Pumpkin again ! This elegant, silken and vegan recipe is inspired by a dessert I ate at my all time favorite vegetarian restaurant, the Green Restaurant, established at the famous Fort Masson in San Francisco. I ate lunch there a few weeks ago and they had a pumpkin creme caramel on the menu. It was just AMAZING !

Since that day, I wanted to recreate a vegan version of this memorable treat. So I just went for it. I swapped the eggs and milk for coconut milk. I also added agar-agar, a seaweed powder/flakes I use to thicken vegan desserts like "pot-de-crème", mousse cake or, of course, panna cotta. It turned out delicate, silky and delicious!

On top of that, this dessert can be made ahead of time. Just take it out of the refrigerator and it's ready to serve!

This panna cotta recipe is like a blank canvas you can dress with whatever you want!

This time, I served my pumpkin panna cotta with a few (!) homemade treats :

Candied pecans. They're SO good. As is, they would be perfect on a scoop of vanilla ice cream or crumbled on a cake/bar to give them a bit of crunchiness. Needless to say they disappeared in a minute!

I also added a drizzle of my homemade vegan caramel... Oh! Oh...! That's definitely not the last time you're going to see that one on the blog! It's pretty addictive!

And of course... Maple coconut whipped cream... My love for coconut whipped cream is unconditional...

And a ginger cookie...1 why not ?

Vegan pumpkin panna cotta (w/maple coconut whipped cream & candied pecan)

Panna cotta

1 can (about 425 ml) organic high fat coconut milk

1/2 homemade or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon grounded ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg and cloves

1 tablespoon agar-agar flakes - See note

Maple coconut whipped cream - Recipe here

Candied pecans

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut sugar

Pinch sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pecans

Vegan caramel

1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

1/2 maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 pinch of sea salt

For the panna cotta :

Add the coconut milk, pumpkin purée, spices, maple syrup and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth and well combined.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and whisk in the agar powder (see note). Heat over medium-high until boiling.
Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 7-10 minutes to ensure that the agar has dissolved. Whisk frequently.
Pour the mixture into your serving bowls or glasses. Cool down for few minutes over the counter. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or even overnight. If you want to invert the panna cotta from the bowls onto a plate, you may have to do it after 3-4 hours (more then that, it may stick too much to the bowls).

For the candied pecans :

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Whisk together all the ingredients. Toss until evenly combined.
Pour the coated pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. Stir and bake for another 20 minutes, until the sugar coating is cooked.
Remove from the oven, and let the pecans cool down.

For the vegan caramel :

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine (continuously to prevent burning) for 10 minutes.
Set aside in the fridge to cool. It will thicken as it chills.

Note : if you only find agar-agar powder, use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon.