A dark chocolate twist on the original, Chocolate Panna Cotta is an impressive dessert that’s surprisingly simple to make.
If you've had room for dessert after a meal at your favorite Italian restaurant, you may have ordered panna cotta (meaning 'cooked cream' in Italian). Hailing from the Piedmont region of Italy, it is traditionally a creamy vanilla dessert that is molded and then plated. Chocolate Panna Cotta is as decadently creamy as the original, but embellished with rich, dark chocolate.
Panna cotta is typically served as a molded dessert that requires you to dip ramekins in hot water before you invert each dessert over a serving plate with a hope and a prayer that they come out in one piece. I skip this process and serve it in small, clear glass tumblers instead. This way, it can be served straight from the refrigerator and looks just as pretty, especially when crowned with a dollop of whipped cream and a shower of chocolate shavings.
That said, if you prefer the molded appearance, go for it! This panna cotta recipe will work well for that too. (See recipe notes for specific instructions.)
Ingredients you need to make Chocolate Panna Cotta
Despite Chocolate Panna Cotta's elegant appearance, it's very easy to make. It's just a few simple ingredients and though it's custard creamy, you don't need eggs or a strainer to prepare it. In fact, you need no special equipment and it's likely that you have all of the ingredients on hand. You'll need heavy cream, half and half, powdered gelatin, sugar, vanilla extract, and of course the star of it all: high-quality dark chocolate. Missing something? Never fear, this Chocolate Panna Cotta recipe is amiable to substitutions.
Simple Substitutions
Want to lighten it up? Skip the heavy cream and use half and half, whole milk or a blend of the two. For a dairy free version, use coconut milk or nut milk instead. Not a fan of dark or bittersweet chocolate? Good quality semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate also work well. Don't be tempted to use chocolate chips though, they're made to hold their shape and you'll end up with gritty panna cotta.
You'll need just 10 minutes of active time to prepare this, so it's a great make-ahead option for a dinner party or romantic date night in. You’ll need to refrigerate for at least 4 hours for it to set. So make it the morning of or, even better, the night before to free up more of your time the day of cooking the rest of your meal.
Chocolate Panna Cotta is a dessert you can make in minutes that looks like it took hours to prepare. But that’s a secret you can keep to yourself.
More Must Try Italian Recipes
- Pasta Aglio e Olio
- Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Pasta
- Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts
- Lemon Garlic Pasta
- Affogato (Another fabulous Italian dessert that's very easy to make!)
How to Make Chocolate Panna Cotta
Step 1: Sprinkle gelatin over cold half and half in a medium saucepan. Place pan over medium-low heat and whisk until gelatin has dissolved (do not boil), about 3 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla into half and half mixture. Increase heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is steaming hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate; whisk until smooth.
Step 3: Pour mixture into small glass tumblers or lightly oiled ramekins (if turning out onto dessert plates). Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Before serving, in a medium bowl, whip cold heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla to medium-stiff peaks with a hand mixer on high. Top each dessert with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired. Serve.
Chocolate Panna Cotta
Equipment
- 8 4-ounce glass tumblers or ramekins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 envelope unflavored powdered gelatin about 1 tablespoon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped, (recipe note #1)
Whipped Cream for Serving
- ½ cup heavy cream cold
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings optional
Instructions
- Pour half and half into a medium saucepan off heat, sprinkle gelatin over and let stand 5 minutes. Set saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until gelatin dissolves, about 3 minutes (do not boil).
- Increase heat to medium and add 1 cup of heavy cream and sugar to sauce pan, continue whisking until sugar has dissolved and mixture is steaming hot, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat and add vanilla and chopped chocolate all at once; whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is completely smooth.
- Either transfer mixture to a glass measuring pitcher for easy pouring or carefully pour directly from the saucepan into glass tumblers or ramekins (see recipe note #2). Refrigerate until completely set, 4 hours or overnight. (Cover if refrigerating overnight)
- Just before serving, add ½ cup cold heavy cream, sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, beat on high speed until medium stiff peaks form. (You can also do this by hand by vigorously whisking with a wire whisk.)
- Top each serving of chocolate panna cotta with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle chocolate shavings over if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use good quality bar chocolate for this recipe. Do not use chocolate chips, they are made to hold their shape and won't melt properly leaving you with gritty panna cotta. I used 70% dark chocolate, but you can use any good quality chocolate you like!
- If you prefer to turn these out onto serving plates, I recommend using 4 ounce / ½ cup ramekins instead of tumblers. Lightly oil the ramekins with a flavorless oil before pouring in warm chocolate panna cotta mixture. When the desserts are set and ready to serve, run a thin knife around the edge of ramekins. Dip each ramekin individually in a bowl of hot water for 5 seconds (taking care not to let any spill over into your panna cotta). Invert a small serving plate over the center of the ramekin. Hold plate and ramekin firmly and turn upside down (so the ramekin is on top). Wiggle the ramekin back and forth to release the panna cotta and lift the ramekin away. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Serve.
- For those outside the US who may not have half and half in your grocery stores, substitute with ½ heavy cream and ½ whole milk. So for this recipe with 1 ½ cups half and half, you would use ¾ each of heavy cream and whole milk.
