Authentic Italian Gelato is a creamy frozen dessert made with milk, heavy cream, and sugar. You can make rich, velvety gelato at home by following a slow churning process, typically using an ice cream maker.
In Italy, gelato is more than just a dessert; it’s a beloved tradition. You’ll find gelaterie (gelato shops) in every city, from bustling urban centers to the smallest villages. Gelato is typically served in small cups or crisp waffle cones and enjoyed while strolling through town—a cherished Italian habit, especially on warm summer days.
The best part? You don’t have to travel to Italy to enjoy an authentic Italian gelato. With the right techniques, you can make it at home with ease. Homemade gelato is perfect as a dessert or an afternoon treat, and it pairs beautifully with fresh fruit or crunchy biscuits.
If you love Italian gelato and want to recreate it in your own kitchen, this recipe has all the essential tips and tricks—whether you use an ice cream maker or not!
This is a classic gelato alla crema recipe, the perfect base for making a variety of gelato flavors. In Italy, this type of gelato is often served with fresh strawberries, alongside espresso as affogato al caffè, or paired with traditional Italian desserts like Torta di Mele (Apple Cake) or Torta Caprese (Chocolate Almond Cake).
Now, let’s dive into the recipe and learn how to make authentic Italian gelato at home!
Ingredients
WITH Ice Cream Maker:
Prep Time: 5 Min + about 40 Min in the ice cream maker | Cook Time: 10 Min | Servings: 6-8 people (approximately 750 g / 1.65 lb of gelato)
WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker:
Prep Time: 5 Min | Cook time: 10 Min | Freezing Time: 5 Hours | Servings: 6-8 people (approximately 750 g / 1.65 lb of gelato)
- 4 egg yolks, medium
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 350 ml (1 ½ cup) milk, whole and fresh
- 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- A little grated lemon zest or vanilla extract (optional)
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Gelatiera
The most useful tool for making authentic Italian gelato is for sure an ice cream maker or Gelatiera. There are various types of Gelato makers, but the best is the one that has a compressor that cools while churning the Gelato.
Let's have a look at some of them:
- The best performing gelato machines are Musso ice cream makers. They are made entirely in Italy but have spread successfully throughout the world. The smaller model is made for home use but has the same features as the professional machines. Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker is easy to use, perfect for professional results at home. Small, with a large, non-removable bowl. The spatula is made of stainless steel. It has a powerful and robust refrigeration system to achieve professional performance without pre-cooling.
- Another high-performance ice cream maker is the Whynter ICM-200LS Automatic Ice Cream Maker (built-in compressor, no pre-freezing). Incredibly easy to use, you can create delicious gelato in the comfort of your own home. Ideal for entertaining, this high capacity unit makes up to two quarts of your favorite frozen dessert in a single batch.
- Other types of gelato makers, without a compressor, plan to keep the special container of the machine in the freezer many hours ahead of time to cool the ingredients while mixing them, but its autonomy is quite short. Among these we recommend Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker which in our opinion is inexpensive and practical.
Other Kitchen Tools
- Making Gelato without an ice cream maker: the result will still be good if you follow our recipe well. In this case you will need a gelato container. This is useful in any case even if you don't eat immediately all the gelato, even made with the ice cream maker.
- Other accessories to serve your homemade gelato can be the tool to make the ice cream scoops
- The handy scoops to make sundaes of gelato.
- The waffle cones that kids love so much!
Instructions
Step 1) - Whip the egg yolks with the sugar at maximum speed for about 5 minutes, until you have a soft fluffy cream. You can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. You can even beat them by hand with a whisk, but you need more time and the result is not as perfect as with the electric mixer.
Step 2) - Meanwhile, pour the milk in a saucepan and bring it almost to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes.
THE MILK MUST NOT BOIL
If you have a kitchen thermometer you can check that the temperature remains at about 85°C (185 F). If you don't have a thermometer, take care to remove the saucepan from the heat or to lower the heat if you see that the milk starts to boil.
For more information read the paragraph below "Why Should Milk be Heated to a Maximum of 85°C (185 F)? The Pasteurization").
