Panna cotta flavoured with vanilla and topped with an orange jelly, the simplest of desserts.

Panna cotta flavoured with vanilla and topped with orange jelly is a very simple dessert to prepare, easy for even the most novice cook. These desserts are served in small glasses, a mini perfect dessert for a larger dinner party as they can be prepared ahead of time.

A long wooden serving tray with small individual shot glasses filled with vanilla panna cotta and topped with clementine jelly, with gold Christmas Trees and Golf lights decorating.

What is panna cotta?

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made with cream and milk and set with gelatin (panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian). A little sugar is added to sweeten the cream, however I find this dessert doesn’t require too much added.

I started making Italian panna cotta when my eldest daughter wanted to cook in the kitchen with me. She wanted to make “pudding” however had a severe egg allergy at the time.

That’s when the idea came for this simple vanilla panna cotta recipe, with no egg this was the perfect dessert to get her started on. It also happens to be quick to prepare so she didn’t loose interest – a must when cooking with young children!

Can panna cotta be made ahead of time?

This dessert is was created with the idea of a larger dinner or a drinks party in mind. To successfully host this type of event, it’s essential that some elements can be prepared ahead of time.

This is my go-to prep ahead dessert, as if covered it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days before you need to serve it. To stop a skin from forming on top, place some cling film directly on top of the set dessert.

Can you freeze panna cotta?

Due to having a high dairy content, this dessert freezes really well. Simply allow the dessert to cool and set, before placing in the freezer. When ready to serve remove from the freezer and allow to defrost overnight in the fridge.

A long wooden serving tray with small individual shot glasses filled with vanilla panna cotta and topped with clementine jeely, with gold Christmas Trees and Golf lights decorating.

Can I make this recipe as a larger dessert?

We have made mini desserts, to show how easy they are to cater for a large party. Made this way they are ideal for a New Year’s drinks party as part of a buffet.

Served in these shot glasses they work as individual desserts that guests can help themselves to. However the amount of liquid for this panna cotta recipe also serves 4 as a dessert.

How do you stop panna cotta becoming grainy?

Panna cotta can become grainy, and it’s often due to the addition of too much gelatin. Avoid this by only adding as much gelatin as is required to set the dish.

I always recommend reading the instruction on the pack of gelatin beforehand, nobody will thank you for set cream the consistency of rubber!

This panna cotta recipe also suggests passing the liquid through a fine sieve before pouring into the glasses. I do this to remove any small lumps or pieces of flavouring, such as pieces of vanilla pod or citrus zest. You want an nice smooth creamy liquid.

What other flavour substitutions can I make?

Citrus:

Panna cotta is basically cooked cream so it’s really simple to add alternative flavourings. Replace the vanilla pod with some finely grated zest of lemon or orange for a citrus twist.

Chocolate:

Chocolate panna cotta is delicious, melt some dark chocolate in with the cream, and for chocolate orange twist add some orange zest in with the chocolate.

Coffee:

Coffee is another great flavouring with this dessert, add strong cold coffee to the cream.

Top tip! With both the chocolate and coffee flavours you will be adding extra liquid so measure again before adding the gelatin. Always read instructions on the gelatin pack to get the right ratio of liquid to gelatin!

Allergy information:

Does panna cotta contain eggs?

There are no eggs in the recipe, making this a great dessert for anyone suffering from an egg allergy.

Suitable for a gluten free diet?

It is also suitable for coeliacs or anyone following a gluten free diet. For this reason it’s often my go-to dessert when feeding a crowd.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try some of our other desserts:

For more inspiration have a read of our No Bake Desserts post which contains helpful hints and tips as well as a great selection of our favourite no bake dessert recipe.

Mini Vanilla Panna Cotta with Orange Jelly

Vanilla panna cotta with an orange jelly are served in small glasses, a mini perfect dessert for a party as they can be prepared ahead of time.

4.93 from 13 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Chill in Fridge: 4

Total Time: 4 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 162kcal

Author: Lesley Garden

Ingredients

Orange Jelly

▢ 300 ml fresh orange juice
▢ 2 sheets gelatin

Instructions

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Pour the double cream and milk into a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add both the seeds and the vanilla pod to the saucepan.
Place the 3 gelatin sheets for the panna cotta into a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the sheets to soften.
Meanwhile place the saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, ensuring the sugar is dissolved. Remove the vanilla pod.
Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin sheets and place them into the hot milk. Whisk to combine and thoroughly melt the gelatin.
Pour the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a measuring jug. This will remove any loose pieces of vanilla pod left in the milk and also make the liquid easier to pour.
Pour the milk mixture evenly between 8 small serving glasses. Allow to cool then cover and set aside in the fridge for at least two hours to set.

Orange Jelly

Heat the orange juice up in a saucepan.
Place the 2 gelatin sheets for the orange jelly into a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the sheets to soften.
Once the gelatin is soft place it in the warm orange juice and whisk to combine. Again pour the liquid through a fine sieve into a measuring jug. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the panna cotta from the fridge and gently pour over the orange jelly, ensuring an even amount in each glass. Cover the glasses and place back in the fridge for a further 2 hours to allow the jelly to set.
When ready to serve remove the panna cotta from the fridge and serve immediately.

Notes

Please read the instructions on the pack of gelatin sheet before commencing this recipe. Gelatin sheets do vary in size between producers. The product instructions will give clear guidance on how much sheets to use for this amount of liquid.

These desserts can be made well ahead of time, even the day before you require them. They will happily keep overnight in the fridge. Panna cotta also freezes really well.

These panna cottas have been served in small glasses, intended for serving alongside other small sweet treats at a drinks party or buffet style evening. However if serving as a dinner dessert, this mixture will easily make 4 individual desserts.

Nutrition Facts

Mini Vanilla Panna Cotta with Orange Jelly

Amount Per Serving

Calories 162 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 46mg15%

Sodium 28mg1%

Potassium 140mg4%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 585IU12%

Vitamin C 19mg23%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Dessert

Cuisine : Italian

Keyword : gluten free, Simple

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4.93 from 13 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Jenny Walters

Monday 25th of November 2019

What a fabulous dessert. My husbands absolute favourite. I'm bad as I have never made it! Def pinned for future brownie points. I love to get ahead for dinner parties too. Can't be doing with brain bleed and having to chat. Thank you so much for sharing this with #BakingCrumbs

Michelle

Thanks Jenny, its such an easy pudding and so many variations to it. Lemon is my other favourite. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers, Michelle x

Monika Dabrowski

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

I've never made this dessert but it looks really appealing with the 2 layers, one creamy, one fruity, plus it doesn't have much sugar and that's always a good thing in a dessert. Looks very stylish!

Lesley

Thank you Monika, it’s such a pretty dessert and easy to make. I like the lower sugar content, a great dessert for those trying to cut back on their sugar intake. Lesley x

Cat | Curly’s Cooking

I love panna cotta but have never tried making it myself. These look absolutely delicious and the jelly on top makes them extra special.

Thank you Cat, you should give it a try as it’s so easy to make. The flavours are really easy to play with, so use what you fancy. Chocolate orange is next on my list. Lesley x

Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie

Monday 18th of November 2019

Wow - they look GORGEOUS. Perfect for a Christmas party! Eb x

Thank you Eb, they are so easy to make, a perfect prep ahead party dessert. I just need to remember to make plenty as they tend to go fast! Lesley x

Kat (The Baking Explorer)

Friday 15th of November 2019

They look so elegant and pretty

Thank you Kat, this is such a simple dessert, but one that does look really pretty. Lesley x