panna cotta

noun

pan·​na cot·​ta ˌpa-nə-ˈkä-tə 

plural panna cotta or panna cottas

: a dessert made of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin

For a more summery treat, try the vanilla bean panna cotta. The creamy gelatin is served with a berry coulis, perfect for a hot day.

—Lindsey Styrwoll

Panna cotta, which is lightly thickened with gelatin and often topped with caramel or fruit or both, piques the curiosity of diners …

—Pamela Parseghian

Serve your panna cotta either in the ramekins with the strawberries on top or you can unmold and serve on a plate.

—Theresa Greco

Examples of panna cotta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Don’t miss out on a dessert of tiramisu, cannoli, or panna cotta. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026

Expect delicate, delicious starters such as savory éclairs with red prawns and spring onion panna cotta. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026

At Coastal Kitchen in the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, chefs Michael Rotondo and Lisa Baty have incorporated briny nori and kombu into a sablé Breton, topping the sweet-salty shortbread with panna cotta and a verdant drizzle of kelp oil. —Megan Zhang, Saveur, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, literally, "cooked cream"; panna "cream," feminine derivative of panno "piece of cloth, layer formed on the surface of a liquid," going back to Latin pannus "piece of cloth, rag"; cotta, feminine of cotto "cooked," past participle of cuocere "to cook," going back to Latin coquere — more at pane, cook entry 1

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above