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Home ► Recipes ► Best

Creamiest Panna Cotta (No Gelatin)

Updated: 05.25.25 | Marc Matsumoto | 47 Comments

4.76 from 25 votes
Although it only has four simple ingredients (hint, there's no gelatin) this ultra-creamy Panna Cotta melts in your mouth like butter. It’s the best way I’ve found for making this popular Northern Italian dessert.
Recipe
The creamiest Panna Cotta recipe ever. Using egg whites instead of gelatin, gives this Italian classic a buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture.

History of Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta literally means “cream cooked” in Italian, and although it’s often positioned as a traditional Northern Italian dessert, all evidence points to a rather short history. The first mentions of the dish didn’t start appearing in Italian cookbooks until the 1960’s. Although its exact origins remain murky, it’s likely that this gelatin free panna cotta evolved from other egg and cream based custards widespread across Europe.

Jump to:
  • History of Panna Cotta
  • Panna Cotta - Custard or Gelatin?
  • Best Cream for Panna Cotta
  • Sugar
  • Best Vanilla
  • Caramel Sauce
  • Other Custard Desserts
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Panna Cotta - Custard or Gelatin?

Although Panna Cotta is generally set with gelatin, it’s always struck me as odd that despite the name implying that the dessert is cooked, it’s not (the cream is just heated to melt the gelatin).

A few weeks ago, I had a delightful lunch cooked by a chef trained in Northern Italy. He insisted the proper way to make Panna Cotta was without gelatin, and it was indeed the best version of this decadent dessert I’ve ever had.

This creamy panna cotta melts in your mouth like butter.

For all it’s magical gelling powers, gelatin has two big weaknesses. The first is that it can be a bit finicky to work with; heat, acidity, and sugar content can all affect how well gelatin sets (or doesn’t set). Making matters worse is the fact that there are so many different types of gelatin, it’s hard to say just how much of any one type to add. That’s why most recipes call for way more gelatin than needed, which makes the custard hard.

The other problem is that gelatin literally stinks. High grade gelatins take measures to mitigate the smell, but the majority of commercial gelatin tastes like the skin and hooves it’s made from; not a flattering taste for this delicate dessert.

Ultra-creamy panna cotta recipe which gives this Italian classic the texture of soft butter.

Using egg to set the Panna Cotta solves these problems, by using barely enough egg to set it. The resulting custard is silky smooth with a texture that's like warm butter (it melts on contact with your warm mouth). Eggs themselves can have a sulphuric odor to them, but by using just the egg whites, you’re not only able to keep the custard snow white, but it also doesn’t taste eggy.

Air bubbles will ruin the texture of your no gelatin Panna Cotta, so the tricky part is beating the custard mixture enough to ensure the egg whites are evenly distributed, but not so vigorously that you whisk it into a foam. I've found a few pulses of a hand blender fully submerged in the custard mixture works best. Then I pass the mixture through a fine mesh tea strainer or sieve to remove any bubbles that do develop.

Best Cream for Panna Cotta

For me, what sets Panna Cotta apart from other custard-like desserts is that it's first and foremost about the cream. That's why I like using cream with the highest butterfat content available. Here in Japan, we have cream with 42% butterfat. In the US "Heavy Cream" is supposed to have at least 38% fat so that would be your best bet. Cream from a local dairy with no additives or emulsifiers will work best.

Sugar

I use granulated white sugar in the no gelatin panna cotta itself; this keeps the color a creamy white. If you don't mind a bit of color in your custard, evaporated cane sugar can be substituted.

Best Vanilla

I prefer the flavor of Tahitian Vanilla in this panna cotta without gelatin recipe, and I have a recipe for making your own Vanilla Extract. A word of warning, though; once you start making your own you may never be able to use store-bought extract again. The good news is that it's a fairly simple process.

Caramel Sauce

While I love a tangy sweet fruit coulis to go with this rich baked panna cotta, there's something magical about adding a layer of almost-burnt caramel to the bottom of ramekins and watching the hard candy turn to liquid gold by the time you unmold it. If you go the fruit topping route, skip the caramel and serve the custard in the ramekin topped with your favorite fruit sauce.