Step 3) - At this step, transfer the egg and sugar fluffy cream to a saucepan. Pour the hot milk slowly. Keep mixing while you do it. In this way you are pasteurizing the eggs. If you want to flavor your gelato, this is the time to add either grated lemon zest or two drops of vanilla extract or vanilla bean. Now put it back on the heat and cook for another 5 minutes
WITHOUT BOILING AND ALWAYS STIRRING
Then turn off the heat and add the cold heavy cream. Mix really well. Now you have a lukewarm mixture. If you have an ice cream maker with a compressor (that cools while churning the gelato), there is no need to cool the mixture further in the refrigerator.
Now let's show you how to make gelato with and without ice cream maker, so keep reading.
How to Make Authentic Italian Gelato WITH Ice Cream Maker
Step 4/1) - Now if you have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the machine and start it. It will take about 40 minutes, depending on the model. After the necessary time, your gelato is ready! Fresh, creamy and nutritious.
NOTE: The best ice cream maker you can find on the market is the one with a compressor that cools while churning the gelato. This ice cream maker is very similar to the professional ones and is the one we used for this recipe.
Read how to store it in the paragraph below.
If you don't have an gelato maker, in the next paragraph we'll show you how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker
How to Make Authentic Italian Gelato WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker
If you don't have a gelato maker, don't worry! We are going to show you how to make Italian gelato without the help of an ice cream maker. It takes more time (5 hours instead of about 40 minutes) and more work but the result is still exceptional! Let's see how to do it!
Step 4/2) - Pour the mixture into a gelato container and place it in the freezer for about 5 hours. Every 30 minutes you have to break the frozen surface. So remove from the freezer and mix for about 30 seconds using a hand whisk or an electric whisk on low speed.
This step is necessary in order not to create ice crystals in the gelato and have a creamy result. Of course this is a bit more laborious process, but it's worth it. You will surely have an exquisite authentic Italian Gelato!
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
Storage
One of the reasons authentic Italian gelato tastes so good is because it's fresh. So make gelato and eat it right away. If you leave it in the freezer for too long, crunchy ice crystals form and your gelato is no longer so good. So eat your homemade gelato immediately or within two days of making it.
Tip: if your gelato is too hard and frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Tips
Why Should Milk be Heated to a Maximum of 85°C (185 F)?
When making homemade gelato, you must pay attention to some steps. One of these is the pasteurization of eggs.
For safe pasteurization, you have to heat the liquid - in this case the milk - to a temperature of 85°C (185 F) and hold that temperature for a couple of minutes. So about 5 minutes total.
Pouring the very hot milk over the eggs will pasteurize them.
Finally, it's important to abruptly reduce the final temperature of the mixture to 4-5°C (39-41°F). The sudden reduction in temperature is important to prevent heat-resistant bacteria from resuming their activity.
Indeed, remember that some microorganisms capable of resisting pasteurization temperatures are able to resume their activity if conditions are favorable. The abrupt decrease in temperature paralyzes the activity and development of any bacteria.
So if you want to make gelato safely at home, follow our recipe step by step and you won't go wrong!
What’s the Difference Between Gelato and Ice Cream?
Very often "Gelato" and "Ice Cream" are used to describe the same dessert. But are you sure that they are really the exact same thing?
Many think that "Gelato" is simply the Italian translation of the English "Ice Cream", but in reality these two products are different. The differences between these two frozen treats depend on four basic factors: fat content, ingredients, air and temperature.
- FAT - Gelato has a lower fat content. Butterfat + fats that come from dried fruit or other origin, do not exceed 8%, of which at least 3.5% butterfat (cream and milk fat). Ice cream, on the other hand, according to the FDA, has a higher butterfat content than gelato: in fact, it cannot be less than 10%.
- INGREDIENTS - Gelato is made using mainly fresh milk and fresh heavy cream. Instead, powdered milk and vegetable fats are generally used for the production of ice cream.
- AIR - Gelato melts faster because it contains less air. Ice cream, on the other hand, melts more slowly thanks to the insulating effect of the air. The law allows it to incorporate air up to 100% of its weight.
