You won't believe how easy this elegant Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce is to make!
I have been preaching the virtues of panna cotta for a very long time now. It's such a sophisticated dessert that requires very little effort - how can you not make it over and over? There are fresh raspberries everywhere at our local farmer's markets right now and I knew that this Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce was getting made before I'd even made it back home.
Because this Lemon Panna Cotta has so few ingredients, you'll want to be sure that you use the best you can get. I bought fresh cream and raspberries from the farmer's market and it made this easy dessert even more delicious! I also cut down on calories by using zero-calorie Truvia® Natural Sweetener - besides, who needs the added sugar? (I use their packets for my coffee, too; anytime I can cut down on sugar and calories it's a good thing)!
To get the diagonal presentation as you see in the photo, I used a silicone bundt cake pan, set the dishes inside it so they're slightly tilted yet snug (use anything you have around the house; I've used a muffin tin with small dessert dishes). Place in the refrigerator and carefully pour lemon panna cotta mixture into the dishes. Once firm, cover dishes with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
I've made a lot of different panna cotta recipes over the years. This Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce is a definite favorite; my other favorite is my Panna Cotta with Fresh Peaches and Grand Marnier. So simple, delicious and gorgeous! And there are so many ways you can serve your Lemon Panna Cotta...here are some examples for you!
More delicious Panna Cotta recipes:
- Panna Cotta with Summer Peaches & Grand Marnier
- 2-Ingredient Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries
- Christmas Raspberry Panna Cotta
Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce
The serving sizes are entirely up to you and dependent on the size of your dishes. It will make four large desserts or 8-12 small desserts - use whatever size you have according to the number of guests.
Ingredients
For the panna cotta
- 4 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise & seeds scraped from pod (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
- 2 packets plain powdered gelatin
- 6 tablespoons cold water
- zest from one lemon
For the raspberry sauce
- 2 pints fresh raspberries
- ½ granulated cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Instructions
For the Panna Cotta
- Heat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a let stand at least 5 minutes.
- Stir the gelatin into the warm cream mixture until it’s completely dissolved. Stir in lemon zest.
- Pour into dessert molds or dishes, cover lightly and chill until very firm. I usually do mine first thing in the morning and leave it all day or do it the night before (a few hours should be good, however).
For the Raspberry Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, crush raspberries. Add the sugar and water. Heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Add corn starch and boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and CAREFULLY pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Stir in Grand Marnier. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
- Pour raspberry sauce over panna cotta and serve. Garnish with a mint leaf and a few fresh raspberries, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 555Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 5gSugar: 32gProtein: 6g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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Catherine says
Is the raspberry sauce suppose to be runny?
Kristy Bernardo says
It's not thick but I wouldn't say it's runny either.
Rose says
How many servings does this Panna cotta recipe make? I need to make 10-12 servings for a dinner party.
Kristy says
You can use smaller dishes to make that many servings.
Pierre Rigaud says
What if we want to put the raspberry sauce at the bottom of the glass instead? Should we prepare the Panna Cotta in a different glass and then pour over the sauce? Or can we pour it on top while it's still hot and let the mixture chill? Thanks for the great recipe!
Kristy says
Hi Pierre, if you want the sauce on top, you could chill the panna cotta in molds then place it on plates and top with the sauce. I don't think you can put the sauce in first, then the panna cotta on top to chill. I could be wrong but I believe it would mix together (which, who knows, it could turn out delicious)! I have another panna cotta recipe you can search for if you'd like to see what it might look like inverted onto a plate (panna cotta with peaches and Grand Marnier). Hope that helps! Cheers 🙂
Missy says
You mentioned you have made this in mini dishes that gave you about 24... I was planning on doing this and using shot glasses and filling them about half way. Were your mini dishes about the size of a shot glass? Trying to decide if I need to double or triple the recipe. Thanks!
Kristy says
It's been so long since I made this and I no longer have those glasses. But if memory serves, they were slightly bigger than a shot glass (maybe even 2x the size)? So I do think you'd have plenty if that's what you choose to do.
Jess says
I made these and they were great except for all of the lemon zest settles to the bottom of the cup and your last couple bites are pure zest. Any suggestions on a fix for this?
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Jess! That's unusual, it's never happened to me. Did you use a microplane zester so the zest is very fine? I'm just trying to think of reasons it would have done that.
Kayley says
This looks great! How many does this make? And do you have to use the grand mariner is the raspberry syrup?
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Kayley! It really depends on the size dish that you use. I have some mini-dishes that will make about 24 servings if I use those! Eight servings will give a nice-sized dessert though. And you can leave out the Grand Marnier if you prefer! Enjoy and Happy Holidays 🙂
Mary says
Hi Kristy, I too have been a fan of panna cotta for a long time and I make a similar one with a strained raspberry sauce. Mine is vegetarian (with an alternative for the gelatin). I love the presentation you've achieved here with the tilted layer and the white, red and green colors. I'll have to play with getting a tilt like that! The container you used looks like one of those wine glasses without a stem (though likely it is smaller than those).
Kristy Bernardo says
Mary - it is a glass very similar to those. Thank you and I'd love to see your presentation, too!
Sara says
How much agar did you put??
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Sara, there is no agar in this recipe.
Mary Frances says
Yum!! I wouldn't have expected this to be so easy to make. And raspberries! 🙂
Kristy Bernardo says
Raspberries make everything better!
Laura says
For some inexplicable reason I never thought I liked panna cotta. Despite having barely tried any--I have no idea what I was thinking! Anyway, we ate it a lot in Italy and I am more determined than ever to try making it! Love the lemon here! Pinned!
Kristy Bernardo says
You definitely need to give it a try at home, Laura! Thanks so much 🙂
Barrett of dirty laundry kitchen says
I love panna cotta and the pictures are so beautiful that it makes me want to make this one asap. Thanks for sharing.
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Barrett!
Christine from Cook the Story says
When a dessert is this easy to make and it's so gorgeous, there's no way that I can resist.
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Christine 🙂
Jessica says
Lovely! They look so delicious!
Kristy Bernardo says
Thank you, Jessica!
Kristina says
SO FUN, Kristy - raspberries are my favorite, these sound incredible!
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks so much, Kristina!!
Ali from Home and Plate says
I am a huge fan of panna cotta and this recipe and the pictures look delicious. I will definitely be making this soon.
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Ali!
Rachel says
What a beautiful looking dessert! I'm going to keep the idea for this recipe tucked away because where I live raspberry season is about to begin.
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Rachel!
Des-Life's Ambrosia says
So panna cotta just sounds hard to make so I've always shied away from it. Who knew it was so easy?! This looks fabulous!
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Des!
Kiano says
I've never baked with sweeteners other than sugar. Is the difference in taste that noticeable when used in desserts?
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Kiano, there's no difference in taste AT ALL. I've never been a fan of artificial sweeteners but Truvia is made from the Stevia plant and it tastes just like regular sugar. My mom is diabetic and she loves using it in her cooking and baking, too.
Jean Layton says
This will be perfect for my diabetic patients! Thanks for the inspiration.
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks fantastic, Jean! I'm so glad 🙂