Creamy and luscious Tiramisu Panna Cotta is a fail-proof dessert recipe. This quick and easy gluten-free dessert is just the perfect treat for your next gathering or holiday party that is guaranteed to be enjoyed by all!
Calling all Pannacotta lovers! Are you a big Tiramisu fan then this recipe is just for you! This recipe combines the beautiful flavors of cream, mascarpone cheese with Kahlua liqueur and coffee in one single dessert.
Whether it be Valentine’s day dinner or a Thanksgiving dinner, this simple and yummy Tiramisu Panna Cotta is my go-to dessert.
It is a very light dessert that is-
- silky
- smooth
- delightfully rich
- creamy
- and utterly delicious!
You really have to pause at every spoon, just to savor the luscious taste it has to offer.
Wondering what Panna cotta is?
It’s a classic dessert that means “cooked cream” in Italian. This creamy dessert is similar to puddings and custard, but instead of eggs or cornstarch, it is flavored with either gelatin or agar-agar. The gelatin or agar-agar gives pannacotta a very clean and velvety texture.
Few words about Agar-Agar!
Agar-agar is a gelatin-like substance made primarily from algae. It’s entirely vegetarian and a great vegan substitute for gelatin. It comes in three forms: powdered, strands and flakes.
Unlike gelatin, agar-agar can be boiled and re-heated again if necessary.
Compared to gelatin, agar-agar has stronger setting properties (takes just 1 hour to set). Agar-Agar desserts will start setting at room temperature although it always advised storing agar-agar based desserts in the refrigerator.
How to make Tiramisu Panna Cotta?
This recipe comes together in 15 minutes, though its the chill time in the fridge that takes longer.
To make Panna cotta, the cream is heated with milk, cheese, and agar-agar. Later tiramisu flavors are added and cooked on low heat until it coats the back of your spoon.
Do NOT overcook the mixture. Overcooking may result in chewy and rubber-like pannacotta.
The texture of pannacotta should be wiggly, velvety and smooth. This mixture will thicken more after cooling.
Take it off the flame and do the taste test. Adjust sugar at this point and pour the pannacotta in greased ramekins or glass bowls/cups.
When all set, run a knife all around the ramekin to loosen pannacotta or place the ramekin in hot water for few seconds and pannacotta should jiggle its way out of the ramekins. Serve with a generous portion of coffee syrup and enjoy!!
HIGHLIGHTS!
What I love about Tiramisu Panna Cotta is that its –
- Easy-to-make
- Very forgiving
- Requires no cooking skills
- Comes together in 15 minutes
- Uses a handful of ingredients
- and as a bonus – it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert that will surely impress your family and friends!
Can this recipe be VEGAN?
You can give it a try with vegan cream cheese, but the authentic taste and texture will be missing.
Mascarpone cheese is the key ingredients in Tiramisu. It’s the sweet Italian cheese that lends a rich, creamy, and smooth touch to Italian dishes. Substituting mascarpone cheese with something else will affect the authentic flavor and experience.
I hope you give this recipe a try. Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. Would love to hear from you. ?
Craving for more, try these other dessert options!
- No Bake Banana Pudding
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
- Chocolate Mousse Brownie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Crescent Ring
Thanks for reading.?
Tiramisu Panna Cotta
INGREDIENTS
FOR PANNA COTTA
- 1 cup Milk (divided 1/2 cup +1/2 cup)
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (liquid)
- 1/4 cup Mascarpone Cheese
- 1.5 tablespoon Instant Coffee powder
- 2 tablespoon Kahlua Liqueur or Coffee Liqueur
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar or Regular sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon Agar agar powder or Unflavored veg gelatin
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder for dusting
COFFEE SYRUP
- 1/2 cup Strong brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar or Regular sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla essence
INSTRUCTIONS
- Assemble: ingredients.
- Agar-Agar powder. You can substitute agar-agar with gelatin.
- Tiramisu ingredients - Kahlua liqueur and coffee.
- Combine coffee powder and brown sugar in a pan.
- Add 1 teaspoon water and heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Take it off the flame and pour in Kahlua liqueur. Whisk it well and set it aside.
- Sprinkle agar agar powder in 1/2 cup of milk. Let it bloom for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine the remaining 1/2 cup milk with mascarpone cheese and cream in a saucepan.
- Whisk it well. The mixture should be lump-free.
- Pour in the agar-agar +milk mix to this mixture(the one that we had prepared earlier). Whisk it well.
- Cook over low heat until agar agar is completely dissolved and the mixture is near to its boiling. Do not bring it to a boil.
- Pour in sugar+coffee mixture. Keep stirring.
- As the mixture coats the back side of your spoon,take it off the flame. Do not overcook.
