• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Wimpy Vegetarian
  • Home
  • About Susan
    • About Susan
    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Recipe Index
  • Essential Pantry
    • Reduced Balsamic Vinegar
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Resources
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Meal Plans
    • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » DESSERTS

    Peppermint Mocha Panna Cotta

    Modified: Nov 16, 2022 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    Panna cotta is an easy, make-ahead dessert perfect for the holidays. This version infuses coffee, vanilla, peppermint, and a little chocolate for Christmas.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe

    Panna Cotta is one of the easiest desserts to make, and perfect for the busy holidays. If you're anything like me, you like to have people over during the holidays, but you need easy desserts you can count on. Bonus points if they can be made ahead.

    Panna Cotta means cooked cream, and is essentially a chilled pudding or mousse thickened with gelatin, and molded. In its natural form, it's a little bland. Therefore, it's often infused with a wide variety of flavors, and dressed with a sauce. Best of all, Panna Cotta is easy, quick, and chills out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to set up. This makes it a perfect make-ahead dessert.

    I created this recipe for Nielsen-Massey, and is reprinted with their permission. My version is lusciously rich, and is ideal for the holidays with Nielsen-Massey's vanilla, peppermint, and coffee extracts. To lighten it up a bit, just substitute half of the whipping cream for whole milk. Easy-peasy. And if you don't want it quite so thick, just use less gelatin. It's all up to you.

    For more ideas from the Nielsen-Massey folks, visit their website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

    Cooking Tips:

    • Some recipes call for bringing the cream to a low boil, however I advise removing it from the heat as soon as you see the first bubbles form around the edge of the pot.
    • Completely dissolve the gelatin before pouring it into the glasses or molds. To further ensure a consistent, smooth texture, pour the liquide through a small strainer, before pouring it into the molds.
    • Serve Panna Cotta in the mold, or flip it out onto serving plates. For the latter, apply a very light coating of oil to the mold using a paper towel before filling it with the liquid.
    • I highly recommend this combination of extracts for the holidays. And be sure to look for Nielsen-Massy's products for the best quality. If you can't find them in your store, click on the photos to order them (affiliate link):

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Peppermint Mocha Panna Cotta

    Perfect holiday dessert. It's easy, quick, and has to chill out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to set up. This makes it the perfect make-ahead dessert.
    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe Add to Recipe Collection Go to Collections Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Chill Time2 hours hrs
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 122kcal
    Author: Susan Pridmore
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup cold water
    • 1 packet unflavored gelatin
    • 2 cups whipping cream
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Peppermint Extract
    • ½ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Coffee Extract
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder garnish

    Instructions

    • Place 8 mini martini glasses or dessert molds on a small rimmed sheet pan; set aside. In a small glass measuring cup, add water. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand for 5 minutes to soften.
    • To a medium saucepan, whisk together the whipping cream, sugar, coffee, vanilla, peppermint and coffee extracts. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and the cream just begins to gently boil.
    • Turn off the heat and add softened gelatin, stirring constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour the liquid through a strainer into the molds or glasses, dividing the mixture between them. Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 2-3 hours. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 122kcal

    Disclosure: Nielsen-Massey provided a bottle of the peppermint extract for me to try, and provided this recipe for the holidays. All opinions are my own.

    More Easy Holiday Desserts

    Frozen mudslides with scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, topped with Kahlua, Bailey's, and vodka. Serve as a drink or dessert (or both).Frozen Mudslides

    Easy dessert for the holidays.Lemon Syllabub

    Eggnog flavored crème anglaise stirred custard for either drinking or pouring over cake.Eggnog Crème Anglaise

    « Pennsylvania Dutch Spice Currant Christmas Cookies
    Lobster and Crab Chowder »

    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Feestzaal

      December 14, 2016 at 4:17 am

      5 stars
      This is something different to try out for a dessert! Very innovative indeed!

      Reply
    2. Jo / The desert echo

      January 06, 2017 at 9:40 pm

      Mmm...I love pannacotta. I never knew it was easy!

      Reply
    3. cass

      September 13, 2022 at 3:00 am

      Just want to warn people, that unless it's specifically natural gelatin you buy, gelatin is NOT vegetarian. The most common sources are animal skins & animal bones. Because that is where the collagen is.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    READER FAVORITES

    • Summer peach cake topped with fresh peaches and blueberries on a marble counter.
      Lazy Summer Peach Cake Recipe with Blueberries
    • A bowl of fresh strawberry salsa with a crostini spread with cheese and topped with salsa.
      Easy Strawberry Salsa Recipe with Chocolate Nibs
    • A bowl of cooked, fluffy brown rice topped with a little fresh thyme.
      How to Cook Fluffy Rice with Tips (White AND Brown Rice)
    • Four dishes from a vegetarian St. Patrick's Day roundup of recipes with text overlay.
      Irish Vegetarian Recipes (St. Patricks Day)

    15 Tips for Going Vegetarian (Updated!)

    A colander filled with freshly washed apples with text overlay.

    Purchase My Cookbook!!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Purchase my cookbook
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe Index

    Copyright © 2025 The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.