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round dish of Chocolate Panna Cotta (Coconut Milk) with berries
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5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Panna Cotta (Coconut Milk)

This Chocolate Panna Cotta (Coconut Milk) is creamy, smooth, and rich. It’s an easy make ahead dessert made with pantry staples.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Cooling Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 157kcal
Author: Beth Chen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Honey

  • 1 13.5 oz can Coconut Milk
  • 1 13.5 oz can Coconut Cream
  • 1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Use carob powder for AIP option, Cacao powder is a good substitute
  • 2 tablespoons Unflavored Gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract optional, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder for AIP option

Optional Toppings

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Chocolate Bar Non-dairy is preferred
  • Whipped Cream

Instructions

  • Whisk the coconut milk, cream, honey, and cocoa powder together in a saucepan over medium to low heat until hot but not boiling.
  • Slowly sprinkle the gelatin over the heated coconut milk mixture. Using a whisk, stir until completely combined. If you don’t, you’ll end up with gelatin lumps.
  • Once the gelatin has dissolved, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using. Pour the coconut mixture into casserole dish. Set aside in refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream, fruit or grated or chopped chocolate, then serve.

Video

Notes

  • If you prefer individual servings, pour chocolate mixture into 8 mason jars (ramekins, stemless wine glasses or small glasses).
  • To decorate the non-dairy panna cotta, arrange the blueberries and blackberries along to one side in the shape of a crescent moon. Cut a few blueberries in half to fill in the open spaces. To finish, take a vegetable peeler and peel off bits from the chocolate bar over the top of the Chocolate Panna Cotta (Coconut Milk).
  • This panna cotta is made with cocoa powder, but you can use carob powder for AIP option or cacao powder as a good substitute.
  • Make sure to use a high-quality unflavored gelatin
  • Make sure to use full fat, unsweetened, canned coconut milk and cream that is at least 60% coconut. You don’t want any added sweetener as you’re adding plenty of honey. Canned coconut milk and cream that is also mostly coconut is very important. If you use a watered-down coconut milk or cream the coconut panna cotta will separate. For the best results I recommend canned Aroy-D Coconut Milk and Savoy Coconut Cream.
  • To make vegan coconut panna cotta, replace the gelatin with 1 tablespoons of agar agar powder or flakes. And replace the honey with maple syrup. To dissolve agar, it needs to be boiled, so add it directly into the saucepan with the coconut milk, coconut cream, maple syrup, cocoa powder (step 1) and bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes before removing from the heat.
  • For dairy free milk chocolate try Hu or Enjoy Life. You can use Hu chocolate chips or bar but Enjoy Life only have chocolate chips. Hu uses coconut sugar which is always preferred over refined sugar.  
  • If you're not confident in your ability to dissolve the powdered gelatin, you can add it to a small bowl with about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and let it bloom before you begin the recipe.
  • Take care not to use bittersweet chocolate as a garnish. It doesn’t have much added sugar and is quite crumbly. It won’t grate easily nor will the flavor be complimentary to the dessert.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg