Quick Answer: This strawberry panna cotta is a silky, gelatin-set cream dessert topped with fresh macerated strawberries. It uses just six ingredients, needs no oven at all, and comes together with about 25 minutes of active time plus a minimum 6-hour chill. It is one of the easiest no bake desserts you can make ahead for a summer gathering.
Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well! So in this post, I am going to share one of my family favorites for summer desserts. This is a cool and creamy panna cotta with strawberry topping!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This No Bake Strawberry Panna Cotta
This dessert is incredibly easy to make, and the best part? It does not require the use of an oven! It is so cool and refreshing for the summer months. Plus, this is a great make-ahead dessert for you to prepare the night before or even up to two to three days in advance of serving. I love having it ready to go in the fridge!
If you love an easy, chilled, make-ahead summer dessert like this one, you are also going to fall for my No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake, another crowd-pleasing strawberry treat that needs zero oven time.
What You Will Need
Special Equipment
- Large mixing bowl or cup
- Medium saucepan
- Kitchen thermometer (optional, but helpful for checking the 120°F to 140°F temperature)
- Fine mesh strainer or colander
- 6 half cup serving jars, glasses, or ramekins
- Plastic wrap
The Ingredients for the Panna Cotta
- 3 tbsp cool water
- 1 packet (about 2 1/4 tsp or 7g) unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
The Ingredients for the Strawberry Topping
- 1 lb fresh strawberries (approx 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, optional to prevent oxidizing
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Let us Get Cooking!
1. Bloom the Gelatin
Take a large bowl or a cup, sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the cool water, and let it stand for about 5 minutes to soften. This allows the gelatin to bloom beautifully!
2. Heat the Cream (And My Secret Sugar Saving Hack!)
Take a saucepan and combine your heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and monk fruit sweetener. In order to reduce the amount of sugar we consume, what I love to use for this recipe is a monk fruit sweetener. It is very low in calories, and the beautiful thing about this one is it does not have a funny aftertaste at all! A quick note: some monk fruit sweetener blends include bulking agents like erythritol, which can add a few calories, so check your specific brand’s label if that matters to you. You can absolutely use regular granulated sugar or your favorite sugar substitute, but monk fruit works wonderfully here.
3. Simmer Gently (Do Not Ruin Your Fancy Glassware!)
Put the saucepan on medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer, making sure you stir the mixture and keep very close eyes on it so it does not boil over. You want the temperature to reach about 120°F to 140°F. You will know to turn off the heat when you see the first one or two bubbles forming on top. Do not let this mixture come to a full boil! Boiling after this point can weaken or deactivate the gelatin’s setting power once it is added, and your panna cotta may never fully set.
If you accidentally overheat your milk mixture, no problem! Just make sure you let it sit on the side for about 15 to 20 minutes until it cools down. Anything warmer than 140°F might actually end up damaging your fancy glassware when you pour it in later!
4. Mix in the Gelatin
Take the saucepan off the heat, add your bloomed gelatin mixture, and stir until everything is smooth and well mixed in.
5. Add Vanilla and Strain
Add your vanilla extract and stir to combine. While it cools, you might see a film form on top of the liquid. If you want to get rid of that, simply give it a stir or pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or colander to catch that film before you pour the mixture into your serving glasses.
6. Pour and Chill
Pour the milk mixture evenly into six half cup jars or glasses. Wrap the glasses individually (or place them all on a tray and cover the entire tray with plastic wrap) to prevent a film from forming on top in the fridge. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours to set.
While that chills, this is a great moment to plan your next no-bake project. My Woon Polamai Thai Fruit Jelly Cake is another beautiful, chilled, no-bake dessert that looks incredibly impressive for how simple it actually is.
7. Prepping the Strawberries
Cut the strawberries into bite sized pieces. You can do smaller or bigger, whichever you like! Add your sugar and give it a mix. Because I normally like to prepare my strawberry topping in advance, I add a quick squeeze of lemon juice to the berries and sugar. This prevents the strawberries from oxidizing overnight in the fridge. It is totally optional, but it keeps them looking beautiful!
8. Serve!
Just before serving, spoon as much or as little of the strawberry topping onto each panna cotta as you need, and add a piece of mint leaf on top for decoration. Dig in! I hope you will try this recipe to make and share with your friends and family. Take care everyone, and enjoy!
How to Store Strawberry Panna Cotta
- Unset base (make-ahead): Prepare the panna cotta base up to 2 to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to top and serve.
- Fully assembled: Once topped with strawberries, panna cotta is best enjoyed within 1 to 2 days for the freshest texture and topping.
