Easy Chocolate Gelato Recipe

Here’s an easy gelato recipe that I used to make gelato for the first time!

It was so hot in Rome last week (almost 40C) that I could only think of gelato.  However, going out to get one was out of the question.  So, I thought, why not make it at home.

After doing some research online, I decided to follow the video below which doesn’t require you to have an ice cream maker.

Even though, it’s in Italian, it’s quite self-explanatory. The first 45 seconds of the video is a bit silly so you can skip that part. The rest of the video provides you with clear step by step instructions.

Step by Step Gelato Recipe

You need:
A steel bowl
500 ml of whole milk
5 egg yolks
120g sugar
120g dark chocolate
1 vanilla bean

Instructions
1. Put the steel bowl in the freezer at least 2 hours before you start making the gelato.

2. Grate dark chocolate and put aside.

3. Pour milk in a pot and add the vanilla bean.  Bring it to a boil.

4. In another bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks with a wooden spoon until you get a creamy mixture.

5. Filter the hot milk with a strainer and slowly pour it into the sugar and eggs mixture (temper)

6. Mix it well.

7. Pour it back into the pot and bring it to a boil.

8. Once it starts to boil, remove the pot from the stove and add the grated chocolate.  Mix well.

9. Let it cool and stirring it every now and then.

10. When the mixture has cooled down completely, take the steel bowl out from the freezer. Pour the mixture into the bowl.

11. Put the bowl back into the freezer and and stir it every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours.

12. When you stir it, make sure you break the ice crystals that are formed to ensure you have a smooth gelato.

Changes I made to this gelato recipe

– Instead of using dark chocolate, I used 60g unsweetened cocoa powder.  Stir well to make sure there are no lumps.

– I reduced the sugar to 100grams.

– I left out the vanilla bean.

– I also made a version without using the chocolate.  This time around, I did add the vanilla bean. The gelato tasted like french vanilla.

The reason I made this version is because I wanted to have it with some fruits.  It’s very refreshing.

If you are looking for other flavors to try out, click here for another set of gelato recipe (it’s in Italian).  Enjoy!