Description
Easy Vegan Panna Cotta is a delicious chilled vegan dessert made with just 4 ingredients! This simple and tasty vegan dessert is has a creamy texture and lovely sweet flavor that's refined sugar-free!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Vegan Panna Cotta Ingredients
- 13.66 ounce Can Full Fat Coconut Milk (see Note 1 for substitutions)
- 3 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup (see Note 2)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (see Note 3)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Agar Powder (NOT AGAR FLAKES; see Note 4)
- OPTIONAL Cooking Spray (to help with removing from mold after chilling)
Optional Strawberry Sauce Topping Ingredients
- 2 Heaping cups Frozen Strawberries (or 2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced)
- 6 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Order of Operations: You can make both the vegan panna cotta and the strawberry sauce at the same time (that didn't go well for me, lol, I accidentally added the wrong ingredients into the wrong pot) or you can make them separately. It doesn't really matter which you make first, because they both take a while to chill in the fridge. I'll list the directions for the panna cotta first, and then the strawberry sauce.
- Prep the Panna Cotta: In a small saucepan, whisk together the full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste. Taste and add more sweetener if needed. Set your burner to medium heat. Now whisk in the agar powder for about one minute. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the Panna Cotta: Once at a strong simmer, set a timer for about 4 minutes and allow to cook, stirring frequently. After about 2-3 minutes, my mixture started threatening to boil over so I had to turn the heat down a bit. Monitor yours in case it does the same.
- Prep the Molds: While the panna cotta mixture is cooking, you can spritz the inside of the containers (I used tiny glass cups, but silicone molds, small ramekins, or any airtight container should work, though I've not had luck using plastic containers and molded foods) with a little cooking spray and use a basting brush or clean fingers to coat the insides of each container with a little oil (vegetable oil or whatever else can work fine too, I just had a pure avocado oil spray on hand).
- Pour the Mixture into Container(s): I divided my mixture between 3 containers for a modest dessert for each serving. You can do however many you'd like. Feel free to also double the recipe if you prefer; it will work fine. Refrigerate at least one hour to set. I prefer 4-6 hours for it to get cold.
- Prep the Strawberry Sauce: Add the frozen (or fresh) strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and heat covered over medium low heat. You'll need to stir every so often. This may take a bit if your strawberries are frozen (mine were), but it will be much faster with fresh strawberries.
- Cook the Strawberry Sauce: Regardless, when the strawberries are soft, it's time to lightly mash them. I used this potato masher but a fork will work. Be gentle; you only want to mash them a little so they aren't huge chunks AND you don't want to splatter the hot liquid on yourself. Once mashed, cook uncovered for about 15-25 minutes. For me, it took about 20 minutes but it depends on the size of your pot (wider will be faster because of heat distribution, however I prefer a pot that is smaller because it is easier to whisk the liquid, it won't burn as easily, and my small saucepan has a spout which makes it easier to transfer the hot mixture) and the strength of your burner. Either way, you want the amount of liquid to reduce by about half. It won't be super syrupy at this point but it will thicken a bit as it cools. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be, but it will also reduce the yield of syrup.
- Strain the Strawberry Sauce (OPTIONAL): If you prefer a chunky syrup, you can store it immediately in an airtight container (like a mason jar). If you'd like to strain it, follow these instructions: Place a fine-mesh sieve or fine mesh strainer over a large vessel (I used an 8-cup measuring bowl with a handle; it helps to have a bowl that is a similar size as your strainer) and pour the contents of the pot in. Use your spatula or spoon to stir the pulp around to encourage the syrup to drip out. The strainer will retain the solid pulp. Allow it to drain for a while (at least 10 minutes, up to 20) and stir every so often to encourage more syrup to drip down. Don't attempt to shove the pulp through the strainer because that will make your syrup less smooth. I mean, it's fine if you don't care about that. But I like using the extra syrup in coffee or sparkling water concoctions, so I recommend keeping them separate. I save the pulp in a small glass jar and spoon it over my oatmeal (or yogurt, ice cream, etc.) for the next few days after I make this syrup. Pour the strained liquid syrup into a jar and refrigerate for several hours to chill.
- Serve Vegan Panna Cotta: You can keep these in the containers OR pop them out. To pop them out, run a clean butter knife around the inside wall of the container (taking care not to damage the dessert itself) and then flip the container upside down on a plate. Sometimes holding the cup in the air just above the plate and shaking it, tapping the bottom, or even gently using the butter knife to encourage it to pop onto the plate can help. If you really can't get it out, you can always just eat it out of the jar and it will still be good. Top with a few fresh berries like chopped strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and even a few mint leaves if you'd like. Pour over some of the strawberry sauce and enjoy!
- Storage Instructions: Refrigerate vegan panna cotta covered in containers as well as the sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 or 5 days.
Notes
- Note 1: This is the main ingredient so we want to be clear here. The brand you buy will influence the quality of the panna cotta, so for best results we recommend the following brands: Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk or Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk. The former (Thai Kitchen) is easier to find, though the Native Forest one is more sustainably sourced. Make sure you get the full fat can of coconut milk for best results and make sure the only ingredient is coconut milk. Canned coconut cream is also acceptable (you may need to add a splash of dairy-free milk to get it to stir nicely with the other ingredients).
- Note 2: Our recipe is refined sugar free so it uses grade A pure maple syrup! If you think you want it less sweet, you can use less. You may need more or less to taste, which is why I recommend tasting the panna cotta mixture before adding the agar powder. Agave syrup, cane sugar, coconut sugar, etc. can all be used in place of the maple syrup (should be about the same amount, and to taste). It should also work fine with powdered sugar replacements like stevia. Keep in mind that if you use a granulated sugar, you'll want to whisk it in while the pot is heating until you're sure the granules have dissolved.
- Note 3: This is the best flavor vanilla next to using a whole vanilla bean which I haven't yet tried doing! If you have that, go ahead and use the yields of half a whole vanilla bean pod. If you only have vanilla extract, use a half teaspoon since the paste is more concentrated (vanilla bean paste is absolutely worth it, by the way).
- Note 4: This is NOT the same as agar flakes. Agar-agar powder is a more concentrated powder so you only need a half teaspoon. If you only have the flakes, it looks like roughly 3 times the amount of flakes are needed if substituting, but they can also be rougher so you may need to cook them longer. I have not tried this or any recipe with agar flakes so do so with that in mind. Try to use the agar powder if you can instead. I’ve found it online, in health food stores, and sometimes even in chain supermarkets. You only need a small amount, but you’ll be able to make SO MANY BATCHES, plus it can be used for other things like gelatin replacement.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American, Italian