instructions
Vegan Panna Cotta
- Measure up all ingredients. Shake your coconut milk can (stored in 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 been dissolved. Add vanilla extract. 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.
- Pour the mixture to 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 any more.
- How to serve panna cotta? You can serve them in glasses topped with the berry sauce. I also like using silicone muffin tins so I can flip them out to a plate and top with the berry sauce there.
Mixed Berries Sauce
- Take a saucepan and add mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, red currant, black current), water and coconut sugar. Bring it to boil.
- When the berries are soft, use an immersion blender to blend it to a sauce. (If the berries were frozen, they will soften even quicker.)
- Finally, add cinnamon and cornstarch and bring it to 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.
Melissa
Delicious but nothing like panna cotta. I called my dessert Vanilla Custard pudding because that’s what it looked and tasted like. Would make again.
My Pure Plants
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.
Andrea
Delicious!! A keeper of a recipe!!
My Pure Plants
We are so happy you liked it. Thanks for trying our recipe.
LJinSC
Oh wow! I can’t wait to try this. Panna Cotta, Creme Brûlée and All the custard cousins are my faves.
My Pure Plants
Thank you so much. Let us know if you do.