The panna cotta recipe
for your table
Soak 1.5 grams of gelatin, about one sheet per glass, in plenty of cold water. After about five minutes, the sheet will be soft. Squeeze it out well over the sink afterward, because the water you carry over dilutes the cream and makes the panna cotta softer than you want.
Heat 15 cl of heavy cream with 20 grams of sugar and the vanilla in a saucepan. Keep it just below the boil: as soon as bubbles appear around the edge, it is hot enough. Boiling causes liquid to evaporate, changing the ratio and increasing the chance of scorching.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the squeezed-out gelatin, and keep stirring until you no longer see any strands. Then pour the mixture through a fine sieve, which catches any lumps and pieces of vanilla pod, leaving the top smooth.
Divide the cream among the glasses, let them cool on the counter first, then refrigerate them for at least four hours; overnight is fine too. Just before serving, spoon red fruit coulis, caramel sauce, or cold espresso over them.
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The story
Panna cotta literally means cooked cream, and that sums it up: cream, sugar and vanilla, nothing more. In Italy, the dessert is attributed to Piedmont, the region in the northwest where cream and butter shape the cuisine. It contains no egg, unlike crème brûlée, and it doesn't go in the oven. That difference explains the texture. An egg custard sets because the egg coagulates; panna cotta sets because gelatin holds in the moisture. That's why it melts away on the spoon when cold, and why the amount of gelatin needs to be so precise.
The right glass
Serving it in a glass isn't a fallback but the easiest option. You don't need to turn it out, so you can use less gelatin and retain the soft texture that would collapse immediately in a mould. What's more, you can see the layers: white at the bottom, with a neat red or caramel-brown band above. A glass holding twenty to twenty-five centilitres is the right size for one serving; much larger and the dessert becomes heavy. More important still is the opening, because your spoon needs to reach the bottom without scraping along the edge. A wide coupe on a stem and a low, broad tumbler therefore both work. You'll find smaller glasses for a bite-sized appetiser at the amuse glasses collection.
RCR Timeless Dessert Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Pasabahce Elysia Amuse Glass 23.5 cl (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 56,90.
The right tools
For a panna cotta, besides the glass, use a fine-mesh strainer to pour the warm cream through, and a citrus juicer for the splash of lemon juice in the coulis. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 63,85.
What are you serving it with?
Panna cotta is sweet and rich, so serve it with something that remains light enough. A glass of moscato or prosecco therefore works better than a heavy red wine. If you prefer to stick with an Italian finish, serve a small glass of limoncello or amaretto. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Replace half the cream with full-fat yogurt or buttermilk to make it fresher and less rich. Use coconut milk and agar instead of cream and gelatin to make a plant-based version, which sets a little more firmly and solidifies at room temperature. Before heating the cream, infuse it for fifteen minutes with coffee beans, a strip of lemon zest, or a sprig of thyme, then strain them out. Red fruit coulis is the classic, but salted caramel or a spoonful of cold espresso works just as well. More inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Place the glasses on a flat tray in the refrigerator so they stay upright and you get a smooth top. Take them out fifteen minutes before serving, because when it is ice-cold, you can hardly taste the vanilla. Pour the coulis over them at the very last moment; otherwise, it will sink into the cream.
Good to know
How much gelatin do you need?
Allow for one and a half grams per 15 cl of cream, roughly one leaf per glass. That is less than in recipes where you turn the panna cotta out of a mold, and that is exactly the point: in a glass, the panna cotta does not need to hold itself upright. If you use two grams or more, you will get a firm, almost springy dessert. With less, it remains a thick custard: delicious, but not what you are looking for.
Leaves or powder?
Gelatin leaves do not all weigh the same, so it is better to weigh them than count them. Powdered gelatin works just as well: sprinkle it over a few spoonfuls of cold water, let it stand for five minutes until it has swollen, then stir it into the warm cream. Not the other way around, because if you add the powder directly to warm liquid, it will clump, and you will no longer be able to dissolve those lumps.
Why must the cream not boil?
Gelatin dissolves well below boiling point, so bringing the cream to a boil serves no purpose. If you do boil it, moisture evaporates and the ratio of cream to gelatin changes from what you calculated; cream also burns easily. Just below boiling, as soon as bubbles appear around the edge, is hot enough.
How do you know if it has set enough?
Four hours in the refrigerator is the minimum, and overnight is better. It is ready when the surface springs back when you tap the glass and immediately settles again. Let the glasses cool on the counter before putting them in the refrigerator; otherwise condensation forms and water droplets run into the cream.
How long does panna cotta keep?
Covered in the refrigerator, it keeps for three days. Cover it with plastic wrap or a lid, because cream quickly absorbs odors from the refrigerator and you will taste yesterday's cheese again. Freezing is pointless: when it thaws, the gelatin releases the moisture, leaving a watery layer on the bottom.
Frequently asked questions
How much gelatin goes into panna cotta?
One and a half grams per 15 cl of cream, so about one gelatin leaf per glass. This makes it just firm enough to hold its shape while still trembling on the spoon. If you unmold it onto a plate, you need more, about two grams per 15 cl.
Which glass do you use for panna cotta?
A 20- to 25-centiliter glass with a wide opening: a footed dessert coupe or a low, wide tumbler. The opening matters more than the shape, because your spoon needs to reach the bottom. In a glass, you can also see the layers of cream and coulis, which is half the fun.
How long does panna cotta need to set?
At least four hours in the refrigerator, though overnight is fine too. Let the glasses cool on the counter first, then refrigerate them. It is ready when the surface springs back after you tap the glass.
Can you make panna cotta without gelatin?
Yes, with agar from seaweed. Use half to one gram per 15 cl of cream and let it simmer for half a minute, because agar needs that heat to set. The result is slightly firmer and less melt-in-the-mouth than with gelatin, and it sets at room temperature.
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