Espresso Panna Cotta Recipe with Chocolate Shavings

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This espresso panna cotta recipe is so easy to make with only a few basic ingredients. The hardest part of this simple recipe is waiting for the creamy dessert to set. If you are looking for an easy no bake dessert that your friends and family will love then this is the perfect dessert for you. 

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Espresso Panna Cotta Recipe Ingredients 

This coffee panna cotta only requires a few simple ingredients. You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder 
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 heaping tsp instant espresso powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• dark chocolate shavings

Measure out all of your ingredients before getting started to make the process easier. The chocolate shavings can wait until the espresso panna cotta is finished and set.

How to Make Espresso Classic Panna Cotta 

The key to making this classic Italian dessert is to take your time. These steps should not be rushed, or your efforts will be in vain. First, pour the milk into a small saucepan. 

Next, gently sprinkle gelatin onto the milk. 

Let the gelatin and milk sit for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom. You will notice a sort of pucker in the milk and gelatin mixture. 

After 5 minutes stir the milk and gelatin over medium heat. Continue stirring until the gelatin dissolves completely. Do not let this boil. (Appx 2-3 minutes)

Once the gelatin is dissolved add the cream to the saucepan. Do not substitute this. You need heavy cream and not a low fat substitute. It’s essential to the recipe.

Add the sugar. Caster sugar or granulated sugar works best. Caster sugar is a finer powder than granulated, but not as fine as confectioner sugar. 

Next, add the espresso powder, and salt to the mixture.

Reduce to low heat and stir the hot cream mixture until the sugar dissolves. (Appx 3 minutes)

Once fully dissolved you should have a creamy coffee lovers liquid. 

Pouring The Panna Cotta

Next, you will need to carefully pour the panna cotta mixture. We transfer the liquid to our milk frothing pitcher so that we can easily pour without making a mess. If you are confident in your pouring skills and can pour from the saucepan then go for it. Otherwise, transfer to something with a spout that you can easily pour with. 

Pour the cream mixture into individual dessert cups. We are using 6oz dessert cups. 

​Fill each cup about halfway to 3/4 of the way to start. 

This way you can make sure that the cups are filled evenly. Then go and top off each dessert cup until all are full.

Cover the panna cotta dessert cups with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4-6 hours. Ideally, leaving them in the refrigerator overnight is perfect to make sure that they are set.

For the first hour, take them out every 20 minutes and gently stir the creamy mixture. This helps to remove any air bubbles and reduce any chance of separation. 

Espresso Panna Cotta Coffee Desserts

The hardest part of this recipe is the wait. You may want to eat them before they are ready, but if you hold out they are worth the wait. Garnish the top of each panna cotta cup with dark chocolate shavings and enjoy. You can also drizzle the top of the panna cotta with coffee syrup if you’d like. 

If you are feeling fancy you can serve this espresso panna cotta in martini glasses if you don’t have small dessert cups. These 6oz dessert cups are pretty perfect for these and can be found here: Custard cups.

These Italian puddings are great desserts for dinner parties and are loved by the whole family.

The creamy texture and coffee flavor will impress your guests. 

After a delicious meal, sit back, relax, and serve this espresso panna cotta with a nice hot espresso. It’s the perfect way to complete a meal. This is sure to become one of your favorite dessert dishes.  

If you love trying different panna cotta recipes then you should check out this strawberry panna cotta made without gelatin, and this coffee jello with condensed milk recipe.

FAQs and Variations

You can always adjust a recipe to your own personal preference. Doing this may yield different results.

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