Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp agar-agar powder (not flakes, as they have different setting properties)
- Fresh berries or fruit coulis for serving
- Optional: 1/2 cup whole milk
- Optional: Lemon juice
Alternative Ingredients:
- Milk – almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, full-fat coconut milk, or buttermilk
- Honey – sugar, stevia
- Vanilla extract – 1-2 fresh vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (make sure to remove the vanilla pod at the end)
Instructions
- Start preparing the agar agar in a small bowl, where you mix the agar agar powder with the milk (or milk substitute) – then let it sit for 5-10 minutes to hydrate.
- In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, honey (or sugar) while gently mixing it on medium-low heat – just make sure it won’t boil!
- Add the milk and agar-agar mix to the saucepan with the panna cotta mixture and bring it to a boil for a short amount of time before simmering it again for 1-2 minutes, while you’re stirring constantly.
- Boil it for a few seconds to activate the gelling properties of the agar agar, just don’t let it boil any longer, or your cream will start separating.
- Once everything is well mixed, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract to it.
- Add the creamy mixture to the ramekins or glasses and let it cool off at room temperature before you refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until it’s fully set – since agar agar sets quicklier than gelatin, you won’t need to chill it as long.
Finally, the best way to serve your Panna Cotta is with fresh berries, fruit coulis, fresh mint leaves, or some chocolate sauce on top – yes, it truly is one of the easiest desserts!