The Best Panna Cotta Recipe: A Classic Italian Dessert
Panna cotta, literally translated as cooked cream, is a beloved classic Italian dessert. We’re about to share what we consider the best recipe out there. This simple, comforting dish is not only delicious but also very easy to make at home. Watch Foodie Sisters Benedetta and Valeria create their favorite traditional panna cotta recipe.
Why Panna Cotta?
With its sweet, creamy vanilla flavor and firm, pudding-like texture, panna cotta is a versatile dessert that can be easily made ahead of time and served straight from the fridge. Whether enjoyed on its own or decorated with fruit, chocolate, or caramel, panna cotta is sure to impress. In the latest episode of our Local Aromas video recipe series, Valeria and Benedetta show you how to recreate this mouth-watering dish using just a few simple ingredients and the tried-and-tested technique of celebrated Italian pastry chef Maurizio Santin.
Panna Cotta Recipe
Ingredients
- 300ml (10.1 fl oz) liquid heavy cream
- 150ml (5.1 fl oz) whole milk
- 150g (5.3 oz) sugar
- 150ml (5.1 fl oz) whipped cream
- 7g (0.25 oz) gelatin leaves
- 1 vanilla pod
Instructions
- Prepare the Cream Mixture: Pour the liquid cream and milk into a saucepan. Split open the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the pod to the pan. Add the sugar and cook on moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved, being careful not to let it boil.
- Soften the Gelatin: Place the gelatin in a bowl of cold water to soften.
- Dissolve the Gelatin: Once the sugar has completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatin and mix it into the hot liquid until it has dissolved.
- Cool the Mixture: Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature. Remove the vanilla pod.
- Incorporate the Whipped Cream: Whip the extra cream until it just begins to form soft peaks. Add it to the pan a little at a time, folding it in gently.
- Set the Panna Cotta: Pour the mixture into individual portions and place in the fridge to set for at least one night before serving.
Learn Real Italian Cooking in a Roman Home
If you love discovering authentic Italian kitchen secrets, imagine learning them in a real Roman home.
With Local Aromas, you cook alongside our wonderful local chefs in their own homes, using traditional techniques passed down through generations.
You will cook, laugh, and share stories around the table before sitting down together to enjoy the meal you created.
Make Italy Feel Like Home With the Local Aromas Family
If your heart beats a little faster when you cook Italian food… if setting the table feels like an act of love… then you belong with us.
Inside the Local Aromas Family, you are not just learning recipes. You are stepping into a community of people who share your passion for Italy, its flavors, and its way of life.
Casa means home in Italian. And that is exactly what this membership is designed to become for you. A place where Italy feels close, familiar, and part of your everyday life — right in your own kitchen.
With Casa, you cook alongside real Italians, learn traditions passed down through generations, and finally understand the why behind every ingredient and technique. At the same time, you connect with others who love Italy just as much as you do.
Through live cooking sessions, traditional recipes, food and wine deep dives, and heartfelt conversations, you do not just gain skills. You gain confidence, inspiration, and a sense of belonging.
Because Italy is not just a place.
It is a feeling.
And here, it feels like home. 🍝❤️