Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

This passion fruit panna cotta recipe is a perfect balance of sweet and tangy, with a smooth and creamy finish. Impress your dinner guests with this delicious treat that is guaranteed to swoon taste buds.

If you are in the mood for refreshing dessert, then try my Taho: Filipino Silken Tofu with Sago recipe, next!

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Of all the passion fruit dessert recipes I have tried, this passion fruit panna cotta is my absolute favorite. Not only is it easy to make, but the balance of sweet and tart flavors is a real treat. Once this goodness touches your tongue, it will be love at first spoonful.

What is Panna Cotta?

Panna cotta is an Italian eggless, cooked custard dessert. In its most basic form it is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and gets its custard consistency by the use of gelatin.

It’s typically topped with fresh fruit or fruit sauce, and some variations of panna cotta include chocolate, caramel, hazelnut and so much more! Panna cotta in Italian translates to “cooked cream” and is served chilled in a small ramekin, cup or removed from its mold and on a plate.

Why This Panna Cotta Recipe Works

• It’s easy to make – Who doesn’t love a no-bake, foolproof dessert?
• Can be made ahead – Up to 3 days ahead of when you plan to serve!
• It’s elegant and decadent – And no one would guess how easy it is to make!

Tools You’ll Need

• Saucepan
• Strainer
• 4 6-ounce ramekins
• Whisk
• Kitchen Thermometer

Can Panna Cotta Be Made Ahead of Time?

Absolutely? This gem of a dessert is my go-to when making dinner for a crowd as it can be made a day or two ahead of time.

Rather than think about the nailing the main course and dessert at the same time, I make this panna cotta the night before and top it with the passion fruit topping just before serving. Panna cotta can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Ingredients To Make Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

The best things about this recipe is that it only calls for six ingredients. Since the ingredients list is so minimal, it’s important to go for quality ingredients as most of the flavor comes from the milk and heavy cream. Trust me, you will be able to taste the difference. If you can, go for organic heavy cream and whole milk.

This recipe also calls for vanilla extract, so go for the good stuff. I use Nielson-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract and it makes all the difference. I have made vanilla bean passion fruit panna cotta and while the flavor is absolutely delicious, personally, I prefer to use vanilla extract as the seeds tend to sink to the bottom of the ramekin; more of an aesthetic detail than flavor flaw.

How Much Passion Fruit Do You Need?

To make the passion fruit sauce, you’ll need 5-9 passion fruits (depending on the size of each fruit) to yield ½ cup of juice. If you want to eliminate any guesswork, you can use frozen passionfruit packets. Just check the frozen section of your local grocer if you go this route.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Heavy Cream
• Whole Milk
• Sugar
• Gelatin – Unflavored
• Vanilla Extract
• Passionfruit juice

How to Make Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

What’s great about making panna cotta is that it is hard to mess it up. For all my no-bake dessert people, this recipe is perfect for you. As long as you follow these steps, you should end up with flawless results.

Some say that the trickiest part about perfecting panna cotta, is getting the right consistency. For this recipe, I use the perfect amount of gelatin to milk and cream ratio so that the panna cotta is solid but also has a slight jiggle to it, and the texture is soft enough to cut through with a spoon like butter.

Let’s get down to the how-to:

1. Add water to a small bowl and add gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow gelatin to hydrate.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add whole milk, cream, sugar, and pure vanilla extract. Bring mixture to a low simmer and stir to make sure sugar dissolves. This should only take 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Add hydrated gelatin to milk and cream mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Distribute mixture among 4 ramekins and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
5. 1½ hours before serving, begin making the sauce. Prepare a saucepan with strainer resting on top.
6. Strain passion fruit into a small saucepan and add sugar. Reserve 1 tablespoon passion fruit seeds and discard the rest. Add reserved seeds to the saucepan.
7. Bring passion fruit mixture to a simmer, then lower heat to medium low, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes until sauce slightly thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. When ready to serve, distribute sauce among the ramekins and serve.

How to Serve Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Not only is this dessert easy to make, but serving it requires very little prep.

Panna cotta can be served in stemless wine glasses or ramekins. You can get as fun and fancy with it as you please.

Depending on the occasion, sometimes I like to unmold panna cotta and present it on a plate–similar to the panna cotta pictured in this post. To do this, follow these steps just before serving:

1. Place panna cotta in a heat-proof bowl half-filled with boiling hot water for 5-7 seconds.
2. Remove the mold from the water and place a plate on top.
3. Keeping one hand on each end, flip and place on a flat surface.
4. Carefully remove the mold and top with passionfruit sauce. Bon appétit!

Tips and Tricks

• Since most of the flavor comes from the milk, cream and vanilla, go for quality ingredients.
• Be sure to refrigerate for at least 4 hours if making the same day.
• If opting to unmold panna cotta, place plate in freezer five minutes before unmolding.

Looking for More Tasty Eats?

• Pasta al Limone
• Mussels in Chipotle Cream Sauce
• Chimichurri Shrimp

Are You Loving This Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit?

It’s one of our favorite desserts, and for good reason! Leave a comment below and share your love for this recipe on Instagram and Pinterest. We love to see you get down in the kitchen. Happy eating!