This coconut panna cotta is made with pure coconut milk, a little bit of vanilla and lime zest for kicks and it's done in no time! Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, it's a perfect dessert for when you have your friends over for dinner and want to do all the courses from scratch.
Why you'll love this recipe
- You need less than 15 minutes to make it!
- It's a great recipe to make ahead of time as it can sit in the fridge for a few days.
- The panna cotta turns out perfectly wobbly and creamy, not at all rubbery, with a distinct coconut flavor.
Panna cotta is a simple Italian dessert whose name translated literally means cooked cream. Despite its name, this dessert isn't actually cooked like a pastry cream.
Traditionally, panna cotta is made with a combination of milk and cream, sugar, gelatine as a thickening agent and some vanilla for flavor. It's a super popular dessert in Mediterranean restaurants because it's light, creamy and a refreshing dessert option after dinner.
Often accompanied by fresh fruit or fruit condiments such as curd or coulis, it's served cold and unmolded on a plate or in a glass.
Here I've tried to switch things up a bit and decided to make a coconut panna cotta using the delicious, pure coconut milk and pairing it with the zesty flavor of passion fruit with a little bit of sweetness from macerated strawberries. I have a soft spot for desserts with tropical flavors!
If you love coconut desserts, don't miss my Caramel Coconut Cream Pie with the most delicious coconut pastry cream or a Coconut Cream Almond Cake from my cookbook.
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Ingredient notes
- Coconut milk: There are a lot of brands and varieties of coconut milk these days, but if you don't want a grey-looking panna cotta that splits, I would avoid most canned coconut milk brands.
True Thai coconut milk comes in a carton and has only water and min. 70% coconut as ingredients. Be careful, I'm not talking about coconut flavored drinks, but true full-fat coconut milk. This is the brand I love and use and wholeheartedly recommend. 🙂
- Gelatine: I used powdered gelatine, but you can use gelatine sheets as well. It's important not to use too much of it, otherwise, the panna cotta won't be wobbly and creamy but rather stiff and rubbery.
How to make coconut panna cotta (step-by-step)
Note: You have the fully written recipe with measurements and detailed instructions at the end of the post. However, I advise you to read all the helpful tips and FAQs.
This is one of the simplest recipes in terms of equipment, ingredients and time necessary to make it (not including the cooling time). Actually, it's ridiculously easy to make but you need to follow the steps carefully!
- Firstly, start with blooming the gelatine. In a small bowl, combine together the cold water and the powdered gelatine and give it a stir with a small spoon. Let it sit for a few minutes until the water is fully absorbed.
- In the meantime, heat up the coconut milk, sugar, salt and lime zest in a medium saucepan but don't let it come to a boil. Remove from the heat and add vanilla.
- Lightly grease your ramekins with some coconut oil and place them on a small tray.
Make sure the coconut milk mixture doesn't boil. Boiling temperature can undo the gelatine thickening properties and your coconut panna cotta won't set.
- Add the bloomed gelatine to the hot coconut milk mixture and whisk until completely dissolved.
- Pour the panna cotta mixture into the prepared ramekins and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours, preferably overnight.
To make sure you get a smooth, silky texture, pour the mixture into the ramekins through a small fine-mesh sieve. That will help to get rid of air bubbles.
Note: I was shooting the step-by-step photos away from home, so I needed to adapt to the circumstances and use what I can find. That's why I used bourbon vanilla sugar instead of an extract, which is the reason the coconut milk mixture isn't pure white as in the served panna cotta pictures.
Yield and serving
This coconut panna cotta recipe makes enough to fill 4x120ml (½ cup) ramekins. Feel free to double the recipe for more servings.
To unmold the panna cotta, dip the ramekin halfway through in hot water for about 15 seconds, place the plate on top of the ramekin and then turn it upside down. Give it a little shake or tap the top to help loosen up. Return back to the hot water if it's not coming out.
The thickness of your molds determines how much time they need to spend dipped halfway through in hot water. Sometimes you'll need to use a knife to loosen up the edges just a bit so it slides more easily.
Serve with some fresh, ripe passion fruit or mango slices and macerated strawberries.
Tips and tricks
- Lightly grease the ramekins with coconut oil for easier release later.
- Feel free to use glasses instead of ramekins, so you don't need to unmold them later. Just layer them with some fruit before serving.
- For a little crunch, toast some coconut flakes or granola and add to each serving.
- Use good quality coconut milk for best results.
Substitutions
If you want to make a vegan-friendly version, you can use agar-agar instead of gelatine. However, I'm not certain of the amount needed and it may impact the texture of the panna cotta.
You can also use honey, agave, erythritol or other similar sweeteners instead of sugar to make it paleo or even keto-friendly!
Storing
Keep the panna cotta in the fridge, covered with cling film, in the mold for 3-4 days. The longer it sits, the firmer it will get.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Sometimes, if the milk mixture isn't homogenized (correctly emulsified) the water and fat content can split so the gelatine thickens each of them which creates layers. Another reason might be that the gelatine hasn't dissolved properly or that the milk mixture was too hot, so gelatine lost its full thickening properties.
Absolutely, the panna cotta freezes very well but if you want to avoid it forming a thick skin on top, make sure to cover it with plastic wrap.
Yes! This is a great dessert to make ahead because it needs time to chill and set in the fridge. You can make panna cotta up to three days in advance. After it has set and it's not hot anymore, keep it covered in plastic wrap, so it doesn't pick up potential smells from the fridge.
