Yogurt Panna Cotta is a silky smooth and creamy, no-bake dessert. Top it with a luscious raspberry sauce. This light and delicious dessert is the perfect ending to any meal.
Panna Cotta (cooked cream) is a classic Italian dessert. It comes from the Piedmont Region in Italy, which sits at the foot of the Alps, bordering France and Switzerland.
Panna Cotta is one of my favorite go-to desserts because it is easy and unbelievably fast to make. Only a few simple ingredients are needed for this tasty dessert.
Traditionally panna cotta is made using only heavy cream, sugar, and gelatin. It is terrific made with only heavy cream, but a bit rich for my taste. I lightened it up and made it healthier by substituting plain Greek yogurt and 1% milk for most of the heavy cream. I left a little heavy cream in the recipe to give it just a bit of richness.
The yogurt gives the panna cotta a bit of a tangy, refreshing taste. Raspberry sauce is the perfect pairing with the yogurt because it adds beautiful color and the raspberries add a delicious sweet flavor.
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Why I love this recipe
- It's a great make ahead treat!
- It is a low calorie and healthy dessert.
- I love the smooth and creamy texture and the tang from the yogurt.
- I can't say it enough, it is so fast and easy to make.
- This simple dessert is light and refreshing.
- The recipe uses few ingredients.
- The contrast of the red raspberry sauce and white panna cotta looks sensational.
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta
- Plain Greek yogurt-This is the main ingredient in the panna cotta. Substituing non-fat, plain Greek yogurt for the heavy whipping cream reduces the calories and fat in the panna cotta.
- 1% Milk-to keep calories low, use 1% milk, but 2% or whole milk work too.
- Heavy whipping cream-adds richness to the dessert.
- Gelatin-thickens the dessert. You can find gelatin in your grocery store on the baking aisle. It is normally in the same area as jello.
- Vanilla-adds flavor.
For the Raspberry Sauce
- Frozen Raspberries-pair perfectly with the yogurt. Alternativley, fresh raspberries can be used but they are usually more expensive then frozen.
- Sugar-adds a bit of sweetness to the berries.
Instructions
How to make Panna Cotta
- Bloom gelatin- sprinkle gelatin on ¼ cup cool water.
- Heat milk, cream and sugar until it simmers.
- Spoon bloomed gelatin into to milk mixture.
- Add yogurt to milk mixture.
- Pour the panna cotta into a measring cup so that it is easier to distribute it into the ramekins.
- If you plan on unmolding the panna cotta, spray the raminkins lightly with cooking spray. Wipe out excess with a paper towel. Greasing the ramekin will help remove the panna cotta from ramekin.
- Pour panna cotta into the ramekins.
- Cover and refrigerate the ramekins for at least 6 hours or for best results overnight.
How to make Raspberry Sauce
- Combine frozen raspberries and sugar in a medium sauce pan.
- Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Turn heat down to medium- low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain the raspberry sauce through a fine mesh strainer.
- Discard the seeds.
- The raspberry sauce will be slightly thick. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to unmold panna cotta
- Run a knife around the edge of the panna cotta.
- Place the serving plate unside down on the ramekin.
- Flip the plate over so the ramekin is sitting upside down on the plate.
- Lift the ramekin off of the panna cotta.
Alternative ways to serve Panna Cotta
Use various containers to serve panna cotta.
For an elegant dinner party, serve it in stemmed wine glasses. Shot glasses are perfect for a ladies' luncheon, and small jars or juice glasses are great for a weekday dinner or casual get-together.
Pour the panna cotta into serving glasses, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
Before serving, top it with 2-3 teaspoons raspberry sauce. Garnish with additional berries and a mint leaf.
Don't miss this tip
- Be sure to bloom the gelatin to ensure a smooth and creamy Panna cotta-don't skip this step!
- Do not boil the milk otherwise the gelatin will lose its thickening power.
- Use a 2 or 4 cup glass measuring cup to distribute the panna cotta into serving containers. It's so much easier than pouring the panna cotta from the saucepan into ramekins or serving glasses.
- Plan ahead! The Panna cotta needs a minimum of 6 hours in the refrigerator to set up correctly.
FAQ's for this recipe
Because panna cotta contains dairy, serve it cold. Cold panna cotta tastes best.
