How to Make Authentic Italian Gelato at Home - A Detailed, Step-by-Step Recipe

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ic- no, no, we scream for Gelato! If you’re a fan of the famous Italian Gelato, you’ve got quite a distinctive taste! Although authentic Gelato is pricier and less accessible than any other cream-based dessert in most places. And thus, so that you can independently quench your Gelato cravings, through this blog, we teach you how to make authentic Italian Gelato step-by-step! However, before we jump to making the Italian Gelato, let’s understand what distinguishes this dessert from all others. 

If you’re an ice cream addict but are afraid of the calories that tag along with the sweet treat, you can always switch to Gelato! This dessert originated in Italy and is lower in calories than regular ice cream. This slightly healthier alternative comprises 6-10% butterfat, a lot lower than the butterfat ratio in most other frozen desserts. The authentic, low-fat gelato is called the Artisanal Gelato locally in Italy, its place of origin. Furthermore, the dessert contains 70% less air and more flavoring than regular ice cream, i.e., it is made with lesser exposure to air than other desserts, that’s why one relishes such a delightfully dense texture and mouth-feel while indulging the many flavors of Gelato. 

Now that you have a fair idea about how the Italian Gelato is different from American ice cream, let’s dive into the Lip-smacking Gelato recipe, one step at a time!

As a famous delicacy in Italy, varied regions have grown several versions of its Gelato recipes - vegan-friendly and eggetarian, flavored and unflavoured, etc. We’d be covering two distinctive variations of gelato, namely, The Classic Gelato (egg yolk-based) and The Sicilian Gelato (Cornstarch-based, fewer egg yolk). If you’re looking for a vegan-friendly Gelato recipe, we’ve got your back! Read on to find all three ways to make equally delicious Gelato. 

Basic Ingredients:

A few essential ingredients you’d need to make Gelato is Eggs (3-4 eggs for a medium-sized ice cream tub-worth Gelato), Whole milk (can be substituted by soya/almond milk for vegan gelato), Fresh Cream, Food flavorings (vanilla extract, cocoa powder, etc.). That’s all! Of course, there’s enough room for experimentation if you’d like to try out other ingredients like fresh fruit seasoning and more! Although, the aforementioned ingredients are more than enough to get you started.

The Classic Gelato:

1. Start by warming up the milk in a non-stick pan. Turn off the heat before the milk comes to a boil. Rest the milk aside for it to come to room temperature. 
2. Get your egg yolks into a bowl and add sugar (tablespoons according to your requirement of sweetness). Stir well to a thick blend till the sugar particles are fully dissolved.
3. Add the warm milk into the egg yolk mix and keep stirring constantly. Beat the mixture till the consistency is thick, dense, and rich-textured. 
4. Add this mix into the non-stick pan again and keep on a low flame. Add a tablespoon of your preferred flavoring and keep stirring well.
5. Turn off the heat when the back of your ladle is covered in a slight trace of the creamy custard. 
6. Let the thick mix come to room temperature and then blend well in an ice cream maker. To get the thickest, most premium-flavored Gelato, it is essential that you use an ice cream maker for the final blending and freezing process. 
7. Once properly blended, freeze the mixture as per the instructions of the ice cream maker. Do not freeze for a long time. We do not want the gelato to be icy. It must be soft, texturous, and rich in flavor. 
8. Serve 10 minutes after freezing so as to enjoy a thicker, less-icy Gelato! 

The Sicilian Gelato:

For making the Sicilian Gelato, you must follow the exact same steps as the classic gelato, only replacing the egg yolks with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Cornstarch is an excellent alternative to egg yolks since it is equally efficient in creating the density and texture we require in the traditional Italian Gelato. You can integrate soya milk or almond milk into this Gelato recipe to relish the yummiest vegan Gelato.