5-Minute Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

A lighter panna cotta

I’m generally not a fan of creamy desserts, much to Mr. Scrummy’s disapproval as the poor thing never gets made the desserts laden with cream that he loves.

But for some reason I find panna cotta (literally ‘cooked cream’ in Italian) absolutely delicious. Strangely, I enjoy the rich creamy taste, but it’s also something about that slightly wobbly, not-too-hard-not-too-soft silky texture. It’s perfect.

Traditionally panna cotta includes gelatin, water, cream, and sugar. But I decided to try and simplify it a bit by using packaged Jell-O, as well as some Greek yogurt in place of some of the cream to keep things on the lighter side.

This would make a perfect simple Valentine’s Day dessert, or a dessert for any special occasion. Prepare it a few hours ahead, or even the day before, to leave yourself more time to concentrate on your main course!

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

This panna cotta made with Greek yogurt contains very similar ingredients to a classic panna cotta, except that I’ve replaced some of the cream to make it lighter – and to give it a pleasant tangy taste!

I’ve also skipped any added sugar, relying only on the sugar in the Jell-O for sweetness.

• Heavy cream: This might be called double cream or thickened cream where you live. Every great panna cotta recipe starts with this! I don’t recommend using light cream instead.
• Raspberry gelatin (such as Jell-O): This is what will ‘set’ your dessert. I like raspberry, but of course you could experiment with other flavors such as strawberry, cherry, or lemon. Note: If you’re in the UK, you can use raspberry jelly cubes instead.
• Greek yogurt: This will both make the dessert slightly lighter, and give it a delicious tangy flavor. I like to use an authentic Greek brand that is just milk and yogurt cultures such as Chobani or FAGE.
  Tip: Have leftover Greek yogurt? Check out this list of 25+ Greek yogurt recipes.
• Raspberries: These are optional, but they look and taste great on top of the panna cotta!

How to make Greek yogurt panna cotta

Greek yogurt panna cotta is what I call one of those ‘miracle’ desserts – ready in barely 5 minutes, but tastes like you spent all day on them! It certainly helps to serve it in beautiful teacups like you can see in the photos!

Here’s how you make this panna cotta with Greek yogurt in just a few simple steps:

Firstly, melt the Jell-O or similar into the cream in a small saucepan on a low to medium heat.

Remove from the heat, and slowly stir in the yogurt until that melts in too.

Then pour into teacups or ramekins and pop into the fridge for at least one hour (overnight is best).

Decorate with the fresh raspberries just before serving – if you like!

More 5-minute make-ahead desserts

• These 5-minute chocolate pots never disappoint! They’re classy, you can make them way ahead and pop them in the fridge, and best of all they take just minutes to throw together!
• I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love this 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake. Make it in a round cake pan, or turn the recipe into brownies!
• This angel food cake with strawberries dessert takes barely more than 5 minutes to make, with a delicious (optional but recommended) chocolate dipping sauce.
• 10-minute no bake chocolate truffle cake (OK, I’m cheating a bit by including this, but it’s too good to miss!)