This raspberry panna cotta recipe might just be one of the easiest no bake desserts you'll ever make! It's smooth, creamy, full of tart raspberry flavor, and can be made days in advance. The panna cotta is SCD, Paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
This simple, creamy dessert is made with just six wholesome ingredients and is perfect for serving a crowd since it can be made days in advance.
After a filling meal, like Homemade Beef Stew or Shepherd's Pie, there's something satisfying about a light, slightly tart dessert!
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta, which means cooked cream, is a popular Italian dessert of milk, cream, and sugar thickened with gelatin.
Getting the texture right can be a bit tricky. Too much gelatin and you have a stiff, jello-like dessert. Too little gelatin and it will be too soft if you want to unmold it.
The panna cotta should be creamy with just enough gelatin to hold it together, I think the texture is similar to a Cuban Flan.
In this paleo panna cotta recreation, coconut milk is swapped for the cream and milk while honey is used in place refined white sugar.
The result is a healthy, delicious dessert that's just as good as the traditional recipe.
Ingredients:
Raspberries - Fresh or frozen will work. I love the color and flavor of raspberries, but feel free to use any fruit you'd like! The key is to strain out any seeds so the panna cotta is smooth.
Coconut Milk - I don't suggest using almond or cashew milk in this recipe. They're much thinner than coconut milk and will result in a dessert that's not as creamy. My go-to canned coconut milk is the Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk (as always, be sure to check product ingredients).
Gelatin - Gelatin is a flavorless, colorless powder that's derived from animal bones, skin, and tissue. Among it's many health benefits, it can help to strengthen bones and 
heal your gut. It's recently been brought to my attention that Vital Proteins gelatin has changed it's ingredients and is no longer considered SCD legal. So I suggest using the unflavored Great Lakes
gelatin.
Salt - The pinch of salt in this recipe helps to enhance the sweetness and suppress any bitterness from the raspberries. That said, it is completely optional.
How to make this dairy-free panna cotta recipe
Begin by shaking a can of cold coconut milk really well. Then sprinkle the gelatin over ½ cup of the cold milk. Allow the gelatin to "bloom" (soften and swell) for 5 minutes.
While the gelatin is "blooming", blend the raspberries until smooth. Use a fine mesh strainer
or sieve to remove the seeds from the puree. Remember, a panna cotta should be smooth, so don't skip this step!
Bring the raspberry puree, honey, orange juice, pinch of salt, and remaining coconut milk to a simmer over medium heat.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until it has completely dissolved. This should only take a minute or two. However, if it's not dissolving then place the pot over low heat until dissolved. Do not allow to simmer or boil!
Pour the mixture into individual ramekins or glasses and place in the refrigerator to cool. Once the panna cotta has cooled, cover each ramekin with plastic wrap (don't allow it to touch the panna cotta) and allow them to continue to set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
Do I have to turn the panna cotta out onto a plate?
Nope! To keep things simple and keep the dishes to a minimum, I typically serve the panna cotta right in their ramekins or glasses.
However, if you'd like to turn the panna cotta out onto individual plates, then run a small, sharp knife around each dessert in the ramekin.
Fill a bowl with hot water from your faucet. Dunk the bottom and sides of the ramekins into the hot water for around thirty seconds before flipping over onto a plate.
You may need to tap the sides of the ramekin a bit to help loosen the panna cotta or dunk it back into the hot water.
How should I garnish the dessert?
The beauty of a panna cotta is its simplicity. Garnish the tops with a little fresh fruit and some mint leaves and you're done.
If you'd like to get a little fancier, then you could always drizzle the top with some fresh raspberry sauce or a dollop of fresh whipped coconut cream.
It will be delicious no matter how you decide to garnish it!
Here are more pudding and custard based desserts your sure to love!
- No Bake Strawberry Gelatin Pie
- Vanilla Custard Tart
- Pumpkin Pudding Recipe
- Easy Banana Cream Pie
- Lemon Tart
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Recipe was inspired by my No Bake Strawberry Gelatin Pie recipe and Ina Garten's Panna Cotta recipe.
Raspberry Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (make sure to shake the can well)
- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 18 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- small pinch of salt, optional
Instructions
- Pour ½ cup of coconut milk into a small bowl. Then sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to "bloom" (wrinkle and swell) for 5 minutes.
- Blend the raspberries until smooth then strain out the seeds using a fine mesh strainer or sieve. Pour 1 ½ cups of the smooth raspberry puree into a small saucepan along with the other ½ cup of coconut milk, the honey, and orange juice.
- Whisk together and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin until it has completely dissolved.
- * The gelatin should dissolve within 2 to 3 minutes. If it does not then set the mixture over low heat and continue whisking until dissolved. Do not allow to simmer or boil.
- Pour the panna cotta into decorative glasses or ramekins and place directly into the refrigerator.
- After about an hour the panna cotta should have cooled. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and place back into the refrigerator 5 to 8 hours to set completely.
- Serve the raspberry panna cotta cold and directly in the ramekins. If you'd like to turn the panna cotta out onto plates, then please look in the Notes section below.
Notes
- Store the panna cotta covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- be sure to use the gelling gelatin or the dessert will not set.
- This recipe gives me four ¾ cup servings.
- Turning the panna cotta out onto a plate - Begin by running a small sharp knife around the dessert in the ramekin. Fill a bowl with hot tap water and dunk the bottom and sides of the ramekins in the water for about 30 seconds. Flip the ramekin over onto a plate and allow the panna cotta to slide out. You may need to tap the bottoms and sides of the ramekin or dunk back into the water if it doesn't release easily.
Nutrition
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Tracey
I would recommend thawing raspberries before blending. Impossible to remove seeds after blending; more like ice cream consistency. Otherwise a great recipe!
Steve
Every recipe I've tried from this site has been excellent. I made the Raspberry Panna Cotta for my wife, who has Crohn's. She loved it. I don't have Crohn's and I loved it, too. Going to try the Vanilla Custard Tart next.
Jennifer
So happy that you and your wife are enjoying the recipes and that the panna cotta worked for you!! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah
I made this recipe just as it is described. Unfortunately the amount of gelatin is not enough, so it all became a fluid instead of a creamy panna cotta... a total waste of ingredients
Jennifer
I know how frustrating it is when a recipe doesn't turn out as expected, I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I'd love to help troubleshoot what may have gone wrong. Was the panna cotta given a chance to set in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or longer?
Also, when you say "it all became a fluid", do you mean it was completely liquid and didn't set up at all? If that's the case are you sure you used the gelling gelatin as opposed to the non-gelling gelatin? Let me know as I certainly don't want others to have your same experience.
Sarah
It was normal gelatin, also not too old as I bought it the same day. My panna cotta was in the refrigerator over night. It was not that fluid like water, but just had a consistency of a smoothy. The taste is very good though, so may be I will try again with more gelatin some other time 🙂
Maybe the gelatine is all different in different lands? I used Dr. Oetker.
Thank you for all your great recipes!
Jennifer
It should definitely be firmer than a smoothie. The consistency should be firm enough that if you invert it onto a plate and remove the ramekin it holds its shape but soft enough that it doesn't feel like firm jello in your mouth. After reading your comments I actually made it again (for the 5th time!) just to make sure that I had written the recipe correctly! During my previous recipe testing I made a batch using 3 teaspoons of gelatin and while it was too firm for my liking, it might work for you! I'm glad that you liked the flavor!