If you’re looking for new dessert ideas for your holiday menu, consider your search done. The Pumpkin Panna Cotta recipe I’m sharing today is not only delicious and impressive, it’s surprisingly easy to make. Panna cotta is one of my favorite desserts for holidays and entertaining for this reason (check out my Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries and Caramel Apple Panna Cotta recipes if you’d like to see more variations), and since I love #pumpkineverything, I always felt that a pumpkin spice panna cotta would be a great fall or Thanksgiving dessert. This year I finally developed the perfect pumpkin panna cotta… smooth and creamy, lightly sweet with a hint of fall spice, and a presentation worthy of your holiday spread. Keep reading for cooking tips and step-by-step photos, or click the Jump to Recipe button above if you’re ready to go straight to the recipe.
More panna cotta recipes:
More Thanksgiving dessert inspiration like this pumpkin spice panna cotta
These dessert recipes are perfect for parties, gatherings, and pot lucks:
- Mini Chocolate Pies
- Mini Coconut Cream Pies
- Mini Key Lime Pie Bites
- Instant Pot Mini Cheesecake Bites
- Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Bites
- Biscoff Cheesecake
- Flan de Coco
- Flan de Chocolate
- Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries
- Caramel Apple Panna Cotta
- Lighter Honey-Orange Crème Brûlée with Raspberries
- Honey-Lemon Tart with Shortbread Crust
- Easy Fall Cupcake Decorating Ideas
- Fall Spiced Mini Apple-Cream Cheese Turnovers
- Mini Air Fryer Cherry Hand Pies
- Air Fryer Blueberry Hand Pies
- Air Fryer Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Nutella Hand Pies
- Tembleque (Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding)
- No-Bake Cherry Cream Cheese Dessert
- Blackberry Cobbler with Frozen Blackberries
- Dutch Apple Pull-Apart Pie
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Bundt Cake
What you need to make this Pumpkin Panna Cotta recipe
To make this pumpkin panna cotta recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients and tools:
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream, caramel sauce, pumpkin pie spice, candied pecans (for topping)
- Small bowl
- Saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stirring spoons and whisks
- 6 8-ounce glass cups (such as stemless wine glasses or rocks glasses)
- Plastic wrap
How to Make Pumpkin Panna Cotta
You might be surprised how easy it is to make this pumpkin panna cotta recipe… especially with how fancy it looks and tastes! Here’s how to make it.
First, pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let it sit for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin then mix well. Set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, stir together the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved completely. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring frequently until it is just about to boil (about 15-20 minutes), then remove from heat.
Whisk the reserved gelatin mixture and vanilla extract into the pumpkin and cream mixture until well blended and the gelatin is completely dissolved. Keep lightly whisking until the mixture reaches room temperature (about 15 minutes). This will prevent the mixture from separating while the pumpkin panna cotta is setting, so it is an important step (even though it might feel tedious).
Add 1/2 cup of the pumpkin panna cotta mixture into each of 6 8-ounce glass cups (such as a stemless wine glass). I find it easy to use a liquid measuring cup to do this, as it will pour into the glasses more cleanly. Cover each cup with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the pumpkin panna cotta is set (about 4 hours, though you can leave it overnight as well).
When you’re ready to serve the pumpkin spice panna cotta, remove from the fridge, then top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, and a few candied pecans.
This pumpkin panna cotta recipe will be sure to impress your holiday guests!
The texture is creamy perfection! Here’s the detailed Pumpkin Panna Cotta recipe. Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments!
Pumpkin Panna Cotta
If you're looking for new dessert ideas for your holiday menu, consider your search done. This Pumpkin Panna Cotta recipe is not only delicious and impressive, it's surprisingly easy to make. Pumpkin spice panna cotta is smooth and creamy with a hint of fall spice, and a presentation worthy of your holiday spread.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream, caramel sauce, pumpkin pie spice, candied pecans (for topping)
Instructions
- Pour the milk in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin; mix well. Set aside.
- Stir together the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved completely. Heat mixture slowly, stirring frequently until it is just about to boil, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Whisk gelatin mixture and vanilla extract into the cream mixture until well blended and gelatin is completely dissolved. Keep lightly whisking until the mixture reaches room temperature, about 15 minutes (this will prevent the mixture from separating while the panna cotta is setting).
- Add 1/2 cup of the panna cotta mixture into each of 6 8-ounce glass cups (such as a stemless wine glass). Cover each cup with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours (or overnight).
- To serve, top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, and candied pecans.
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