Yes, fresh fruit can be used to make the sauce. However, fresh raspberries are normally more expensive than frozen berries. Therefore, I recommend using frozen raspberries to make the sauce.
For the panna cotta to firm up, you need to use gelatin.
Since regular yogurt is much thinner than Greek yogurt, it will not work well in this recipe.
Absolutely! The panna cotta will be a touch creamier.
Yes! The panna cotta must be refrigerated for a minimum of 6 hours in order to set up. Overnight is best.
The gelatin did not dissolve completely.
For gelatin to thicken the liquid, the tiny gelatin granules need to absorb the liquid. Generally, water is used to bloom the gelatin. The best way to bloom the gelatin is to sprinkle the gelatin on top of some water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes so that all the granules can absorb the water.
Storage Tips
Store plain panna cotta (without the raspberry sauce), covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Store the raspberry sauce, covered for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Alternate toppings for Panna Cotta
Try some of the following toppings. They are all delicious!
- Any kind of berry sauce, strawberry, blueberry or a mixture of berries.
- Fruit purees make great toppings. Try mango for a tropical flair.
- Fresh berries are a simple and delicious topping.
- A drizzle of honey makes a simple and tasty topping.
- Homemade or storebought carmel sauce is a luscious topping!
Serving ideas
Serve Panna cotta for a wonderful ending to the following meals:
- A light luncheon with Greek salad with grilled chicken
- Quick and Easy sheet pan chicken dinner.
- Fast Roasted Chicken
I hope you try this recipe! Please rate it and comment below. I love hearing from you!
Print📋 Recipe
Simple Panna Cotta with Yogurt and Raspberry Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Description
Yogurt Panna Cotta is a silky smooth and creamy, no-bake dessert. Top it with a luscious raspberry sauce. This make-ahead light and delicious dessert is the perfect ending to any meal.
Ingredients
Panna Cotta
- 2 ¼ teaspoon gelatin (1 package)
- ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup 1% milk
- 2 cups plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry Sauce
- 10 ounces (2 ½ cups) frozen raspberries
- 6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Instructions
How to make Panna Cotta
- Pour ¼ cup water into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin evenly on cool water. (hot water will destroy the ability of the gelatin to thicken the liquid). Let stand 5 minutes.
- Bring heavy cream, milk, and ⅓ cup sugar to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Do NOT boil the milk. Let it cool down to 150°F before adding the gelatin mixture if it boils.
- Add gelatin mixture to the milk and whisk until the gelatin dissolves.
- Add the yogurt to the milk and gelatin mixture. Whisk until there are no lumps and the mixture is very smooth.
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into a measuring cup.
- If using ramekins, lightly spray them with cooking spray. Wipe out excess with a paper towel. Alternatively, dip a paper towel in a bit of vegetable or canola oil and lightly oil the inside of the ramekin.
- Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins or serving cups.
- Cover and chill for at least 6 hours or best overnight.
- It can be made 2 days ahead.
- Keep refrigerated.
How to make the Raspberry Sauce
- Combine frozen raspberries and 6 tablespoons of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Stir until the berries thaw.
- Using a spoon, mash the berries with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Over a bowl or 2 cup measuring cup, strain the raspberry sauce through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Discard the seeds.
- Cover and refrigerate the raspberry sauce until ready to serve
How to Unmold and Serve the Panna Cotta
- Run a knife along the outer edge of the Panna cotta.
- Place a serving plate on top of the ramekin. Holding the dish and ramekin together, flip the plate over.
- Lift the ramekin. If the Panna cotta sticks, dip the ramekin in hot water for 1-2 minutes and then do step 2 again.
- Spoon about 4 teaspoons of raspberry sauce on each Panna cotta.
- Garnish with additional berries and a mint leaf.
Notes
- Be sure to bloom the gelatin to ensure a smooth and creamy Panna cotta-don't skip this step!
- Do not boil the milk otherwise; the gelatin will lose its thickening power.
- Use a 2 or 4 cup glass measuring cup to distribute the Panna cotta into serving containers. It's so much easier than pouring the Panna cotta from the saucepan into ramekins or serving glasses.
- Plan ahead! The Panna cotta needs 6 hours in the refrigerator to set up correctly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 29.1 g
- Sodium: 34.1 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.8 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 20.8 mg
Keywords: panna cotta, yogurt panna cotta, easy dessert, yogurt
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Kay
Love this recipe!
★★★★★