- TEMPERATURE - Gelato has lower storage temperatures. This is why you must eat it immediately. While ice cream is stored at low temperatures in the freezer as if it were frozen food. To ensure its durability, it's necessary to add preservatives. In short, gelato is not just a dessert, it's a delight for the palate, rich in taste, healthy and nutritious.
Variations
Is it Even Possible to Make Vegan Gelato?
As we have said, the fundamental ingredients of authentic Italian gelato are whole milk, heavy cream, egg yolks and sugar.
Obviously you can safely replace whole milk with vegetable drinks such as soy milk, almond or rice milk.
It's less simple to find substitutes for the butterfat of the heavy cream. Butterfat is essential to give Gelato its thick creamy consistency. You can use thickeners such as carob flour or tara gum.
If you want to flavor your gelato, you can choose dried fruit extracts that naturally contain vegetable oils. Those make gelato very creamy. For example you can try hazelnut or pistachio paste, or use very creamy fruits such as avocado and banana.
About the eggs. Don't use them. That's easy.
Sorbetto: Dairy-free Italian Gelato
For a dairy-free option similar to Gelato, try Sorbetto, a frozen Italian dessert that replaces milk and cream with fruit juices and sweetened water. It follows the same creaming method as Gelato. Have a look to our recipe for Lemon Sorbet!
Fior di Latte: the White Italian Gelato Without Eggs
Together with Gelato alla Crema, Fior di latte gelato is the other basic gelato recipe. Children love Fior di Latte gelato! It's lighter than Gelato alla Crema because it's egg-free.
Fior di Latte is made with only fresh whole milk, heavy cream and sugar. Due to its creamy consistency and delicate-neutral taste, it can be easily matched with other ingredients, such as chocolate or strawberries. For example Stracciatella Gelato is made with Fior di Latte + pieces of dark chocolate. A treat for the taste buds!
History
One of the first historical documents in which we speak of "gelato", comes to us from a Greek poet who lived in 500 BC in Athens. The Greeks loved making their refreshing drinks with a little lemon, honey and lots of pomegranate juice with snow or ice.
If we move to Arabia, we discover that they called each iced drink "sorbet". Hence the Italian word Sorbetto. The Arabs in Sicily mixed the snow of Etna with fruit juices. Creating what can be considered the ancestor of our homemade gelato.
The birth of gelato with milk and cream is quite recent. It was born around the year 1565, at the court of Caterina de' Medici, in Florence, thanks to the architect Bernardo Buontalenti. He is known as Mastro Bernardo delle Girandole, who makes an almost frozen sorbetto using snow, lemons, sugar, egg white and milk.
Then, in 1686, the enterprising Sicilian Francesco Procopio, who moved to Paris, inaugurated the "Café Procope". The Café still exists. He creates a new recipe for making sorbetto-gelato using fruit, honey, sugar and ice.
In 1770, gelato recipe lands in America, when Giovanni Basiolo takes it to New York.
Another important step in the production and popularization of gelato comes from the United States. Here Nancy Johnson, from New Jersey, in 1846 developed the first gelato maker.
Gelato has certainly become one of the most popular and well-known desserts in the world thanks to its goodness and the genuineness of its ingredients.
Recipe Card
How to Make Authentic Italian Gelato Recipe at Home
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks - medium size
- 150 g granulated sugar - ¾ cup
- 350 ml milk - 1 ½ cup, fresh and whole
- 250 ml heavy cream - 1 cup, fresh
- lemon zest or vanilla extract optional
Instructions
The Basic Preparation
- Whip the egg yolks with the sugar at maximum speed for about 5 minutes, until you have a soft fluffy cream.
- Pour the milk in a saucepan and bring it almost to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes. If you have a kitchen thermometer you can check that the temperature remains at about 85°C (185 F).
- Transfer the egg and sugar fluffy cream to a saucepan. Pour the hot milk slowly. Keep mixing while you do it. If you want to flavor your gelato, this is the time to add either grated lemon zest or two drops of vanilla extract or vanilla bean. Now put it back on the heat and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cold heavy cream. Mix really well. Now you have a lukewarm mixture.
How to Make Gelato WITH Ice Cream Maker
- Pour the basic preparation into the ice cream maker and start it. It will take about 40 minutes, depending on the model. After the necessary time, your gelato is ready!