- Strawberry topping separately: Store the strawberry topping in its own sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days, and only spoon it onto the panna cotta right before serving.
- Do not freeze: Freezing panna cotta changes its silky texture significantly once thawed and is not recommended.
If you like this recipe Explore more recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my panna cotta not setting?
So, if your dessert is still liquid after six hours in the fridge, it usually boils down to a couple of things. The most common is boiling the milk mixture after the gelatin has been added! If it gets too hot, the gelatin’s setting power gets deactivated. Also, make sure you do not skip blooming the gelatin in cool water first, otherwise it will not dissolve properly into the cream!
How do I make my panna cotta perfectly smooth without a film?
To keep everything beautifully silky, make sure you bloom the gelatin properly first. Then, once you have mixed everything together off the heat, pour the warm milk mixture through a colander or a fine mesh strainer. This catches any little bits of undissolved gelatin or that milky film that sometimes forms on top as it cools! Also, always cover your glasses with plastic wrap in the fridge so a skin does not form on top.
Can this dessert be made ahead of time?
Yes! Panna cotta is actually the ultimate make ahead dessert. It needs a minimum of 6 hours to set anyway, so I love making it the night before or even 2 to 3 days in advance. Just keep the strawberry topping in a separate container, and add that quick squeeze of lemon juice so your berries do not oxidize and get mushy overnight. Add the berries right before serving!
Is this recipe suitable for vegetarians?
This recipe as written is not vegetarian, since unflavored gelatin is derived from animal collagen. If you need a vegetarian or vegan version, agar agar is a common plant-based substitute, though it sets firmer and has different ratios and technique requirements than gelatin, so it would need its own tested conversion rather than a direct swap.
Can I make a strawberry sauce instead of chopped strawberry topping?
Absolutely! If you prefer a smoother strawberry sauce or coulis instead of the chopped topping, simply simmer the 1 pound of strawberries with the 1/4 cup sugar and a splash of water over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until softened and jammy. Blend or mash until smooth, then strain if you want it completely seedless. Cool completely before spooning over the set panna cotta.
Cool and Creamy Strawberry Panna Cotta (No Bake)
Course: DessertCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes10
minutes220
kcal60
hours60
hours25
minutesA silky, no-bake strawberry panna cotta topped with sweet fresh strawberries. Easy to make ahead of time, perfectly cool and creamy, and made with a lower sugar sweetener option.
Ingredients
- Equipment Needed:
Small bowl or cup
Medium saucepan
Kitchen thermometer, optional
Fine mesh strainer or colander
6 half-cup serving glasses or jars
- Ingredients:
- Panna Cotta Base
3 tbsp cool water
7g (1 packet) unflavored gelatin powder
360ml (1 1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream
120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
65g (1/3 cup) monk fruit sweetener or granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Strawberry Topping
450g (1 lb) fresh strawberries, chopped
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar or sweetener
1 tbsp lemon juice, optional
6 fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Directions
- In a small bowl or cup, sprinkle the gelatin powder over the cool water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to soften and bloom.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and monk fruit sweetener.
- Place on medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Once the temperature reaches 120°F to 140°F and you see the first bubble or two form on top, immediately turn off the heat. Do not let it come to a full boil, as this can deactivate the gelatin.
- Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved and smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla extract. If a film has formed on top, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or colander.
- Pour the liquid evenly into six half-cup serving glasses. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight, until set.
- To make the topping, chop the strawberries into bite-sized pieces. Toss with sugar and lemon juice. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Spoon the strawberry topping over the chilled panna cotta and garnish with a fresh mint leaf.
Notes
- Glassware Warning: If you accidentally overheat your milk mixture past 140°F, let it sit on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes before pouring. Pouring very hot liquid can crack or damage delicate serving glasses.
- Do Not Boil After Adding Gelatin: Boiling deactivates the gelatin’s ability to set. Turn off the heat the moment you see the first bubbles.
- Sweetener Swaps: Monk fruit sweetener is very low in calories with no aftertaste, but check your specific brand since some blends include bulking agents like erythritol. Regular granulated sugar works exactly the same in this recipe.
- Dietary Note: This recipe is not vegetarian or vegan since gelatin is animal-derived. Agar agar is a plant-based alternative but requires its own tested ratio and technique.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The base can be made up to 2 to 3 days in advance. Keep the strawberry topping separate and add it just before serving.
- Storage: Fully assembled panna cotta is best within 1 to 2 days. Do not freeze.
- Nutrition: Calories are estimated and will vary based on sweetener choice and topping amount.
