Strawberry Coconut Panna Cotta for Full GAPS

Strawberry coconut panna cotta is a chilled, pink dessert made with fresh berries, rich homemade coconut milk, honey, and plain gelatin. The strawberries are blended into the pudding itself, so you get their flavor throughout instead of only in a topping.

You can serve it in small ramekins or turn the set portions onto plates. There are no eggs or dairy in this version. Gelatin gives it its shape, while coconut milk supplies the creamy part.

We have six children, and I prepare meals around homeschooling and second-shift work. Refrigerator time needs a place in that plan too. This is a dessert you can mix earlier and leave to set while you get on with the rest of the meal, instead of trying to finish every part at serving time.

Jump To The Recipe

Allow about 20 minutes to prepare and heat the mixture, then at least an hour in the refrigerator. Begin checking the portions after that hour, but leave them longer if the centers are still loose. The card’s one-hour-twenty-minute total is a minimum planning estimate.

Ingredients

• 15 ounces rich homemade coconut milk, weighed, divided
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons plain unflavored bovine gelatin powder
• 3 tablespoons cold filtered water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for greasing the ramekins
• A few fresh berries, optional, for serving

Weigh the coconut milk rather than treating the ounces as a fluid measure. Fifteen ounces by weight is about 425 grams. Stir the finished homemade milk first, including any coconut fat that has separated, then weigh the portion for this recipe.

Use rich homemade milk rather than canned coconut milk or a thin drinking-milk carton. A homemade batch may separate in the refrigerator. Mixing its fat and liquid back together before measuring gives you a more even starting point.

The strawberries go into the pudding as purée. Remove their green tops and cut away damaged parts before chopping. Fresh berries at room temperature work for the cold blender step; do not pour the hot coconut mixture into the pitcher.

Use gelatin powder that sets liquid, not hydrolyzed collagen peptides. They are different products for this job. The powder here is plain and unflavored, without sugar, colors, or a prepared dessert mix.

The honey amount is two measured tablespoons. There is no stevia in this version. Fresh lemon juice adds a little tartness to the strawberries without turning the dessert into a separate lemon pudding.

How To Make Strawberry Coconut Panna Cotta

1. Soften The Gelatin

Put the three tablespoons of cold water into a small bowl. Add some of the already weighed cold coconut milk to make half a cup of cold liquid altogether. Keep the remaining coconut milk for heating.

Sprinkle the two tablespoons of gelatin evenly over that cold mixture. Let it stand for about five to ten minutes while you prepare the berries. The powder should become damp and swollen rather than remain a dry mound on top.

This step softens the gelatin; it does not turn it into a clear liquid. It can look thick and a little granular before heating. The warm coconut milk will dissolve it in a later step.

When doubling, use one cup of cold blooming liquid for the four tablespoons of gelatin. That liquid still comes from the doubled water and coconut-milk amounts. You are dividing the measured ingredients, not adding another cup of liquid to the recipe.

2. Purée The Strawberries

Put the chopped strawberries and lemon juice into the Ninja BN801 pitcher. Blend the fresh fruit until no large strawberry pieces remain.

The purée should be evenly red, with the small strawberry seeds still visible. Blending does not remove those seeds, and this recipe does not strain away the fruit pulp.

Transfer the purée to a large mixing bowl. Only the room-temperature fruit goes through the blender here. The warm coconut-and-gelatin mixture is whisked into the bowl afterward, so there is no hot-liquid blending step.

3. Warm The Remaining Coconut Milk

Put the remaining measured coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir as it warms so the fat mixes evenly through the liquid. When the milk is hot, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the softened gelatin mixture and honey. Whisk until the gelatin has dissolved and the honey is incorporated. Look for an even liquid without dry gelatin specks or separate pieces of softened gelatin.

If a piece remains, keep stirring through the warm milk until it disperses. Do not leave a rubbery lump in the pan and assume it will disappear after chilling. That lump would still be there in a spoonful of the finished pudding.