How to Make Gelato WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker
- Pour the mixture into a gelato container and place it in the freezer for about 5 hours. Every 30 minutes you have to break the frozen surface. So remove from the freezer and mix for about 30 seconds using a hand whisk or an electric whisk on low speed.
Travis says
I made this in a Ninja Creami. It turned out amazing. I love custard and this is basically a frozen custard. It is absolutely delicious. I made an affogato with it this morning which was amazing albeit not the healthiest breakfast.
Ross says
I have made the basic recipe but have added dry figs (simmered in water for 20 mins to soften and then blitzed in food processor) and honey to the mix just before putting in the icecream maker. Came out great. Going to try a passionfruit one next.
Tara says
How much fig and honey did you use?
Tommy says
To double this recipe making it all at once would I just double all the ingredients? I have a 2 quart gelato maker. Im just concerned it might throw off the great balance of everything here. Or do i two batches separately?
Cristoforo Runfola says
Ciao, Barbara & Silvana!
Milk, heavy cream, sugar, and eggs form the basis of many gelato recipes. Based on your recipes, what measurements of additional ingredients would you suggest for other gelato fruit flavors such as strawberry, banana, raspberry, fig, etc.? I make my own pistacchio and nocciola paste, so how much paste would I need based on these measurements?
Grazie!
Cristoforo
Cathy says
I made this to go with an orange chiffon cake and everyone LOVED IT! Creamy and Delicious! Great recipe, will be my go-to!
H says
Can I make this without using a gelato container?
Mac says
It's really the best recipe for Italian ice-cream/gelato. Perfect eggs to cream to milk ratio that makes for the ideal texture and softness. I churned the mixture for an hour, and then left the (still rather soft, but fluffy) soft-serve in the freezer overnight. Today the thickness, lightness, and of course flavour are just as I hoped they would be. Other recipes I tried earlier called for too much cream, producing really hard ice-cream. This one is perfectly firm but soft.
Silvana Nava says
Thank you so much for your appreciation!
Rachel Garcia says
This sounds lovely! I'd love your thoughts: I'm trying to make a sour-tart lemon Gelato or passionfruit gelato, but every recipe I have tried myself comes out too milky and "watered down" Would you recommend swapping half the milk with my desired fruit juice? I have had amazing lem9n and passionfruit gelato from makers before, but have never been able to recreate their perfect tartness myself, and don't want to just give up and make sorbet.
Claudia Amador says
I've been looking for an easy gelato recipe for ages and now i found one.
First of all, i would like to thank you. It is so nice to find such a wonderful recipe with clear and easy instructions.
I made a few changes because my son can't have lactose. I use coconut milk instead and oat cream. Still, the gelato came out delicious, i used the same quantity as your original recipe, just changed the ingredients with lactose.
Thank you very much
gran Rose says
greatly appreciated, thanks for posting this adaptation for using coconut milk, oat cream instead.
I hope to make the original recipe with milk, and can't wait to try it out, but now for lactose intolerant friends/family, I can now confidently try to have another option available.
Brian Farley says
Thank-you for the recipe which I’ve not tried yet - sorry.
I loved the Sicilian Gelato of my youth in Glasgow - no added cream, just full cream milk. This is why it was called “Italian Milk Ice” in Scotland, as the fat content was less than the regulatory 5%. I use Birds custard powder (cornflour) instead of eggs to thicken it. Basically, you’re using an egg custard as the base, but I use a starch based custard. If you are American, you would refer to these as pouring custards.
However, my paddle jams quite quickly on my pre-cooled maker. Do you think I should add more cornflour to make my mixture thicker and less likely to freeze hard? For health reasons, I’m trying to avoid adding cream and excess sugar.
Lori says
Very good old fashioned taste. I made it twice in my Cuisinart. Thank you.
Jeff Jones says
Thank you for this amazing recipe. My gelato is so much nicer than the ice cream that I've made before. I did freeze in a gelato container after making, but used it a few hours later. I am wondering for how long it can be kept frozen before using?
Barbara Felicità Lucchini says
Hi Jeff,
You can keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month. We recommend placing homemade gelato in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to soften before serving. If still too hard, leave it at room temperature for a few minutes until it softens.
