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This Passion Fruit Panna Cotta is rich, custardy, and packed with intense tropical flavor. But they have a secret. They are completely free of eggs and dairy, making them nearly impossible to mess up, while being kinder to animals, the planet, and your body.
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Panna cotta, translating to "cooked cream" in Italian, is a classic dessert known for its silky texture and subtle sweetness. My rosewater blackberry vegan panna cotta, which I taught in my Vegan Italian Desserts cooking class, was so popular with students that I thought I would share this classic variation too.
When I first started working in restaurants more than 25 years ago, the pastry chef I worked with made non-vegan passion fruit panna cotta that I would (blush) more-than-occasionally steal out of the walk-in box. I mean, I tried to be a good boy, but his authentic Italian custards made that kind of impossible. Now my kids steal these out of our home fridge before they are even set up. Karma, I guess?
Ready to knock people clear outta their chair with how yummy this is? Let's dive into this simple yet elegant recipe that delivers a restaurant-quality dessert right to your darned dining table.
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🥰 Why You’ll Adore This Passion Fruit Panna Cotta Recipe
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all the vegan recipes I publish, every detail of the process has been fine-tuned through feedback from a dedicated team of hundreds of recipe testers of all skill levels from across the globe.
✌️ Made Without Sugar: This dessert is sweetened only with maple syrup. Or you can swap it out for agave, if you like.
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan dessert recipes, this panna cotta is made without animal-based ingredients. It just happens to be one of the best gluten-free vegan recipes that will please eaters of all sorts. No whole milk, no heavy cream, no gelatin powder, and no cholesterol at all!
😘 Easy and Fuss-Free: With less than 15 minutes of active prep time, these custards can be setting up while you put the rest of dinner together.
🍮 Passion Fruit Panna Cotta Ingredients
Frozen Passion Fruit Pieces
While you can totally make this with frozen passion fruit puree or pulp, just break it up with a few pulses in a blender or food processor, and then make sure it’s strained thoroughly through a fine sieve before using it so your sauce isn’t seedy. Otherwise, do what I do and get your hands on these ready-to-use passion fruit pieces, which also come in handy for making smoothies.
Coconut Milk
I recommend canned full-fat coconut milk in this recipe for the richest consistency. If you need to stay lower fat, you can use light coconut milk (reduced-fat). I don’t recommend using coconut cream because it’s so fatty that the fat may separate as the custards chill.
Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk
I use regular vegan milk to make the slurry that gets added to the cooking coconut milk. Because non-dairy milks vary so much in sweetness all around the world, using an unsweetened variety of oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk makes this recipe perform more consistently for everyone. If you have to use a sweetened milk, you may want to cut back a little on the maple syrup in the recipe.
Agar Agar
Agar agar powder is a fantastic plant-based alternative to gelatin, made from seaweed. It’s a popular ingredient in Asian desserts like Filipino sago’t gulaman and Malaysian bubur cha cha. If agar agar powder is not available, you can substitute it with agar agar flakes. Just be careful to work quickly and stir thoroughly so they fully dissolve in the custard base.
Vanilla
The little specks of vanilla bean are why I opt for vanilla powder in everything from my bomboloni to Filipino suman malagkit. Otherwise, you’re good to go with regular vanilla extract if you don’t care about missing out on the specks. Just promise me you will never use artificial vanilla, which smells like a gaggle of over-perfumed kids at a grade school dance.
Saffron Threads
I absolutely love cooking with saffron and use it in everything from my veg biryani to my vegan banana muffins. Here, they’re more for color than flavor. If needed, you can swap them out for a tiny pinch of turmeric—but like, tiny, ok? We aren’t going for Bart Simpson yellow here.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to Make Passion Fruit Panna Cotta
Nail this Italian dessert on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Sim Simmer, Who’s Got the Keys to My Bimmer?
Pour the canned coconut milk into a medium saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent it from scorching.
