If you've been craving the richest, most decadent ice cream imaginable then this recipe is one you have to try now!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Premium ice cream at a budget price! Homemade ice cream costs much less to make than buying a good commercial brand.
- Ultra creamy texture is decadently silky.
- No preservatives or chemicals here! Just a few simple ingredients are needed.
Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream.
This cinnamon gelato recipe is exactly what you want to make to go with your apple pies and pumpkin pies this fall. It's absolutely, indescribably delicious and will make that lowly scoop of vanilla ice cream blush with shame.
🥫 Storage
Gelato should be packed tightly in an airtight container and kept in the freezer overnight before serving.
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
📖 Variations
This recipe is the perfect base for so many variations!
- Use apple pie spice or pumpkin spice in place of the cinnamon.
- Stir in a cup or so of white chocolate chips at the end of churning time.
- Add a cupful (or so) of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal at the end of churning.
- Try crumbling some sugar cookies into it at the end of churning.
- Stir in a cup of chopped, toasted pecans.
- Try this with grilled pineapple over the top!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Always use whole milk - not skim, not 2%, not anything else.
- Stop the churning process when the cinnamon gelato is thick and creamy like soft serve but not at the ice cream point yet. Freeze overnight.
- For a creamy gelato freeze it at a warmer temperature than you would ice cream for the best flavor. About 20 degrees is right. It should still be frozen but a little softer than ice cream.
- Freeze gelato overnight in a shallow container rather than in a tall container like ice cream. An 8-inch cake pan covered with plastic wrap is perfect.
- This recipe should work in any ice cream machine - even if it doesn't have a gelato setting.
- Keep in mind that your homemade gelato and ice creams do not have the stabilizers that keep commercial ice creams soft and delicious for months. You'll want to eat this within a few weeks -- and that shouldn't be a problem!
👩🍳 FAQs
Gelato has more milk and less fat which makes it more dense and flavorful than ice cream. Ice cream has more fat which makes it fluffier.
Maybe a touch fewer calories and lower in fat but for the most part it's meant as an occasional treat not a way of life.
It's a natural emulsifier and helps the gelato stay smooth and creamy.
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
- German apple pie is creamy and sweet with a buttery crust.
- Cinnamon gelato is perfect melting over a warm piece of peach cobbler.
- This redolent spice cake with cream cheese frosting only gets better when you add homemade ice cream.
📞 The last word
Make some time in your schedule to give this luscious homemade cinnamon gelato recipe a try. It's absolutely beautiful to look at and really, once you've eaten it, you'll be spoiled for anything else.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Leave a comment and let me know!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Gelato
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ teaspoons ground Vietnamese cinnamon, use up to a tablespoon as desired
Instructions
- Combine sugar and egg yolks and beat until very light and the sugar crystals can't be felt when you pinch a little between your thumb and forefinger.
- Set aside.
- Combine the milk, cream, and cinnamon sticks in a heavy saucepan.
- Turn heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer and bubbles form around the edges of the milk mixture. DO NOT BOIL.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard.
- Add a little of the hot liquid to the egg yolks, beating constantly.
- Continue to add the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks while beating - make sure the eggs don't curdle.
- If you think you've curdled some of the egg pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to catch any cooked egg.
- Return the custard mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat.
- Cook, stirring, until the custard coats the back of the spoon and your finger leaves a track. Make sure it doesn't boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Let cool to room temperature then stir in the ground cinnamon and vanilla.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour the cooled gelato mixture into an ice cream mchine and churn according to manufacturer's directions. If your ice cream maker allows different settings use the "gelato" setting or slow churn setting.
- Spoon into a freezer-safe container with a tightly fitting lid and freeze for an hour or so before serving.
Notes
- Always use whole milk - not skim, not 2%, not anything else.
- Stop the churning process when the cinnamon gelato is thick and creamy like soft serve but not at the ice cream point yet. Freeze overnight.
- For a creamy gelato freeze it at a warmer temperature than you would ice cream for the best flavor. About 20 degrees is right. It should still be frozen but a little softer than ice cream.
- Freeze gelato overnight in a shallow container rather than in a tall container like ice cream. An 8-inch cake pan covered with plastic wrap is perfect.
- This recipe should work in any ice cream machine - even if it doesn't have a gelato setting.
- Keep in mind that your homemade gelato and ice creams do not have the stabilizers that keep commercial ice creams soft and delicious for months. You'll want to eat this within a few weeks -- and that shouldn't be a problem!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published September 11, 2017. Last updated August 21, 2022 for editorial content.
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Heather says
What if you don’t have access to cinnamon sticks. Can you use cinnamon instead? If so, how much cinnamon would you put in the recipe?
Marye says
You could use cinnamon - it would be different because the powdery texture of the ground cinnamon. I'd add a teaspoon and a half I think.