This delicious and easy pomegranate panna cotta is made with Greek yogurt and the perfect festive dessert. Serve this deliciously sweet dessert with pomegranate arils on top for a fun look.

pomegranata panna cotta

Pomegranate panna cotta

The first time I made panna cotta is ages ago and at the time I was under the impression that it was a most difficult dessert. So imagine my surprise when it turned out super easy to make. Yes there are some points to take into consideration but all in all this is really a very simple dessert.

How to make this yogurt panna cotta

The base of this pannacotta is yogurt. You could go for only heavy cream if you prefer but I love it more when there is something tangy inside the pannacotta. Either lemon or yogurt will do a great job here. But you could potentially use only cream if you want. A traditional panna cotta tends to only use whole milk and cream. Starting to make the panna cotta is super easy. You start by first soaking the gelatin leaves. Depending on where you life you might not be able to get gelatin in leaves but only in powder form. I’ve used gelatin sheets of 1,5 gram per sheet. So a total of 6 grams. This is only if you’re using sheets.

Difference gelatin leaves vs gelatin powder

Gelatin leaves always need to be soaked in a small bowl in cold water before added to a warm liquid. In the case of this recipe the warm liquid would be the heavy cream. Gelatin powder needs to be dissolved in liquid and can vary in strength depending on the brand. That makes it difficult to give a recommendation on the ratio if you need to substitute the gelatin mixture. In general the ratio for replacing a sheet is 1 to 1. So 1 sheet of gelatin equals one gram of gelatin powder. The strength of the gelatin is usually mentioned as the “bloom strength”. So be sure to check the specific instructions of your gelatin brand. And if you’re unsure, test it first.

pomegranate panna cotta

Now on to making the pannacotta. Take a small saucepan and add the pomegranate juice, the sugar and the heavy cream to it. Now heat it on medium heat until it comes almost to the boil. Don’t let it actually boil. It just needs to be warm enough to melt the gelatin sheets. If using powder I imagine you would sprinkle gelatin on top of the warm liquid and dissolve that way. I have never used powdered gelatin so again, make sure to check your instructions.

Now squeeze the water out of the soaked gelatin sheets and add to the warm mixture. Slowly stir until it is dissolved at which point you also add the yogurt and the vanilla extract to your pan. Stir everything through and divide your cream mixture across either panna cotta ramekins, wine glasses, shot glasses or whatever other fun form you want to use. 

Now place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until set. Cover the top of the ramekins with plastic wrap.

​Serving

I love serving this pomegranate panna cotta without the ramekins or any other form as you can see in the photos. The best way that I have found to present them is to use a bowl with warm water and make sure you have all other elements and the serving plates ready to go. Now dip each ramekins briefly into the hot water, making sure the water doesn’t get into the ramekins. If you watch closely you will see the pannacotta melt a little bit around the edges of ramekins. Now take a small serving plate and place it on top of the ramekin. Using both hands hold on to plate and ramekin and turn it upside down in one motion. Give it a shake and if all goes well you will hear a soft plop of the panna cotta falling onto the serving plate.

Naked pannacotta

Remove the ramekin and repeat for the rest of the panna cotta’s.

I keep serving simple with a pomegranate layer on top of the panna cotta. I use fresh pomegranate seeds for that but if you want you can also add a pomegranate syrup and some additional whipping cream on top. 

Substitutions

If you would want to make a lactose free version of any panna cotta recipes you can substitute the milk and yoghurt for coconut milk and coconut yogurt. It would work exactly the same for the rest of the process but because coconut yogurt is not so tangy make sure to add a bit of lemon juice.

If you want to replace the gelatin for agar agar you can, although the texture of agar agar is different to gelatin. It had a firmer texture and I personally prefer to use gelatin but if you’re vegan you would obviously not use gelatin. In general you can substitute 1 gram of gelatin for 1 gram of agar agar. Or use 1 teaspoon of agar agar for 3-4 sheets of gelatin. But keep in mind that agar agar requires high heat to work, so you need to have it boil to activate the agar agar.

pomegranate pannacotta

pomegranate pannacotta

Pomegranate panna cotta with yogurt and vanilla

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This easy dessert is perfect for any festive occasion and can be made in advance
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 4 hours
Total time 4 hours 15 minutes

6 people

Equipment

  • 6 ramekins

Ingredients

  • 50 ml pomegranate juice (feel free to substitute with 1/4 cup of lemon)
  • 4 gelatin leaves total of 6 grams of gelatin sheets
  • 340 ml double cream
  • 110 gram sugar
  • 500 gram greek yogurt full fat
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • seeds of one pomegranate

  • Soak the gelatin in a bowl with cold water for at least 5 minutes.
  • Put the cranberry juice, the double cream and the sugar together in a saucepan. Put on the heat and warm until the sugar is dissolved and hot enough to melt the gelatin but not boiling. Squeeze the moisture out of the gelatin and add to the cream mixture. Stir until dissolved.
  • Add the yogurt and the vanilla in and stir everything through.
  • Pour into the pannacotta tins, cover with cling film and put into the fridge for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
  • If you want to remove the pannacotta from the tins, fill a large bowl with warm water and gently dip the tin into the hot water until you can see the sides coming loose a little bit. Put a plate on top of the tin, turn around, holding both with your hands and it should come straight out.
  • Scoop the pomegranate seeds on top of the pannacotta and serve.

Nutrition Information per portion

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 841IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

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Simone van den Berg

Food- and travel blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Loves to taste good food the world over. She also loves to share travelstories, delicious recipes and ok, cat pictures too. She sometimes feels the need to get really healthy for a while, always mingled with periods of insanely delicious sweets and other decadent treats. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist