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Perfect for Fall
I make panna cotta any time I have people over, and this pumpkin panna cotta is perfect for fall. It’s spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice folded into the cream, set inside individual mini pumpkins with a layer of cane sugar torched on top until it’s caramelized and crackly. This is a great make-ahead dessert for those busy Thanksgiving days.
Table of Contents
What is Pumpkin Panna Cotta?
Panna cotta is a chilled Italian cream dessert, and the name means cooked cream. This one is all fall: pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice stirred into the cream, then set soft with a little gelatin. Instead of a ramekin, you serve the panna cotta inside mini pumpkins with a caramelized brûlée sugar top.
How to Hollow Out Mini Pumpkins
Start out by washing your mini pumpkins. Fill up a bowl with warm water and a drop of dish soap. Use a soft sponge or small brush and wipe away any dirt, paying special attention to the crevices. Dry well.
Cut the top off each one like a little lid. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a spoon or a melon baller, working over a bowl so you can pull the seeds from the strings and save them for the garnish. Rotate the pumpkin as you scrape so you catch the edges and the curve at the bottom. Leave enough wall behind that the pumpkin stands up on its own once it’s filled.
Check that each one sits flat without rocking so it won’t tip over in the fridge. Right before you fill them, pat the insides dry with a paper towel. Water sitting on the walls loosens the panna cotta where it meets the pumpkin and keeps that edge from setting firm.
Tips and Tricks
How to Bloom Gelatin
Start cold. Sprinkle the gelatin over cold liquid, never warm. If the milk is warm, the gelatin will clump.
Sprinkle, don’t dump. Scatter it across the surface like you’re seasoning it. A pile traps dry gelatin in the middle.
Let it sit. Give it about ten minutes, undisturbed. Don’t stir it into the milk.
Melt it fully. After the gelatin has bloomed, stir it into the warmed base. Then stir it until can’t feel any grit on the back of the spoon. Always keep it under a simmer, bringing gelatin to a boil weakens it.
Strain: Don’t forget to use the fine mesh strainer.
More Panna Cotta Recipes
Berry Panna Cotta is a creamy mascarpone base topped with berries macerated in Grand Marnier, so it comes out a little boozy and tangy against the sweet cream.
Espresso Eggnog Panna Cotta is a holiday dessert, great for Christmas. It layers spiced eggnog and espresso stacked under a boozy espresso caramel. Make it ahead for the adult table.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta is a silky mascarpone panna cotta finished with a tart passion fruit caramel and fresh pulp on top.
Carrot Panna Cotta turns carrot cake into a spiced cream cheese panna cotta, with a bourbon butterscotch and toasted pecans over the top.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Mini pumpkins, the small ones sized for a single serving that sit flat on their base. Hollow them out well and leave enough wall behind that they hold their shape once filled.
Yes. The base sets the same in any cup or ramekin. You lose the pumpkin bowl and the seed garnish, but it is an easy swap if pumpkins are out of season.
If you want the caramelized brûléed sugar top you need it. You can’t put these under the broiler. Of you don’t have one, you can serve the pumpkins as they are with just the whipped cream on top.
Yes, it has to chill to set these must be made-ahead. Keep the pumpkins covered in the fridge and don’t freeze them.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- saucepan
- whisk
- fine mesh strainer
- paper towels
- kitchen torch
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup whole milk, or cream
- 1 1/2 envelopes gelatin, about 3 3/4 tsp
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups full-fat greek yogurt
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 6 mini pumpkins, hollowed out, seeds reserved
For Garnish
- 12 tsp cane sugar, for the brûlée top (about 2 tsp per pumpkin)
- reserved pumpkin seeds
- 6 tbsp whipped cream, about 1 tbsp per pumpkin
- cinnamon, for dusting
Instructions
- Bloom the Gelatin: Add the milk to a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit for 10 minutes.1/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/2 envelopes gelatin
- Heat the Base: In a saucepan, whisk together the cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Warm over medium heat, whisking, until warm, but not boiling.2 cups heavy cream, 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Combine: Strain the hot cream mixture into the gelatin a little at a time, whisking constantly. Whisk in the greek yogurt and condensed milk until smooth.2 cups full-fat greek yogurt, 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- Fill: Pat the hollowed pumpkins dry. Divide the mixture among them. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, until set.6 mini pumpkins
- Brûlée: When the pumpkin panna cotta is set, gently pat dry the tops. Sprinkle each one with about 2 tsp of cane sugar and torch until melted and golden.12 tsp cane sugar
- Garnish: Top each with a dollop of whipped cream, a few pumpkin seeds, and a dusting of cinnamon.reserved pumpkin seeds, 6 tbsp whipped cream, cinnamon
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
