Yogurt Gelato recipe is one of the easiest and most satisfying gelato treats. This quick preparation requires just a few ingredients but delivers great satisfaction. Italian yogurt gelato stands out for its creamy texture and tangy flavor, making it delightful on its own or as a versatile base for other ingredients.
Like Fior di Latte Gelato, it can be enriched with granulated nuts, hazelnuts, or sour cherries in syrup during winter, and fresh fruits in summer. You can also add caramel, fruit sauces, cereals, chocolate pieces, or cookies—everyone can choose their favorite mix-ins! The main ingredient, of course, is yogurt.
For the best results, use full-bodied, thick, natural whole yogurt. Alongside yogurt, you'll need fresh heavy cream and sugar—just three ingredients for a truly delicious treat!
Try making this authentic Italian dessert at home, whether you have an ice cream maker or not. Now, let’s show you how to make an excellent Italian Yogurt Gelato at home!
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Ingredients
WITH Ice Cream Maker:
- Prep Time: 45 Min (about 10 min of preparation + about 30/40 min in the ice cream maker)
- Cook Time: without cooking
- Servings: 6 people that is about 750 g (5 cups) of Yogurt Gelato
WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker:
- Prep Time: 3 H + 10 min (about 10 minutes of preparation + cooling in the freezer for about 3 H)
- Cook time: without cooking
- Servings: 6 people that is about 750 g (5 cups) of Yogurt Gelato
- 150 g (¾ cup) of granulated sugar
- 500 ml (2 cup) of whole milk yogurt (plain)
- 250 ml (1 cup) of heavy cream
Instructions
How to Make Yogurt Gelato WITH Ice Cream Maker
Step 1) - Making the yogurt gelato recipe is very easy. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, heavy cream and sugar and mix well.
Step 2) - Emulsify with an immersion blender to best blend these ingredients. 1 minute on medium speed is enough. You don't need to whip the mixture, just let the sugar dissolve well while mixing the ingredients. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker.
Step 3) - Let it churn for as long as it takes, depending on the type of machine, to make firm and creamy yogurt gelato. Generally, an ice cream maker with a compressor will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Follow the machine's instructions.
The yogurt gelato is ready. Creamy and velvety. Serve straight from the machine or place in the freezer in a gelato container.
How to Make Yogurt Gelato WITHOUT Ice Cream Maker
If you don't have a gelato maker, don't worry! It takes more time (3 hours instead of about 40 minutes) and more work but the result is still exceptional! Let's see how to do it!
NOTE: It usually take 5 hours to make gelato without ice cream maker. Due to the creamy and already thick consistency of the ingredients, it takes less time (3 hours) to make yogurt gelato than for other gelato flavors for which you start with a much more liquid mixture.
Step 1) - First whip the cream and set aside. Then combine the cold yogurt and sugar and mix very well. Finally add the whipped cream.
Step 2) - Mix from the bottom up so as not to disassemble the cream too much. Now pour the creamy mixture into a gelato container.
Step 3) - Place in the freezer for about three hours. Stir with a whisk every 30 minutes during this time. This is to break up the ice crystals and prevent the gelato from hardening too much.
Yogurt gelato without an ice cream maker is ready when it has reached the desired creaminess. Enjoy it immediately or store it in the freezer in a special container.
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- How to Make Authentic Gelato at Home
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Storage
You can store Italian yogurt gelato in the freezer in a gelato container for up to 1 week. Remember to remove it from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Stir to make it creamy again.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Gelatiera (Ice Cream Maker)
The best tool for making real Italian gelato is an ice cream maker, or Gelatiera. Here are some options:
- Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker: Easy to use, perfect for getting professional results at home. It's small with a large, non-removable bowl. The spatula is made of stainless steel. It has a strong refrigeration system for top performance without pre-cooling.
- Whynter ICM-200LS Automatic Ice Cream Maker: This ice cream maker has a built-in compressor and is very easy to use. You can make delicious gelato at home, perfect for parties. It has a high capacity, making up to two quarts of frozen dessert in one batch.
- Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker: This type of gelato maker doesn't have a compressor. You need to put the special container in the freezer for several hours before mixing the ingredients. It's affordable and practical.
Other Kitchen Tools
- If you want to make yogurt gelato without an ice cream maker, you can still get good results by following our recipe. In this case, a gelato container is useful. You'll need it to store any leftover gelato, even if you use an ice cream maker.
- Other accessories to serve your homemade gelato include a tool for making gelato scoops or handy scoops for sundaes. Don't forget the waffle cones, which both kids and adults love!