Marietjie says
It looks wonderful
Any idea how to make coffee gelato with espresso coffee?
Brian Farley says
Just add it to the cold milk before heating. You could add powdered milk to the expresso if you want to make it milky, admittedly without any fat content.
Jocely says
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and it’s so delicious. I only had three eggs yolks today and it still came out amazing. I don’t have a fancy ice cream maker just the original cuisine art. I didn’t have time to chill my mix today and just put straight in and everything still came out awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe I’ll treasure it for years to come. Thanks again!
Annar Glenton says
This is THE best recipe for vanilla gelato that I have come across - it was so smooth, creamy and utterly delicious! Thank you ☺️
Jocely says
This has been the best gelato recipe I’ve tried so far. It’s so creamy and delicious. I’m excited to make it again with passion fruit added to it. I did this in my simple cuisine art machine. I do have a question if heating up the milk to 180 pasteurizes the eggs what does cooking the egg/milk for another 5 minutes do? Thank you
Cooking with Beefcake says
The eggs themselves must reach 160° to be safe. If you're using store-bought eggs, I would say that this is non-negotiable.
Paul says
Let's get real. The ONLY machine which really works is the Musso Lussino. Well worth the high price.
joe Aquilla says
Paul, i just bought this beast ---lello 4080--dont i need to chill the cooked mixture before putting into the machine? or can it go in warm
Dave says
When putting in the freezer in the gelato container, should it be covered or uncovered?
Barbara says
Covered, with plastic wrap or aluminum foil if the gelato container doesn't have a lid.
Amber Carpenter says
Simple, quick, and oh so delicious! Tried this recipe and it was incredible! This is the only ice cream recipe I'll ever use again.
Janice Shira says
The recipe I use probably 15 years ago
But in my recipe, I Whipped the whipping cream.
Egg mixture and sugar is in the freezer and as shallow container cooling
The whip cream is being whipped while the other is cooling
As soon as the whip cream was whipped, I took the solution out of the fridge and spoon some in the whip topping added a little bit more flipped it some more add another spoon, flipped it some more added another spoon and kept flipping it with the egg, milk, and sugar mixture Until it was all incorporated in the whipped cream. I gently put it in a shallow container with a lid. Had the timer on for 30 minutes every 30 minutes I whipped it up!
It didn’t take too long to make this I might’ve started it at noon and by the time dinner was ready that evening we had ice cream enjoyed the recipe. I’ve been looking for this recipe since I made the other one this one is identical, except technique and I don’t know if this is like the other one, but this is what I did.
Rachel says
Shouldn't you chill the mixture after taking it off the heat and before putting it into the ice cream machine?
Silvana says
Hi Rachel!
It's not necessary to cool it because the addiction of very cold cream causes already the mixture to cool down.
Furthermore, the ice cream maker is either already frozen or has automatic cooling, depending on the model.
Steve says
No reason to simmer the milk for 5 minutes before adding to the eggs and sugar mixture. The milk is already pasteurized. Warm the milk and then add to the eggs. The lower temperature prevents curdling.
Also, you need to chill the mixture to at least 6° C before adding it to the ice cream maker.
Barbara says
Hi Steve,
in the homemade gelato recipe the milk is heated to those temperatures and with those timings to pasteurize the eggs not the milk. Read the paragraph "Why should milk be heated to a maximum of 85°C (185 F)? The Pasteurization."
Also, if the ice cream maker has a compressor (which cools the gelato while churning), you don't need to chill it in the refrigerator. It's a quasi-professional machine and quite expensive but it's worth it!
K Flynn says
I have the lello musso lussino gelato maker. I took some gelato classes in a couple of different Italian cities, and came back and tried to use other “gelato makers” but with little success, so purchased the Italian one and have been experimenting with different recipes. I find that I have the most success/creamier gelato if I cool the mixture in the refrigerator first, and I usually do it overnight, in a drawer that I can regulate the temp in, and do it as low as possible. I put the warm mixture in the machine and it was fine, but better with pre-refrigeration. I also found that my flavors were better/more intense when it was refrigerated at least over night.