Strawberry Panna Cotta is a delicious, creamy, and delicate dessert. Great for a simple summer dessert or a fancy dinner party. It's so easy to make with just a handful of ingredients.
This post was inspired & sponsored by Princess Cruises. All opinions expressed are my own.
Strawberry Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta is one of those sophisticated desserts that's also simple enough to make for a weekend treat. It's one of my favorite no-bake desserts to make.
I recently had the opportunity to travel the Caribbean on a cruise through the Panama Canal with Princess Cruises. We sailed aboard the Coral Princess and had the best time.
It was truly an experience I'll never forget.
The food on the ship was phenomenal. There was an abundance of desserts to choose from. So. Many. Desserts. A dessert blogger's dream.
I tried a couple different desserts each day and fell in love with the strawberry panna cotta. The moment I laid eyes on it I knew I had to share it on Instagram.
Most of you know I prefer fruity desserts over chocolate. Chocolate is good and I like it but if I have a choice I'm going for something fruity and creamy.
For breakfast and lunch, we would go to the horizon court. They have a buffet style set up and the menu is different each day. I like to eat light and there was an abundance of fruit and vegetables to choose from.
Also, inside the Horizon Court is a dessert bar. It reigned me in every time! I couldn't walk away without trying one or two the cakes, cupcakes, tarts, etc. This is where I found the strawberry panna cotta.
I've been home for a couple weeks now and I've had the biggest craving for this panna cotta. The only way to solve it was to make my own version. It's creamy and full of fresh strawberry flavor.
I took the basic panna cotta ingredients - milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and gelatin - and added pureed strawberries.
It came out light in color so I also added a couple drops of red food coloring. This is totally optional and only needed for presentation.
If you want to have a taste of what cruising with Princess Cruises is like, whip up a batch of strawberry panna cotta!
How to make strawberry panna cotta
Step 1: Puree fresh strawberries
Puree strawberries and press through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the seeds and pulp.
Step 2: Bloom gelatin in milk
Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a medium saucepan. Let it sit for 1o minutes. Add sugar, salt, and the pureed strawberries.
Step 3: Cook the panna cotta
Cook the mixture over high heat until it reaches 135°F. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.
Step 4: Chill the panna cotta
Strain the panna cotta into a large bowl and set the bowl over an ice bath. Stir until it's cooled to 50°F. Divide the panna cotta to ramekins and refrigerate until it's set, about 4 hours.
You should also try this Chocolate Pistachio Dome, these Profiteroles with Fresh Berries, these Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, these Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts. And this Sheet Pan Pizza from Dash of Sanity.
Strawberry Panna Cotta
Strawberry Panna Cotta is a delicious, creamy, and delicate dessert. Great for a simple summer dessert or a fancy dinner party. It’s so easy to make with just a handful of ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453 g) fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder, 1 packet
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Puree the strawberries until very smooth. Push the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and set aside. Place 6 4-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Add the milk to a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Add the salt, sugar, and pureed strawberries to the gelatin mixture. Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 135°F. This should take about 2 minutes.
- While stirring constantly, add in the vanilla and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl set over ice. Stir frequently until the mixture cools to 50°F, about 10 minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or pitcher and distribute evenly among the ramekins. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure not to disturb the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. In some cases, it can take up to 8 hours for the panna cotta to fully set. It's preferred to let it refrigerate overnight so ensure it firms up properly.
- Unmold from ramekins and serve immediately.
Notes
To easily unmold panna cotta - Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a small bowl. Dip the ramekin into the water for 3 seconds. Run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and invert onto serving plates.
If you do not have a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature in step 3, simply cook until the mixture is steaming. This will take approximately 2 minutes.
Make ahead tip
- Panna cotta will keep for up to 3 days covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
Jaime says
Can I use almond milk instead or regular milk?
Jen Sobjack says
That should be fine, just keep in mind the final taste and texture will not be the same as the original recipe.
Joyce says
Do you still cook after the cream and vanilla are added? Or do you remove it once everything is mixed? And how long???
Jen Sobjack says
Once the vanilla and cream are added, remove it from the heat. This is stated in step 4 of the recipe.
Ami says
Hi,
I made it and the flavor was great but it did not firm up after leaving in the fridge overnight. It looked and tasted like a strawberry smoothie. I added 1 packet of Knox unflavored gelatin, 0.25 oz. Did you use a bigger packet or is the measurement for gelatin off? Thanks.
Jen Sobjack says
1 packet weighs .25 ounces. When measures with teaspoons this comes to about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons. While the recipe states 1 1/2 teaspoons, 1 packet will suffice. There are a number of reasons why the panna cotta didn't set up. First, make sure you didn't boil the puree mixture. Boiling will cause the gelatin to lose its efficacy. Next, make sure you are using an instant thermometer to check that the puree mixture is heated to 135°F. Finally, in some cases, it can take longer for the panna cotta to set. If it is still too soft after 4 hours, let it chill for another 4 hours or overnight.
Keiko says
Can you substitute gelatin for agar agar? If so what amount of agar would I use in place of the gelatin.
Jen Sobjack says
I've never agar agar so I'm unsure how it will work or how much to use.