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READY IN 3 hr

Gelato

Read Reviews (49)

"Basic Gelato Recipe...from my Italian mother-in-law. This recipe may be used as a base for your favorite flavors. Try adding vanilla, shaved chocolate or your favorite fruits. Experiment with desired flavors!" — OSTAFF1

Ingredients Edit and Save

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All about Cream

All about Eggs

Sugar and Sweeteners

Original recipe makes 4 servings Change Servings

2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

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Directions

In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm. If the gelato is too firm, place it in the refrigerator until it reaches the desired consistency.

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COOK 3 hrs
READY IN 3 hrs

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jun 21, 2008

Gelato differs from ice cream in that it has a lower fat content (higher ratio of milk to cream) and less overrun (volume of air) which makes it denser and creamier than ice cream and mimics the higher quality, more expensive commercial ice creams. This recipe, with its higher milk to cream ratio and the deliberate omission of vanilla, is an authentic recipe for Italian "Gelato di Crema." To omit eggs, or to reverse this lower fat, cream to milk ratio in this recipe, effectively makes this ice cream, not Italian Gelato. The only flaw here, and certainly no fault of this recipe, is that our home ice cream makers cannot duplicate the slow churning necessary to create less overrun (air) which results in the creaminess and density gelato is known for, so this was a little on the grainy or icy side. This is just delicious, and truly Italian! If you think this would be missing something without adding vanilla, just give it a try!

—naples34102

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 18, 2004

I didn't like this recipe at all. I don't like to be able to taste raw egg in icecream and the taste in this recipe is overwhelming. The texture is good but I definately won't be making this one again.

—SHERRYMAREE

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56 Ratings

Jun 05, 2006

This recipe tasted pretty close to the gelato I enjoyed in Rome. It was perhaps (as one other person suggeted) a little eggy, but it wasn't too bad and the texture was devine. I used a 1-quart ice cream maker, and the recipe yielded about 3/4 of a quart, so in the future I will likely increase the recipe by 25% except for the eggs, which I think should balance the taste better. To flavor this recipe I used about 7 oz of Nutella, which gave it a delicious hazelnutty flavor, and I reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup because the Nutella is pretty sweet on its own. It came out pretty nice.

—weatherman

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Jan 25, 2004

Wow, I feel kind like a trailblazer! ostaff1, thanks for sharing this basic recipe. We changed it up a bit since I had a LOT of half and half on hand we used that instead of the milk and added 2 teaspoons of real vanilla(accept no substitutes on vanilla in my book), but we missed a step and forgot to strain the mix before refrigerating it overnight. It took least than 20 minutes in the ice cream freezer and will double this next time because it wasn't enough for the beaters to really work on. If not for the straining issue, this would have been velvety and smoooth from beginning to end of taste, but because we forgot a film develops on the roof of your mouth and the spoon after eating this for a bit. Still delicious, but DON'T FORGET TO STRAIN THIS! :)

—FEEDMENOW

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Aug 07, 2004

Very impressive. I too skipped the milk in favor of cream (had it on hand already) and melted 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in the cream before tempering the eggs. On the previous reviewer's advice, I put the tempered mixture through a double-thickness of cheesecloth. The texture of the finished product is unbelievable - extraordinarily smooth and delicious. This is a total keeper - husband says it reminds him of what gelato was like in Italy.

—SARGON

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Jan 28, 2006

I had gelato in italy, and this homemade recipe tasted almost the same, next time i'll add fuit to make it like the gelao I had here!

—Karen

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Sep 06, 2008

Very excellent taste of Italy. I used the Gelato Harlequin Electric Ice Cream Maker by Nemox. It turned out very nice. I don't know if it has a slower churn or not but I let it churn longer than I would regular icecream just in case. For the person who mentioned raw egg yolks, keep in mind the warm cream and the reheating of the mixture actually cooks the yolks into the Gelato, but the method is about having them cook smoothly into it and not lumpily. I've made it with melted Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Coffee, and Raspberries. Maybe next time, I'll start doing some combinations and possibly some candy bars.

—Karie

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Apr 21, 2008

I doubled this recipe, but still only used 5 eggs...I might not even use that many next time. I poured it through cheese cloth before AND after I let it chill. It was delicious and got lots of compliments!

—Em

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Nutrition

Calories
416 kcal
21%

Carbohydrates
33 g
11%

Cholesterol
296 mg
99%

Fat
28.8 g
44%

Fiber
0 g
0%

Protein
7.9 g
16%

Sodium
81 mg
3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Gelato

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 416
Calories from Fat: 259

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 28.8g 44 %
Saturated Fat 16.8g 84 %
Cholesterol 296mg 99 %
Sodium 81mg 3 %
Potassium 246mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 33g 11 %
Dietary Fiber 0g 0 %
Protein 7.9g 16 %
Sugars 30.8g
Vitamin A 27 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 25 %
Iron 5 %
Thiamin 9 %
Niacin 13 %
Vitamin B6 7 %
Magnesium 7 %
Folate 18 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.