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
If you’re looking for a gelato maker, these are the three I recommend.
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).
Sandra Smith
Great tasting gelato! I like the simplicity of the process and the natural flavor of real strawberries.
I used frozen berries so there was a bit more water content in the gelato and it still tasted great.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my gelato recipe. Actually cutting back on dairy and using water makes the strawberry flavor more pronounced, so the add water from the berries helped.
Zaribel Benavides
Will it taste different if I used water
Chef Dennis Littley
It won’t be as creamy, and because of this the fruit will be more pronounced. The original recipes were all water, and milk or cream was introduced to make it more like ice cream.
Linda
I only have half and half with cream on top from a local creamery. I also have plain Greek yogurt. Would a combination of these work in this Gelato? If so , could you tell be in what amounts to add them?
Chef Dennis Littley
You can use the half in half in place of the heavy cream. I haven’t used greek yogurt to make gelato, but it would probably work as well. Substitute cup for cup with either.
Adriana
I tried today the strawberry gelato and its delicious! I halved the sugar to half cup and I used frozen fruit, but still came amazing! My no 1 favorite is still the lemon gelato, but I have to say, this was great too!
Thank you for the recipes Chef Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley
Lemon is my favorite too, but the strawberry is delicious!! When the winter holidays come around, try my eggnog gelato, it was surprisingly awesome!
Nonna
My family and I absolutely loved this recipe. Have you tried it with watermelon? If so I’d love to have that recipe!
Thanks so much!
Chef Dennis Littley
I have not tried watermelon. I would use 3-4 cups of watermelon chunks and not use the water since its going to have more liquid naturally. It’s going have a lighter flavor, so you may need more sugar. I’ve used cantaloup and honeydew with success, peaches, nectarines, pineapple and other berries, and I have an amazing lemon gelato on my website if you like lemons.
Jeffrey
Made exactly as instructed with fresh picked MN strawberries. So delicious and refreshing!!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my strawberry gelato!
BamaB
Strawberries were on sale this week (peak summer glut!), so I bought a ton of super-ripe berries – perfect for this amazing recipe. Berries were so ripe, I went ahead and cut the sugar to 3/4 cup, still super sweet, creamy and DELICIOUS.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear that the gelato came out well, even after cutting back the sugar!
Rashad Tellawi
thanks chef Dennis ,iam so happy to try your recept from lebanon ,it’s sooooo delicious.
Wai Kheong Lim
Best Compliments to Chef Dennis for this delicious and easy to make gelato recipe. Bought some strawberries recently and decided to make the gelato using an ice cream maker. Like the taste and texture of the gelato. Tweaked the recipe slightly by reducing the sugar amount as I like my gelato to be less-sweet. It turned out perfect and just the way I like it. Will try with other fruits soon. Thanks again!
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome, and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my gelato recipe. It works well with many different fruits, so have fun changing it up.
Tasqeen Macchiwalla
Super easy and super delicious, Chef Dennis. Will try it with mangoes next time since summer is round the corner.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my gelato recipe. It works well with just about any fruit, you’d like to try it with.
Alison Ufkin
This is an extremely easy and delicious gelato. We went to Italy in Sept. and ate a lot of gelato. This is so similar and fresh tasting. I’m so glad I stumbled on your site. My next recipe is your alfredo sauce recipe. Looks so good!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my gelato. After my first trip to Italy I knew I had to recreate the deliciousness and I thought mine was pretty darn close.e
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!