- The mixture will thickens more after cooling.
- Consistency of Panna cotta before refrigerating.
- Grease ramekin bowls with butter. Pour panna cotta in ramekins or any glass bowl and allow it to set for 1- 3 hours. With agar-agar panna cotta sets faster. Cover the ramekins with a plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on top.
- Beautifully set tiramisu Panna Cotta.
- Just before serving - 1. carefully run a knife along the ramekins to loosen panna cotta. 2. and place the ramekin in hot water to flip out the panna cotta from the bowl.
- Unmold ramekin onto a serving plate. Panna cotta should jiggle it's way out of the ramekins.
- Grab your spoon and dig in.
- Watch it disappear. 🙂
- For Coffee syrup- combine sugar and coffee in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil until the syrup is reduced to half its original size. Add vanilla essence, stir and remove from heat. Allow it to cool.
- Drizzle panna cotta with a generous portion of coffee syrup and enjoy!!
RECIPE NOTES
- fresh fruits,
- vanilla,
- custard,
- chocolate, and
- coconut …. the list is endless!
😋👌
Loved Panna Cotta the first time I tried. Your tiramisu version is soooo indulging. Trying it soon.
Thanks Sonal. 😍 😍
Can we make panna cotta without agar agar or any ohter substitute like this
Other substitute to agar-agar is gelatin. Gelatin measurements are explained in the recipe post.
Awesome recipe …….. Thank you so much for the unique recipe 😘
Pleasure is all mine. 🙂
Wonderful recipe! Perfect consistency and not too sweet. Light and perfectly creamy, Thanks!
Pleasure is all mine. Glad you liked. 🙂
Did I miss something, when do you incorporate the heavy cream? I just finished making and taste delicious I am not sure it if will set as I realized I had not added the heavy cream and added at the end. I found it difficult to follow the steps and flip back up to the ingredients although I had assembled, just a thought.
Caroline, its mentioned in Step 8 – “Meanwhile combine the remaining 1/2 cup milk with mascarpone cheese and cream in a saucepan.”
Just curious what part of the recipe you found confusing? Will work on it. Thanks!
Keep me posted on the end results.
It all makes sense to me and will be trying your recipe this weekend.
That’s awesome.
Hope you like it and please share your feedback with me. 😊
Can I prepare this one day before?
Sure you can!
Hi, can I use baileys instead of kahlua?
Sure you can.
The taste will differ.
or frangelico?
Where can I purchase agar-agar? This dessert looks wonderful. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Nancy!
I buy it online from Amazon. Here is the Amazon Link.
Love your recipe, easy to follow, beautiful pix. Must try soon and Father’s Day sounds good since my husband is a good coffee drinker
Thanks, Cecilia! It will be a perfect surprise for your husband.
Hope you like the recipe. 🙂
can I use agar agar to substitute the eggs in a flan tks
Haven’t tried it but I guess you can.
I wanted to try and make this for 10 people. I see the ingredient list will adjust but the actual recipe steps stay the same. is that going to be a problem when I try to produce the panna cotta?
Marcus, double the recipe according to your needs and follow the steps to the end.
I don’t think you are going to face any issues.
can I make these in small plastic cups for a party and instead of taking them out can I put the coffee sauce right on top and serve that way if I do that do I still have to butter the cups? Thank you
Yes, you can serve these in small cups.
If I am making this, and I use sheets of gelatin how many sheets do I need ? One?
Ashley, 1 sheet of gelatin equals 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin.
Therefore, you will use a little more than one sheet. As the recipe calls for 1.5 teaspoons of agar-agar powder.
Can I substitute cream cheese mixed with a little heavy cream for the mascarpone? Mascarpone is so expensive, and due to the small amount the recipe calls for, I don’t know what I’d do with the rest of it. Does mascarpone freeze well?
Amy, I haven’t tried cream cheese with heavy milk for tiramisu. I think it should work well.
And yes, mascarpone freezes well for 1 month.
You say to combine coffee powder (1.5 tablespoons) and brown sugar (1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons) in a pan and then add 1 teaspoon of water and heat until dissolved.
Uh what. You can’t melt over 1/3 of a cup into 1 teaspoon of water. That makes no sense.
What is the correct measurement?
Also, please add times to each step in number of minutes.
Hello Merlin,
Thanks for reaching out to me. You seem to have some confusion in my recipe. Let me clear that out for you, dear. You only need a little water to turn the sugar into a slurry. When sugar starts to melt, it will melt just like ice into water. Adding some water to sugar helps it dissolve more evenly and reduces the risk of crystallization. Plus, it will add a nice caramel-y color too. I hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions related to the recipe.