If you forgot dessert and need to whip something up quickly before your dinner guests arrive, coffee panna cotta might just be the dessert to make.
Or if you’re craving a mid afternoon treat that’s small but satisfying, coffee panna cotta also might just be it.
All you need is just a handful of ingredients and the stovetop.
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And even though you’ll need to leave it in the fridge, you’ll only need about an hour or so.
Your coffee panna cotta will be ready in the time it takes to have dinner and your guests will be treated to a simple, creamy and flavorful dessert.
What is panna cotta?
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert. It translates to cooked cream.
You need just three basic ingredients to make it – heavy cream, sugar and gelatin.
Put these ingredients over the stovetop to combine, distribute the mixture into containers and leave it in the fridge for about an hour or until it becomes firm.
That’s it! It’s so easy to make and the possibilities for flavoring it are endless.
You can top it with fruit or chocolate. And for ours, we combined coffee in two ways (which we’ll go into detail below) with the heavy cream for a delicious coffee panna cotta.
Coffee Panna Cotta Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee or ¼ cup espresso
Coffee
There are two ways you can add coffee to your coffee panna cotta.
One easy way is with instant coffee.
This is the easiest and fastest method because instant coffee can dissolve directly in the heavy cream and it isn’t necessary to use any additional tools to brew the coffee.
Use your favorite instant coffee. We like using Nescafe Clasico when we make coffee flavored desserts. It’s a bold, dark roast that’s also available in a decaf version, if you prefer making this dessert with a decaf coffee.
The second method is with espresso or a strong coffee. This is the option to use if you have time to brew coffee or if you don’t have or just don’t like using instant coffee.
Espresso is made with an espresso machine. Hot water is pressurized through tightly packed coffee ground, resulting in a highly concentrated coffee. So adding espresso will ensure you can taste the coffee in your panna cotta.
If you don’t have an espresso machine at home, you can use a stovetop moka pot. And if you don’t have a moka pot, you can also attempt to brew a concentrated coffee with a French press. Choose the espresso method for your coffee panna cotta if you want to pick the coffee beans you use and prefer to use fresh coffee.
I’ve also attempted (and prefer!) this recipe with a cold brew coffee concentrate made with Illy Intenso whole beans.
In the photos, this is the lighter brown panna cotta. I also mixed both the instant coffee and the cold brew coffee concentrate in one panna cotta container for a swirl design.
Heavy cream
I prefer using heavy cream but you can also use heavy whipping cream. The difference is in the amount of fat, making whipping cream slightly lighter. Heavy cream has 36% fat versus around 30% in heavy whipping cream.
Gelatin
I used powdered gelatin, which you’ll need to bloom before using in this recipe.
This means you’ll need to add water to the powdered gelatin and let it sit for a few minutes until it softens and absorbs the liquid. This allows the gelatin to dissolve evenly when we add it to the stovetop with our other ingredients.
How to Make Coffee Panna Cotta
Step 1
If using espresso, brew the coffee with your espresso machine or stovetop moka pot.
Step 2
Bloom gelatin. Add enough water to just cover the gelatin. Stir and let it dissolve.
Step 3
Put heavy cream, sugar and instant coffee (or espresso) over the stovetop on low heat. Stir in gelatin when sugar and instant coffee are dissolved.
When the cream starts to simmer, turn off the heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Step 4
Divide cream amongst containers you plan to serve the panna cotta in. Refrigerate for one hour.
Step 5
Eat directly out of the container or top with cream and chocolate chips.
We used a milk frother to froth heavy cream.
Coffee Panna Cotta Recipe
Coffee Panna Cotta
If you’re craving a mid afternoon treat that’s small but satisfying, coffee panna cotta might just be it.
Materials
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee or ¼ cup espresso
Instructions
1. If using espresso, brew the coffee with your espresso machine or stovetop moka pot.
2. Bloom gelatin. Add enough water to just cover the gelatin. Stir and let it dissolve.
3. Put heavy cream, sugar and instant coffee (or espresso) over the stovetop on low heat. Stir in gelatin when sugar and instant coffee are dissolved.
When the cream starts to simmer, turn off the heat and stir in vanilla extract.
4. Divide cream amongst containers you plan to serve the panna cotta in. Refrigerate for one hour.
Eat directly out of the container or top with cream and chocolate chips. We used a milk frother to froth heavy cream.
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