If you have any other questions that I didn't cover, please let me know in the comments section down below - I'd love to help you out!
And if you make this coconut panna cotta, tag me on Instagram @anasbakingchronicles so I can see it or feel free to e-mail me your pictures and thoughts! I love seeing your bakes!
Happy baking,
Ana
📖 Recipe
Coconut Panna Cotta
Description
ingredients
- 500 g coconut milk
- 80 g granulated sugar
- pinch of fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine (8 grams)
- 2 tablespoons cold water (30 ml)
- 3-4 passion fruit
- 150 g fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Pour the water into a small bowl and sprinkle with powdered gelatine. Let for a few minutes to fully soak up the water.
- Prepare the ramekins by greasing them lightly with some coconut oil and place them on a small tray.
- In the meantime, heat up the coconut milk, sugar, salt and lime zest in a medium-sized saucepan until the sugar is dissolved, but don't let it come to a boil. Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract and the bloomed gelatine.
- Stir the mixture with the whisk until the gelatine completely dissolves. If needed, return the mixture to low heat.
- Pour the panna cotta mixture into the prepared ramekins and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours, preferably overnight. Use a fine-mesh sieve to ensure the silkiest texture.
- Serve in a ramekin, or unmold to a plate by dipping the ramekin halfway through in a bowl filled with hot water. Leave it like that for 10-15 seconds, remove from the bowl, put the plate on top and turn it upside down. Give it a little shake to let loose. Return to water if it's not sliding out or run the knife around the edges.
- Serve with fresh fruit such as passionfruit, pineapple, kiwis, strawberries macerated with some sugar (to let the juices), fruit sauces or coulis... the options are endless! 🙂
Notes
- If you still don’t own one, I advise you to buy a kitchen scale – they’re cheap and easy to use, and always guarantee the same results in baking.
IMPORTANT
All the recipes are developed and tested using only metric measurements and a kitchen scale. The U.S. cup and spoon measurements are provided for your convenience, but I highly recommend getting a digital kitchen scale and measuring in metrics. It's easy and always guarantee the same results in baking!
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Amy says
Excellent! Creamy and sweet, but not cloying. I loved the addition of lime zest. Topped it with macerated strawberries. Thanks for sharing.
Ana Zelić says
Thank you so much, Amy, I'm happy to hear that! 🙂 xx
regina says
quick question, so you use full fat coconut milk and not coconut cream in the recipe?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Regina, sorry for the late reply, I was absent due to health reasons.
Yes, full-fat coconut milk. I have linked the Thai brand I use in the post itself.
Hope this helps x
Emma Lock says
This is my go to panna cotta with strawberry lime mint compote. Can I change the lime for lemon and use a lemon blueberry compote for the topping?
Ana Zelić says
Of course, make it yours! That sounds delicious! Sorry for the late reply, but I'm happy to hear you like it x
Jen Grand says
The coconut measurement in grams makes the recipe confusing for me.
Ana Zelić says
I always use my kitchen scale to weigh everything because it's more convenient for me and it gives you better, more accurate results 🙂
However, you are welcome to use the automatic converter to convert the recipe to cups, although I can't vouch for the accuracy of the conversion.
Susan says
I dont have powdered gelatine, but sheets. How much should I use? Many thanks
Ana Zelić says
Hi Susan,
I haven't personally used sheets, however, I have found online that in general 2 gelatine leaves/sheets equal 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatine.
Make sure to follow the instructions on the packet on how to use the sheets!
Good luck and let me know the result, I'll make sure to test the recipe with sheets in the future x
Chef em says
The jelly mongers say- 1 leaf per scant 1/2 cup of liquid. This is most ideal for unmolding jellies
Yuyi Zhao says
Hey!! This recipe is so amazing!!!!! I would like to ask how long I can keep this in my fridge before it goes bad?
Ana Zelić says
I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂
Honestly, we would always eat it in two days, so I couldn't tell you with certainty. But I would assume up to a week if it's not contaminated with anything that would make it go bad.
Jf says
Coconut milk from a carton or canned with the fat layer to be incorporated?
Ana Zelić says
The one from the carton, but not coconut milk DRINK. I mentioned the details and the brand I used in the post, under "ingredient notes". 🙂
Corlan Johnson says
How do you make it for many people without individual ramekins?
Ana Zelić says
I've never made it as one big panna cotta, I don't know if there should be more gelatine involved. It's best to find a recipe that makes one big one, rather than the individual portions if that's your preference. Good luck!
Danielle says
This was delicious but the gelatin and coconut milk partially separated, leaving an almost clear layer at the bottom of the ramekin. Any advice on how to fix this?
Ana Zelić says
Hi Danielle, to be honest, the same thing happened to me a few times and I couldn't figure out what I was doing differently. You can maybe use an immersion blender when combining the milk and the gelatine to make sure it disperses evenly. The coconut milk might be the culprit as well if it's not well shaken or emulsified. And someone mentioned that it's best to leave them at room temperature for a while and then in the fridge.
If I find any foolproof solutions to why this sometimes happens, I'll make sure to include them in the post. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Liz B says
Perfect recipe for an easy dairy-free gluten-free dessert. 4 of my molds were on the small side so this made 6 panna cottas, topped with a homemade cherry strawberry coulis and coconut chips for a little texture.
My main change was less sugar (60 g), which ended up being perfect.
The trick to make sure it doesn’t separate into layers is to cool it to room temp (occasionally whisking) prior to sieving/portioning out and putting it in the fridge to set (according to Serious Eats and also my own experience)