This Pistachio Panna Cotta is a decadent Italian dessert recipe! It's made with heavy cream, homemade roasted pistachio butter, and honey.
Panna cotta is one of the best Italian desserts out there. It's creamy, decadent, and makes for the perfect after-dinner treat. This Pistachio Panna Cotta recipe is an easy dessert that is sure to impress!
I love to serve panna cotta for dessert at a dinner party or any small gathering because it's simple to prepare but feels downright gourmet. Panna cotta seems like something you might order at a fancy Italian restaurant.
Panna cotta can be enjoyed with any variety of toppings and can be made as sweet as you like. This pistachio version is lightly sweetened and topped with a homemade pistachio butter, roasted pistachios, a bit of honey for extra sweetness, and some flaky sea salt.
It can be made the day ahead and topped right before serving. I love desserts that don't require lots of babysitting and this one totally fits the bill.
I first discovered panna cotta a years ago at a restaurant in Minneapolis and have been hooked ever since. It's an unassuming dish that packs a lot of flavor and perfect served with some coffee or a glass of red wine.
Jump to:
- What Is Panna Cotta Made Of?
- How To Make Panna Cotta
- Can Panna Cotta Be Made In Advance?
- How To Make Pistachio Butter
- Is Pistachio Butter The Same Thing As Pistachio Paste?
- What Can I Put Pistachio Butter On?
- How To Serve Pistachio Panna Cotta
- How Long Does Panna Cotta Last In The Fridge?
- Pistachio Panna Cotta
What Is Panna Cotta Made Of?
Panna cotta is a cold Italian dessert that's made with heavy whipping cream, sugar, and unflavored gelatin. These three ingredients are cooked lightly in a sauce pan and then poured into a serving vessel.
Panna cotta literally means 'cooked cream' in Italian. The cooked cream is chilled in the fridge for a few hours before serving. It can be enjoyed as-is, or topped with anything from chocolate to honey to jam to fresh fruit.
It's a great blank canvas that can be customized to your liking. The texture of panna cotta is cool and creamy. It's a bit like a chilled custard or pudding.
Ingredients For Pistachio Panna Cotta
It only requires a few ingredients to create this decadent dessert.
Here's what you'll need to make it:
- 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 ¼ tsp. Unflavored Gelatin (equals 1 packet)
- ¼ cup cold water
- 10 oz. Unsalted Pistachios
- 1 Tbsp. Unrefined Coconut Oil
- 4 tsp. Honey (optional)
- Flaky Sea Salt for garnish (optional)
A Few Ingredient Notes
- It's important to use unflavored gelatin and not flavored gelatin, as this would affect the taste of your panna cotta.
- Make sure to use unsalted pistachios instead of ones that are already salted. Salted pistachios will make this dessert way too salty.
- You can use shelled or unshelled unsalted pistachios. Shelled pistachios are easier to work with, but unshelled pistachios may be used by manually removing and discarding the shells.
- The honey is an optional topping. I recommend adding it for additional sweetness. You can also use maple syrup, agave syrup, or brown rice syrup.
- The addition of sea salt is also optional, but it does help to bring out the sweetness of desserts.
How To Make Panna Cotta
It doesn't take much effort to create the base of this dessert. This portion of the process only takes about 15 minutes or so.
- Pour ¼ cup of cold water into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 packet (equals 2 ¼ tsp.) unflavored gelatin into the cold water.
- Allow the water and gelatin mixture to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature until it sets. The mixture will form a gel-like texture. Set aside.
- Place 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract into a small sauce pan. Heat the mixture to just below boiling, stirring often.
- Continue to stir with the heat just below boiling until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the gelatin mixture to the sauce pan and continue to stir while the mixture cooks just under a boil. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
- Remove from heat.
Can Panna Cotta Be Made In Advance?
Panna cotta requires at least 2 hours of chill time in the refrigerator, so it's actually recommended to make it in advance.
It can be made a few hours or even a day before serving, making it a great option for serving guests at a holiday dinner or any kind of party.
Once the cream mixture is finished on the stove top, it's time to pour it into serving vessels.
I recommend pouring it into whatever vessel you plan to serve, so that you don't have to scoop it into a separate vessel once chilled and disturb its shape. Panna cotta will mold to whatever shape the cooked cream mixture is poured.
You can serve panna cotta in any kind of drinking or serving glass. I went for a short drinking glass, but you can use mason jars, ramekins, stemless wine glasses, lowball glasses, martini glasses, or any variety of small dessert dishes. I always recommend using glass or metal instead of plastic.
- Pour the cooked cream mixture into 4 small glasses (or serving glasses of choice).
- Allow the cream mixture to come to room temperature.
- Once the cream has reached room temperature, transfer the glasses to the refrigerator and allow to set for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
How To Make Pistachio Butter
Panna cotta is delicious on its own, but the addition of pistachios takes it to a whole other level.
If you like the flavor of pistachios, you're going to love this homemade pistachio butter! It adds just the right amount of pistachio flavor to this Italian dessert.
You'll need a roasting pan and a food processor to make pistachio butter and it can be prepared while the panna cotta is chilling in the fridge.
- To make pistachio butter, pour 10 oz. of unsalted pistachios (remove the shells if pistachios are unshelled) onto a baking sheet.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the pistachio nuts for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan once during the roasting process to prevent the nuts from burning.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. The pistachios should be fragrant at this point.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the roasted pistachios and set aside. Place the rest of them in a food processor.
- Pulse the pistachios a number of times until they begin to break apart.
- Turn the food processor 'on' for a minute or two. Repeat this process until the pistachios begin to form a thick paste, pausing for a minute or two in between pulsing. This will help to prevent your food processor from overheating. Use a spatula to scrape the sides if necessary.
