Coconut Milk Peach Panna Cotta is a thick and creamy dessert flavored with freeze dried peaches, honey, and topped with fresh peach compote. This is an easy small batch recipe that is made dairy free by using canned coconut milk. A light and refreshing dessert, perfect to enjoy fresh summer peaches!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Chill8 hourshrs
Total Time8 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Coconut Milk, Dairy-Free, Panna Cotta, Peach, Small Batch, Summer Dessert
You can serve the panna cotta a couple of ways.1. Chill in a ramekin then invert the panna cotta onto a plate. 2. Chill in parfait/serving glasses and serve straight from the glasses. If using ramekins- Very lightly grease the ramekins. I like to spray with baking spray then wipe the excess with a paper towel.
In a blender or food processor, grind the freeze dried peaches to get 1/3 cup of peach powder. Start with 2/3 cup of the freeze dried peaches.
In a small prep bowl, add the water. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water, and let it bloom for about 5 minutes. It will become rubbery and firm.
While the gelatin is blooming - In a medium saucepan, add the coconut cream, honey, peach powder, and salt. Heat over medium heat until small bubbles start to form along the sides of the pan. By this time, the gelatin should be ready.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the gelatin. Stir the mixture until the gelatin melts into the cream.
Strain the panna cotta through a fine mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup (this makes it easier to pour into the ramekins/glasses).
Pour the panna cotta into your prepared serving glasses or ramekins. Chill the panna cotta, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight. If serving in the serving glasses, you can serve the panna cotta sooner. Check the panna cotta after at least 4 hours in the refrigerator to see if it has set up enough to serve.
Fresh Peach Compote
Cut the peaches into bite size cubes. Peeling the peaches is optional.
In a small saucepan, add the peach cubes, honey, and water. Heat over medium heat until the honey melts and the peaches start to soften and the liquid is thick and caramel-y. You can also lightly smash the peaches with a wooden spoon if you prefer more of a jam consistency. Transfer the peach compote to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serving the panna cotta - 1. Plating from the ramekin - Run a sharp knife around the top edge of the panna cotta to loosen it from the ramekin. Invert the ramekin onto the the plate and give it a good bang to release it. Being careful not to break the plate! 2. Straight from the serving glass - no special steps for this!
Top the panna cotta with peach compote and a peach slice and Enjoy!
Notes
Coconut Milk
The coconut milk must be a homogenous coconut milk - meaning there is little to no separation of the coconut cream and liquid. The consistency should be like a thick Greek yogurt.
I find the canned coconut milk that has guar gum in it works best. The guar gum is an emulsifier that keeps the coconut milk solid. The product link is the brand I have the most luck with in all of my recipes.
The can of coconut milk does not need to be refrigerated overnight (most of my canned coconut milk recipes require this). In the case of this panna cotta, we don't want to achieve full separation of coconut cream and liquid in the can.
Canned coconut cream will also work. Usually, cans of coconut cream will have a higher ratio of cream to liquid in the can.
If you hear liquid moving around in the can when you turn it upside down, give the can a good shake to mix it. Or, try another can.