italian panna cotta
A rich, creamy Italian panna cotta recipe flavored with vanilla extract and vanilla bean! A pastry chef’s perfect ratio of gelatin to dairy for a soft, melt-in-your-mouth-texture.
The perfect panna cotta has just enough gelatin to set the dairy and unmold but not so much to add an unpleasant flavor or mouthfeel. As a pastry chef for an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, I perfected many variations on this classic vanilla panna cotta! It has the rich flavor of vanilla with a creaminess that is beyond words!
The Italians do simple best like this panna cotta, the best olive oil cake, ricotta blueberry cake or even classic Italian bread! Serve it simply with your favorite fruit or berries like I did here with fresh market peaches! This recipe has a better flavor and creamy texture than any I tried during my trips to Italy!
Table of contents
Why This is the Best Italian Panna Cotta
- A simple recipe, perfected. Not only did I test the perfect ratio of gelatin, but also the proportions of milk to heavy cream. Too much fat in panna cotta leaves an unappealing coating in the mouth and overwhelms the delicate vanilla flavor.
- A panna cotta that can be unmolded every time. There is no tolerance for unset panna cottas during a busy restaurant service. Trust that this professional recipe will unmold and hold its shape every time with both sheet gelatin and powdered gelatin.
- A rich, pure vanilla flavor. Vanilla is the shining star in this dessert! The fresh vanilla bean seeds are optional but it does add depth to the flavor. You can use vanilla bean paste instead.
- Delicious ripe macerated peaches. I served this vanilla panna cotta with macerated ripe peaches in the recipe below but it is the perfect dish for fresh berries or a berry sauce!
Professional Tips for Making Vanilla Panna Cotta
- Save the vanilla bean pod for another use. You can put the pod in the cream mixture as well but it doesn’t really infuse long enough to impart flavor. I prefer to save them for another use like vanilla pudding or vanilla pastry cream.
- For the best flavor, divide the heavy cream. The flavor and texture of heavy cream changes when it is heated, so I add most of the cold cream at the end rather than heating it with the milk and gelatin.
- Chill overnight for best results. I like to ride the line between using just enough and not enough gelatin. This produces a panna cotta with perfect mouth feel. It should melt in the mouth rather than feel like Jello. To this effect, I always chill panna cottas 12 hours or overnight, but 2 hours is technically the minimum.
- You can freeze panna cotta for easy unmolding. Yes! This is the real pastry chef secret to unmolding from detailed silicone molds like the ones I used here.
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is a creamy, custard-like, classic Italian dessert made with heavy cream, milk, sugar and flavoring set with gelatin. Panna cotta can be served in a ramekin or glass, or it can be unmolded and served without a mold on a plate! It is often served with a simple fruit sauce or fresh fruit.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Powdered gelatin: I’ve written the recipe for powdered unflavored gelatin because that is what most home cooks have on hand, but I originally developed this panna cotta recipe using Silver sheet gelatin. I’ve included that measurement as well in case you would like to try!
- Cold Water: This is only necessary if you are using powdered gelatin. Sheets are bloomed in ice water and then squeezed to remove excess water before using.
- Whole Milk: I tested this recipe with whole milk. You can use a low fat milk or a milk alternative, but keep in mind that the gelatin might not be enough to hold it firm. If that is your goal, just test and keep an open mind!
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Bean: The vanilla bean is optional in this recipe. You could opt to use some vanilla bean paste in addition to half the vanilla extract or omit it completely. Fresh scraped vanilla beans add a rich, deep flavor like they do in vanilla pudding. Use just the seeds for this recipe and save the pods for vanilla sugar to top peach galettes or cherry pie!
- Kosher Salt
- Granulated Sugar: You can use brown sugar or any alternative sugar of your choice. Sugar isn’t essential here as it is in vanilla cupcakes or blondies, for example.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is the flavor, so chose a quality pure vanilla extract.
- Fresh or Frozen Peaches: Peeled and sliced. I peel my peaches before serving because professionally that little bit of peach skin can be unpleasant. If you don’t mind, then leave the skin on the peach when slicing.
- Lemon: I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to macerated peaches to balance the sweetness and draw out more of the floral peach flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Serve Italian Panna Cotta
Vanilla bean panna cotta is one of the most versatile desserts! Use one or a combination of any of these ideas to round out the dish.
- Use another fresh fruit for the topping. You can substitute just about any fruit like plums, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, or cherries for the peaches in the recipe below. I always recommend tasting the mixture then adjusting the sugar and lemon juice as needed. In the winter, citrus slices are a wonderful bright pairing. Try sûprèmes of oranges, blood oranges, grapefruits or all three!
- Add a cooked fruit topping. For a fun Fall variation try serving this panna cotta with chilled apple pie filling or my easy blueberry sauce. Roasted chilled peaches or nectarines could be fun as well.
- Add a bit of crunch. Add some baked crisp topping to this dessert for a fun take on a classic peach crisp! You could also add baked streusel topping or pumpkin seed brittle! Toasted or candied pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts are also lovely. Top it with this ginger peach granola or 5 ingredient Nutella granola!
- Add a sauce on top or underneath. A dollop of homemade lemon curd or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce go a long way with panna cotta! The key is to enhance and not overwhelm. A spoonful of chocolate sauce could be nice.
How to Make Italian Panna Cotta
Use these instructions to make vanilla panna cotta that unmolds perfectly every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Make the panna cotta:
Step 1: Place 6 molds or ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Bloom the gelatin: If using sheet gelatin, place individual sheets into ice water and allow to soften. This will take 5 minutes. Remove sheets and squeeze out excess water. Place in a dish to the side until ready to use, but don’t do this step more than 10 minutes in advance or the sheets will begin drying out. Rather, store them in the ice water.
