I  ♥  panna cotta. But when I see it on restaurant menus, it’s almost never vegan. Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that’s a cross between jello and pudding. It’s typically made with cow’s milk and gelatin, neither of which are vegan. Gelatin, believe it or not, is made from cow or pig skins, ligaments, tendons and bones boiled in water. Disgusting. YUCK! Who wants to eat that? Not me…ever.

So I made a vegan version of this luscious dessert two ways: (1) with vegan gelatin powder (thanks to a little gift from my friend, Tessa) and (2) with agar agar flakes (a thickener derived from sea vegetables) to take the place of the gross gelatin. I like the agar agar version best, but try them both if you feel like it a decide which one you like. The texture for both is similar. The taste of the vegan gelatin version is a little tangy and the agar agar version is a bit richer.

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