Creamy, rich keto panna cotta with white chocolate and raspberries. This dreamy no-bake dessert will delight all your senses. A perfect low carb sweet treat for Valentine’s Day or any day! This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
Confession: I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, and haven’t in quite some time. Forced romanticism is not really my thing, and I’m too much of a pragmatist to bother with the fuss of such a day.
But that hardly stops me from creating all sorts of keto desserts for two, like this keto panna cotta recipe. It’s delicious and easy, and really quite practical when you think about it – you get to have something sweet to cap off your day, without a whole lot of leftovers hanging around, tempting you.
And yet these mini desserts also have a romantic side to them. You can make your significant other feel special by creating something just for the two of you. Cozy and intimate, and the kids don’t get any. See? Practical and romantic at the same time. That’s totally my style!
What is Panna Cotta?
If you’ve never experienced this creamy Italian dessert, you are in for a real treat. It’s easy to make and and can easily be modified for almost any diet. I have quite a few keto panna cotta recipes, and this white chocolate version won’t be the last.
Panna cotta means cooked cream in Italian. And I’ve seen it referred to as a custard, but it contains no eggs. Instead, the cream or milk is lightly scalded and set with gelatin. It can be flavored in any number of ways, including vanilla, coffee, citrus, or berries.
It can even be made dairy-free. I have a lovely coconut lime version in my Easy Keto Desserts cookbook.
For a long time now, I’ve been eyeing white chocolate panna cotta recipes, wishing I could try them out. Cocoa butter doesn’t always like to play nice with other fats and liquids, and it was the only real white chocolate-esque keto ingredient at my disposal.
Until now, of course. The ChocZero white chocolate chips have changed the baking game tremendously and I find myself wanting to put them in, on, and under everything. If you love white chocolate, I cannot recommend them enough! And if you use code FOODDREAMER on their website, you get 10% off all ChocZero products.
How to make keto panna cotta
Being made primarily of cream, sweetener, and gelatin, panna cotta is easy to make keto-friendly. I’ve made panna cotta any number of times so here are my best tips for getting it right.
Use a mix of cream and non-dairy milk. I first tried this recipe with full cream and it was glorious but so rich, I couldn’t eat more than half my serving. The almond or hemp milk lightens it up a bit without adding extra carbs.
Just a little gelatin: It’s important not to use too much gelatin in panna cotta. You want it to set properly but still be wobbly and soft. It shouldn’t be firm and bouncy like Jello.
Let the gelatin bloom before heating. Blooming gelatin means sprinkling it over some liquid and letting it sit and thicken. You then set it over heat and bring to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the gelatin into the liquid.
Add the white chocolate off heat. Chocolate is finicky when added to hot liquids, and white chocolate is even more so. Always add it to the pan after removing from heat and let it sit for a few minutes to melt before whisking it in.
To un-mold: You can leave the panna cotta in the dessert dishes or ramekins but I love how it looks when it’s un-molded onto a plate. The easiest way to do this is to sit the whole ramekin in a bowl of hot water for about 15 to 20 seconds to loosen. Don’t leave it much longer or it may melt too much.
Then remove from the water, set a dessert plate on top, flip them over and give it a good shake. The panna cotta will usually come free quite easily.
I served my keto panna cotta with a lovely raspberry puree, as it goes so well with the white chocolate flavor. But it’s also gorgeous on its own, and even just a few fresh berries would be nice. How you serve it is up to you!
More delicious keto panna cotta recipes
Creamy, rich keto panna cotta with white chocolate and raspberries. This dreamy no-bake dessert will delight all your senses.
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond or hemp milk
- 1 tsp grassfed gelatin
- 1 ounce sugar-free white chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 20 fresh raspberries
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp powdered Swerve
-
Lightly grease 2 4-ounce capacity ramekins.
-
In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and the almond milk. Sprinkle with the gelatin and let sit 3 minutes.
-
Set over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the gelatin. Bring to just a simmer, then remove from heat and add the white chocolate. Let sit a few minutes to melt, then whisk in the sweetener and vanilla extract.
-
Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.
-
To unmold: Set the ramekins in a bowl of hot water (don't let the water come over the top) for about 15 to 20 seconds. Place a plate overtop the ramekin and flip over, then give it a few good shakes to loosen.
-
With a fork, mash the raspberries, water, and sweetener together until pureed. Spread around the base of the panna cotta on the plate, or drizzle overtop.
Panna Cotta without the raspberry puree
Food energy: 267kcal
Total fat: 25.75g
Carbohydrate: 4.81g
Total dietary fiber: 3.08g
Protein: 2.22g
Tracy says
Looks delicious and oh so easy. I’m going to make it this weekend.
Erica B says
Thank you for the recipe, Carolyn! I was looking for a simple, sweet, pretty something to finish off dinner tomorrow night, and was delighted to see your post. I love panna cotta because the work:reward ratio is so low. 😄 I didn’t have any nut milk, so used 1/4 cup half and half + 1/4 cup water. The white chocolate flavor was just a bit subtle for my taste, so I added about 1/2 oz more chips, plus about a teaspoon more sweetener and a pinch of salt. The unset mixture was excellent, and I’m so looking forward to the finished product with that lovely raspberry purée. Thank you again!
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it! The white chocolate is subtle but I didn’t want to add too much because of the added carbs. I think another 1/2 tbsp is just about right!
Karen says
You had me at, “Forced romanticism!” Totally agree, but …yeah, I’m always up for a cozy, keto delicious, dessert with the hubs.
Rachel says
This looks lovely! FYI the code is FOODDREAMER…I did, in fact, take advantage. 🙂