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4.81 from 56 votes
The Easiest Homemade Gelato Recipe (No Machine)
Prep Time
30 mins
 

The Easiest Homemade Gelato Recipe shows you how to make gelato without ice cream maker in rich and innovative flavors with smooth textures.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 people
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
Plain Gelato Base
  • 2 cups (16floz/450ml) whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks , room temperature
  • ¾ cup (6oz/170g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (8floz/225ml) heavy whipping cream (36%)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato
  • 1 cup (8oz/225g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 ½ cups Graham crackers, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons (1oz/28g) butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cups (8oz/225g) blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
  • 1 small lemon, zested
Salted Caramel Gelato
Triple Chocolate Gelato
  • cup (5oz/142g) chocolate ganache, melted
  • ¾ cup (4 ½oz/128g) bittersweet chocolate, chunks
  • ½ cup (3oz/85g) white chocolate, melted
Instructions
How to make Plain Gelato Base:
  1. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, add the milk. Place over medium-low heat until it comes to a gentle simmer.

  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Temper the eggs by slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Pour this custard back into the same saucepan and place over low heat.

  3. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon for roughly 6-8 minutes or until the custard has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Do not bring to a boil or it will curdle. (See tips above about saving curdled custard.)

  4. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and let cool down at room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Add in salt and vanilla to the custard and mix. To cool the custard quickly place the custard in an ice bath (see video above). Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  5. When the custard base is cold begin to whip the cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.
  6. Gently fold the custard base into the whipped cream until smooth and thickened. Don't beat or you will deflate the whipped cream.
Salted Caramel Gelato:
  1. Stir in the salted caramel sauce , taste and add more if desired. It should be both salty and sweet. Pour into your loaf pan and follow freezing directions below.

Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato:
  1. Whisk the softened cream cheese into the gelato base until smooth.

  2. In a small bowl, stir together the crushed Graham crackers and butter and add to your gelato base.

  3. Lastly, stir in the blueberries, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour into your loaf pan and follow freezing directions below.

Triple Chocolate Gelato:
  1. Swiftly fold in the chocolate ganache into the gelato base. Make sure the ganache is not hot or it will set when it hits the cold base.

  2. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

  3. Lastly, drizzle over the white chocolate and allow to sit on the base to set and firm up before stirring it in completely. Pour into your loaf pan and follow freezing directions below.

Freezing your Gelato:
  1. Pour the gelato into a loaf pan or any freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer. Now, after 30-60 minutes go in a whip it up to break up the ice crystals. Do this roughly 2-3 times until it thickens up (see video above for step by step)
  2. Allow freezing for another 4-5 hours or until frozen before scooping. If hard to scoop allow the gelato to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it softens slightly.
  3. Cover well and store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

Watch the Recipe Video!