It may look fancy and complex, but this festive, four-ingredient dessert is surprisingly easy to make (and will have everyone coming back for seconds!).

Vegan panna cotta on a plate with strawberry sauce.

The Impossible, Made Possible

Panna cotta is a creamy Italian molded dessert traditionally made of milk, cream, sugar, gelatin, and fruity or chocolatey flavorings.

To make a vegan panna cotta recipe, we’ll skip the gelatin since it’s not vegetarian-friendly. Instead, we’ll swap it with agar agar (a super cool gelatin replacement made from red algae)!

I love to flavor this sweet treat with tangy raspberries, but stick around to the end for some extra flavor ideas! (Did someone say mango, lemon, chocolate, and strawberry?! Yum!) Even though the completed dessert looks totally gourmet, it’s actually an unbelievably easy dish to make. You’ve got to try it!

Reader rating

★★★★★

“This was delicious. I served them in glasses, which I topped with blended drained tinned pineapple that added a nice layering effect. Perfect for a light refreshing dessert.” —Anita Ghent

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A hand scooping a bite of panna cotta off of a dessert plate

Grab These Ingredients

You’ll only need four base ingredients for this vegan panna cotta recipe (jump to the recipe card for all the exact measurements)!

Coconut Milk: Full-fat coconut milk will form the bulk of the panna cotta base. We’ll boil it to achieve a nice, thickened texture.
Sugar: To give this dish a sweet kick, we’ll use some good ol’ sugar!
Powdered Agar Agar: Agar agar is tasteless and works wonderfully in place of gelatin here! This gelling agent gives the dessert its jelly-like texture. (This is the agar I used!)
Vanilla Bean: Vanilla bean paste from whole vanilla beans adds a sweet, creamy flavor to this dish. You could also use store-bought vanilla paste or extract!

Making Vegan Panna Cotta Is So Easy

Panna cotta has a reputation for being a high-maintenance dessert. But the truth is, with easy-to-follow instructions, this vegan version is quite simple! (This is just an overview! Jump to the recipe for full printable instructions.)

Simmer everything together to activate the agar powder (I also like to throw the scraped pod in to really infuse it with max flavor! Just fish it out before pouring it into molds.)
Cool the mixture in the fridge in 6 small bowls or ramekins.
Serve your vegan panna cotta by inverting them onto plates. Top with the raspberry topping, and enjoy!

Or Make It With Dairy

You can also make a vegetarian panna cotta with cow’s milk and agar agar! Use 2.5 cups simmered heavy cream, then mix in agar and continue boiling for 3 minutes (to activate). Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Pouring vegan panna cotta mixture into a glass. — The agar agar needs to reach about 185°F to activate, so be sure to let it come to a good simmer.

Dropping a spoonful of raspberry topping onto a serving of panna cotta in a cup — Let the bowls cool in the fridge until set, which takes about 1 hour.

Try These flavors!

Panna cotta comes in a ton of flavors and variations. We used raspberries for this recipe, but here are some additional ideas for you to try out!

Berries: Not to sound biased, but raspberries (or any berries for that matter) taste absolutely fantastic with vegan panna cotta. You could also try strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries! Whatever you choose, follow the directions as laid out in the recipe card.

Mango: For a mango panna cotta dessert (YUM!), use one cup of mango (either fresh or frozen) with the lemon and sugar and cook as listed above (skip the water). Feel free to puree before cooking for a smoother texture.

Chocolate: For a classic chocolate vegan panna cotta, melt 3 oz (½ cup) of dark chocolate, then whisk it into the coconut mixture after cooking.

Lemon: Lemon is a perfect summery option! After cooking the coconut mixture, remove from heat and add 3 tbsp lemon juice and the grated zest from 2 lemons. Do not include the vanilla bean.

Recipe Improved!

This recipe, which was originally published in 2019, has been improved to fix the over-firm issue that many have commented on. Thank you, everyone, for your input—this community wouldn’t be the same without you!

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Vegan Panna Cotta (4 Ingredients)

4.90 from 37 ratings

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Cool Time: 1

Total: 1 15

Servings: half cup servings

It may look fancy and complex, but this festive, four-ingredient dessert is surprisingly easy to make (and will have everyone coming back for seconds!).

Ingredients

Panna Cotta

▢ 2 14-oz cans coconut milk, 400 mL each
▢ ¼ cup sugar
▢ 1 tsp agar agar powder
▢ 1 vanilla bean

Berry Topping

▢ 2 cups strawberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen
▢ 2 Tbsp sugar
▢ 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 15 mL
▢ ½ cup water, 120 mL

Instructions

Boil: Add 2 14-oz cans coconut milk, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp agar agar powder to a medium saucepan. Cut 1 vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and use the back of your knife to scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and scraped pod to the mixture.
Set over medium/high heat. Bring to a simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking often and watching to ensure it doesn't spill over.
Cool: Remove vanilla pod from the pot. Pour mixture into 6 individual serving bowls or ramekins (you may choose to lightly grease them if you want to pop the panna cotta out of the bowls for serving). Set in the fridge to cool until set, at least 1 hour.
Topping: Meanwhile, add 2 cups strawberries or raspberries, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ cup water to a medium saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the berries have broken down and the mixture has thickened some.
Serve: Optionally invert the panna cotta onto plates or serve in the bowls/ramekins. Top with berry topping.

Notes

Berry: Replace the raspberries with your favorite berry and cook the same way.

Mango: Use 1 cup of mango (fresh or frozen), along with the lemon, sugar listed above (not water). Optionally, puree before cooking for a smoother texture.

Chocolate: Melt 3 oz (½ cup) dark chocolate, then whisk into the coconut mixture after cooking.

Lemon: After cooking the coconut mixture, remove from heat and add 3 Tbsp lemon juice and the grated zest from 2 lemons (no vanilla bean).

Strawberry: You can either do a simple strawberry topping by replacing the raspberries, or incorporate strawberries into the panna cotta itself. For the latter, omit ½ cup of coconut milk. After cooking the coconut mixture, whisk in ½ cup pureed strawberries.

To make vegetarian panna cotta with cow’s milk: Use 2 ½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup milk, and the same sugar, agar, and vanilla amounts as above. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, then add agar agar and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in all remaining ingredients, then pour into ramekins and cool as instructed above!

Nutrition

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!