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Silky smooth, creamy and with the perfect wobble this White Chocolate Panna Cotta is the easiest way to make an impressive yet effortless dessert. Serve this rich chocolately dessert with pomegranate or fresh berries!
Panna cotta is a classic Italian dessert famous for its creamy and silky smooth texture and of course the glorious wobble.
When it comes to make ahead desserts this white chocolate panna cotta is always on top of my list. It’s super luxurious, elegant and tastes incredible
And if you LOVE milk or dark chocolate too (who doesn’t) this rich and velvety dark chocolate panna cotta won’t disappoint!
Ingredients
See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need plus a note on some substitutions.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Milk – both half-fat (semi skimmed) and whole milk work well. Whole milk will give you a richer flavour.
- Heavy cream – must be full-fat, don’t use any light version of cream.
- White chocolate – use a good quality white chocolate
- Caster Sugar – granulated will also work well
- Vanilla bean paste – or use 1 vanilla bean
- Unflavoured powdered Gelatin – please note that there are different forms of gelatin that have different prep instructions so always read your packet instructions. The gelatin powder we use can be added straight to the milk and cream but you may need to bloom your gelatin first. You can also use gelatin leaves (sheets) that need soaked first.
How to Make White Chocolate Panna Cotta – Step By Step
See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe with our top tips can be found in the recipe card below.
- Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium sized saucepan (photo 1).
- Once boiling turn off the heat and add the white chocolate and sugar and stir until melted (photo 2-3).
- Once melted, add the gelatin and whisk to avoid any lumps until dissolved (photo 4).
- Pour the panna cotta into moulds or ramekins and leave to cool before putting them in the fridge. Leave them to chill for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to serve, bring the panna cottas out of the fridge and sit the moulds in a bowl of warm water (if serving in ramekins skip this step). Leave them for 1 minute then place on a serving plate and remove from the mould.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this decadent dessert with pomegranate for a pop of colour and freshness.
You could also serve it with any fresh berries you like according to the season.
It’s simple, easy and elegant perfect for dinner parties or date night!
More Italian desserts to try
Italian Desserts
Vanilla Panna Cotta (classic recipe)
Italian Desserts
Chocolate Panna Cotta
Italian Desserts
Chocolate Budino (Budino al Cioccolato)
Italian Desserts
Chocolate Semifreddo Recipe
If you’ve tried this White Chocolate Panna Cotta or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
White Chocolate Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup +1 tablespoon full fat milk, (8.5 fl oz/250ml)
- 1 cup +1 tablespoon heavy cream (double cream UK), (8.5 fl oz/250ml)
- 2/3 cup/3.5oz good quality white chocolate, (100g)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp caster sugar, (120g)
- 4 teaspoons gelatin powder, (12g)
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Put the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil (watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't over boil). Once boiling turn off the heat and add the sugar and white chocolate, stir until dissolved and melted.
- Once melted, add the gelatin and whisk any lumps until dissolved.
- Pour the panna cotta into mould or ramekins and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled place in the fridge for at least 6 hours.desired.
- When you’re ready to serve bring the panna cottas out of the fridge and sit the moulds in a bowl of warm water (if serving in ramekins skip this step).
- Leave them for 1 minute then place on a serving plate and remove from the mould. Serve with pomegranate or fresh berries.
Notes
- Gelatin forms – always check your packet instructions on how to prep your gelatin. The gelatin we use can be added straight to liquid but some powdered gelatin must be bloomed first. If using gelatin leaves (sheets) they usually need soaked first.
- Amount of gelatin – make sure you stick to the amount of gelatin in the recipe, if you add too much it’ll set too firm.
- If using gelatin leaves – You can replace the gelatin powder with 3 gelatin leaves.
- Moulds – I used pandoroshaped moulds but you can use any shape you like. You can also pour the panna cotta into ramekins and serve them as they are.
- Vanilla – I love using vanilla bean paste but you can use a whole vanilla bean instead. Scrape out all the vanilla and add it to the milk along with the whole bean then discard just before pouring the panna cotta into moulds.
- Storage – The panna cotta will last 3-5 days in the fridge and is great for prepping ahead of time.
- I don’t recommend freezing panna cotta.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried a white chocolate panna cotta at a restaurant and loved it. Wanted to try it at home. Unfortunately this recipe was a bust. There’s is a LOT of sugar here. Enough for double the recipe. And the gelatin…a mess! Against my better judgment I decided to follow the recipe and put gelatin directly into the milk + cream mixture instead of letting it bloom in a tsp of water like I usually do. But I thought hey, this person knows what they’re doing. Why add an extra step. Well, I skipped the blooming step and ended up adding 10 more steps to correct the mess that that created. The gelatin did NOT dissolve. It formed sticky clumps. I tried blending the whole mixture in my nutribullet. Did nothing. Clumps still there. When I tried to strain those out, the clumps clogged the strainer too and wouldn’t wash out. So…yeah. The strained out mixture is now sitting in my fridge. I don’t have high hopes
Hi Eeman, sorry for the confusion, I’ve just added to note to say follow the packet instructions of the gelatin you use as it can vary. The powdered gelatin we use can be added straight to liquid without blooming first although some brands do require that additional step. I hope it still worked out in the end! I make this dessert often and really love the sweetness of it and don’t feel it’s too but that’s down to personal preference.
Your directions miss the vanilla. When should it be put in?
Ah sorry about that I’ll amend that asap. Add the vanilla to the milk and cream before heating.
This is such a beautiful and impressive dessert to serve for the holidays. I love the flavor and splash of holiday color the pomegranates give to this dessert.