Vanilla Panna Cotta Dessert with Berry Coulis (2024)

A sumptuously smooth, creamy Italian Vanilla Panna Cotta dessert, rich in vanilla and drizzled with a bright and fruity Berry Coulis.

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Updated 23rd November 2022

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Vanilla Panna Cotta Dessert – It’s naturally Gluten Free!

If you are looking for a perfect ending to a good meal, a sumptuously creamy Panna Cotta dessert may be just the thing! Topped with a tart berry coulis, it is a joy to the eyes as well as the palate. And no matter how full you think you are, it will still be devoured.

Being Coeliac, Panna Cotta is always a treat to find on the sweet menu when eating out. Not only is it naturally gluten free, but it always makes a delightful change to the usual and very predictable ‘options’ of ice cream or brownies. Not that there is anything wrong with ice cream or brownies. But for the gluten-avoiders amongst us, there are days when even the squidgiest of brownies becomes tedious.

Panna Cotta is also incredibly easy to make. It requires no cooking and can be prepared well ahead of time. Which makes it perfect for dinner parties and celebrations. The vanilla Panna Cotta recipe featured here is one of my favourites. Simple and velvety, this dessert is guaranteed to charm and impress. (Just don’t tell the guests how easy it is to make…).

What is Panna Cotta Dessert?

Although difficult to trace a complete history, Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert, thought to originate from Piedmont in the North of Italy. As with all good recipes however, it has some dubious-sounding beginnings… Early recipes apparently used collagen from fish bones to set the cream!

A traditional Italian Panna Cotta dessert today will always be made with cream, sugar and gelatine. Translated into English as ‘cooked cream’, it is fundamentally sweetened, set custard, which is as decadent as it is simple.

In recent years, there has been an increase of recipes away from tradition however, as chefs have sought to lighten and veganise it. Indeed, Panna Cotta is incredibly versatile. The option to use plant-based milks and substitute animal gelatine with vegetarian alternatives is relatively straight forward.

How to Make Panna Cotta – The Importance of Ratios

The true art of traditional Panna Cotta perfection lies in its ‘wobble’. It should wobble delicately and not be over ‘jellified’ as to be rubbery and sticky. It should nonetheless remain set. And be sumptuously creamy so that it melts in the mouth as if dissolving silk.

The quantity of cream is also important. Although acceptable to replace some of the cream with milk, Panna Cotta is meant to be an indulgent pudding. The higher the cream content the better. This particular Vanilla Panna Cotta recipe is made with a cream ratio of 2:1. This maintains the expected luxury without being over-rich.

Beyond this, the opulently humble Panna Cotta dessert is a blank canvas to take wherever you choose. Vanilla Panna Cotta may be the most traditional variant, but the basic recipe lends itself to anything from fruit infusions, chocolate and coffee to herbs and flowers. At Gluten Free Alchemist we also offer a Layered Blackcurrant Panna Cotta and a pink Raspberry Version. There are even Panna Cotta recipes which fall into the savoury category. Check out this gorgeous-looking Black Pepper and Parmesan Panna Cotta that I found on Food 52.

How to Serve Panna Cotta

While Panna Cotta is child’s play to make, serving it can be a trickier affair. To achieve the towered glory of the moulded dessert, requires patience and calm. As if knowing its fate, this sublime treat clings to its bunker like a limpet in a tsunami. Unsticking it will likely result in frustrated cries, stamped feet and more than a little banging of the upside-down mould on fragile plates. Make and serve in glasses with a spoon if you are prone to fits of temper or loss of control.

There is an uncomplicated trick however, to help your Panna Cotta release and let go with a satisfying plop. Whole and intact. Simply give the base of the mould a quick dip in boiling water. Then flip it over and watch smugly as it wobbles flirtingly on the plate.

Whilst Panna Cotta is delicious ‘straight’, it is best served with a contrasting sauce or fruit to offset the sweetness and singular texture. As a matter of preference, I often pair mine with fruit which has a tartness to offset the sweet. For a vanilla Panna Cotta, berries are a perfect partner. Their vibrant colour contrasts with the simplicity of the smooth pale custard and instantly excites the taste buds.

If you prefer Panna Cotta dessert of the chocolate variety, we can also offer you a delicious White Chocolate Panna Cotta served with Honey Roasted Figs and Walnuts. Or alternatively, a lightly floral Lavender Blackberry Panna Cotta with Blackberry Poached Pear.

Whichever you choose, savour and enjoy each and every mouthful. This is one pudding that is more than worth the calories. But alas. Although one portion should be enough, there is always disappointment when it ends… Can I have another please?

looking for other recipes which are naturally gluten free or flourless? you might like these posts :

• Blackberry-Coconut Cheesecake
• Zesty Lemon Meringue Roulade
• Banoffee Cheesecake with Salted Caramel
• Vegan Rich Chocolate Ice Cream (no churn)
• Flourless Chocolate Mini Rolls
• Christmas Mincemeat Ice Cream (no churn)
• Best Chocolate Mousse

For more gluten free pudding inspiration, why not explore our dedicated Gluten Free Desserts and Trifles index? Or if you are looking for anything else, we have an amazing Gluten Free Recipe Index which offers more than 400 recipes.

Happy baking

Other divine no bake desserts at Gluten Free Alchemist

Recipe originally published on 25.08.2013 and updated on 5.12.2019

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