Stages for caramelization of sugar.

The trick with the caramel is to get it as dark as you without making it bitter. This is easier said than done, as carry-over cooking will make the caramel continue to rise in temperature even after you've removed it from the heat. The best solution for this is to add a small amount of water to the caramel when it's reached the perfect color, which quickly lowers the temperature.

Other Custard Desserts

  • Burnt Basque Cheesecake
  • Vegan Vanilla Panna Cotta
  • Meyer Lemon Curd
  • Best Chocolate Pudding
  • Molten Chocolate Omelette
  • Crustless Milk and Cardamom "Pumpkin Pie"


📖 Recipe

The creamiest Panna Cotta recipe ever. Using egg whites instead of gelatin, gives this Italian classic a buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Creamiest Panna Cotta

4.76 from 25 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Yield 6 servings

Equipment

Instant Read Thermometer

Units

Ingredients 

For caramel

  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 115 grams evaporated cane sugar (about ½ cup)
  • 2 tablespoons water

For Panna Cotta

  • 1 ⅔ cup heavy cream (I used 42% butterfat)
  • 75 grams granulated sugar (about ⅓ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cups egg whites (about 3-4 eggs)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 280 degrees F (140 C).
  • Prepare a tray with 6 six ounce ramekins.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of water to a saucepan with a lid and then add the sugar into the middle of the pot. Cover with a lid and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil with the lid on until the sugar dissolves completely. 
    A pot with a lid filled with boiling sugar for making caramel for panna cotta.
  • Once the sugar has melted remove the lid and and start measuring the temperature. You can stir it at this point if you need to. 
  • When the caramel reaches a medium brown color (350 degrees F), remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly and carefully pour 2 tablespoons of room temperature water into it, whisking to combine. Be very careful as the hot caramel will sputter.
    Cooling caramelized sugar with water for making panna cotta.
  • Divide the caramel between the ramekins.
    Caramel in the bottom of ramekins for making panna cotta.
  • Boil some water
  • To prepare the custard, put the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a pot and heat, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved (don't let the mixture boil). Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to lukewarm. You can use an ice bath to speed this up.
    Melting sugar in cream and vanilla in a stainless steel pot for making panna cotta.
  • While you're waiting for the cream to cool, measure out the egg whites into a tall liquid measuring cup. If you don't have one, you can use any tall container your hand blender will fit in.
    Egg whites in a glass measuring cup for making panna cotta.
  • Once the cream has cooled, pour the cream mixture into the egg whites. Stick the hand blender in the mixture and swish it around a bit without turning it on to remove any air trapped near the blades. With the blender fully submerged, pulse until the mixture is homogeneous. The idea is to mix evenly without incorporating any air.
    Cream and eggwhite mixture being mixed with a hand blender for making gelatin-less panna cotta.
  • Divide the Panna Cotta custard between the ramekins and pour boiling water into the tray halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
    Panna cotta filled ramekins in a hot water bath.
  • Carefully put the tray into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard has reached 163 degrees F (73 C).
    Panna cotta in white ramekins after they have been baked in the oven.
  • Let the ramekins cool, cover and refrigerate until set.
  • Run a hot paring knife or needle around the edge of the ramekin to separate and then unmold the Panna Cotta onto a plate. Garnish with strawberries, or other berries.
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Nutrition Facts

Calories • 366kcalCarbohydrates • 33gProtein • 4gFat • 24gSaturated Fat • 15gCholesterol • 90mgSodium • 70mgPotassium • 93mgSugar • 31gVitamin A • 970IUVitamin C • 0.4mgCalcium • 45mg

Comments

    4.76 from 25 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. yolo says

    January 16, 2025 at 8:45 am

    5 stars
    it is very soft a fluffy and simple to make

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      January 16, 2025 at 10:38 pm

      Thanks! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Harleen Khaira says

    November 10, 2024 at 6:06 am

    Help! The middle bit is still wet on three of them. Can I save them or did I not bake them long enough so now they’ll remain this way?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 10, 2024 at 9:53 am

      Hi Harleen when you say "wet" do you mean they're runny? If so they're probably undercooked. You could try and save them by covering them with foil and putting them in a steamer on the stove to finish cooking them. If you mean they're just soft this is normal and they will set up some more when you chill them.

