By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026
Panna cotta is a soft, white spoon dessert from Piedmont in northern Italy, and here milk kefir and whole milk take the place of the usual cream. The kefir gives it a gentle tartness, and crushed raspberries spooned over at the table bring sweet juice to meet it.
A cooked cream that is barely cooked
Panna cotta means cooked cream, yet the cream is only warmed enough to dissolve the sugar and gelatin. It belongs to the Piedmont tradition and is usually traced to the Langhe hills in the early twentieth century, although nobody knows exactly who first made it. The classic version sets cream, whole milk, vanilla sugar and gelatin in a caramel-lined mould, sometimes with rum, Marsala or coffee. Italians serve it at the end of a meal in every season, with caramel, melted chocolate or a fruit sauce.
Kefir, milk and a light hand with gelatin
Without cream, panna cotta tastes more like a milk pudding and sets softer and looser, while cream makes it richer. Kefir adds a slight tartness that suits sweet, ripe fruit. Let the warm milk cool a little before it meets the kefir, because kefir curdles if it gets too hot.
Gelatin decides the texture. Too much turns panna cotta into a firm, rubbery mass, while the right amount gives just enough structure to hold its shape. For a milk panna cotta, about three gelatin sheets per 500 g of milk give a soft set and four a firmer one. If a batch does set too firm, cut it into cubes and roll them in shredded coconut.
Raspberries, brown-sugar syrup and other toppings
Frozen raspberries work best simmered into a sauce, then blended and strained to remove the seeds. Brown-sugar syrup or jam also works well. Ripe strawberries, passion fruit or caramelised orange slices all suit the gentle tang of kefir, and a spoonful of granola with a drizzle of honey adds crunch.
Raspberry kefir panna cotta
Ingredients
Panna cotta
- 60 ml cold drinking water
- 1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin powder About 9 g, level.
- 500 ml plain milk kefir Choose unsweetened kefir.
- 350 ml whole milk
- 80 ml honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Raspberry topping
- 150 g fresh raspberries Rinse gently and drain.
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 30 ml cold drinking water
You will need
- Small bowl
- Saucepan and whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Bowl and fork
- 6 small dessert glasses
- Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the 60 ml cold water in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes to soften.
- Warm the milk, honey and salt in a saucepan over low heat, stirring for about 3–4 minutes, until the honey dissolves and small bubbles appear around the edge. Do not boil.
- Off the heat, stir the vanilla and softened gelatin into the milk until the gelatin has completely dissolved, with no granules left.
- Let the milk mixture cool slightly before adding it to the kefir in the next step.
- Whisk the kefir smooth in a mixing bowl, then gradually stir in the milk mixture until evenly combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly among six dessert glasses.
- Cover the glasses loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until set.
- While the panna cottas chill, lightly crush the rinsed, drained raspberries in a bowl with a fork.
- Mix the sugar and the remaining 30 ml water into the berries, then cover and refrigerate.
- Just before serving, spoon the berries and their juices over the set panna cottas in their glasses.
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