How to Serve
Yogurt Gelato is a wonderful and refreshing treat for the whole family. It also makes an amazing dessert.
This type of ice cream has a mild, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor, making it versatile for many different combinations.
Yogurt Gelato is delightful on its own, fresh and light, but it becomes even better when you add various toppings. You can choose your favorite toppings based on your taste and the season.
- NUTS: For example, you can enhance and decorate yogurt ice cream with pistachio, walnut, or hazelnut pieces.
- CHOCOLATE: Another option is to drizzle melted dark chocolate on top.
- FRUIT: During the warmer months, fresh fruit is a perfect addition. If you have a sweet tooth, you might prefer black cherries in syrup.
Substitutes
To achieve creamy and flavorful gelato, choosing the right yogurt is essential. Here are some options:
- Whole Milk Plain Yogurt: This is the one I used for this recipe. This type of yogurt is perfect for making the gelato cream dense and consistent.
- Natural Greek yogurt: This yogurt is thick and full-bodied, with a rich and full taste. Its greater density makes it ideal for creamy gelato.
- Low-fat yogurt: You can choose this type of yogurt, but the result will be less fluffy and creamy due to the lack of fat.
- Flavored yogurt: If you prefer, you can opt for already flavored yogurt, although the best flavors will be those you add yourself, like fresh fruit or other wholesome toppings (see the paragraph above)
Choosing the right yogurt will make a difference in your gelato, making it creamier and tastier.
Variations
Yogurt Gelato Without Heavy Cream
It's perfectly possible to make yogurt gelato without heavy cream. Replace it with milk.
The result will be less creamy, of course, but it will also be lower in calories.
Depending on your preferences and dietary needs, you can make yogurt gelato with whole or low-fat yogurt and whole or semi-skimmed milk.
You can also adjust the amount of sugar to taste.
While this version won't be the real deal (meaning: the yogurt gelato you'd eat in Italy would have the ingredients shown in this recipe: as creamy, thick, and flavorful as the one I made!), it's certainly lower in fat and calories.
Yogurt Gelato Vs Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt gelato without heavy cream is quite similar to the trendy Frozen Yogurt, but they aren't the same thing.
Frozen yogurt is made through an industrial process, unlike homemade gelato.
Its creamy, light texture comes from a lot of air mixed in, much like soft ice cream.
People often think frozen yogurt is healthier and has fewer calories than traditional homemade yogurt gelato, but this isn't always the case.
While frozen yogurt does have less fat and more yogurt, the lower fat content is often balanced by adding more sugar. So, calorie-wise, they can end up being about the same.
Additionally, frozen yogurt isn't just made from yogurt and often doesn't use fresh ingredients.
Recipe Card
Italian Yogurt Gelato Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g granulated sugar - ¾ cup
- 500 ml whole milk yogurt (plain) - 2 cup
- 250 ml heavy cream - 1 cup
Instructions
HOW TO MAKE YOGURT GELATO WITH ICE CREAM MAKER
- In a bowl, combine the yogurt, heavy cream and sugar and mix well.
- Emulsify with an immersion blender to best blend these ingredients. 1 minute on medium speed is enough. You don't need to whip the mixture, just let the sugar dissolve well while mixing the ingredients. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker.
- Let it churn for as long as it takes, depending on the type of machine, to make firm and creamy yogurt gelato. Generally, an ice cream maker with a compressor will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Follow the machine's instructions.
- The yogurt gelato is ready. Creamy and velvety. Serve straight from the machine or place in the freezer in a gelato container.
HOW TO MAKE YOGURT GELATO WITHOUT ICE CREAM MAKER
- First whip the cream and set aside. Then combine the cold yogurt and sugar and mix very well. Finally add the whipped cream.
- Mix from the bottom up so as not to disassemble the cream too much. Now pour the creamy mixture into a gelato container.
- Place in the freezer for about three hours. Stir with a whisk every 30 minutes during this time. This is to break up the ice crystals and prevent the gelato from hardening too much.
Colavecd says
So easy and best of all so delicious. Made as directed without an ice cream maker. One question: the leftover was placed in a gelato freezer container and it is no longer creamy, hardened in the container. When scooping out it breaks into pieces. Mind you, the taste or flavor is still melt in your mouth! I just wondered how I might get the consistency to remain creamy. Thanks!
Rosy says
Yogurt gelato is my favorite flavor! It's true! It's different from frozen yogurt. It's creamier, softer and tastier. Thank you for the great recipe!
Silvana Nava says
Thank you so much for your appreciation!