      Reply
  3. Don Wilson says

    October 14, 2024 at 8:33 am

    5 stars
    I am so happy to have found this. We just got back from spending a couple of weeks in the Northern Italian countryside and one of our best desserts was a panda cotta that did not use gelatin. They told us the ingredients, but said theirs had one secret ingredient they wouldn't give up... Oh well. Looking forward to making this right away. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      October 16, 2024 at 3:41 pm

      I hope you enjoy it Don!

      Reply
    • Harleen Khaira says

      November 07, 2024 at 3:27 am

      Did you have it at Trattoria zaza in FLorence?

      Reply
  4. RedCloudLove says

    February 23, 2024 at 4:26 pm

    Oh, man, I am so grateful to have found this after hunting the grocery store for gelatin to no avail. I should have known Marc Matsumoto had written this recipe and saved my life!! Thank you, this is delectable

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      March 02, 2024 at 5:21 pm

      I'm happy to hear this was helpful!

      Reply
  5. Fabio says

    November 28, 2023 at 9:51 pm

    Perfect traditional recipe as is used in Piemonte! Great results.
    Marc, what do you think about using a mix of whole milk and heavy cream instead of just heavy cream?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 29, 2023 at 12:12 am

      Thanks Fabio! Using a mix of milk and cream would make it lighter. It's not necessarily a bad thing if you want something healthier or more refreshing. It shouldn't have much effect on how the recipe works.

      Reply
  6. Matt says

    November 18, 2023 at 12:39 pm

    This is literally the recipe for a crème caramel, not a panna cotta. If you use heavy cream rather than cream and milk, thicken with eggs rather than gelatin, and add caramel, it’s crème caramel.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      November 18, 2023 at 10:04 pm

      Hi Matt, Piemonte is quite close to France so the similarity is not too surprising. Please read the headnotes.

      Reply
    • Kathy Stroup says

      November 19, 2023 at 2:55 am

      If you prefer gelatin in your panna cotta, I suppose this isn't going to be "panna cotta" to you. Nevertheless, this is a recipe for an authentic Panna Cotta. And most dishes are claimed by multiple cultures in the region they come from. Not a surprise.

      Reply
      • Adam says

        January 01, 2025 at 9:25 pm

        5 stars
        Very delicious recipe! The first time I made it, I cooked the panna cotta in the oven too long which resulted in a sulfurous smell.
        A question regarding the correct temperature: do you use a infrared thermometer or a thermometer with a probe to measure the mentioned 163 F?

        Reply
        • Marc Matsumoto says

          January 01, 2025 at 9:49 pm

          I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! An infrared thermometer only measures the surface temperature. For most baked goods you're going to want to know the internal temperature for which you'll need to use a probe. I hope that helps!

          Reply
  7. TM says

    May 15, 2023 at 9:39 pm

    This may be the secret to the best-ever panna cotta I had in my entire life, at a fantastic restaurant in Vernazza on the Cinque Terra. The location definitely checks out.

    Every single panna cotta I've had since then - no matter how fine the restaurant - has been just a bit too much on the "rubbery" side in comparison. So I will be trying this - probably with sheep's milk and cream - and hoping for the best.

    But I feel certain this will be the closest to the sublime version I had in Italy - thank you!

    Reply
    • Marc says

      May 15, 2023 at 10:21 pm

      Hi TM, I'm happy to hear I was able to give you some ideas for pursuing your memory of the perfect panna cotta. I hope it's able to live up to your expectations!

      Reply
  8. Leticia Metallo says

    April 19, 2023 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe with egg whites, it's actually very Keto friendly. Never Gelatin
    I would love to see how using dark chocolate will keep the custard texture and
    be just as decadent. I'm wondering if the other ingredients would have to be
    adjusted.

