Gluten Free Mango Panna Cotta

After making this dang-easy mango panna cotta, I realized that we (quite unintentionally) have NO OTHER mango recipes!! Which is something that I’m going to need to remedy pronto because we’re both big fans of the creamy, bright, sultry depth of this orange fruit. It happens to pair very well with custardy treats like this elegant and deceptively simple panna cotta too, so I’m at least glad we have this first stab at a mango creation. Props to Kendra for cutting all the mango halves into little hedgehogs (probably a better name for them but hey it’s cute) for the photo shoot – especially because it meant that I got to eat all said hedgehog mangos right after the shoot which was exactly what I was hoping would happen.

For those of you new to panna cotta, it’s a traditional Italian cream/milk+gelatin dessert that takes all of about 15 minutes to throw together but does take another 7-8 hours to properly set in the fridge, so to enjoy these glorious cups of cream + mango you’re going to have to exercise your patience. Panna cotta became one of my favorite desserts years ago when, at an Italian restaurant here in San Francisco, I realized that it was NATURALLY gluten free. Now, for those of you other gluten-freers out there, when we stumble on a dessert as marvelously easy to make and to eat as this one, it’s game over for all other desserts (at least while we get our fill of this one). I not only ate three (yes, three, I was at a business dinner so it was a set menu and happily for me, none of the other businessy folks at my table were partial to dessert – HA) and enjoyed every bite of them, but I went on to seek out other panna cotta variations at various Italian food spots in the city and beyond. One of the best one’s I’ve had locally was a perfectly-balanced buttermilk panna cotta at an SF-famous pizza spot, topped with fresh pomegranate seeds and chopped raw pistachios. BLISS. Sometimes the simplest flavor combinations are the absolute best. Panna cotta is definitely a dessert that emphasizes the beauty in simplicty: it’s got only a handful of ingredients, so really is all about letting the dairy shine (though we’ll be posting a dairy-free one soon!!), whether its cream, milk, buttermilk, creme fraiche, etc.

We’ve got a few key tips to making the best panna cotta over on our first panna cotta post here – which was (much like that favorite one) a simple buttermilk panna cotta topped with Italian pine bud syrup (sound intriguing? it IS, go check it out). If you’re into creamy desserts, check out our “southern” banana pudding, or our pavlova with jasmine pastry cream, or our kiwi lime tart, or our toasted coconut custard pie, or our parsnip custard tart (trust me, it’s awesome), or these tiny personal cheesecakes, or this strawberry rose cream tart!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Mango Panna Cotta

This super easy, elegant dessert is incredibly delicate with a burst of bright mango jelly for a perfect spring and summer treat

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Chilling time8 hours hrs

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: buttermilk, cream, easy, gelatin, gluten free, mango, panna cotta, simple

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Six coupe glasses or ramekins
• Medium saucepan
• Candy thermometer

Ingredients

For the panna cotta:

• 2 tsp dry flavorless powdered gelatin
• 3 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Cup sweetened mango puree/juice (thick)
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 Cup buttermilk

For the mango jelly:

• 2 1/2 tsp dry flavorless powdered gelatin
• 1/4 Cup cold water
• 300 grams sweetened mango puree/juice/nectar (thick)

Instructions

• First, set all of your cups/ramekins out on the counter so you're ready to pour in the panna cotta mixture (and make sure you have enough room in your fridge for all of them!).
• Then, make the panna cotta! Put the 3 Tbsp of cold water into a shallow, wide bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the water so that all of the powder gets some liquid/can hydrate. Let sit on the counter away from the stove for 5-10 minutes to bloom/hydrate.
• Separately, start warming your cream, mango juice, and sugar in a small-medium saucepan over med-low heat – stirring constantly so that the mixture does not boil or burn. Using a candy thermometer attached to the pan, heat the mixture until it reaches 170° F then turn off the heat, remove the thermometer, and stir in the bloomed gelatin (make sure you scrape all of it into the cream mixture!), salt, and vanilla until fully combined. Finally, add in the buttermilk and stir until smooth. If you're worried about lumps, strain liquid through a sieve. Then pour the mixture evenly into your six receptacles, leaving enough room on top for a layer of mango jelly.
• Place six cups/bowls carefully in the fridge and let chill for at least 8 hours or just overnight (we made ours right before bed).
• After at least 7 of the 8 hours (or more), make the mango jelly to go on top (it will need to set for another 30min-1 hour in the fridge). Pour the 1/4 cup of cold water into a medium bowl and then sprinkle the dry powdered gelatin over the water so that all of it is soaked/can hydrate fully. Let gelatin "bloom" for 5-10 minutes (it will get very stiff/wrinkly looking and there should be no dry spots). Once the gelatin has bloomed, microwave the whole bowl for 30 seconds to a minute until gelatin is warm and liquid. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in your mango juice and pour even amounts of the mixture on top of your set panna cottas (should add about 1/4 of an inch on top of the panna cotta). Return your panna cottas + jelly to the fridge for another 30 minutes to an hour until the jelly has set.
• Once the panna cotta has set, it should be still a little jiggly but should stay in the cups if turned over. You can find instructions for turning your panna cotta out onto plates to serve, though we like to serve it still in the glasses, especially if you're using nice dessert cups/glasses! Plus, it's way faster if you need a fancy dessert served in a pinch!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your panna cotta!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber