Name: Cherry Gelato Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream; 1 cup whole milk; ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, divided; ¼ cup honey; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; ¼ tsp kosher salt; 15 oz. can of cherries, (about 1.5 cups), drained and roughly chopped

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Large pieces of cherries are enveloped in a rich vanilla gelato base, to make a cherry gelato recipe that’s filled with amazing flavors and textures.

Creamy, sweet, and simple to make, Cherry Gelato is a delicious homemade recipe that everyone will love!

This homemade cherry gelato recipe is naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and made with all-natural ingredients.

A white loaf pan filled with cherry gelato. A red and metal ice cream scoop is in the pan, and the ice cream has been scooped. Around the pan are fresh cherries and sugar cones.

Creamy Cherry Gelato is one of my family’s favorite summer treats, but the best part about this recipe is that it’s made with canned fruit, so it can be made any time of year, no matter if it’s cherry picking season or not!

Why You’re Going to Love this Cherry Gelato Recipe

Creamy Cherry Gelato is one of my family’s favorite summer treats, but the best part about this recipe is that it’s made with canned fruit, so it can be made any time of year, no matter if it’s cherry picking season or not!

This recipe is made using a Philadelphia-style gelato/ice cream base, which means that it’s egg-free, and doesn’t require any cooking. All you need to do is stir up the ingredients and let the ice cream machine do the rest of the work!

Kids love helping to make this recipe, and they love eating their homemade cherry gelato even more. It’s perfect on an ice cream cone, in a bowl, as the topping for a brownie sundae, or as a layer in Spumoni!

Get the whole family involved in the process, and be sure to check out all of our gelato and ice cream recipes so that you can make a new flavor every week together.

The ingredients needed to make homemade cherry gelato with frozen dark cherries.

Ingredients in Homemade Cherry Gelato

Heavy Cream – For a rich and creamy gelato, heavy cream is the obvious choice.

Milk – But we’ll also use whole milk because the blend of both is what makes the texture of this gelato perfect.

Granulated Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness, and the granules also play a big role in creating super smooth gelato.

Honey – Honey adds extra sweetness and also keeps the ice cream from freezing too hard. Any type of liquid sweetener, such as agave or corn syrup can also be used.

Salt – To balance the sweetness of sugar, honey, and cherries, a bit of salt does the trick.

Canned Cherries – 1 can of cherries is the perfect amount for this recipe. Be sure to buy plain canned cherries and not cherry pie filling. Roughly chop the cherries for the gelato before mixing them in. Mixing the cherries with a tablespoon of sugar results in cherries that are soft and syrupy, yum!

How to Make Cherry Gelato from Scratch

Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid. Shake it to be sure that nothing is still sloshing around in there before you begin.

Make the gelato mixture by combining heavy cream, whole milk, ½ cup of granulated sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the chopped cherries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir, and set aside while you make the gelato.
Churn the gelato mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
In the last two minutes, add half of the cherry mixture, and churn until it is fully combined.
Spoon the gelato into a shallow container or a loaf pan.
Dollop the remaining cherries into the pan and lightly swirl them in. Press plastic wrap or waxed paper to the surface of the gelato. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for this cherry gelato recipe, please see the recipe below.

a metal scoop brining up a scoop of homemade cherry gelato from a pan.

How to Store Cherry Gelato

Store this homemade Cherry Gelato in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Tips for Making This Cherry Gelato Recipe

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade gelato, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome.

Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes. If your gelato base isn’t cold before you churn it, place it in the freezer for an hour first.

Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential! Choosing a low-fat option often leads to icy desserts and inconsistency in the texture.

Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.

Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade gelato, but it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture in this recipe.

a glass bowl filled with scoops of cherry gelato, next to a bowl of fresh cherries and sugar cones.

No Churn Cherry Gelato Directions

Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the gelato ingredients.

Pour the gelato mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

After 2 hours, stir in the chopped cherries and sugar mixture, then let the gelato freeze until it’s fully hardened.

Cherry Gelato Add-Ins

Do you want to make this recipe even better? Cherries and dark chocolate are a wonderful combination!

Try adding chunks of dark chocolate brownies, or just toss in some chopped chocolate bars during the last two minutes of churning.

Cherry Gelato makes an amazing hot fudge sundae too! Be sure to grab our recipe for homemade fudge sauce while you’re here.

Why Should I Add Honey to Homemade Gelato?

The honey in this recipe adds flavor, sweetness, and aids in giving the cherry gelato the perfect texture.

Replacing some of the sugar in the recipe with a liquid sweetener keeps ice cream or gelato from getting too hard and icy in the freezer.

You can replace the honey in this recipe with corn syrup if you like, or you can use all granulated sugar instead.

Either way, the cherry gelato will be delicious!

Can I Make Cherry Gelato with Fresh Cherries?

You can! Since canned cherries are already soft, they only need to sit in the granulated sugar for a short time. Fresh cherries will need at least 30 minutes to macerate in sugar to release their juicy flavor.

More Fruity Homemade Ice Cream and Gelato Recipes

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Cherry Gelato Recipe

Yield: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 15 minutes

Creamy, sweet, and simple to make, Cherry Gelato is a delicious homemade recipe that everyone will love! A vanilla base with pieces of real cherries makes it perfect.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher salt
15 oz. can of cherries, (about 1.5 cups), drained and roughly chopped

Instructions

Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl.
In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, whole milk, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until combined.
In a small bowl, combine chopped cherries and remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Churn the gelato mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 20 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
In the last two minutes, add half of the cherry mixture and churn until it is fully combined.
Spoon the gelato into a shallow container or a loaf pan.
Dollop the remaining cherries into the pan and lightly swirl them in. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the gelato. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

This gelato was made without eggs. Instead, heavy cream, milk, and sugar are mixed together and then churned in the ice cream maker. Since there are no eggs in this recipe, you do not have to cook the base over the stove top or chill it in the refrigerator before churning.

Your gelato base and ice cream bowl both need to be very cold in order for it to churn. If your base is not cold, place it in the freezer for an hour or so until it is chilled.

Mixing the cherries with a tablespoon of sugar results in cherries that are soft and syrupy - perfect for drizzling in this gelato base.

I like to add the cherries in two phases in this gelato recipe. I add half during the last few minutes of churning the ice cream to really mix in the syrupy cherries and give the gelato an overall cherry flavor. Then, I also like to dollop the remaining cherries into the base once it’s in the pan ready to chill to give the gelato a lot of texture.

If you use fresh cherries instead of the canned cherries, you will want to let the cherries sit in the granulated sugar for longer to really let them soften up.

If you do not have honey, you can substitute it for corn syrup or more granulated sugar. The honey helps to keep the ice cream from getting too icy in the freezer. Corn syrup will also do the same thing. If you use granulated sugar instead, you will just need to let the gelato sit at room temperature a bit longer to soften up before scooping.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 4g

Cherry Gelato Recipe