Panna Cotta
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This panna cotta is simple yet sophisticated, with a creamy vanilla base and a luscious salted caramel topping. Elegant enough for a dinner party, yet easy enough to whip up any time!
Panna cotta, which literally means “cooked cream” in Italian, is one of those classic desserts that manages to be both elegant and incredibly simple. With its silky, smooth texture and delicate flavor, it’s the perfect blank canvas for any topping you dream up. While the traditional recipe—cream, sugar, gelatin, and vanilla—is a lesson in simplicity, I find it can be a bit, well, one-note. That’s why I’ve given it a little upgrade by adding honey, rum, and a luscious salted caramel sauce topping. You can serve panna cotta unmolded on plates, but I prefer it in dessert glasses—it’s just as pretty, and way easier to serve.
What You’ll Need To Make Panna Cotta
- Unflavored Powdered Gelatin: Gently sets the panna cotta, giving it a smooth, delicate texture.
- Heavy Cream & Whole Milk: Used in combination for a silky texture that’s creamy but not overly rich.
- Honey & Sugar: Sweeten the panna cotta, with the honey adding a subtle floral note that pairs nicely with the vanilla and rum.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a fragrant warmth.
- Rum Or Bourbon: Adds a subtle boozy note that gives the panna cotta a little extra sophistication.
- Caramel Sauce And Flaky Sea Salt (For Serving): Warm caramel adds a sweet, rich layer, while flaky sea salt gives a slight crunch and balances the flavors. Use store-bought or homemade caramel sauce will work.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin by stirring it with the water and letting it stand until evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and add cold water to cover. This ice bath will cool the mixture later.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, milk, honey, sugar, and salt to a simmer. Add the bloomed gelatin, vanilla extract, and rum (or bourbon), and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
Immediately pour the mixture into a medium bowl.
Set the bowl into the prepared ice bath. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into six ½-cup ramekins or dessert glasses and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. Before serving, top each panna cotta with a thin layer of warmed caramel sauce and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Video Tutorial
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Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoons (one 7-gram packet) unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Heaping ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons rum or bourbon
For Serving
- Store-bought or homemade caramel sauce, warm (see note)
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir the gelatin with the water and let it stand until evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.
- Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice cubes, then add enough cold water to cover the ice. This will help cool the panna cotta mixture later.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, honey, sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture just to a simmer.
- Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Add the bloomed gelatin, vanilla extract, and rum or bourbon, and stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Immediately pour the mixture into a medium bowl. If the mixture stays in the hot pan too long, it will start to congeal around the edges; if this happens, simply whisk it gently until smooth.
- Set the bowl into the prepared ice bath. (You may want to do this in the sink as the bowl with the cream mixture will displace some of the water in the ice bath.) Let it sit, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Pour the panna cotta mixture into six ½-cup ramekins or dessert glasses (see note below if you plan to unmold them). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
- Before serving, top each panna cotta with a thin layer of warmed caramel sauce and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- When making or using caramel sauce, ensure it's on the thinner side so it doesn't get too firm when it hits the cold panna cotta. If needed, you can thin the warm caramel sauce with a bit of cream.
- Panna cotta can be served in dessert glasses or unmolded onto a plate. If you’d like to unmold them, lightly oil the ramekins before filling. When ready to serve, dip the bottom of each ramekin into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds. Run a thin knife or offset spatula around the edge of the ramekin and invert onto a small plate.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
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As always a winning recipe. I would like other topping suggestions, less sweet.
Thanks for a wonderful site with excellent foolproof recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it, Chantal – it’s one of my personal favorites! For a less sweet topping, you could do fresh fruit, a fruit compote, or even just a drizzle of honey.