Dessert

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Lemon Curd

Silky vanilla panna cotta meets honey-sweetened lemon curd in this simple, quietly impressive dessert. Cream is gently warmed and infused with vanilla before being set into your favorite mug, where it chills into something delicate and spoonable. The lemon curd — whisked slowly with honey, fresh zest, and butter — brings just enough brightness to balance the richness. It’s the kind of dessert that feels elegant, yet entirely at home on a farmhouse table.

March 03, 2026

By Lyndsey Eden

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Panna Cotta

1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
2 1/2 cups heavy cream (whipping)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 vanilla beans (seeds scraped out) can use 2-3 tsp of vanilla if you don’t have beans

For the Honey-sweetened lemon curd

Directions

For the Panna Cotta :

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the whole milk. Let stand until the gelatin is softened - 5 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla. Over medium low heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved. (Do not let the mixture boil.) Remove from the heat and cover. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the vanilla to really get infused. If using beans, take pods out after it has sat.
Add the gelatin-milk mixture to the warmed vanilla cream, whisking until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
Pour the panna cotta into serving dishes or fancy glasses. Refrigerate until set – 4-6 hours, best overnight.

For the lemon curd :

In a small sauce pan over low heat on the stove, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and the honey until well combined.
Make sure to consistently whisk the mixture while it is heating as to not cook the eggs.
Add the butter, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and zest, and whisk until the butter is melted and everything is well combined.
Continue to whisk constantly for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat. The mixture will begin to lightly simmer and thicken.
Once thickened, using a spatula scrap the sides and empty the mixture into a glass jar - you can also put this through a sieve.
Cool on the counter until it is room temperature and then cover and refrigerate. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools as well as overnight in the fridge.