    Ps: I put a single wrapped soft caramel on the bottom of the ramekin.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      April 20, 2023 at 10:51 am

      Hi Leticia, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this! Great call using premade caramel to speed things up. It might be a little difficult to incorporate melted chocolate into the custard, but you could add a high quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I also have a chocolate pudding recipe that uses a different process but is also very good: https://norecipes.com/best-chocolate-pudding/

      Reply
  9. Sammy says

    August 11, 2022 at 4:33 am

    5 stars
    I've made this panna cotta recipe 4 times, and while it tastes great, it has never fully set. Even after leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours, it does not set. I bake it for around 40 minutes, could it be that I need to bake it longer? I follow all the steps exactly as written.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      August 11, 2022 at 12:07 pm

      Hi Sammy, I'm sorry to hear you're having troubles with this. I could questions 1) Are you measuring out the egg yolks using a US 2/3 cup (eggs are various size so going by the number of eggs won't always work)? 2) After baking for 30-40 minutes, are you checking that the internal temperature of the custard has reached 163°F(73°C)? The thermostat on most ovens is off so it's possible your oven either needs to be set higher or the panna cotta needs to be cooked for more time.

      Reply
  10. Shantanu says

    April 19, 2022 at 2:27 am

    Marc

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I want to use sous vide for the cooking the panna cotta instead of the oven. What temperature do you recommend I set on the immersion circulator? I am guessing 163F (73C) since that's the temperature in your instructions. How much time would you recommend?

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      April 20, 2022 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Shantanu, that's a good question. I've never tried it, but most recipes for seem to call for setting the circulator for between 175-179F and cooking it for an hour. Using sous vide for custards always seemed like more work than it was worth so I usually just use a double boiler in an oven.

      Reply
  11. Liz says

    June 28, 2021 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    I love this recipe, and I've made it a few different ways. It is endlessly versatile. I made a baileys panna cotta by substituting 1/3 of a cup of baileys for 1/3 of a cup of cream. I poured salted caramel sauce (different recipe) into the bottom of small, clear jars and put them in the freezer for around 1 hour first, so that when poured the panna cotta mixture on top the caramel sauce would remain intact. They were BEAUTIFUL. Then I turned the same mixture into mango-coconut tarts by substituting half of the cream with a mixture of coconut milk and coconut cream (staying above 33% fat). I removed 3 tbsp of the cream mixture before adding the eggs and substituted back in 3 tbsp of pureed fresh mango and the mixture didn't curdle and was absolutely delicious. I poured this into a pre-baked hazelnut flour tart crust to bake and served topped with fresh mango and coconut flakes. What I've personally found with this recipe is that if you keep the fat at/above about 33%, maintain the ratios and are careful not to add too much acid (I only added 3 tbsp of mango puree but I'd be careful about adding say, berries...) you can use it for practically anything. Amazing!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      June 28, 2021 at 10:26 am

      Wow thanks for sharing all of your variations Liz, they sound amazing! If you want to make a creamy custard with more acid (i.e. raspberries, passionfruit, lemon, etc) check out this recipe: https://norecipes.com/yuzu-posset-recipe/ It's how I make the custard for my keylime pie as well.

      Reply
  12. Ken says

    February 02, 2021 at 2:59 am

    So basically flan.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 02, 2021 at 10:54 am

      Hi Ken, in Spanish speaking countries it's known as flan and in France, crème caramel. The difference with this is that it's made without milk so it is very rich, and it's also made without yolks, which gives it a lighter color and less eggy taste.

      Reply
  13. Gigi says

    September 10, 2020 at 11:53 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it is so good! The first time I ever had Panna cotta was at an upscale restaurant in nyc. I tried other recipes to try and recreate it and all they all failed the nail the texture. It took me way too long to find this recipe. I’m officially converted against gelatin.

    I don’t have an immersion blender so I vigorously whisked mine and strained it a couple of times to remove the bubbles. I also substituted the caramel sauce for a strawberry and fig purée. I think the Panna Cotta base would work well just just about any kind of topping you can imagine. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      September 10, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      Thanks Gigi, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this, thanks for dropping a comment to let me know. Strawberry fig purée sounds divine!

