Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat milk, cream, and half the sugar over medium heat until just steaming (not boiling).
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and thick.
- Slowly add a ladle of hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling. Gradually mix in all the milk.
- Return mixture to the pan and cook on low, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil.
- Blend in Pistachio Paste: Remove from heat and whisk in the pistachio paste, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Chill Completely: Strain the mixture into a bowl. Cover and chill 4–6 hours or overnight.
- Churn: Pour the cold base into your ice cream maker and churn until thick and creamy.
- Add the Stracciatella: With the machine running, drizzle in the melted chocolate. It will solidify instantly and break into thin flakes.
- Freeze to Set: Transfer to a container and freeze for 2–3 hours for best texture. Serve slightly softened.
Notes
Use real pistachio paste: Avoid anything bright green or artificially flavored. True pistachio paste has a warm, earthy color and gives the gelato its naturally rich taste.
Choose high-quality chocolate: Stracciatella works best with dark chocolate that melts smoothly and hardens into delicate flakes when it hits the cold gelato.
Chill the base fully: Gelato needs to be cold-cold before churning. An overnight rest creates better texture and deeper pistachio flavor.
Add the chocolate at the right moment: Drizzle it slowly into the churning gelato. Too early and it sinks; too late and it clumps.
Freeze just until set: Gelato is meant to stay softer than ice cream. A couple of hours in the freezer is perfect, too long and it turns icy.
Most of the calories come from cream, milk, sugar, and pistachios — with dairy fat contributing to the saturated fat content and pistachios adding healthy unsaturated fats along with protein. The chocolate flakes (stracciatella) add small amounts of extra sugar and fat but mainly enhance flavor and texture.
Nutrition Estimated Facts
Pistachio Stracciatella Gelato
(per 1 serving ≈ ½ cup / 100g):
Nutrition Facts (Estimated)
Serving Size: ½ cup (100g)
| Nutrient | Amount | %DV |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 230 | |
| Total Fat | 15g | 19% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 45mg | 15% |
| Sodium | 70mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 20g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Total Sugars | 18g | |
| Added Sugars | 14g | 28% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin D | 0.4mcg | 2% |
| Calcium | 180mg | 15% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
| Potassium | 220mg | 5% |
*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.