Creamy Vegan Lemon Panna Cotta
For a while now, I’ve been wanting to make a fresh lemon-flavored dessert. One day, while watching a YouTube video, the perfect idea came to me: a lemon panna cotta!
This vegan panna cotta is deliciously creamy, with the ideal texture and a divine citric touch! Inspired by a beautiful mango panna cotta from The Vegan Corner channel, which you can find on YouTube.
Here’s the step-by-step video of the recipe:
📝 The Ingredients
One of the great things about this recipe (despite it looking a bit complex) is that it doesn’t require many ingredients, and it’s pretty easy to make.
Here’s what you’ll need to bring the panna cotta to life:
- Granulated white sugar: sweetness is key, and this is where it all begins.
- Agar-agar powder: our vegan magic ingredient, making sure our panna cotta sets perfectly without any gelatin.
- Unsweetened soy yogurt: bringing in that creamy tanginess.
- Soy drink
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Vanilla flavor: a splash of aromatic magic.
- Lemon juice: the star of the show.
Now, let’s move on to the lemon glaze:
- Icing sugar
- More lemon juice: doubling down on that zesty kick!
And finally, for the pièce de résistance or last garnish:
- Lemon zest: for an extra zing and a pop of color that makes your panna cotta not just a treat for the taste buds but a feast for the eyes too!
For our recipes, I generally want to use ingredients that are easily accessible, and I think this list of ingredients reflects that pretty well.
🍋 How to Make This Vegan Lemon Panna Cotta
I started by lightly greasing four ramekins with a clear, flavorless oil, or sunflower oil, in this case.
I mixed half of the sugar and agar-agar powder in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, I combined the remaining sugar with the dairy-free yogurt.
Then I started cooking the base for the dessert.
In a small saucepan, I combined soy drink, coconut milk, the sugar-agar mixture, and vanilla flavor. Once boiling, I lowered the heat and left it to simmer for about 3 minutes, while stirring to make sure the agar-agar was dissolving.
Toward the end, I added the lemon juice, mixed thoroughly, and turned off the heat. At this point, I also gently stirred in the yogurt-sugar mixture.
I strained the mixture through a fine sieve directly into the prepared ramekins. This ensures the panna cotta comes out smooth.
I then left the panna cotta to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. If you have time, letting them set for 4 hours or more is even better for the texture.
For the glaze, I simply combined icing sugar with lemon juice in a small bowl. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more lemon juice if needed.
Finally, when the panna cotta were ready, I carefully unmolded them and drizzled with the lemon glaze over the top and a sprinkle of lemon zest.
💡 Tips to Correctly Make This Recipe
The most challenging aspect of this recipe is ensuring the panna cotta gets the right shape and texture.
For this to happen, we have to understand how agar-agar works and how it behaves in comparison to other gelling agents.
For instance, agar is quite potent— in fact, it’s more potent than its animal counterpart (gelatine) I would say, so a little goes a long way. In other words, make sure you’re measuring it accurately as per the recipe.
Too much can make the panna cotta too firm (even hard as a rock, sometimes), and too little might not let it set.
More importantly, agar-agar needs to boil to activate its gelling properties. Unlike gelatin, which dissolves in warm liquid, agar agar requires a full boil (for a short minute or so).
In our recipe, when you combine it with the soy milk, coconut milk, and other ingredients, ensure the mixture reaches a boiling point, and then let it lightly simmer for about 3 minutes.
This step is crucial for the agar-agar to fully dissolve and activate.
While heating, keep stirring the mixture. Agar agar can clump up if not stirred constantly, so this ensures an even texture in your panna cotta.
It’s also important to mention that agar’s setting ability can be affected by highly acidic ingredients. For our recipe, you’ll want to add the lemon juice towards the end of the simmering process, which guarantees that agar’s gelling properties are already in effect.
Creamy Vegan Lemon Panna Cotta
- Total Time: 3h 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Topped with a tangy lemon glaze and zest, this vegan panna cotta offers a perfect balance of creaminess and firmness.
Ingredients
Panna Cotta:
- 80 grams granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp agar-agar powder
- 100g soy yogurt
- 220g soy drink
- 200g full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla flavor
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
Garnish:
- lemon zest
Instructions
Panna Cotta
- Lightly grease 4 ramekins with neutral oil, such as sunflower oil.
- Mix 40 gr of sugar with the agar-agar powder in one small bowl and reserve.
- In another small bowl, mix the other 40 gr of sugar with the yogurt and reserve.
- In a small saucepan, combine soy drink, coconut milk, the sugar/agar mixture, and vanilla flavor. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for about 3 minutes while stirring. Toward the end, add the lemon juice. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the yogurt/sugar mixture.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve directly into the prepared ramekins.
- Place the ramekins in the fridge and let the panna cotta set for at least 3 hours.
Glaze
- Combine icing sugar with lemon juice in a small bowl. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more lemon juice.
- Once the panna cotta has set, drizzle the glaze over the top and grate some fresh lemon zest over the top, and there you have it.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Set Time: 3 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
🙏🏻 Before you go, I’ve got a favor to ask!
I’d love to get your feedback on this recipe! Feel free to leave a comment below detailing your experience— and let others know how you feel about it!
Of course, you can also ask any questions you may have about the recipe— and we’ll try to respond ASAP.
