Homemade Blueberry Gelato

Homemade Blueberry Gelato highlights the vibrant flavor of berries by churning fresh blueberry lemon puree with sweet milk and cream custard into a smooth, dense frozen dream of a dessert.

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• Blueberry gelato recipe
• Ice cream versus gelato?
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• Make gelato without an ice cream maker machine
• Make ahead
• Yield
• 📖 Recipe

Blueberry gelato recipe

Blueberry gelato can be made with or without an ice cream maker. It’s the perfect make ahead dessert for summer potlucks, parties and dinners! And with all the seasonal fresh fruit at the market once you know this easy to customize method you’ll be able to whip up any delicious fruit gelato you can imagine.

I created this recipe for a fun cooking party that my friends and I have been taking turns hosting for the last year. It was such a great make ahead recipe that is so easy to serve at the end of the meal.

By the way the night ended huddled around my kitchen counter with a handful of lifelong friends and our kids, spoons in hand enjoying homemade gelato. It was perfect.

And tonight we’re off to another friend’s potluck with the theme being Italian dinner party in the forest and ironically I will not be making gelato. Instead I choose to create an Italian crostata inspired Chocolate Tart with Coffee Candied Almonds.

Ice cream versus gelato?

Air, fat and temperature are the main differences between ice cream and gelato that make the latter my choice for delivering fresh vibrant flavor. With less dairy fat in the mix gelato is able to be slow churned resulting in a smooth, dense texture. With ribbons that fall from spoon to bowl rather than whipped and fluffy like ice cream. This rich texture allows gelato to be served at a higher temperature than ice cream without turning into a soupy, milky mess.

Ingredients

• Blueberry puree – made from fresh or frozen blueberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice. To make any other fresh fruit gelato simply swap fruit of your choice for blueberry and proceed as directed. Use this same homemade ice cream recipe to make raspberry swirl ice cream, blackberry swirl ice cream, strawberry swirl ice cream or a mixed berry ice cream combination of any or all fruits. No lemon? Try mixing up the recipe with any other citrus juice like lime or orange.
• Gelato base – a basic gelato base made with egg yolks, sugar, whole milk, heavy cream and kosher salt.

Step by step instructions

1. Make a concentrated fresh fruit puree and chill.
2. Make gelato custard base and chill.
3. Then combine the two and churn whenever you’re ready! For streaks of flavor, churn the base completely (or add just a small amount of fruit), then add thick swirls of puree before freezing like this Cranberry Orange Ice Cream. Tip: store fruit puree in the same container you’ll be storing your ice cream. Do not wipe out puree after whisking into gelato base and pour churned gelato back into container for even more beautiful swirls of fruit puree.
4. Pop in the freezer to harden before serving, about 4-5 hours at least.
5. Scoop and serve.
6. Enjoy!

Make gelato without an ice cream maker machine

There are a few different methods for making ice cream and gelato without an ice cream maker.

• No churn versions fold whipped cream into a custard base then freeze.
• Or, you can hand churn gelato, stirring the freezing custard at even intervals until set, for the flavor and texture of gelato sans ice cream maker. The Stay at Home Chef‘s blog post and video outline how to make gelato by hand. If hand churning try mixing in the fresh fruit puree at different times for ribbons of contrasting flavor and texture.

Make ahead

A great make-ahead recipe for entertaining gelato can be churned up to two days in advance.

Or, prepare the fruit puree and gelato base up to 3 days in advance as it fits your schedule. Then churn and freeze at least 6 hours before serving.

Tip: store fruit puree in the same container you’ll be storing your ice cream. Do not wipe out puree after whisking into gelato base and pour churned gelato back into container for beautiful swirls of fruit puree. 

Yield

This homemade gelato recipes yields about 1 ½ pints, or 3 cups, of gelato. Typically the serving size for gelato, or ice cream, is ½ cup. So this recipe yields enough for 6 standard size servings.

📖 Recipe

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