Coconut Milk Magnolia Panna Cotta

I’m a bit obsessed with magnolia flowers, because I believe they’re some of the most flavorful edible flowers you can find. Today, we’re making a Magnolia Panna Cotta. It’s a simple dessert, but it’s extremely unique and has an elegant feel to it.

The taste of magnolia flowers is similar to fresh ginger root, with a bit of an earthy aftertaste. I find it absolutely lovely. There are two very good ways to extract this flavor: Make a syrup or infuse the flowers in something with a high-fat content, like heavy cream or coconut milk.

What makes this dessert special

Panna cotta is the perfect vehicle for showing off the special flavor of magnolia flowers. When I’m creating a dessert where there’s an unusual “hero ingredient”, I like to keep things simple so that the ingredient can really shine. 

I really love this flavor combination. The gingery petals pair well with coconut milk, creating a tropical vibe. The raspberry sauce on top ties it all together. 

I added the touch of raspberry sauce to the top of the magnolia panna cotta for a few reasons. For one, it adds much needed color. It also creates a nice contrast – from the creamy, rich panna cotta to the tart and bright raspberry sauce. Lastly, it’s another way to sneak in a bit more magnolia flavor, as I sweetened the sauce with magnolia syrup.

Panna cotta is one of those desserts that looks like you could only get it from a 5-star restaurant, but is actually very easy to make at home. Trust me, you’ll love this dessert!

How to make magnolia panna cotta

The first step is to make a magnolia flower syrup. This is a basic simple syrup infused with magnolia petals. I use a 1:1:1 ratio of sugar to water to flower petals. Make sure you have your syrup made and cooled before you start the rest of this recipe.

Next, we’ll infuse the coconut milk with the flowers. Heat coconut milk over medium-low heat and add magnolia syrup, magnolia petals, vanilla, and salt. Bring this to a low simmer, then turn off heat, cover the pan, and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.

While the flavor is infusing, bloom the gelatin. Whisk cold water and gelatin together in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes. When the coconut milk is done infusing, pour a small amount of the coconut milk mixture into the bloomed gelatin and whisk until smooth. Then, add the remaining coconut mixture and whisk to combine. Return to heat briefly if necessary to completely dissolve the gelatin.

Lastly, pour the mixture through a fine sieve to strain out the flowers. Pour panna cotta into ramekins or small glasses and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight. It needs this time to set up, so practice patience and make this recipe ahead of time.

You can make the raspberry topping while your panna cotta is chilling. Simply simmer everything together until thick and strain out the seeds. Then, let it cool and spoon it over the tops of the panna cottas when they’re ready to serve.

Panna cotta tips

Making panna cotta is really easy, but you might have trouble with the gelatin. First of all, the gelatin must be “bloomed” before you add it to the coconut milk mixture. This helps to hydrate and dissolve the gelatin so that it doesn’t end up in gummy clumps in your final dish. When using powdered gelatin, you need to whisk it with cold water until it’s completely smooth before using it in your recipe.

Then, add a small amount (a few tablespoons) of warm coconut milk to the bloomed gelatin and whisk again until smooth. Even after it’s bloomed, gelatin can still clump up upon contact with hot liquid, so this step further ensures you end up with a perfectly smooth panna cotta. Once your gelatin is well combined with a small amount of coconut milk, you can add the rest of the mixture and you should be good to go.

My final tip is to let the panna cotta chill thoroughly so that it gets nice and cold and sets up properly. This is a great dessert to make the day or night before you want to serve it, but as long as you give it at least four hours, it should be firmly set.

Variations & substitutions

Coconut milk: If you don’t love the flavor of coconut or are serving this to someone who has a coconut allergy, you can use heavy cream in place of the coconut milk. I haven’t tried this with other non-dairy milks, so I can’t say for sure if it would set right with another milk choice.

Raspberry topping: I love the color and flavor that the raspberries add to this dessert, but you could really top it with anything you like. Another berry would be great for the sauce, especially blackberries or strawberries. Or, you could simply top it with a few fresh berries! You could also skip the topping entirely if you want to taste the magnolia panna cotta all on its own.

If you love magnolia flowers as much as I do, be sure to try my Magnolia Flower Moscow Mule! It’s such a fun drink to celebrate spring.