This Double Mango Panna Cotta Recipe makes the most delicious and light Summer Dessert. Super creamy and packed with flavour, this Panna Cotta is a great make-ahead dessert for parties, barbecues and summer gatherings!
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Why we love this recipe
If you are looking for a light and fresh summer dessert, you MUST try this recipe for Mango Panna Cotta. It is a super easy dessert that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to be served.
The sweet Mango fruit is combined with fresh Lime Zest and a little bit of Vanilla for a truly flavourful dessert. Finish it with some freshly sliced Mango, a sprinkle of Mint and some desiccated Coconut for a beautiful yet easy party dessert!
Just as fresh as my No Bake Mango Cheesecake and as delicious as this Strawberry Panna Cotta, Coffee Panna Cotta, Chocolate Panna Cotta and Raspberry Panna Cotta, this dessert is sure to be a hit with the whole family this summer!
Ingredients
The ingredients required to make a Panna Cotta are super simple: a liquid - usually cream or milk (or a combination of both like here), a little bit of sugar and some gelatine. For this recipe, we added some Mango Coulis, Lime Zest and Vanilla for flavouring.
To make this recipe, you will need 6 ingredients only (scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):
- Mango Coulis: a light mango sauce made from mango, sugar and lime juice.
- Full Cream Milk + Heavy / Thickened Cream: You can make Panna Cotta with only Milk or only Cream, but I have found that the combination of both is a great way to create a light yet rich dessert.
- Caster Sugar: or fine White Sugar.
- Lime Zest: a simple way to add even more freshness to the dessert!
- Gelatine Powder: needed to set the Panna Cotta and give it its light jelly-like texture.
- Vanilla Paste: an optional ingredient but a great way to boost the flavours of the dessert.
How to make Panna Cotta with Mango
There are two steps to make this recipe: first, prepare the Mango Coulis, then make the Panna Cotta Cream.
The Mango Coulis might add an extra step, but it can actually be prepared up to a week in advance!
Mango Coulis
As explained above, a Mango Coulis is a thick mango sauce made from cooking mango, lime juice and sugar. The compote is then blended until smooth. It makes a great thick mango sauce that can be kept for about a week in the fridge.
You can read all about how to make mango coulis here! For this recipe, you will need a full batch of this coulis.
Panna Cotta Cream
Once the Coulis is ready, you can start preparing the Panna Cotta:
- Place the Milk, Cream, Sugar, Mango Coulis and Vanilla Paste (optional) in a small Pot.
- Whisk well to combine, then place on the stove on low to medium heat.
- Heat up until you reach a simmer. Make sure to stay close as milk tends to start boiling (and boiling over...) very quickly! Remove from the heat.
- While the liquids are heating up, place the Gelatine Powder in a small bowl and add a little bit of very cold water to dissolve. I added about 1 to 2 tablespoons of water for 2 teaspoons of gelatine powder.
- Remove the pot from the stove and add the dissolved Gelatine to the hot liquid. Mix very well with a whisk to fully melt and combine the gelatine.
- Add the Lime Zest and whisk to combine
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- Directly pour the Panna Cotta Cream into individual serving Cups.
- Place in the fridge to cool down and set. It will take at least 2 hours for the cream to fully set. Make sure to cover each cups so that the desserts don't absorb any odours from the fridge.
Before serving:
- when ready to serve, add the rest of the Mango Coulis over the set Panna Cotta Cream and finish with some fresh Mango cubes, some fresh Mint and a little bit of desiccated Coconut.
Tips to make this recipe
- If preferred, you can use all Milk or all Cream instead of a mix of Milk + Cream (substitute 1 for 1). With all Milk, you will get a very light panna cotta. Using all cream will get you a richer dessert.
- Add Vanilla Paste (or vanilla extract) to the panna cotta to boost its flavour. Vanilla actually acts as a flavour intensifier!
- Make sure to heat up the liquids on a low to medium heat to avoid burning the milk/cream or having it boiling over. And stay close - once it starts getting hot, it will starts to boil very quickly!
- Don't forget to dissolve the Gelatine in cold Water before adding it to the cream. This is to insure it melts evenly into the cream.
- Add the gelatine away from the heat - gelatine does not need to be boiled or be mixed at a high temperature to be activated.
- To insure the gelatine is very evenly melted into the cream, you can use an Immersion Blender to mix it in.
