Traditional Italian Gelato Recipe - Delicious Authentic Flavors (2024)

FAQs

What is authentic Italian gelato made of? ›

The ingredients for gelato

Very common ingredients such as milk, sugar, fruit, water, cream, eggs, powdered milk and fructose are used.

Flavors. The original fior di latte is a plain, base ice cream with no flavor and no eggs added. Stracciatella is fior di latte gelato with chocolate chunks. Traditional flavors of gelato include crema ('custard'), vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, almond, and pistachio.

Gelato shops make gelato in much the same way as described in our step-by-step gelato-making process. They start with a base of cream, milk, sugar, and sometimes eggs, then add flavorings. The mixture is churned at a slow speed to maintain its dense texture and then frozen before serving.

Gelato contains less milk fat than ice cream, is churned at a slower rate, and is typically served at a warmer temperature, introducing less air to the dessert and yielding a softer and denser texture.

Meanwhile, mounds indicate that air has been pumped into the gelato to make it voluminous instead of flavorful. The best gelato is flat and dense with muted colors—a sure sign that there are only fresh, natural, and raw ingredients.

The main difference between ice cream and gelato is their fat content. With only 4-9% fat to the usual 10-25% of ice cream, gelato usually is lighter and healthier. Per portion, however, the answer is clear, gelato is typically healthier than ice cream.

The secret of Italian gelato lies in its artisanal preparation and the careful selection of fresh and natural ingredients. Unlike industrial ice creams, gelato contains less air, making it a creamer and denser option.

In Sicily, gelato is made from milk thickened with corn or rice starch. Elsewhere in Italy, it's enriched with egg or cream.

Gelato is a frozen treat that hails from Italy; the word "gelato" actually means "ice cream" in Italian.

How often do Italians eat gelato? ›

To tell the truth, in Italy we eat gelato all year round (too good!), but it is certainly in the summer that we enjoy this pleasure the most. After lunch (or as lunch), in the afternoon, late at night… any time is good to enjoy a gelato! It is nice to eat it in company.

The medieval university city of Bologna is home to a trio of Italy's top-ranked gelaterie, among them the Cremeria Scirocco. The city's reputation for high gastronomic standards means there's less of a chance of being tricked into shelling out for a gelato turistico.

The problem we have when trying re-create gelato at home is that our freezers are usually set to around 0 ° F (-18 ° C). And this is far too cold for gelato. Left in a freezer at this temperature it will become hard and icy after just three to four hours.

The slower, more manual and labour-intensive process of making gelato increases production costs, affecting its price. Denser with less air, offering more product by weight in each serving. Lighter and fluffier due to higher air content, resulting in less actual product by weight.

The key difference between Italian gelato and ice cream involves the use of fresh raw materials. Ice cream uses rehydrated milk powder. Italian gelato uses milk and fresh cream, making it more genuine. Although “gelato” translates to “ice cream” in English, they differ.

The biggest difference between Italian ice and gelato or ice cream is dairy and eggs. While Italian ice is dairy free, gelato and ice cream both get their creamy texture from the high whole milk and cream content. Custard versions of both ice cream and gelato may also contains eggs.

The Ingredients in Gelato and Ice Cream

As the name implies, "ice cream" contains more cream than milk, whereas gelato is made with a greater proportion of whole milk to cream. Another ingredient that distinguishes the two is eggs; ice cream includes egg yolks while gelato is (most often) completely void of eggs.

While both gelato and ice cream contain cream, milk and sugar, there are differences, too. Authentic gelato uses more milk and less cream than ice cream and generally doesn't use egg yolks, which are a common ingredient in ice cream.