A simple and elegant dessert, panna cotta is one of those things that sounds fancy (and looks fancy) but it can be really simple. This vegan version especially is a piece of cake! No pun intended.

How do you make a vegan panna cotta without cream? You use agar, which is a thickening agent made from seaweed that comes in really handy for this kind of stuff.

Agar activates at 85ºC / 185ºF so you just need to get the mix up to that temperature and then let it set. Depending on how much agar you use, whatever liquid mixture you add it to will solidify a little or a lot.

Panna cotta needs to be solid but silky and buttery in texture, and this recipe comes out just like that. Plus, you can’t beat the incredible mango flavor from the fresh mangos we have now in summer—so delicious!

 

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• If mango isn’t in season where you are, you can either use frozen mango or make this recipe with a completely different fruit that is in season.

 

Great for:

A make-ahead dessert for dinner parties (literally set it and forget it), a seasonal fresh dessert for yourself, or freeze the panna cotta once set in silicone molds and enjoy as yummy frozen mango bars as a snack.

Vegan Mango Panna Cotta

yields 385g / serves 3-4

286g mango pulp (about 2 mangos)

90.5 ml almond milk

54.3g coconut oil

8.5g cacao butter

0.85g agar powder

0.3g (1 pod) green cardamom seeds

30ml maple syrup

Pinch sea salt

 

Topping options

Almond milk foam (made using almond milk and a milk frother)

Cacao nibs

Lemon zest

Toasted nuts

Almond crumble

Coconut whipped cream

 

1. Heat a small pan on medium heat and add cardamom seeds. Gently toast for r5 minutes or until nice and fragrant, stirring frequently to keep them from burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

3. Heat a medium pot on medium heat and add the mix to it. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Use a thermometer (this can be a sugar thermometer or laser thermometer) to monitor the temperature and make sure it gets up to 85ºC / 185ºF so that the agar powder can activate. Once it reaches 85ºC / 185ºF, keep it around that temperature for 2 minutes, then take it off the heat.

4. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl and help it through with a rubber spatula. From there, transfer to whatever molds you want to use. These can be ramekins, silicone molds, or whatever shape you want.

5. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours until completely solidified. You may want to cover your containers or molds with some plastic wrap so that nothing can get in the pannacotta.

6. Once set, transfer into the fridge until ready to serve. To serve, pop out of the molds (if using silicone molds) and plate with your choice of toppings such as toasted nuts, almond milk foam, almond crumble, cacao nibs, citrus zest, or coconut whipped cream.