Stracciatella Gelato

A rich, creamy, vanilla custard gelato base with thin ribbons of crisp bittersweet chocolate – Stracciatella Gelato is a classic gelato flavor. Take a trip to Italy in your own kitchen with this easy recipe for homemade Stracciatella Gelato.

This gelato recipe is fun and simple to make, and it’s naturally gluten-free and nut free too!

Here’s a little bit of background on Stracciatella Gelato! I love learning about the history of ice cream and frozen desserts, and this recipe certainly has a history.

While icy sorbet was created in Sicily in the middle ages, the history of creamy gelato dates back to the 1500s, in Florence, Tuscany. From Northern Italy, this creamy frozen dessert spread all over Europe, and gelato has been a favorite treat ever since.

Stracciatella gelato was introduced to Italy much later, in 1961. It was said to have been inspired by Stracciatella soup, which is a dish of broth with strands of egg.

Over time, the sweet version of stracciatella has become much more popular than the soup version, and for good reason – this gelato flavor is the best!

Try more Italian-inspired frozen desserts! Spumoni is a delicious layered treat of chocolate, cherry, and vanilla gelato or ice cream. You might also like this Baklava Ice Cream. You can also enjoy a classic Affogato, which is really just a fun Italian way to say “ice cream with espresso poured over it”.

Why You’re Going to Love this Stracciatella Gelato Recipe

• Stracciatella Gelato, a milk-based gelato with chocolate flakes that melt in your mouth, is one of the most popular gelato flavors in Italian gelaterias. It’s considered sweet and rich, but not overwhelmingly so.
• A few scoops of Stracciatella gelato are perfect as an after-dinner dessert or an afternoon treat, no matter if you’re strolling the streets of Florence or hanging out in your own backyard!
• You’ll love that this stracciatella gelato recipe is easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions for turning common ingredients into to the most delicious dessert!

Can I Make Stracciatella Gelato at Home?

This recipe for stracciatella made in an electric ice cream maker is the closest thing to classic Italian gelato that you can make without investing in a fancy gelato-making machine!

True gelato made from scratch would require a gelato machine, which is different than your regular at-home ice cream maker, and much more expensive to buy.

A specifically designed gelato machine makes frozen desserts more slowly so that the finished dessert is denser and contains less air than ice cream. It’s different from ice cream: you can learn about Gelato vs. Ice Cream.

You can use a gelato machine with this recipe, but most of us don’t have one at home. I find that my Cuisinart ice cream maker does an amazing job of making my favorite gelato flavors, so don’t stress too much about the specifics!

Making gelato in an ice cream maker is the next best thing to ordering gelato in Florence or Rome. Let’s get started!

Ingredients in Homemade Stracciatella Gelato

• Egg Yolks – While traditional Stracciatella Gelato doesn’t usually include egg yolks, we’re using them here because it just makes the resulting gelato so rich and creamy!
• Granulated Sugar – For sweetness and texture in gelato recipes, plain, white, granulated sugar is ideal.
• Whole Milk – Milk is cooked with the egg yolks and sugar to create the custard base for this gelato recipe.
• Salt – Just a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and makes everything taste just a bit brighter.
• Heavy Cream – A blend of both milk and cream is what gives our gelato recipe the best creamy texture.
• Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a must for almost all of our homemade ice cream recipes. It elevates the simple flavors of milk, sugar, and cream.
• Bittersweet Chocolate – Chop four ounces of bittersweet chocolate for this recipe. You can also use dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate, or milk chocolate if you prefer.

How to Make Stracciatella 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.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
2. Add the milk and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove it from the heat. Be sure not to boil. To temper the egg yolks, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined. 
3. Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat the gelato base until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes.
4. Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Then, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. Churn the vanilla gelato mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
6. While the ice cream is churning, add the chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted. Add the melted chocolate to a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the tip cut off.
7. In the last 2 minutes of the churning process, stream the bittersweet chocolate into the gelato while it is churning. The chocolate will freeze and break up into flakes as it churns.
8. Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making stracciatella ice cream from scratch, please see the recipe below.

How to Store Stracciatella Gelato

Store this homemade stracciatella gelato in the freezer in an airtight container. Be sure to press waxed paper or parchment paper to the surface of the ice cream to prevent crystallization. Store for up to 1 month.

Tips for Making This Stracciatella 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. Look for high-quality bittersweet chocolate (between 60 and 70% cocoa). The better the chocolate, the better your stracciatella will be!
• Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.
• Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams 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 ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of gelato.

No Churn Stracciatella Ice Cream Directions

You won’t get the same thin shreds of chocolate if you make this recipe without an ice cream maker, but you will get a similar gelato dessert!

Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream 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 two hours, transfer the semi-frozen gelato to a different loaf pan, this time in several layers, with a thin layer of melted chocolate in between. Freeze until solid.

How to Make Dairy Free Stracciatella Gelato

Instead of the vanilla ice cream base used here, make creamy vanilla Oat Milk Ice Cream using our easy recipe, and add the melted chocolate to it during the last few minutes of churning.

You can do the same with our Coconut Ice Cream Recipe, and create a decadent vegan stracciatella gelato in your ice cream maker.

Stracciatella Gelato Add-Ins

This gelato recipe is already filled with ribbons of chocolate, and adding other ingredients to the mix does have the potential to interrupt the stracciatella process – but it can be done!

I suggest first adding the melted chocolate, then letting it churn for 1 minute to harden. Then add your other mix-ins and finish churning.

Other Italian-inspired gelato add-ins include chopped hazelnuts or pistachios, or a drizzle of raspberry compote.

Homemade caramel sauce or peanut butter sauce would also be delicious stirred into your homemade stracciatella gelato.

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

• Cherry Gelato Recipe
• Neapolitan Ice Cream
• Java Chip Ice Cream
• Mascarpone Ice Cream
• Andes Mint Ice Cream
• Cannoli Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Pizza

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