This is a good recipe just written a bit poorly. The 1/2c whipping cream for the topping is basically listed twice; it's confusing. But the taste/texture is delicious.
Hi JT! So glad you enjoyed this and, you're right, the way I referenced the whipping cream was confusing. Thank you for mentioning it - I've updated the recipe to be more clear.
This was as luscious, rich, smooth and delicious as promised...and, so easy.
aww...I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Doris! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Hello!
If using small mason jars is it ok to cover the jars with the lids while it’s refrigerating?
Thank you and can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Hi Cecilia! Small, lidded Mason jars will work well for this. To minimize condensation, I'd let them cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator for a few hours before screwing on the lids and letting them chill overnight (if you plan to make them a day ahead).
Hi Marissa- I'm super excited to try this recipe! Is it okay to leave the pana cotta mixture out for a few mins to cool down, so that I can pour them into plastic dessert cups (instead of glass)?
Hi Tara - That should work just fine to allow it to cool slightly before pouring in to your dessert cups. Enjoy!
This is great! What do you do with the other half cup of heavy cream from the first part of the recipe? If that is for the whipped cream, then it is repeated making it look like you need a full 2 cups instead of 1.5 for this recipe. I've made it tho and it's fabulous!
Hi Paralea! So glad you're enjoying the recipe. In the ingredient list there's a note about the 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream being divided. You use 1 cup in step 2 of the recipe and whip the remaining half cup in step 4 to top the panna cotta before serving.
I would love to give this recipe a crack! Sounds amazing!
We don’t have half and half here in Oz, could I just use milk?
Hi there, Kelsie! Yes, you can make this with milk. It will still be creamy, but not as rich. You can also use a blend of cream and milk (50/50 to approximate the half and half available in the US) for a richer version.
This sounds yummy I plan to make it tonight but I was hoping you could tell me what brand of dark chocolate bar that you used?
Hi, Deborah! Sure. I used Theo brand 70% dark chocolate. Enjoy!
This was delicious and so easy to make. I used a combination of 57% and 90% dark chocolate bars because that's what was in my pantry. I doubled the recipe thinking that a 4oz serving would be too small, but that serving size is just right given the richness of the dessert. My kids loved it with Biscoff cookies, which added a nice crunch. I'll be making this again soon!
This is wonderful to hear, Autumn! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
My son has wanted me to make Chocolate Panna Cotta ever since he had it once at a restaurant. I've made vanilla Panna Cotta before, but never chocolate. I made this today, following the recipe to a letter, using Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate (55%). He's eating it now, and says it's delicious. I tasted it, and he's right - it's creamy, flavorful and the texture is perfect. I'll definitely make this again and next time I want to try an even darker chocolate. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I just discovered your blog and cannot wait to try your recipes! Starting with this Chocolate Panna Cotta. I only have whole milk on hand. Can I make the recipe with only whole milk?
Welcome, Cara! Yes, absolutely. It won't be quite as rich and creamy with just whole milk, but will still be delicious.
Love vanilla with berries. This was easy and really tasty - even on its own. I may try an even darker chocolate next time ( I used Ghiradelli 60% bars ). Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Gail! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I love shot-glass desserts - they're neat and elegant! I also love panna cotta (Haven't made it for a while though), but plain vanilla version is a little boring and bland to my liking. So this splendid chocolate variation is right up my alley!
I love to hear that, Ben! I hope you'll give it a try. 🙂
Marissa, this is so luscious! This is my gluten-free son's favorite type of dessert. He will flip for it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Yay!! Thank you, Valentina!
Ohhhhh-weeeee this looks delicious! Panna Cotta is so so so yummy, and this chocolate version is perfect for my chocoholic husband! I'm definitely making this sometime this week... because I'm pretty sure I can find 10 spare minutes of time! 🙂 Gotta love an easy, delicious AND beautiful dessert! Pinned!
woohoo! I hope he loves it, Cheyanne!
Made this over the weekend! SO simple to prepare! It got two VERY big thumbs up from the mister! (I unfortunately couldn't try it since I'm allergic to chocolate and boy-oh-boy was I sad!!)
aww...I'm so happy your Mister enjoyed this, Cheyanne! And boo for chocolate allergies. xo
Oh, I love panna cotta! (Truthfully, I love all Italian desserts.) However, I've never tried my hand at making homemade panna cotta. I need to make this ASAP! It looks amazing, Marissa!
Thanks, David! You won't believe how easy it is!
I like this recipe but I live in the UK and I’ve never heard of half and half . Could you tell me what it is and if there’s a UK equivalent ? Thanks I’m advance .
Hi there, Sofia! Yes, absolutely, and I'll make a note of it in the recipe. Half and Half is half whole milk and half whipping cream. So for this recipe with 1 1/2 cups half and half, you would use 3/4 each of heavy cream and whole milk.
Lucky me...I have all the ingredients on hand to make this!! Woo hoo! Love panna cotta, especially this chocolate version. So creamy dreamy delish, Marissa 🙂
Woohoo! I hope you love it, Dawn!
One of my favourite desserts for sure - it is so simple too! Delicious 🙂
Thanks, Alex! 🙂
One of my favourite Italian classics! Yours looks so yummy and tempting.
Thank you, Angie!