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Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries

Panna Cotta is a simple, yet fancy, dessert. This Lemon Panna Cotta recipe is flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste, and fresh blueberries.

Lemon Blueberry Panna Cotta

Making this Lemon Panna Cotta

I recently made Panna Cotta for the first time. It’s probably the easiest, fanciest dessert I’ve ever made. It looks special; it tastes special, but it’s really easy to make

This lemon version is a perfect summer dessert because berries are in season and it doesn’t require turning on the oven in an already hot kitchen.

You can mix this up with different flavors – orange and raspberry, vanilla and strawberry. I picked lemon and blueberry because that is a favorite flavor combination of mine. Add in a touch of vanilla to that and it’s golden!

As far as the price, I’d consider this a fairly inexpensive dessert when you do the shopping right. I pick up heavy cream and half and half frequently at Costco to have on had for when the need arises. The size isn’t your typical “Costco size,” but the price is better than I’ve found at grocery stores.

Berries are frequently on sale during summer months. The time I made this, I found them on sale for 79 cents per container. If your location allows, head to the farmers market or a you-pick farm for a fun activity.

What Is Panna Cotta?

Panna Cotta is a fabulously simple, yet seemingly fancy, dessert recipe. Essentially, it is just gelled sweetened cream, but it tastes so much more than that.

In this recipe, the Panna Cotta is flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste.

What’s in Lemon Panna Cotta?

This lemon blueberry panna cotta recipe may look fancy, but it actually uses fairly basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

  • Cold Water
  • Unflavored Gelatin
  • Half and Half
  • Lemon Zest
  • Cream
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Sea Salt
  • Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Vanilla Bean Paste
  • Fresh Blueberries

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this blueberry and lemon panna cotta, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Lemon Panna Cotta

  1. First, sprinkle gelatin over the of water in a small bowl. Let it sit to soften.
  2. Then, put the half and half, lemon zest, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until bubbles form around the edges. After that, whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Then, take the pan off the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until completely dissolved.
  4. Whisk in the cream, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste.
  5. Divide half of the berries between custard cups or dessert glasses. Fill each one partway with the berries.
  6. Pour the panna cotta mixture over the berries and chill until set.
  7. Before serving, divide the remaining berries between the cups, piling them on top of the set custard. Garnish with lemon zest.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Panna Cotta

  • Be very careful when heating the cream mixture on the stove. Cream can easily burn and / or bubble over, so warm just until bubbles begin forming at the edges of the pot.

How to Store Lemon Panna Cotta

Leftovers of this recipe for lemon panna cotta can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Since it is served chilled, there’s no need to reheat or bring to room temperature before enjoying the leftovers.

Try this Lemon Panna Cotta at Home!

Next time you’re looking for a no-bake dessert for summer, give this recipe for Lemon Panna Cotta a try!

Did you love the silky texture and citrus notes? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this delicate dessert.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of Lemon Panna Cotta recipe!

More Lemony Summer Desserts to Try

This easy Lemon Ice Cream is sweetened with agave nectar and is ultra creamy thanks to a combination of milk, cream, and half and half.

This Lemon Curd Pavlova is topped with fresh raspberries. You can make lots of mini pavlovas and serve them individually, or make one large pavlova as an elegant dessert centerpiece

Need a simple yet elegant no-bake dessert for summer gatherings? Make this Strawberry Lemon Tart! The filling is reminiscent of no-bake cheesecake, but it’s creamier and richer thanks to the combination of mascarpone and cream cheese. 

Celebrate warm weather with these easy Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes! Tangy lemon cupcakes are topped with a fluffy blackberry buttercream frosting. You’ll love the fruity combination of lemon and blackberry flavor.

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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Have you ever tried Panna Cotta?

Lemon Blueberry Panna Cotta

Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Panna Cotta is a simple, yet fancy, dessert. This Lemon Panna Cotta recipe is flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste, and fresh blueberries.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Cold Water
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin
  • 1 cup Half and Half
  • Zest of one Lemon
  • 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
  • Pinch Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
  • 1 cup Fresh Blueberries, divided

Instructions

  1. First, add the cold water to a small bowl. Then, sprinkle gelatin over the of water. Let it sit to soften.
  2. Meanwhile, measure the half and half, lemon zest, and sugar in a small saucepan set over over medium low heat.
  3. Cook until bubbles form around the edges. After that, whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.
  4. Then, take the pan off the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until it is completely dissolved.
  5. Whisk in the heavy cream cream, salt, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste.
  6. Wash and dry the blueberries. Divide half of the berries between custard cups or dessert glasses, filling each one partway with the berries.
  7. Pour the lemon panna cotta mixture over the berries and chill until set, about 2 - 3 hours.
  8. Before serving, divide the remaining berries between the cups, piling them on top of the set custard. Garnish with lemon zest.

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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 523Total Fat 44gSaturated Fat 28gTrans Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 139mgSodium 101mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 1gSugar 26gProtein 6g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love it if you let me know what you think! Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram at @goodlifeeats with the hashtag #goodlifeeatsrecipes so I can see what you’re cooking up in YOUR kitchen!

Michelle

Monday 9th of May 2022

Hi! I don't have gelatin but agar agar powder. Would I use the same amount? Thanks in advance!

Katie

Monday 9th of May 2022

Hi Michelle, I'm sorry I don't have any experience with using agar agar powder! I just did a quick search on it and it says it is NOT a 1:1 conversion. The website I saw said: 1 teaspoon agar powder is = to 8 teaspoon gelatin powder. Another website said to use around 1/3 of the amount of gelatin when using agar agar. Hope that helps! Please let me know how it goes and I can update the recipe with that information for others. Thanks!

Katie @ goodLife {eats}

Tuesday 21st of July 2009

mandi - you could perhaps use lemon zest instead. I would rub the sugar with it (using your hands) and then add the lemon zest/sugar to the saucepan as directed. Zaz - glad someone knew the answer to your question, because I didn't!

Temma

Tuesday 21st of July 2009

Zaz, you should be able to substitute Agar-agar, which is made from seaweed, for the gelatin.

samsstuff

Monday 20th of July 2009

Sounds divine! Thanks for posting, blueberry & lemon are a perfect combination for this.

Bethie

Monday 20th of July 2009

I think I am going to have to try this. It looks wonderful.

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