Unlike traditional panna cotta, this Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Blackberry Lemon Sauce is dairy-free. The addition of a slightly sour blackberry lemon sauce adds a perfect contrast to this classic dessert.
How to make an ice bath:
If you decide to use real vanilla bean in your recipe, I recommend using an ice bath to get the cream to initially set up. Why is the ice bath important when making panna cotta? Well, let me tell you! The ice bath helps chill the mixture quickly allowing the vanilla bean to be suspended throughout the cream. This will help the vanilla bean specks stay in place within the panna cotta rather then the vanilla bean specks falling to the bottom during the chilling process. It is important to have the vanilla bean specks having the specks evenly distributed since the vanilla will continue to develop it's flavor even as it chills.
A couple notes about Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta:
Can I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean?
You can absolutely use vanilla extract in this recipe if you don't have vanilla bean or don't want to buy it. I recommend using 1 teaspoon highly quality vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean.
Vegan and vegetarian option:
Obviously, gelatin is not vegan or vegetarian. If you would like to make this panna cotta vegan, you will want to use agar-agar in equal amounts to the gelatin. Agar-agar is made from red algae and has similar thickening properties as gelatin. If you use agar-agar, follow the recipe exactly, just substituting the gelatin. Just like gelatin, it needs to be bloomed and than dissolved in hot liquid.
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try this Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding for another quick and easy dessert that is also vegan!
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Blackberry Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta:
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 1 tbsp cold water
- ¼ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- Pinch of salt
For the Blackberry Lemon Sauce:
- 10 oz bag frozen blackberries about 2 cups
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp tapioca starch
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
For the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta:
- Add the powdered gelatin and the water to a small dish and mix. Allow to sit while you work on the rest of the recipe
- In a small sauce pan, add the coconut milk, mape syrup, vanilla bean and salt and bring to a low simmer
- Once the gelatin is dissolved in the water, about ten minutes (it should feel slightly spongey to the touch and be an opaque color), add to the warm coconut milk and stir until dissolved
- If using vanilla bean, I recommend slightly chilling the panna cotta before placing in glasses to suspend the vanilla bean specks. To create an ice bath, take a large bowl (larger than your suace pot) and fill it half way with ice and cold water. Place your sauce pot into the ice and water mixture. Stir the pudding with a whisk until it starts to thicken and the vanilla specks are mixed well throughout. Once slightly thickened, pour into four glasses, cover and chill in the fridge for four hours.
For the Blackberry Lemon Sauce:
- Add the blackberries to a small sauce pot and place over low heat. Slowly heat the blackberries until thawed. With a wooden spoon, gently break up the blackberries
- Once the blackberries are broken down, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup and stir. Allow the mixture to slowly simmer
- In a small dish, combine the tapioca starch and the water. Pour the mixture into the blackberries and stir until thick, about 30 seconds. Place the sauce in an airtight container and chill in the fridge until ready to use
- To assemble the panna cottas, remove from the frdige and spoon some of the blackberry lemon sauce on top. Finsih with lemon zest, fresh blackberries and a mint sprig. Enjoy!
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This was a big hit at our house....the flavor was wonderful! I do love chocolate, but this vanilla bean panda cotta is a strong contender in the desert department!!
That makes me so happy! I am usually a chocolate lover as well but it's nice to change it up once in a while 🙂