As I mentioned last week, I developed a recipe for a Food52 contest that I wanted to share here on my blog as well.  Now that I know that this recipe made it to the top five, I feel like it’s safe to post here to share it along with my blog readers! You can also check out the recipe published on Food52 here.

Developing this recipe was a really fun challenge to work with new flavors and make a summery, vegan dessert starring oat milk.  I tested quite a few recipes ranging from aquafaba bases (total fails) to finally settling on this vegan panna cotta set with agar powder.  I did a lot of test trials using the agar powder to find the exact ratio to get the texture that I wanted – firm enough to hold a nice set, but not so firm that the final result is a bouncy hockey puck (believe me, I made quite a few bouncy hockey pucks at the beginning!).  The flavors are nice and summery, and focus on my favorite flavor combination right now – lime and coconut.  I decided to top this with a home-made mango jam, which compliments the coconut lime flavors perfectly, and adds that awesome color pop needed in a dessert.

So, if you are looking for a show-stopping vegan dessert, give this a try!  It does have a few components that each need some time to set, so this would be a great make-ahead dessert for entertaining (anyone out there entertaining anymore these days?).  There is some very minimal cooking, and both the panna cotta base and the jam come together without too much of a hassle.

Recipe down below, photo up top!  I posted the photo that I submitted the recipe with, even though it’s a little cringy for me to see the professionally shot photograph compared to mine.  All part of the learning and growing process!

This makes enough for 4 servings.

For the Coconut Lime Panna Cotta:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Cups Original Planet Oat Oat Milk
• ½ Cup unsweetened coconut cream
• ¼ Cup sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ½ tsp Agar powder
• Juice of 1 lime

Method:

1. Measure and add the oat milk, coconut cream, sugar, salt, and agar powder into a bowl.  Using a whisk, mix thoroughly until sugar is fully dissolved and ingredients have been fully combined.
2. Add the mixture to a saucepan, and heat over high heat until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan, stirring occasionally.  Once the mixture just starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly.  After 60 seconds, remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the lime juice to the heated mixture, stir to combine.
4. Portion the panna cotta base into 4 glass jars while the mixture is still hot using a ladle or heat-proof liquid measuring cup.  Once portioned, move the glass jars to the refrigerator to allow the panna cotta to cool and completely set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

For the Mango Jam:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango cubes
• ½ cup of water
• ¼ cup of sugar

Method:

1. Add all ingredients into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. 
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, the mango should be completely tender and able to fall apart when the mixture is stirred.  Press the mango with the back of the spoon to break it down into smaller pieces.  The mixture should be the texture of a loose jam.
4. Pour the jam into a heat-proof container, and allow to set in the refrigerator until completely cooled, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Assembly:

1. When the panna cotta base and the mango jam have both fully cooled, remove both from the refrigerator. 
2. Portion the mango jam on top of the coconut lime panna cotta, and serve any left-overs on the side.
3. Grab a spoon and enjoy!

Want a related recipe?  Check out my Plant Based Mango Ice Cream (Vegan) recipe that I developed with all of my leftovers!