Cinnamon French Toast Panna Cotta (Dairy-free, Paleo)

Cinnamon French Toast Panna Cotta is a riff on a traditional Italian panna cotta, but mine is dairy-free. Usually panna cotta is made from a combination of milk, cream, sugar and gelatin—creamy with a slightly firm texture.

Of course, there’s no actual bread in my version, but I incorporated all my favorite French toast flavors: the butteriness from the ghee, richness from the egg yolks, warmth from cinnamon and of course a bit of sweet from maple syrup. A bit of crumbled crispy bacon on top gives a savory counterpoint to the sweetness. And of course, I used coconut milk to keep it dairy-free. Seriously delicious.

Keep in mind that this panna cotta doesn’t set up like super-firm gelatin desserts. I serve it in small Mason jars for a few small, rich bites.

Ingredients for Cinnamon French Toast Panna Cotta:

• 1 can (14 ounces or 400 mL) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 Tablespoon high-quality gelatin (like this one)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons ghee*, optional
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 crispy bacon strips, crumbled, for garnish

Directions for Cinnamon French Toast Panna Cotta:

1. Pour 1/4 cup of the coconut milk into a very small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the panna cotta.
2. In a medium pot, whisk the remainder of the coconut milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, ghee and cinnamon until they’re combined. Warm the mixture over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, but don’t let it boil. You want to warm the mixture enough to dissolve the gelatin but not too much so that the egg yolk starts to scramble.
3. Turn off the heat and whisk in the coconut milk / gelatin mixture from step 1 until the gelatin is dissolved. Mix in the vanilla extract.
4. Pour the panna cotta into small ramekins, bowls or Mason jars. I used four 4-ounce Mason jars, like these. Refrigerate for 1–2 hours or until the panna cotta firms up. Serve with a garnish of crumbled bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Change it up:

• Use homemade almond milk instead of coconut milk.
• Use honey instead of maple syrup.
• Omit the ghee if desired.

*Please note that while ghee is technically derived from butter, it’s had the problematic proteins removed during processing and is only pure butterfat. Therefore, some people consider it a dairy product. I, however, don’t because most folks who react to dairy negatively do because of the protein or the carbohydrate fractions, not the fat.

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