If using powdered: In a small bowl whisk together the gelatin and cold water. Allow to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Step 3: In a small saucepan bring ½ cup heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean seeds, salt and sugar just to a boil over low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugars.
Step 4: Remove the pot with the boiling cream mixture from the heat, and add the bloomed gelatin and stir to dissolve.
Step 5: In a separate bowl or blender, combine the remaining cold cream and vanilla extract. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cold ingredients and either briefly blend in blender or use a hand blender to incorporate. You can also use a whisk rather than a blender if using powdered gelatin.
Step 6: Divide between lightly sprayed molds. Cover with plastic wrap and chill completely. 2 hours is the minimum but sometimes they still will not unmold. Because I like to use just enough gelatin to set the panna cotta, I chill 12 hours or overnight.
Step 7: To unmold, place desired serving plate or bowl upside down over the mold. Shake to loosen the panna cotta from the mold and it should fall on the plate.
In the Italian restaurant where I served this (and a bunch of other variations), we briefly ran the outside of the mold under hot water (or dipped it in a bowl of hot water), over turn and shake it into your hand, then gently place on the plate or bowl for serving.
Macerate peaches:
Step 1: Several hours before serving, combine peaches, sugar, zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir to distribute the sugar. Taste and adjust sweetness or lemon juice as needed.
Step 2: Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or even the day before. You can also gently poach the peaches as well and then refrigerate before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store panna cotta in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or frozen for 2 months. I do recommend storing them covered and unmolding immediately before serving. If frozen, allow 2 hours to thaw in the fridge after unmolding.
Panna cotta freezes very well and can be an easy way to remove them from detailed silicone molds. Unmold and allow to thaw in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. You can unmold them on a silicone baking sheet or directly on the serving plate.
Gelatin loses its strength at temperatures above 212°F/100°C, which is why you don’t want to let the cream mixture boil after the gelatin has been added. Please note that my recipe has you boil part of the cream and milk then add the bloomed gelatin once it has been removed from the heat. I then add the remaining cold heavy cream, which cools the whole panna cotta mixture down quickly with minimal effort. This greatly improves the flavor especially with delicate flavors like vanilla. Boiling part of the cream with the milk allows the sugar to fully dissolve and activates some of those curding properties of the cream.
You can use 2 ¾ sheets of Silver gelatin in place of the powdered gelatin and water. Follow the instructions in the recipe for blooming sheets verses powdered.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
Printitalian panna cotta
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A rich, creamy Italian panna cotta recipe flavored with vanilla extract and vanilla bean! A pastry chef’s perfect ratio of gelatin to dairy for a soft, melt-in-your-mouth-texture plus an easy peach sauce!
Ingredients
For the panna cotta:
- 4 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin or 2 3/4 silver gelatin sheets
- 6 tablespoons cold water (only if using powdered gelatin)
- 1/3 cup whole milk (86g)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (130g)
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split & scraped
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
For the macerated peaches
- 1 cup peaches, pealed, sliced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
Instructions
To make the panna cotta:
- Place 6 molds or ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bloom the gelatin: If using sheet gelatin, place individual sheets into ice water and allow to soften. This will take 5 minutes. Remove gelatin sheets and squeeze out excess water. Place in a dish to the side until ready to use, but don’t do this step more than 10 minutes in advance or the sheets will begin drying out. Rather, store them in the ice water.
- If using powdered gelatin: In a small bowl whisk together the gelatin and cold water. Allow to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- In a small pot bring ½ cup heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean seeds, salt and sugar just to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugars.
- Remove the pot with the boiling cream mixture from the heat, and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir to dissolve the gelatin.
- In a separate bowl or blender, combine the remaining cold cream and vanilla. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cold ingredients and either briefly blend in blender or use a hand blender to incorporate. You can also use a whisk rather than a blender if using powdered gelatin.
- Divide between lightly sprayed molds. Cover with plastic wrap and chill completely. 2 hours is the minimum but sometimes they still will not unmold. I like to ride the line between using just enough and not enough gelatin. This produces a panna cotta with perfect mouth feel. It should melt in the mouth rather than feel like Jello. To that effect, I chill overnight always.
- To unmold, place desired serving plate or bowl upside down over the mold. Shake to loosen the panna cotta from the mold and it should fall on the plate. In the Italian restaurant where I served this (and a bunch of other varieties), we briefly ran the outside of the mold under hot water (or dip in a bowl of hot water), over turn and shake it into your hand, then gently place on the plate or bowl for serving. I prefer the look of fluted metal molds but ramekins also work.
Macerated peaches:
- Several hours before serving, combine peaches, sugar, zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir to distribute the sugar. Taste and adjust sweetness or lemon juice as needed.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or even the day before. You can also gently poach the peaches as well and then refrigerate before serving.
Notes
Yield – 6 servings
Presentation – Serve simply with fresh fruit, macerated berries or granola and toasted nuts.
Storage – Store panna cotta in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or frozen for 2 months. I do recommend storing them covered and unmolding immediately before serving. If frozen, allow 2 hours to thaw in the fridge after unmolding.
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef created recipe. You might also love this easy blueberry cake, lemon bundt cake or peruse all our Summer dessert recipes!
love this, such a nice change for me in treat and love vanilla bean! So thank you
Hi Sabrina! Us too! So happy you’re enjoying this recipe 🙂 ~gvd team