- Once a thick paste has formed, add 1 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Is Pistachio Butter The Same Thing As Pistachio Paste?
The process of roasting pistachios and pulsing them in a food processor yields pistachio butter. It is much the same as peanut butter. The mixture is smooth, creamy, and unsweetened.
Pistachio butter is similar to pistachio paste, the difference being that the paste is made with some form of sweetener.
I love to make my own pistachio butter because it ensures that pistachios are the only ingredient and includes no extra food coloring or preservatives.
The pistachio flavor is intense and it's good enough to eat on its own.
Where Can I Buy Pistachio Butter?
If you don't have a food processor or don't feel like making your own pistachio butter, you can purchase a jar of the pre-made stuff. Pistachio butter or paste can be found in a high end grocery store, Italian deli, or online.
I recommend a brand of pistachio butter that does not contain any extra sweeteners or unnecessary ingredients in order to retain the best possible flavor.
What Can I Put Pistachio Butter On?
You may end up with a little extra pistachio butter, depending on how much you add to your panna cotta.
This is great, though, because pistachio butter is fantastic on just about anything.
Feel free to add any unused pistachio butter to bread, toast, crepes, ice cream, overnight oats, smoothies, energy bites, or as a dip for fruits or vegetables.
How Long Does Pistachio Butter Last?
Pistachio butter lasts 2-3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 3 weeks stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
How To Serve Pistachio Panna Cotta
Once the panna cotta is fully chilled and the pistachio butter prepared, this treat is ready to serve.
- Remove the panna cotta from the refrigerator and top each one with desired amount of roasted pistachio butter.
- Crush the reserved ¼ cup of pistachios and sprinkle over the pistachio butter.
- Drizzle a bit of honey over the top (optional).
- Garnish with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt or salt of choice (optional).
Whether or not to add honey (or any other sweetener such as maple syrup or agave nectar) depends entirely on how sweet you like this traditional Italian dessert.
Much of the sweetness comes from the addition of honey (or another sweetener) and it is recommended if you enjoy a bit of extra sweetness.
Love desserts? Check out these recipes!
- Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Baked Glazed Lemon Doughnuts
- Buttermilk Rhubarb Cake
- Scandinavian Almond Cake
- Old Fashioned Blueberry Buckle
- Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Doughnuts
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars
- Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
- Maple Bourbon Walnut Pie
- Gluten Free Apple Galette
- Maple Pecan Pie
- Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake
How Long Does Panna Cotta Last In The Fridge?
Any leftover panna cotta may be stored for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. You may want to cover the glasses with a towel so that it doesn't soak up any of the other flavors lingering in the fridge.
Can It Be Frozen?
I don't recommend freezing this dessert, as it is best enjoyed fresh or within a few days. I always think that desserts made primarily with dairy are better kept out of the freezer.
If you like this recipe, I think you'll love this Strawberry Mint Panna Cotta!
Looking for more party desserts? Check out these recipes!
- Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake Bites
- Toasted Coconut Chocolate Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Crispy Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
- Puff Pastry Strawberry Mascarpone Tartlets
- Maple Walnut Baklava Tarts
- Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
- Halloween Puppy Chow
Looking For More Pistachio Desserts? Don't Miss These Recipes!
Pistachio Cardamom Kulfi
Pistachio Cupcakes
Rose Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Pistachio Panna Cotta
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ tsp. unflavored gelatin equals 1 packet
- ¼ cup cold water
- 10 oz. unsalted pistachios shells removed if shelled
- 1 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil
- 4 tsp. honey optional
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
For The Panna Cotta:
- Pour ¼ cup of cold water into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 packet (equals 2 ¼ tsp.) unflavored gelatin into the water. There is no need to stir the mixture.
- Allow the water and gelatin mixture to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature until it sets. The mixture will form a gel-like texture.
- Place 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract into a small sauce pan. Heat the mixture to just below a boil, stirring often. Continue to stir with the heat just below a boil until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the gelatin mixture to the sauce pan and continue to stir while the mixture cooks just under a boil. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Pour the cooked cream mixture into 4 small glasses (or serving glasses of choice). Allow the cream mixture to sit and come to room temperature. Once the cream has reached room temperature, transfer the glasses to the refrigerator and allow to set for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
For The Pistachio Butter:
- This step can be completed while the panna cotta is chilling in the refrigerator. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pour 10 oz. (equals 1 ¼ cup) of unsalted pistachios (remove the shells if pistachios are unshelled) onto a baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the pistachio nuts for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan once during the roasting process to prevent the nuts from burning. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. The pistachios should be fragrant.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the roasted pistachios and set aside. Place the rest of the nuts in a food processor. Pulse the pistachios a number of times until they begin to break apart.
- Turn the food processor 'on' for a minute or two. Repeat this process until the pistachios begin to form a thick paste, pausing for a minute or two in between pulsing. This will help to prevent your food processor from overheating. Use a spatula to scrape the sides if necessary.This step can take up to 10 minutes.
- Once a thick paste has formed, add 1 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Place the reserved ¼ cup of pistachios in a small plastic bag and crush with a meat tenderizer.
Serve The Panna Cotta:
- Remove the panna cotta from the refrigerator and top each one with desired amount of roasted pistachio butter.
- Sprinkle the crushed pistachios over the butter.
- Drizzle with a little bit of honey (or sweetener of choice) and sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt (or salt of choice) (both optional).
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing pistachio panna cotta recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Liz
I have never had this dessert before, but I feel I've been missing out! This dessert sounds and looks delicious! Will have to give it a try!