Jump to recipe

Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian dessert of sweetened cooked cream, stiffened with gelatin. So, making a version devoid of any cream might seem to be a bit of a cheat, but since my version still eats good, and dramatically cuts down on the fat and calories, I think most people won’t mind too much.

This recipe is for a Strawberry Panna Cotta, which comes in at just 77 calories per serving. I’ve also included a Chocolate Nut Crumble topping (41 calories) and a Blueberry Dust topping (12 calories), both of which are simple to make as well, and still keep the overall dessert in the zero-guilt range.

I believe recipes like this have an unnecessary reputation of being difficult to make. This one is not. It requires only one or two ingredients you probably don’t already have in your house right now, and takes fewer than 20 minutes. For an impressive looking, great tasting and low-calorie treat, it’s certainly worth a try, right?

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• pulp of one vanilla bean (optional)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Step 1: Strawberry Prep

The recipe really is quite simple, as long as you take it a step at a time. First, prep the strawberries.

Take a cup of ripe sliced fresh strawberries and put them in a food processor or blender, along with the tablespoon of maple syrup, and blend until you have a smooth puree.

Gently put the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds and set your strawberry coulis aside.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Step 2: Bloom the Gelatin

Once you have the strawberry coulis ready, bloom the gelatin. Take the 1 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin (it’s ok to be a little generous… so let’s call that 1 1/2 HEAPING teaspoons) and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix together and set aside. Let bloom for five minutes.

• 

• 

Step 3: Heat the Milk

With the strawberries ready, and the gelatin blooming, scrape open your vanilla bean and add the pulp along with the 1/3 cup of sugar to 1 cup of almond milk and heat in a small sauce pan over medium high heat.

If you don’t have a vanilla bean you can leave it out. You could also replace it with a teaspoon of either vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Either of these would work. If you can swing the real vanilla bean, however, that’s the way to go.

Bring just to a heavy simmer (don’t let it boil) stirring regularly until you feel that the sugar has dissolved. By the time your milk has heated and your sugar has been combined, your gelatin should be all set.

Turn the heat down to simmer and add the bloomed gelatin, stirring constantly until it is combined. It shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds to a minute. At that point, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Step 4: The “Cotta” Stand-In

Instead of that heavy cream in a traditional recipe, combine the buttermilk and Greek yogurt. Whisk until mixed well. Then add the strawberry coulis and whisk again until thoroughly combined.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Step 5: Everybody in the Pool

Finally, combine the almond milk and strawberry mixtures. Like any milk, you don’t want to heat buttermilk too quickly or it will split. Your almond milk should be slightly cooled at this point, but even so begin by pouring just a small amount into the strawberry mixture and whisk quickly. Continue adding the almond milk at a slow and steady pace while constantly whisking, in order to get a smooth Panna Cotta mixture.

This recipe makes eight 1/2 cup servings, which also fits nicely into 6 oz ramekins. Carefully pour the mixture into your ramekins and refrigerate overnight.

• 

• 

• 

Step 6: Plating

Assuming your Panna Cotta has fully set up (it should be wobbly when shaky but still have some spring when lightly touched) here’s my method for easily releasing it onto the plate.

First, fill a medium bowl with hot tap water. Then, carefully submerge the ramekin halfway into the hot water, careful not the let the water come up over the edge into the dessert, and twist it back and forth for the count of 10.

Next, remove it from the water and carefully run either a butter knife, a cake frosting tool…anything flat and thin, along the outer edge of the ramekin.

Put a plate over the top of the ramekin and flip it upside down. Tap the bottom of the ramekin, or give the plate and ramekin a good shake until you hear the tell-tale sound of the Panna Cotta hitting the plate. Carefully remove the ramekin and see if it worked. If not, keep trying! A bit more vigor is all it will take. Like anything else, it’s a skill, you’ll get better at it over time!

Topping #1: Chocolate Nut Crumble

The Strawberry Panna Cotta really can stand alone, however, it’s nice from a texture standpoint to have a contrast, so I’m including a pair of easy options. The first is this 41-calorie Chocolate Nut Crumble.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• 2 tablespoons ground brown flax seed
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons sliced unsalted almonds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Simple Mixture

This really is as simple as can be. Take all the ingredients and put them into a food processor and combine well.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a baking sheet with foil and cooking spray. Spread out the mixture and bake for 10 minutes until the edges begin to get a bit golden brown.

Because we did not add much moisture to this mixture (intentionally so) it will not hold together as a cookie or biscuit, but will still remain as a crumble/powder… but it will have combined/baked and smell delicious. Let cool and store in an air tight container until ready to serve. The serving size is 1 tablespoon per Panna Cotta.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Topping #2: Blueberry Dust

This Blueberry Dust is quicker (requires no baking) and lower calorie (just 12 calories per serving) and is a nice contrast to the above Chocolate Nut Crumble.

The ingredients are simple. For eight servings it’s simply 1/2 cup of freeze-dried blueberries and 2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar. Grind them in a food processor and that’s it. As above, it’s a 1 tablespoon serving.