It’s a healthy dessert perfect for breakfast/brunch too!
Panna cotta
My first panna cotta was one I made many years ago, after seeing it on TV. It sounded fancy, but seemed pretty simple, and I decided to give it a go. I made a classic panna cotta with passion fruit, and it was love at first sight and taste! I’ve shared a few different versions of panna cotta on the blog before, including a base recipe for classic panna cotta, along with other variations such as this white chocolate panna cotta, creamy matcha panna cotta, and even a boba milk tea panna cotta! As you too will find out when you start making it, panna cotta is ridiculously easy to make! And it tastes delicious, so it’s a fantastic dessert to impress friends, family and guests with not much effort and marvel at your culinary genius! 😉 But once you know the basics, it’ll be even more fun to experiment with flavors and such. You can also check out my comprehensive post on types of custard for more information on all things custards and puddings!
Healthy coconut panna cotta
So here, I’m sharing with you guys a creamy and healthy panna cotta made with coconut milk served 3 ways – with passion fruit, or raspberries, or granola! So this coconut panna cotta with fruit is perfect as a dessert (duh!), but it’s also healthy and great for breakfast too! Dessert for breakfast anyone?
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which literally translates to “cooked cream”. It’s a molded dessert, traditionally made of sweetened/flavored cream and hardened with gelatin. Even though it means cooked cream. it’s only heated to the point of dissolving the sugar, and then the gelatin. A classic panna cotta is never “boiled”.
How is this coconut panna cotta different from the traditional?
This recipe is for panna cotta is made with coconut milk and NO refined sugars. So it’s dairy free and refined sugar free. Which makes this a paleo coconut panna cotta! You can of course use regular sugar for this recipe, or use honey, or coconut sugar, or agave, or maple syrup instead as well. This paleo coconut panna cotta isn’t vegan, but it’s easily adaptable to be made vegan too. Simply replace gelatin with agar agar. The texture will be a little different to a classic panna cotta, but the taste will be the same! Another reason why this paleo coconut panna cotta recipe is different is that this recipe is the CLOSEST in texture to a classic panna cotta. I’ve found that a lot of recipes online use too much gelatin, causing the panna cotta to be more jelly-like, rather than custard-like, which a traditional Italian panna cotta is. This coconut panna cotta on the other hand is perfectly creamy and delicate, with a custard-like texture than a jello dessert.
What kind of coconut milk to use for this recipe
It is important to use the right kind of coconut milk for this recipe too. I like to use canned coconut milk, and I choose a brand where the coconut milk doesn’t separate into two layers. The coconut milk is emulsified better, and remains homogeneous. Coconut milk that separates into two separate layers as it sits, will not work in this recipe. You could also use coconut milk that is sold in cartons (like blue diamond unsweetenend coconut milk), although I have not tried this.
Serving ideas
This recipe is very versatile. Here I’m showing you just 3 simple ways to serve this delicious dessert.
Coconut panna cotta with a tropical twist with passion fruit syrup (made with honey). Coconut panna cotta with macerated raspberries (or any other type of berry) – a great every day choice. Coconut panna cotta with almond granola. This is perfect for breakfasts and brunches! Combine this with a fruit compote and it’ll be like a breakfast pudding parfait!
But you’re more than welcome to try different flavor options! Try some other fruit combinations like lychee, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango or lemon curd. Or try it with different granola flavors, maybe some dark chocolate, or even a caramel sauce flavored with some booze! 🙂 You can serve this paleo coconut panna cotta in serving glasses. This is the easiest way to serve it because you can simply top it with fruits, granola etc. and serve individual-sized portions. OR you can also unmold this panna cotta onto a serving plate too. But keep in mind that if you are planning on unmolding this panna cotta onto a serving dish, then use metal or silicone molds to prepare the panna cotta. Because this way it’ll be a lot easier to release the panna cotta later, or use a little extra gelatin to make the panna cotta stiffer. If you liked this paleo coconut panna cotta (coconut panna cotta with fruit) recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
