Pistachio Gelato
We are having a bit of a heat wave here in Connecticut this week. I figured what better way to fight the heat than to try out a new flavor of gelato. I wanted to make a Sicilian style gelato, so I decided to go with a very popular flavor in Sicily, pistachio.
Sicilian style gelato has no eggs or cream. Cornstarch thickens the base. It allows the flavors to shine, which is very important with an ingredient like pistachios. If you are used to the bright green pistachio gelato from the shop, this is not that. Real pistachio gelato is a pale green. That is how you know it is the real thing.
The Three Things That Matter
Steep overnight. Grinding the pistachios and letting them sit in warm milk overnight is what extracts real pistachio flavor into the base. Skip this and you get gelato that tastes like milk with a vague nuttiness. The overnight steep is the difference between pistachio-flavored and pistachio.
Strain everything out. After the steep, you press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. This gives you a perfectly smooth, silky gelato with no grittiness. It feels wasteful, but the pistachios have already given everything to the milk. What is left is just fiber.
Use raw, unsalted pistachios. Roasted pistachios will give you a toasted flavor that tastes more like a cookie than gelato. Raw pistachios keep the flavor clean and pure. Unsalted is essential. You cannot fix salty gelato.
Print
Pistachio Gelato
- Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups shelled unsalted pistachios
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Finely grind pistachios in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand. Transfer to a bowl.
- Place 3 cups of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat when milk just begins to simmer.
- Combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Whisk until smooth, then stir into the hot milk.
- Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, approximately 10 minutes.
- Pour the hot milk mixture over the ground pistachios. Stir to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the pistachios firmly with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
- Process the strained mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Substitutions
- Pistachio paste. IIf you can find Italian pistachio paste (not pistachio butter), use 3/4 cup in place of the ground pistachios. Whisk the paste directly into the hot milk base. No grinding, steeping, or straining needed. Cool, refrigerate overnight, and churn.
- Milk. Whole milk is essential. Do not use low-fat or skim. The fat carries the pistachio flavor.
- Sugar. You can reduce by 2 to 3 tablespoons if you prefer less sweet, but do not cut more than that or the gelato will freeze too hard.
- Cornstarch. This is the Sicilian method for thickening gelato without eggs. Do not substitute with flour. Arrowroot works but sets slightly differently.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make ahead: The base must be made at least one night ahead (overnight steep). After churning, the gelato needs 2 or more hours in the freezer to firm up.
- Storage: Keeps in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing to prevent ice crystals.
- Serving: Gelato is best served slightly softer than ice cream. Pull it from the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
FAQ
Gelato uses more milk and less cream than ice cream, contains fewer or no eggs, and is churned at a slower speed which incorporates less air. The result is denser, silkier, and more intensely flavored. This Sicilian version uses no eggs or cream at all.
Real pistachio gelato made from actual pistachios is pale green to tan, not bright green. The vivid green you see in shops comes from food coloring or artificial pistachio flavoring. If yours is a muted, natural color, you did it right.
Usually too much water or not enough sugar. Sugar lowers the freezing point and keeps gelato soft. The cornstarch in this recipe also helps by binding water. Make sure to use whole milk (not skim) and measure the sugar accurately.
Yes, for proper gelato texture. The slow churning of an ice cream maker is what gives gelato its dense, smooth consistency. Without one, you will get something closer to a granita texture.
Raw and unsalted is best for clean pistachio flavor. Roasted will give a toasted, nuttier taste that is different from traditional Italian pistachio gelato. If roasted is all you can find, use unsalted and expect a slightly different flavor profile.
This pistachio gelato is excellent! It reminded me of the gelato I had in Sicily and I will definitely make it again!
Thank you. I am glad it worked it for you.