Tasty Mango Panna Cotta

This silky double mango panna cotta brings summer's tropical magic to your table. You'll love how the smooth mango cream blends with fresh mango sauce for a dessert that's fancy yet refreshingly light.

I made this for a backyard get-together when it was blazing hot - over 90°F. Everyone gobbled up this cool, smooth treat so fast! I caught guests scraping their glasses to get every bit of that mango goodness.

Main Ingredients

• Ripe or frozen mangoes: Go for alphonso or ataulfo types if you want the most sweetness
• Whole milk: This creates the rich foundation for that velvety texture
• Heavy cream: Gives you that fancy, melt-in-your-mouth feeling real panna cotta needs
• Fine sugar: Melts quickly so your dessert stays perfectly smooth
• Gelatine powder: Gets you that perfect jiggle without making things too firm
• Lime juice and zest: Adds zing and balances out the richness
• Vanilla paste: You can skip it, but it adds amazing depth

Simple Cooking Steps

Make Your Mango Sauce:

First, throw 400g of mango in a blender with some lime juice and sugar. Blend until it's totally smooth. Your sauce should pour easily but still be thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon. This bright mixture will flavor your panna cotta and make a pretty top layer.

Warm Up Your Dairy Mix:

Throw your milk cream sugar mango sauce and vanilla in a small pot. Warm it up slowly watching it until you see tiny bubbles forming. Don't let it boil or you'll mess up the texture. It just needs to be hot enough to melt the gelatine without getting too crazy.

Mix In The Gelatine:

While your cream mixture warms up sprinkle gelatine powder over cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir the soft gelatine into your warm cream away from the heat making sure all the bits dissolve. Everything must melt completely for that silky finish.

Add Extra Flavor:

Stir in fresh lime zest so it spreads all through the mixture. Those tiny bits of citrus will make the mango taste even better. Make sure your zest is finely grated so it blends in nicely.

Fill And Chill:

Pour your mixture into serving glasses leaving room at the top for the sauce layer. Let them firm up in the fridge for at least 2 hours until they have a nice wobble. Cover each glass with plastic wrap so they don't form a skin or pick up fridge smells.

What I love most about this treat is using mango two different ways. The strong sauce creates two separate flavor zones with different mango intensities. I once served this to my mother-in-law who swore she hated panna cotta. By the end of dinner, she was asking me for the recipe!

Keeping It Fresh

These treats taste best when you eat them within 2 days of making them. Always keep them covered in the fridge so they don't pick up smells from other foods. For the prettiest look, add the final layer of mango sauce and any decorations right before serving instead of ahead of time.

Ingredient Swaps

You can change this recipe in lots of ways. If you can't have dairy, try coconut milk and coconut cream instead - they go really well with mango. Vegetarians can use agar agar instead of gelatine, but you'll need different amounts and you must boil it to make it work. When fresh mangoes aren't around, good canned mango pulp works fine, just strain out any stringy bits first.

Ways To Serve

To make these look extra fancy, use clear glasses so everyone can see the pretty layers. Sprinkle some toasted coconut on top for a nice crunch against the smooth dessert. They also taste great with crispy almond cookies or butter cookies on the side. During hot summer months, I sometimes serve them slightly frozen for an ice cream-like treat that's perfect when it's sweltering outside.

Recipe Q&A

→ Can I swap fresh mangoes with frozen ones?

You sure can use frozen mangoes instead of fresh ones. Just make sure you let them thaw completely before you blend them for the sauce to get the best flavor and smoothness.

→ How early can I make this dessert?

You can make this panna cotta up to two days before serving. Just keep it covered in the fridge and wait to add your toppings until right before you serve it so everything stays fresh.

→ What's the trick to getting the panna cotta to set right?

First soak the gelatin in cold water, then mix it into your hot mixture. Stir it really well until it's completely melted, and don't forget to chill it for at least two hours so it gets nice and firm.

→ What goes well on top of this dessert?

This panna cotta tastes amazing topped with fresh mango pieces, some mint leaves, and a sprinkle of coconut. You can also drizzle more mango sauce on top if you want an extra punch of flavor.

→ Can I make a dairy-free version?

You bet! Just swap out the regular milk and cream with coconut milk and coconut cream. It'll still turn out creamy and delicious with a nice tropical twist.

→ Do I really need to add lime zest?

It's not a must, but lime zest adds a nice zingy freshness that really brings out the mango flavor. I'd throw it in if you want your dessert to have that extra pop of taste.