Step Two
Whisk-y Tango Foxtrot
In a separate bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk, maple syrup, agar agar powder, cornstarch, vanilla, saffron threads, and salt until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Step Three
Forest Clump? Eh, No
Gradually pour the whisked mixture into the simmering coconut milk, stirring constantly to avoid clumps. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens slightly.
Step Four
Set It and Forget It
Pour the panna cotta mixture evenly into serving glasses or molds, allowing it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, let the panna cotta set for at least 4 hours under refrigeration. If time allows, it sets up even better by the next day.
Step Five
The Passion Fruit of the Christ
In a small saucepan, combine the frozen passion fruit pulp, maple syrup, water, and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the passion fruit softens and the mixture simmers.
Step Six
Slurry, Slurry, Step Right Up
In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of water with the cornstarch to create a slurry.
Step Seven
License to Chill
Add it to the simmering passion fruit sauce and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes over medium heat until it thickens slightly.
Remove the sauce from heat and let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours, or overnight.
Step Eight
Serve the Panna Cotta!
Spoon the chilled passion fruit sauce over the set panna cottas. Garnish with fresh passion fruit seeds and mint leaves if desired, and serve immediately.
💡Serving Ideas
While these this passion fruit dessert can be perfect for a Valentine’s dinner, they are also bangin’ after a fully vegan Italian feast (as a lighter alternative to vegan tiramisu, of course)!
Spaghetti with vegan pasta sauce, or vegan bolognese with vegan meatballs? Thats something made only more complete with some silly-easy and lightening-fast vegan garlic bread. Or get all those flavors in one place by serving some vegan baked ziti instead, studded with my vegan Italian sausage, and vegan ricotta.
The panna cotta is a great option to follow Italian meals which can often be a little carb-heavy.
👉Top tips
- Make Sure the Agar Agar Dissolves
Agar agar must be fully dissolved to activate its gelling properties. Sprinkle the powder into the liquid while stirring, and maintain a gentle simmer for a few minutes to ensure complete dissolution. Incomplete dissolution can leave rubbery bits and prevent proper setting. - Allow Adequate Chilling Time
Refrigerate the panna cotta for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to ensure it sets properly. This waiting period allows the dessert to achieve its characteristic delicate wobble and creamy texture. - How to Tweak It
If all you can get is passion fruit juice, you can make that work too! Just whisk in a small amount of cornstarch slurry into the sauce as it cooks to thicken it.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Cover the panna cotta with little saucers (I am super against wasting “single-use” disposable plastic wrap as a matter of principle), or place it in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days to maintain its freshness.
Not really. Same as vegan creme brulee is, panna cotta is a lot less firm than baked custards. If you are looking for a dessert you can unmold like that, try making my Vietnamese banh flan or my vegan pumpkin flan instead.
✌️You'll love these vegan Italian desserts too
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Master the art of plant-based Italian pastry with Chef Adam Sobel in this super-fun cooking class!
Vegan Passion Fruit Panna Cotta
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta
- 400 ml. Coconut milk full-fat
- ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons lime juice or lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon agar agar powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract
- 6 threads saffron
- ½ teaspoon salt
Passionfuit Sauce
- 1 cup frozen passion fruit pieces
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Optional Garnishes:
- Fresh passion fruit
- Mint leaves
Instructions
For the Panna Cotta:
- In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk, lime juice, maple syrup, agar agar powder, cornstarch, vanilla powder or extract, saffron threads, and salt until fully combined and smooth.
- Gradually add the mixture from the bowl to the simmering coconut milk, stirring constantly to prevent clumping. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens slightly, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture evenly into serving glasses or molds. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.
For the Passion fruit Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, combine the frozen passion fruit pieces, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the passion fruit begins to break down and the mixture simmers.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water to create a slurry. Add this to the simmering sauce and stir continuously until it thickens slightly, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
To Serve:
- Once the panna cotta has set and the sauce has chilled, spoon the passion fruit sauce over each panna cotta. Garnish with fresh passion fruit and mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
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Randi says
So easy and good!
Kelly McLaughlin says
I love this dessert! It is so easy to make and the passionfruit topping is so tangy! Will definitely make again!