Step up your summer with these mouth-watering Italian Ice Cream Recipes
Every hot summer day, hot summer day is done unless you’ve had yourself an ice cold ice cream cone (or two). We all love hearing down to the local ice cream parlor, however, those days may be over because, in as little as an hour, you can create your own dream concoction right in your own home. Whether you’re in the mood for a sweet bite of strawberry or you want to stick to the savory with a scoop of chocolate, you can now do it all. Who does ice cream better than the Italians themselves? Grab a pen and paper and make sure you’re writing down these amazing Italian ice cream recipes
1) Easy Strawberry Gelato
Close your eyes, take a bite of this strawberry gelato, and pretend you’re taking a gondola ride through Venice. Taking only about an hour to make, this is one of the easier ice cream recipes! Enjoy!
Here are the ingredients that you will need:
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients (which most you should have around your kitchen), it’s time to start your yummy treat!
- Rinse strawberries in cold water and remove the stems
- In a food processor, liquefy your lemon juice, sugar, and strawberries
- Add water to your food processor and continue prosecuting until your mixture is smooth
- With a wire whisk, whip your heavy whipping cream
- Mix your strawberry flavoring with your cream
- Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze (This could take from 6 – 24 hours depending on the make of your freezer)
See also: “Italian Appetizers You Can Copy”
2) Lemon Gelato Recipe
The next Italian ice cream recipe really brings forward true authenticity. Keep your summer refreshing with this lemon gelato!
To start, here are the ingredients you need:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup of sugar
- 5 large egg yolks (lightly beaten)
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Now, here’s how to get started:
- In a small saucepan, heat the whole milk on low. Add the sugar and keep on heat until dissolved. Pour a small amount of this mixture to your egg yolks and then return all into the pan, making sure to continually whisk the mixture. Add your lemon zest. Keep on heat until your mixture is thick enough to coat a small spoon (do not allow to boil)
- After removing your mixture from the heat, stir in your lemon juice and whipping cream. Pour this mixture into a bowl, cover the custard surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.
- Fill your ice cream maker cylinder 2/3 full and freeze accordingly. Move the ice cream to freezer containers (leaving room for expansion) and freeze 2-4 hours (until firm). Enjoy!
3) Pistachio Gelato
A common Italian ice cream recipe almost always includes pistachio. This next recipe will create about 6 cups – perfect to enjoy poolside in the summer heat!
Here are your ingredients:
- 1 cup shelled and unsalted pistachios (of course)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 granulated sugar
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg yolk
Here’s how to make:
- In a saucepan containing already boiling water, add your pistachios on medium heat. Stir occasionally for about 2 minutes and drain the nuts. Submerge the nuts in ice water for about 30 seconds and then leave on a paper towel to dry. Place another paper towel on top and rub vigorously to dry the nuts. This will also help to remove the outer skin and will give the gelato a bright, green color. Set aside.
- Separately, in its own bowl, add heavy cream, milk, and egg yolk. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a saucepan, add sugar, salt, and cornstarch. On medium heat, whisk in the milk mixture. Once well combined, add the pistachios and whisk together. Continue this for 6-7 minutes or until the mixture has slightly thickened. If it leaves a clear path, the mixture has thickened enough. Remove from heat.
- Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the milk and pistachio mixture. Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on top and refrigerate for a few hours. It can be cooled overnight or even in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or quickly cooled in the freezer, mixing occasionally.
- Churn according to instructions (about 15 minutes to a soft, creamy texture like soft-serve). Quickly transfer to an airtight container and freeze until it is firm (about 6 hours).
To see the visuals of this recipe, check out “Pistachio Gelato Recipe | COLINary”
4) Vegan Chocolate Gelato
For all you vegans out there, this ice cream recipe is perfect for you! It can be hard to find the perfect vegan ice cream, but this chocolate gelato will feel just as authentic as you remember!
Not to mention, this recipe only contains 5 ingredients (you read that right), which are:
- 1 cup pitted dates, packed
- 1 cup frozen overripe sliced banana
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 cup refrigerated coconut cream
Here’s how to make this easy recipe (only two steps):
- In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients. Puree until very smooth.
- Transfer to a container to freeze. It will take 4-5 hours to freeze to a firmness but will soft-set like gelato in less time, about 2-3 hours
5) Summer Berry Gelato
Well, the fact that this next ice cream recipe actually has the word “summer” in is is a guarantee to be delicious, right? With only 4 ingredients, this will be your next favorite ice cream flavor!
Those 4 ingredients are:
- 4 cups fresh mixed berries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Here’s how you can get started:
- In a food processor or blender, blend together the mixed berries and sugar, scraping the sides as needed
- Beat the condensed milk and vanilla extract in a bowl using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy – fold into berry mixture
- Pour mixture into shallow pan and freeze for 1 hour before stirring and return back to freezer for an additional 8 hours
- Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving out of the freezer
6) Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
If you’re looking for the perfect sweet treat, look no further than this chocolate hazelnut Italian ice cream recipe. Trust us, you won’t be able to put the spoon down.
For this recipe, you will need:
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup of sugar + an additional 1/4 cup
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup hazelnut spread
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Here’s how to make:
- Combine milk, cream and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar for about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 of the warm milk and cream mixture and stir. Cook on a very low setting until the mixture becomes a thick consistency.
- Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture before pouring into an ice cream freezer and freezing to manufacturer’s instructions
7) Vanilla Bean Gelato
This last ice cream recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t love a scoop of classic, delicious vanilla? We know we do!
To make this recipe, you will need:
- 1 whole vanilla bean pod
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
Here is how you can create this recipe at home:
- Split vanilla bean pod and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds to milk and stir.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the milk with vanilla seats, the whole vanilla bean pod and vanilla extract – bring to a simmer and do not let it boil.
- Beat together the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar in a medium glass bowl until it becomes thick and has a pale yellow color
- Remove milk mixture from the heat and whisk a small amount into eggs/sugar to help temper the eggs. Return to heat. Slowly whisk the egg/sugar mixture into the milk and stir constantly until simmering.
- Remove the pan from heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Pour custard mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Add cream to the custard and blend with a whisk.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the fridge.
- Run through ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop into freezer and leave overnight for best results.