      Reply
  14. Saba says

    September 07, 2020 at 4:04 am

    5 stars
    I looked at other panna cotta recipes but they made no sense. Gelatin? Agar agar? No cook? There's no way those are close to authentic Italian panna cotta.

    I made this the other night. Topped half the batch with mango reduction, the other half with butterscotch. Oh. My. Gosh. We were not prepared! Velvety smooth. Rich. Elegant. Simple. Perfectly sweet. As my husband declared after licking his ramekin: YUM YUM!

    Follow the recipe guys! Measure out the ingredients. Chill in the fridge for the full 24 hours. Buy an immersion blender just for this dessert. I promise it's worth it!

    This is it. This is the recipe we needed in our lives. Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      September 08, 2020 at 12:04 am

      Hi Saba, thanks for the kind note, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this! This is one of my favorite desserts. Have a great week!

      Reply
  15. Liz says

    May 29, 2019 at 6:38 am

    Hi Marc,

    I made this for the second time yesterday. The first time it came out perfect and last night I felt like it was too eggy, like you could taste the cooked egg in it. Do you think that could be a cause of overwhipping or just a tad too much egg whites? Also, what's the best way to tell if they are cooked through because I don't have an instant-read thermometer. They were in for approx 34 minutes

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      May 29, 2019 at 8:42 am

      Hi Liz, it sounds like you may have overcooked it. Egg whites contain sulfur which is released when the eggs are heated to over 180 degrees F. Eyeballing that 18 degree margin is pretty tough, so I'd recommend getting a thermometer (you can get one for as little as $10 and they don't take up a lot of space). Also using time is not a reliable method as the thermostat on most ovens is not accurate, and even if they were, different ovens circulate air differently which results in varying cooking times. If you don't mind experimenting, you could try and lop off a few minutes every time you make this until it no longer smells eggy.

      Reply
  16. april says

    March 05, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    what a lovely, silky version of panna cotta. the berries make the composition beautiful – and delicious too, I’m sure. Last time I made panna cotta, it didn’t gel very well. I’ll try this recipe next time for sure.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      March 06, 2019 at 12:44 am

      Thanks April, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  17. Megan Potter says

    February 20, 2019 at 11:08 am

    Fabulous. Thanks for the tips. Made this last night, refrigerated it overnight and family are raving after dessert tonight. I used light cream instead (to try and be healthier!), and the result was still very tasty. Topped it with fruit and drizzled honey. Agree that using egg white alone does provide significant distinction from the taste of custard.

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 20, 2019 at 2:21 pm

      Hi Megan, I'm so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed it! Thanks from stopping back by to let me know!

      Reply
  18. phil hoyt says

    February 17, 2019 at 11:51 pm

    Has anyone flavoured the Panna Cotta with a fruit? If so how was this recipe modified?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 18, 2019 at 12:19 am

      Hi Phil, I don't recommend adding fruit directly to the custard as it will cause the cream to curdle. The best way to make a fruit Panna Cotta is to skip the caramel in this recipe, just make the custard in the ramekins. You won't be able to unmold them, but you can then pour on your favorite fruit puree onto the tops of the Panna Cotta such as this raspberry coulis: https://norecipes.com/raspberry-coulis/

      Reply
      • David Forbes says

        May 15, 2021 at 2:39 am

        5 stars
        I put some lemon zest in mine tasted great.

        Reply
        • Marc Matsumoto says

          May 16, 2021 at 11:20 am

          Great idea David! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

          Reply
  19. mazidah says

    February 13, 2019 at 12:00 pm

    I just imagine that the taste is something like caramel pudding

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 14, 2019 at 10:06 pm

      The taste is quite different as this does not include the yolks (which gives caramel pudding an eggy taste). The use of cream also makes it much richer (closer to a pot de creme than a creme caramel).

      Reply
  20. mazidah says

    February 13, 2019 at 11:59 am

    Panna Cotta is a bit the same as caramel pudding

    Reply
  21. Rashmee says

    January 05, 2019 at 1:18 am

    So basically panna cotta is caramel custard?

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      January 05, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Panna cotta is the custard. Caramel is an optional item. For instance, some panna cotta are topped with a fruit sauce, while others have no topping at all.

      Reply
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