Creamy, rich, low carb vanilla bean panna cotta with a tart-sweet sugar-free cranberry sauce. An elegant dessert any time of year.
The holidays may be over, but as far as I am concerned cranberries are always in season. You don’t see fresh cranberries in grocery stores year round the way you might see strawberries or blueberries. But there are ways around that if you are a true cranberry-lover such as I am. I buy an extra few bags throughout the holiday season and sock them away in my freezer. Unlike other, softer berries, cranberries survive for months in the freezer virtually unchanged so you can enjoy them all year long. Once thawed, they are as good as fresh, and they don’t get mushy or mealy. I think I may even have a bag of cranberries in my freezer from Christmas 2012! Hi, I am Carolyn and I am a cranberry hoarder.
Admittedly, I did actually create this recipe for the holidays but I would happily make it again any time of year. The panna cotta tastes like vanilla ice cream and the cranberry sauce has just the right amount of tartness to cut the sweetness of the dessert. I even went out a few days before Christmas to purchase the little tasting-size dessert cups, because I wanted to serve it alongside a large tray of Christmas cookies, so that we could all have a little of everything. It was just the right amount.
This Christmas was perhaps one of the best in my recollection because it was relaxed and happy and easy. The lead up to it was as hectic and crazed as usual, but when Christmas Eve rolled around, we all just seemed to shrug off the stress and truly enjoy our time together. Because so many dishes were made in advance, including the panna cotta, I could focus on my family and my guests. My father and his wife were here and some good friends and their kids joined us for Christmas Dinner. The chat, the laughter and the wine flowed easily and comfortably and everyone was happy. I felt truly blessed. What more could we ask for?
Recipe Notes:
You don’t absolutely need real vanilla beans to make this panna cotta, but if you can get some, it gives that lovely vanilla seed-speckled appearance. If you forego the vanilla beans, add another 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Cranberry Coulis – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Panna Cotta:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 1/2 envelopes unflavoured gelatin OR 1 tbsp grassfed gelatin such as Great Lakes, orange can
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cranberry Coulis:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- For the panna cotta, add 1/2 cup cream to a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin and let site 3 minutes.
- Add remaining cream and sweetener. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and pod to cream mixture.
- Cook mixture over medium heat, whisking continuously, until gelatin dissolves and steam rises from the surface. Be sure not to boil.
- Remove from heat, remove vanilla bean pod, and stir in whole milk and vanilla extract.
- Spoon into 12 tasting-size dessert glasses or 6 regular dessert glasses. Cover each with plastic wrap and chill until set, about 3 or 4 hours.
- For the cranberry coulis, comine cranberries, water and sweetener in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until cranberries pop, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in orange juice.
- Transfer mixture to a food processor or use an immersion blender to puree.
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour mixture through sieve, pressing on solids to release as much juice as possible. Discard solids.
- Divide cranberry coulis between panna cotta cups and serve.
Notes
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Can I make this a day ahead? I would like to spend some time with my friends.!!!!
Yes, it should be fine a day ahead.
One of my favorites! It was simple but full of taste and elegant. Perfect for those not eating LC as well.
Carolyn,
Whenever I look for low carb something, I almost always end up at your website. Keep in mind that I will soon be 76 but love learning new ways to cook. My husband (52 years) was borderline diabetic. Now he is not! I have some old style champagne glasses (long stems, flat bowls) that make wonderfut dessert glasses.
I will make your panna cotta with a little less cream and more 1% milk. Also probably with raspberry sauce on top, because that is what I just made for a Flourless Chocolate Birthday Cake. Hubby is also on a lower fat diet. Thank you so much for you being you!
Nancy
Hi Made this yesterday and it came out more dense than I have had in restaurants. I like a more loose version – did I do something wrong? What can I change?
Less gelatin…it can depend a bit on brand and such so that is probably the culprit.
Panna cotta is my absolute favorite dessert ever and I’m so glad with Swerve it can be keto! I usually make a raspberry coulis for it and its delicious
Hi I make this regularly and love it but yesterday it didn’t set. Any ideas? I made it exactly the same except pulled it off the heat as soon as I spotted steam, rather than letting it cook an extra minute. Would this make a difference?
Sounds to me more like something was up with your gelatin.
How much regular granulated sugar would you use if you didnt want to use the 1/2 cup of Swerve sweetener ?
Same amount because swerve measures like sugar.
Funny, I never thought of freezing (hoarding) extra bags of cranberries for other times in the year. I am heading to the store and hope it isn’t too late.
The Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cranberry Coulis looks delicious. I inherited several light green Depression Ware dessert compote dishes from my mother and this dessert would look perfect in them for Christmas. I have a lot of other pretties I can put it in for other times of the year…like Valentine’s Day…so fun!
I love freezing cranberries, too! I just wish I had some more space to do so.
And this panna cotta looks fantastic. So simple yet so elegant looking. 🙂
I love cranberry’s too and reading this has made my mouth water like crazy. Yum. I’m afraid I would eat the whole batch though…
Bobbie
if I want a less filling treat, do you think I could use all milk rather than cream? i realize it wouldn’t taste as rich, but might be nice after a big meal assuming it would still set correctly. thanks!
Yes, you can make panna cotta with all milk. It’s really the gelatin that sets it.
Looks delicious. Do you think it would work well with full fat coconut milk instead of the dairy milk? Now that I have kidney failure to worry about in addition to needing to go low carb, I have to avoid phosphorus which is plentiful in milk and most animal dairy. Coconut milk is better on that score.
Yes, I think it would work with coconut, since it’s the gelatin that sets it.
Thanks, Carolyn.
Beautiful!
Love how pretty these are Carolyn – and I agree, festive for any time of the year!
These are gorgeous Carolyn! I have been dying to experiment with low carb panna cotta and seeing this just made me even more determined to give it a try! Great photos as usual!
My husband just had panna cotta for the first time last week and loved it. Must try your recipe for him!
What an elegant dessert, and I agree cranberries aren’t just for the holidays!
This is so gorgeous! I love the colors and anything with vanilla bean.
Beautiful! This would look so pretty in my grandmother’s dessert dishes. I need to plan a party!