4. Mix And Portion

Whisk the warm coconut mixture into the strawberry purée in the large bowl. Work through the bottom and sides until the color is evenly pink. There should not be a white layer of coconut milk sitting above a red layer of fruit.

Grease six small ramekins with a thin film of the measured coconut oil. Divide the mixture among them while it is still pourable. The six portions are an estimate; choose containers with enough room rather than filling each one to the rim.

Set the ramekins on a tray to move them into the refrigerator together. Keep them level while the mixture is loose, particularly if you plan to unmold the desserts later.

5. Chill Until Set

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Check the middle as well as the edges. A portion should hold together when you gently tilt its ramekin, rather than flowing to one side like the mixture did before chilling.

Leave any loose portions in the refrigerator longer. The starting temperature, the depth of the containers, and the time needed for the center to cool can change when they are ready.

Cover the portions for storage once cooled, keeping the covering away from the surface. Leave the optional fresh berry garnish until serving so it stays separate from the set pudding.

6. Serve Or Unmold

For the easiest serving, leave the panna cotta in its ramekin and add a few fresh berries. The pudding should be set and spoonable, with small strawberry-seed flecks in the pink mixture.

To turn it out, briefly dip the outside of the ramekin in warm water for about five to ten seconds. Keep the water below the rim. You only want to loosen the outside of the dessert, not warm the whole portion.

Place a serving plate over the ramekin and invert them together. If the pudding does not release, give the outside another brief warm-water dip and try again. Do not leave it sitting in hot water for several minutes.

Where This Fits On GAPS

This complete dessert is for Full GAPS after strawberries, homemade coconut milk, honey, and the other ingredients have been introduced and tolerated. It uses fresh fruit and completed homemade milk rather than a flavored dessert packet.

GAPS permits homemade coconut milk and excludes canned coconut milk. The separate homemade coconut-milk recipe is the component to prepare before starting this dessert.

The recipe is dairy-free and egg-free. It still contains fruit, coconut, and honey, so it is not a No-Plant dessert. Keep the whole recipe under Full GAPS instead of assigning an Intro stage from a single ingredient.

This version uses two tablespoons of honey for the whole batch. Keep the fresh strawberries and homemade coconut milk in their measured amounts too, so the gelatin has the same mixture to set in each portion.

Storage And Serving

Keep the set portions covered in the refrigerator until serving. They are meant to be cold. Put only the portion you are unmolding into the brief warm-water dip, then serve it instead of warming every ramekin at once.

Add fresh berries at the table. You do not need a second sweet sauce, whipped cream, or extra honey to complete the formula. If you are serving in the ramekins, a spoon is all you need.

For another chilled dessert to make on a different day, see Honey Lemon Jello Cups. That recipe uses a lemon-and-honey liquid rather than strawberry purée and coconut milk, so keep its gelatin measurements with its own recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Collagen Peptides?

Use plain gelatin powder for this dessert. Collagen peptides do not provide the same setting action. Changing the powder can leave you with a strawberry drink instead of portions that hold together.

Why Is The Pudding Still Loose?

First give the center more refrigerator time. Also check that you used setting gelatin, measured both tablespoons, and dissolved it fully in the warm milk. Extra unmeasured liquid changes the mixture you are trying to set.

Will The Seeds Disappear?

No. Blend away large pieces of berry, but expect the tiny strawberry seeds to remain. This is a fruit-purée dessert, not a clear juice jelly.

Do I Have To Turn It Out?

No. Serve it in the ramekin when that is easier. For unmolding, keep the warm-water dip brief and repeat only if needed. The dessert should stay cold and hold the shape of its container.

Recommended Equipment

Use a kitchen scale, measuring spoons, a half-cup measure for the blooming liquid, a knife and board, a small bowl, the Ninja BN801, a saucepan, a large mixing bowl, a whisk, six small ramekins, and a tray. For unmolding, add a bowl of warm water and serving plates.

Recipe Card

More Chilled GAPS Treats

The planned No-Bake Snacks Cookbook will bring more treats into one collection with their GAPS preparation explained. Look for release details in the WFLI shop, and save the homemade coconut-milk recipe so that part is ready before you begin.