Vegan Chocolate Panna Cotta

Last month I went to the Fancy Food Show for the first time ever! I was so excited to see so many Indian women-owned businesses! One of the booths I visited was Elements Truffles, owned by Alak Vasa, a former Wall Street trader turned chocolate maker! She creates small batch chocolate in New Jersey, near my hometown, using Ayurvedic ingredients and local honey! I loved seeing another person who turned their passion into their career. Indian parent want stability for their kids so they usually push their kids into careers in healthcare, engineering, and business. I feel like our parents are finally seeing that there is so much more than those career tracks and that we can be successful in creative fields as well! 

I used Alak’s turmeric infused dark hot chocolate powder to make these creamy vegan chocolate panna cottas. It is made from raw, organic and fair trade Peruvian cacao which gives this panna cotta a super-rich chocolate flavor. Plus it’s turmeric-infused which means this dessert is extra healthy for you!

To make this panna cotta vegan, I used agar agar powder. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store or on Amazon. It’s derived from algae and helps the panna cotta solidify into a creamy mousse-like dessert. Usually gelatin is used to make panna cotta, however, gelatin is derived from animal bones.  I also used coconut milk instead of dairy milk, however, feel free to use what non-dairy milk you like best!

If you’re looking for a dessert that you won’t feel guilty about or just want to treat yourself – try this recipe out! It’s super simple and takes about 5 minutes to make! It’s a great make-ahead dessert and can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days!

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