What could be better than Strawberry Gelato? Try my easy-to-make and oh so delicious Strawberry Gelato Recipe and decide for yourself.
*It also works well in an ice cream maker
When I was in Italy, I just couldn’t get enough Gelato! I don’t care what time it was, or how cold it was, it was always time for gelato, but when I’ve tried it in the states (with very few exceptions) it just didn’t taste right.
The flavor might have been there, but the texture was wrong, it was just never quite right.
Over the years I have attempted to make my own gelato always blaming the fact that it didn’t come out right on my ice cream maker. The truth is it was the recipe I was using.
And yes I did also buy a gelato maker…..boys and their toys..sigh.
Whyn Is Gelato Different than Ice Cream?
Technically speaking “Real Gelato” is made differently than Ice cream. It’s denser and creamier, and the flavors are more intense than regular ice cream. The reason for this is due to a very important ingredient – air.
American ice cream can contain up to 50% air. This results in a lighter airier texture. And to compensate for this lighter airier texture we tend to like our ice cream richer getting more of the taste sensation from the cream.
When making gelato, air is prevented from blending into the mixture. This creates the denser and more intense flavors that gelato is so popularly known for.
To keep the intensity of the flavors, traditional gelato is made using more milk than cream. Some recipes won’t include cream and some even use part water. So when I worked on my recipe I decided to blend milk with some cream to get the consistency I wanted while not sacrificing the intense gelato flavor.
I also found recipes with eggs, and while I do love a good custard-style ice cream, this was Gelato not ice cream and the addition of eggs only seemed to complicate the recipe and detract from the gelato flavor.
What ingredients do I need to make Strawberry Gelato?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Strawbery Gelato. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I Use an Ice Cream Maker to Make a Gelato Recipe?
I used the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker attachment to recreate my original recipe when I redid this post and was very happy with the results. So don’t feel you need to go out and buy a gelato maker. Your regular ice cream maker will work well too.
How do I make Strawberry Gelato?
- Place the strawberries, lemon juice and the sugar in a food processor and process until liquefied.
- Add the milk and run the food processor until all the mixture is smooth.
- Whip the cream with a wire whisk until it begins to thicken slightly and becomes the consistency of buttermilk.
- Mix the cream and strawberry mixture in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into a gelato or ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions. When the mixture is thickened and frozen, move it to a freezer-safe container and allow it to fully freeze (2-3 hours).
Serve up this amazingly delicious gelato and
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If you’re looking for a gelato maker, these are the three I recommend.
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Strawberry Gelato
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk (water, 2% or skim milk can be used)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Remove the stems and leaves from the strawberries and rinse in cold water.
- Place the strawberries, lemon juice and the sugar in a food processor and process until liquefied.
- Add the milk and run the food processor until all the mixture is smooth.
- Whip the cream with a wire whisk until it begins to thicken slightly and becomes the consistency of buttermilk.
- Mix the cream and strawberry mixture in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into a gelato or ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Place the finished gelato into a freezer safe container and allow to fully freeze before serving (2-3 hours).
Maria
Compliments to Chef Dennis for an excellent gelato recipe!
The color of my strawberry gelato is gorgeous. The flavor outstanding and the texture perfect.
I used organic strawberries, organic whole milk (while you could use water, 2% or skim milk, I think doing so would compromise the richness and mouth feel.) I also used pure pasteurized, but NOT homogenized, heavy whipping cream. By “pure,” I mean fresh cream from a local dairy that did not contain carrageenan, other emulsifiers or additives.
Using this basic recipe, I’m looking forward to making a dark chocolate raspberry gelato next!
Suzanne
Made strawberry/blueberry gelato from some strawberries and blueberries Ihad left over and froze together! Used a tablespoon of Campari and used my Krups Icecream maker. A side trip to Italy in my kitchen!
Janice
Hi. I’m definitely going to try this recipe, since I bought beautiful field- ripened strawberries today. Two questions, please: (1) my Cuisinart ice cream maker does not have a gelato setting, so do I still churn the gelato mixture for the 20-25 minutes the manufacturer suggests for ice cream? (2) What flavour of liquor would you suggest I use to help minimize ice crystals??
Chef Dennis Littley
Using your ice cream maker will work and I would follow their recommendations for freezing. Keep an eye on the process and let it go longer or shorter as needed.
As for which alcohol to add, I would add a tablespoon of vodka. It won’t alter the taste as some other flavored alcohols will.
Janice
Thank you very much for your speedy response!!! Will try this today.
Winnie
Recipe looks great but if you have no machine to do the whipping and freezing what do you do?
Chef Dennis Littley
you need something to whip it while its kept almost freezing. You’d have to keep the bowl of ingredients in ice while you whip it by hand.
The BoYo
it was very tasty as well as very easy to make. I had a great experience.
Ailse
How about a plain vanilla one that if I wanted I could add different types of fruit to the final churn plz and ty
Chef Dennis Littley
you can use the base recipe and swap out whatever fruit you want for the strawberries.
Debra Elliott
Easy, delicious and refreshing. A keeper for hot summer days and nights:)
L.S. Bligh
Straight off the page, and so simple. Used it for mangoes, too. A reall keeper, and many thanks.
Grace Lim
what percentage fat is the heavy whipping cream?
I recently whipped double cream (47%) and I could not get a good emulsion as the fat separated.
Chef Dennis Littley
heavy cream found in grocery stores is usually 36%, Restaurants usually use a 40% heavy cream.
Brianna May
Yum!!
Sunrita
Wow! Who thought homemade strawberry gelato was so easy to make.
Swathi
This strawberry gelato looks delicious my favorite.