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
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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.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the necessary ingredients to make Strawberry 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 the Recipe?
I used the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment to recreate my original recipe when I updated this post, and I 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 just as well.
How to make Strawberry Gelato
- Place the strawberries, lemon juice, and 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, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and allow it to freeze completely (2-3 hours).
Serve up this amazingly delicious gelato and watch the smiles around the table.
If you’re looking for a gelato maker, I recommend these three.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
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).
Jennifer says
I love this recipe! No eggs, no cooking a custard, so easy and very good especially this time of year when we have great strawberries. Sometimes I substitute the sugar with a stevia blend for my mom who is pre-diabetic.
Lisa says
Do you need to use a ice cream maker?
Chef Dennis Littley says
this recipe wouldn’t work as well without an ice cream maker.
Maria says
Made a batch yesterday using milk instead of water, and it was absolutely delicious! Very easy to make and has the perfect amount of sweetness, everyone in the family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Chef Dennis Littley says
you are very welcome Maria, its a versatile recipe and can be used with your favorite fruits! Thanks for the great review!
Helen says
Hi Dennis,
Have made this a couple of times and it is wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Kind regards
Helen
Chef Dennis Littley says
you’re very welcome Helen, I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
AJ says
I would like to thank you for the recipe, my children loves this so much, I made it with different fruits and it never fails. Thank you ever so much.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear that AJ. I love making different fruit flavors using this recipe!
Andie says
Hello Chef Dennis,
What kind of milk would you recommend if not using the water/cream? Whole milk(3.25%), 2% or 1%? Thank you! 🍧
Chef Dennis Littley says
I would use whole milk in the recipe
ian mitchell says
Can’t wait to try.🍓🍍🍇🥭🥝🍒
Chef Amos Miller says
Hey there, Chef Dennis! – a great recipe – milk (I use organic whole) and I always stir gently when stirring – but I always use a wooden spoon – keeps the incorporation of air to a minimum. I always ‘kick it up a notch’ by adding a measure of Gran Marnier, which does not really affect flavor, but definitely it will inhibit ice crystals from forming.
I always have a 1/2 gallon in the freezer for unexpected company. Be well and keep on cookin’!
Mindy says
Can this recipe be used with other types of fruit? I have leftover cantaloupe and honeydew and was thinking of geloto
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Mindy
this is a great base for just any type of fruit you’d like to use. I have made melon gelato before, they are generally not as flavorful but very refreshing.
Sue says
Hi
Can I use the same receipt to do a pistachio a Gelato?
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can but you’re going to have to make a pistachio paste to use with the recipe. Blanch peeled pistachios, dry with paper towels then pulse in food processor with the sugar from the recipe. Once the sugar and pistachios have been finely ground add in some of the milk to cream the mixture. It’s been a long time since I made pistachio gelato and that’s from memory. I have also made it using store bought pistachio paste.
Lynne says
Hi,
Does it matter what type of alcohol you use?
For instance, vodka vs. sweet Riesling .
Also, do you have a good French Basque cake recipe?
Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Lynne
riesling might not have enough alcohol in it to help. I would try vodka. At this time I have not tried any Basque cooking
Malini says
Made this last night. The strawberries were too tart so I cooked the chopped strawberries with the sugar for a few minutes, then blended it. I added milk as you suggested but made it in an Icecream maker. The taste and flavour is fantastic. The best I’ve ever eaten! The only issue was it had too many ice crystals. Would you have a work around for this?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m not sure how warm the cooked strawberry mixture was when you made the ice cream but that could have been the culprit.
To avoid ice crystals try making your mix ahead of time and refrigerating it for 12 -24 hours to get it very cold. Also chill the canister that the ice cream is being made in if possible by placing it in the freezer for 24 hours. Then place the finished ice cream in the coldest part of the freezer.
This will speed up the freezing process which should help reduce the ice crystals.
***adding an ounce of alcohol will also help reduce the ice crystals.
Shannon Welty says
We made a double batch of this for our Mother’s Day celebration and it was delicious. We used milk instead of water as you suggested, and churned it in our ice cream maker. The strawberries were perfectly ripe and that came across beautifully in the gelato. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed my strawberry gelato recipe, its one of am all time favorite frozen desserts!
Shannon Welty says
I’d love to try a chocolate gelato recipe. Do you have one by chance?
Jo Austin says
Thank you for this delicious recipe I made it with water in a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I bought fresh strawberries and cut them up and froze them first to aid freezing. I also added a teaspoon of glucose to stop it getting to hard and I used icing sugar as it dissolves very easily. I think it was my strawberries but it came out a little bland – I’m wondering if I can change the 3/4 cup of water to 1/4 cup of water to intensify the strawberry flavour?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I don’t think changing the amount of water is the issue. When you used the powdered sugar, did you increase the amount? To equal 1 cup of granulated sugar for sweetness, you need to use 1.75 cups of powdered sugar. If the strawberries were not very flavorful the less amount of sugar would have been more noticeable causing the blandness.
I would suggest trying it with regular sugar and see how it comes out.
Jo Austin says
Thank you no I had no idea powdered sugar was less sweet – I will try with regular sugar.
I did make some nice gelato yesterday with 1lb of mixed blueberries and raspberries (strained), 1 cup of icing sugar and I used 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of milk – so slightly less liquid. I think the fruit was sweeter and had more flavour so it worked better and was a lovely intense colour. The mixture was a little thick though.
Roll on the fresh summer fruit!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Summer fruit is the best! It’s not that powdered sugar is less sweet its that the volume is different, so 1 cup of powdered sugar won’t be the same as one cup of granulated sugar
Have fun making frozen desserts!
Terri Street says
I love this gelato recipe and have used it for both strawberry and peach gelato. But my husband wants it sweeter. Can I add a little extra sugar without losing the correct fruit to sugar ratio so that the gelato doesn’t freeze properly? How much more sugar can I successfully add? I’d appreciate any help you can give me.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Terri
you can add extra sugar to the recipe. Adding more sugar will lower the freezing temp of the gelato a little keeping it a little softer, which is a good thing. As to how much more you can add I’m not really sure how sweet you want it but you could start by adding an additional 1/4 cup to see if that’s sweet enough for your husband. If not the next time try a little more.
Terri Street says
Thank you! I have read that the balance of sugar to fruit is very important and throw of the batch do wanted to check before trying it! Love your recipes!
Terri Street says
My husband, who treats me much better than I deserve, got me a gelato maker for Christmas. I have your strawberry gelato churning in the machine right now. I made it with milk rather than water as you suggested, and used whole frozen strawberries since the fresh ones just aren’t very flavorful right now. If the frozen gelato tastes as good as the leavings in the mixing bowl, I will be thrilled! I am seeing this same recipe made with peaches, blackberries, and maybe even apricots (probably will take a bit of extra sugar for these) in our future. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that I know I will use often.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you got a gelato maker for Christmas and I’m sure your husband wishes he could do even more for you. I know that’s how I feel about my wife.
Thanks so much for trying my recipe and you can easily adapt it for just about any flavor you like! Have fun with your gelato maker!
Megan Davis says
Yummy! So simple, delicious and definitely easy to make. I’m out now to buy ingredients! 🙂 Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did Megan!