What Is Gelato?

Ice Cream: Fat and Fluffy

Ice cream is a frozen dairy dessert made of milk, cream, sugar, and (sometimes) egg yolks. Traditional French-style ice cream contained egg yolks and was richer than American-style ice cream, which didn’t initially contain eggs. However, American ice cream may now also include the yolks.

The ingredients in ice cream are first cooked together into a rich base. After the base is cooled, it’s churned at a fairly high speed to incorporate air and increase its volume (cheaper ice creams tends to have more air whipped into them).

Ice cream is served at a fairly cold temperature that makes scoops hold together, and the finished product is smooth & light-textured.

Gelato: Dense and Intense

Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream. It starts out with a similar base as ice cream, but uses little if any cream so is much lower in fats, and Gelato rarely uses eggs in the base. Because of the reduced fat content, gelato incorporates less air thus leaving the gelato denser than ice cream.

Gelato is also served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream, so its texture can remain silkier and softer.

-Christine Gallary:  Kitchn