This lemon panna cotta is light, creamy, silky smooth, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Made with just a handful of ingredients, this panna cotta without gelatin is super easy to make. It’s an elegant dessert, perfect for parties and weeknights.
If you're looking for easy no-bake desserts, this bright, citrusy, and luscious homemade lemon panna cotta is a wonderful one for spring and summer. This Italian-inspired classic dessert is easy to prepare ahead, sets beautifully in the refrigerator, and pairs so well with a sprinkling of nuts, fresh berries, and fruit compotes.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✨ This lemon panna cotta is incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
✨ Light, creamy, silky smooth, and with that delightful wobble, it’s a refreshing no-bake dessert for hot summer months.
✨ The fresh lemon flavor keeps the panna cotta bright and balanced, never too heavy.
✨ A wonderful make-ahead dessert for parties, potlucks, and stress-free entertaining.
✨ This creamy lemon dessert is wonderful on its own, but also pairs exceptionally well with fresh fruits, fruit sauces, or even with a simple drizzle of honey.
⭐️ Made this recipe? Please consider leaving a review. Your comments and star ratings help other readers find and trust my recipes.
Recipe Ingredients
Milk: Classic panna cotta is made with cream, mixed with some whole milk. But I love making it with full-fat coconut milk. If you want, you can swap this with cream.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works well to sweeten the panna cotta.
Greek yogurt: This helps give a smooth, luxurious texture and adds a subtle tang.
Agar agar: This is a vegan alternative to gelatin. The plant-based setting agent comes from red algae. It sets firmer than gelatin, so a little goes a long way.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest are what make this easy panna cotta a citrusy kick and zing! Avoid bottled lemon juice.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Lemon Panna Cotta
Step 1: Gently heat coconut milk with sugar and lemon zest till the sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Remove from the heat and stir in the agar-agar.
Step 3: Continue whisking. Put the pan back on low heat and bring it to a simmer.
Step 4: Strain the mixture at this point to remove any lumps.
Step 5: Allow the panna cotta to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. When it’s lukewarm, add lemon juice, lemon zest, and some Greek yogurt for tangy creaminess.
Step 6: Divide into serving cups, bowls, or glasses and let it chill for 4-6 hours or even overnight.
Step 7: Top the lemon panna cotta without gelatin with nuts, pomegranate arils, and lemon zest. Serve chilled.
Top Tips
- Measure your agar carefully. Too much agar, and your lemon panna cotta will be hard and rubbery instead of jiggly and creamy.
- Mix the agar agar well. It needs to dissolve properly for the lemon panna cotta to set smoothly. Stir well and simmer gently.
- Keep the heat low. Overheating damages the gelling power of agar agar. So don’t bring it to a boil. When you see tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan, take it off the stove.
- For a satiny smooth panna cotta, pour the mixture through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps.
- Lemon flavor mellows as the panna cotta chills, so taste it before pouring into your serving glasses or molds. Add some more if needed.
- Allow the lemon panna cotta to set for at least a few hours in the refrigerator for the best texture.
- If your panna cotta hasn't set after a few hours in the refrigerator, pour it back into a saucepan and reheat until it reaches a boiling point.
- If you plan to serve panna cotta on a plate, remember to lightly grease your bowl or ramekin with oil before pouring in the mixture.
How To Serve Lemon Panna Cotta
Lemon panna cotta is a great make-ahead recipe. It takes barely 15 minutes on the stovetop, and the rest is all cooling and chilling!
When it comes to the actual serving, there are endless possibilities with panna cotta, from sparkling glasses to plated desserts.
- I like to garnish with lemon zest, pomegranate arils, and finely chopped pistachios.
- You can also top it with fresh fruits as I did for my mango coconut panna cotta.
- A strawberry sauce like on my coconut panna cotta will also pair really well.
- Mango curd or lemon curd are great for serving with easy lemon panna cotta.
- A spoonful of strawberry chia jam, cherry jam, or mulberry jam would be lovely on top.
Recipe FAQs
Panna cotta is a classic Italian dessert made with cream, sugar, and a setting agent like gelatin. It has a light, silky, custard-like wobbly texture and is usually served chilled.
Yes, absolutely. This easy lemon panna cotta is made with agar agar instead of gelatin, making it a perfect vegetarian option.
Agar agar needs to be heated properly to be activated. If the mixture wasn't simmered long enough or the agar agar wasn't properly dissolved, the panna cotta may not set correctly. So if your panna cotta hasn't set, simply reheat it, and then chill it to set.
This will stay well covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More No-Bake Desserts
Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please drop a comment below or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this lemon panna cotta as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 13.5 oz Coconut milk, full fat
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2.5 tsp Agar-agar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain
- 2 tsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Lemon zest
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the coconut milk, sugar, and lemon zest just to a gentle boil until sugar dissolves.13.5 oz Coconut milk, full fat, 1/3 cup Sugar, Zest of 1 lemon
- Take off the heat. Whisk in the agar-agar.2.5 tsp Agar-agar
- Bring back to a gentle simmer. Keep stirring frequently. Don't let the mixture come to a boil. You want to cook until you see small bubbles on the surface.Pour the mixture through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps.
- Cool the mixture for 10 minutes, until lukewarm.
- Stir in the yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well.1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain, 2 tsp Lemon juice,1 tsp Lemon zest
- Pour into your serving bowls and refrigerate to set completely for 2-3 hours. You can even let it set overnight.
- Just before serving, top with pomegranate arils, pistachio, and some more lemon zest. Enjoy!
Notes
- Measure your agar carefully. Too much agar, and your lemon panna cotta will be hard and rubbery instead of jiggly and creamy.
- Mix the agar agar well. It needs to dissolve properly for the lemon panna cotta to set smoothly. Stir well and simmer gently.
- Keep the heat low. Overheating damages the gelling power of agar agar. So don’t bring it to a boil. When you see tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan, take it off the stove.
- For a satiny smooth panna cotta, pour the mixture through a sieve to ensure there are no lumps.
- Lemon flavor mellows as the panna cotta chills, so taste it before pouring into your serving glasses or molds. Add some more if needed.
- Allow the lemon panna cotta to set for at least a few hours in the refrigerator for the best texture.
- If your panna cotta hasn't set after a few hours, pour it back into the saucepan and cook it again until the mixture reaches the boiling point.
- If you plan to serve panna cotta on a plate, remember to lightly grease your bowl or ramekin with oil before pouring in the mixture.
EASYFOODSMITH says
This is my kind of dessert. Love pannacotta and love love love citrus.
BTW, the backdrop is very pretty! Is a customised one?
Natasha Minocha says
I love lemony anything in summers! The backdrop isn't customized, but an instagram friend, @psanand, makes these and a whole lot of wooden props. You should check out his page. He does gorgeous work. I've got customized wooden props from him too 🙂