- Add the Lime Zest at the end - and away from the heat - so that it does not turn brown and keeps its bright green colour.
- To easily pour the liquid panna cotta into individual cups, transfer it into a measuring jug first. You can also set the Panna Cotta in individual Silicone Molds if you do not want to serve them into cups.
- Make sure the Mango Panna Cottas have fully set before topping them with the rest of the Coulis, so that you get clean layers.
Recipe FAQs
I personally prefer to use a Coulis instead of a simple puree because the Sugar and Lime Juice added to the coulis will really help bring out the flavours of the mango. Alternatively, you could also use my Mango Curd recipe.
If you are looking for an easier or quicker alternative, you can absolutely use a homemade Mango Puree instead. Simply blend about 500 grams (1 pounds) of Fresh (or thawed frozen) Mangoes until smooth.
Note that if using puree instead of coulis, the second layer will be much more liquid and not as thick as here.
Absolutely - that's one of the great thing about Panna Cotta. You can really use any type of Cream and/or Milk - Dairy and Dairy-Free - to prepare it.
To make this recipe Dairy-Free, simply replace the Milk by a Dairy-Free Milk (Soy, Almond, Coconut,...) and the Cream by a Plant-Based Cream like Coconut Cream or Soy Cream.
Flavour-wise, I highly recommend using Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream (if you like coconut of course). Coconut works perfectly with the tropical flavour of Mango!
For a Vegan alternative, you will need to use another type of gelling agent than Gelatine.
Yes, you can very easily replace the Gelatine with a Vegan Alternative: Agar Agar. Agar is a natural, plant-based gelling agent derived from algae. Unfortunately, it does not work exactly the same way as gelatine as it needs to be boiled to activate, which means you cannot always substitute one for the other.
Luckily, Panna Cotta is one of recipe where you can absolutely substitute one for the other since we are boiling the liquids anyway! Be careful when replacing gelatine for agar though, as agar has a much stronger gelling ability than gelatine.
To make this recipe with agar agar like I did with my Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta, you will need to replace the Gelatine Powder with 3/4 teaspoon of Agar Powder (or 1.5 grams).
The process to incorporate the agar agar will be slightly different too. You will need to bring the Milk, Cream, Sugar and Mango Coulis to a boil first, then add the Agar Agar Powder and whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes.
Storing this dessert
How to keep the dessert
The Mango Coulis can be stored in the fridge in a jar or air-tight container for up to a week before using it to make this dessert. It can also be frozen for a couple of months!
The Panna Cotta itself should be stored in the fridge, covered with wrap, and be served within two days.
I highly recommend adding the layer of mango coulis and your choice of topping just before serving for maximal freshness.
Can I make it in advance?
Yes, it makes a great make-ahead dessert! As explained above, the Mango Coulis can be made well ahead to help you prep, and the Mango Panna Cotta can be stored in the fridge for up to two days.
For more freshness and the best taste though, I recommend making it up to 24 hours in advance. Don't forget to leave the toppings until last minute!
Can I freeze Panna Cotta?
The Mango Coulis can easily be frozen, but the panna cotta will not freeze well.
Made this recipe?
Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment below, and tag us on Instagram @a.baking.journey with a photo of your creation!
Recipe
Mango Panna Cotta
Ingredients
Mango Coulis (see note 1)
- 400 gr Mango Flesh, fresh or frozen
- 30 ml Lime Juice
- 30 gr Caster Sugar
Mango Panna Cotta
- 250 ml Full Cream / Whole Milk,
- 250 ml Thickened / Heavy Cream,
- 40 gr Caster Sugar
- 180 ml Mango Coulis, from the coulis prepared in step one
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Paste, optional
- 7 gr Gelatine Powder, + 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon Lime Zest
Toppings
- Remaining of Mango Coulis
- Suggestion: Fresh Mango Cubes, fresh Mint and Desiccated Coconut, to taste
Instructions
Mango Coulis
- Prepare the Mango Coulis following to these instructions (same quantities). See note 1 for substitution.Separate in two parts; 180 grams for the panna cotta, the rest for the topping.
Mango Panna Cotta
- Place the Milk, Cream, Sugar, 180 grams of the prepared Mango Coulis and Vanilla Paste (optional) in a small saucepan and whisk well. Place on the stove on a low to medium heat until it starts to simmer (see note 2).
- In the meantime, while the cream is heating up, place the Gelatine Powder in a small Bowl and whisk in the cold water until it turns into a thick paste (see note 3).
- Once the cream starts to simmer, remove the saucepan from the stove, add the Gelatine paste and whisk well to combine until fully melted.
- Add the Lime Zest and whisk to combine.
- Directly pour into individual serving cups and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours or until set (see note 4).
Toppings
- Just before serving, pour the rest of the Mango Coulis over each set mango panna cotta.
- Optional: finish the dessert with som fresh Mango Cubes, some fresh Mint and Desiccated Coconut - to taste
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Notes
- The Mango Coulis can be substituted with about 500 grams / 1 pounds of Blended Mango. But the Mango layer will not be as thick or flavourful as with the Mango Coulis.
- Make sure to stay close as milk/cream tend to start boiling (and burning) very quickly when left unattended.
- I added about 2 tablespoons of cold water to the 2 teaspoons of gelatine.
- Make sure to cover the cups to insure the panna cottas don't absorb odours from the fridge. It can be kept in the fridge overnight as well, or up to 2 days before adding the toppings and serving.
Vanessa says
Hi Sly, Just made a sample batch of half the quality and it was delicious. I now want to make it as a dessert for a birthday celebration. Need some advise of how many batches I'd need to make approximately 150 serves, these are mini cups about 40ml capacity.
Thanks
Vanessa
Sylvie says
Hi Vanessa, glad you enjoyed the recipe! I recommend you make a full batch of the recipe and pour it in the mini cups you are planning on using for your celebration. Count how many you get, then multiply the base recipe to get 150 serves 🙂 Cheers!
Jennifer says
Hi, I'm hoping you can help me as I have been asked to make 20 of these for a friend. You state this recipe serves 4. Would 4 x this recipe be enough to adequately fill 20 x 150ml cup? Or do you know the gm weight of each serve, please? Many thanks, Jennifer
A Baking Journey says
Hi Jennifer, the cups I used were pretty small so I would probably do 5 times the quantities to make sure you have enough 🙂 Enjoy!
Sab says
Great dessert after yum cha lunch! We usually order mango pudding after meal, but I am not always satisfied with the quality. So this time, we had homemade mango panna cotta instead. And it’s even better! Rich and creamy, most importantly, it’s real mango! Yum!
A Baking Journey says
I love to hear that you all enjoyed the recipe, Sab!
Elaine says
I have always been nervous about using gelatine whether it be in powder or the leaf gel form. The end result of my dishes were usually either too runny ( not set properly) or set too well like a rubber. This mango panna cotta uses gelatine powder and the perfect amount! I was over the moon to see the panna cotta was set nicely and still have a bit of wobble in the centre like a good panna cotta should be :)) My guests were in a treat that evening!
Give this recipe a go if you are looking for a refreshing, Instagram worthy and totally taste of Summer for the perfect ending to your meal!
A Baking Journey says
That's great to hear, so glad you all enjoyed the panna cottas Elaine!
Michelle says
Hi can you use gelatine sheets instead of powder? Thanks
A Baking Journey says
Hi Michelle, yes gelatine sheets will work fine too - I would use 2 to 3 sheets (approximatively, depending on the strength of the gelatine sheet) that have soaked in ice cold water then well drained. Cheers!
Katherine says
I love panna cotta, and this one's such a good version as a summer's treat! The mango coulis on top is a must, as it really elevates the entire dessert! Made it for my family and they all loved it!
A Baking Journey says
Love to hear you all enjoyed the recipe, thanks Katherine!
rachi Fernandopulle says
Perfect dessert for a crowd. love the flavour combo. so easy and presented beautifully.
A Baking Journey says
Thanks Rachi 🙂
Sarah says
Big mago fan here, these look easy and delicious. And a great option to make ahead so you can enjoy talking to your guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen the whole time 🙂
A Baking Journey says
Thanks Sarah, big mango fan here too!
Robyn says
What a delicious make ahead dessert for summer. I cannot wait to try this very soon!
A Baking Journey says
Thanks Robyn, let me know if you try it!
Sally says
This is the perfect dessert to have prepared for a dinner party, and light enough to still enjoy after a big main meal! Love that it can be prepped in advanced and easily made dairy-free. The combination of mango and coconut would be divine!
A Baking Journey says
Thanks Sally, I completely agree!