This frozen custard-based gelato is flavored with vanilla and almond extracts and features a salted caramel sauce ribbon swirl. Rich, buttery, smooth, and creamy, it takes ice cream to new flavor heights!
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[June, 2022: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- Rich and creamy gelato with a clean and smooth mouthfeel, even with less fat than ice cream
- Including both vanilla and almond extracts produces soft, buttery-almond notes
- Homemade salted caramel sauce offers a sweet and salty counterpoint to the creamy taste
Summer is about ice cream, but not any ol' kind will do. As easy as it is to make homemade ice cream by freezing sweetened heavy cream, I prefer the luxury of making frozen custard. It has a rich and creamy mouthfeel, no matter how it's flavored.
Now take that frozen custard up a notch by adding flavorings, mix-ins, and toppings, and you're starting to really have something. Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Ice Cream and Double Chocolate Mint Chip Gelato are just a few examples.
Caramel is another flavor that works well in an ice cream. For this Salted Caramel Swirl Gelato flavored with vanilla and almonds, caramel sauce is used as a ribbon running through the scoop. This gelato recipe has a lot going for it!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this caramel gelato ice cream recipe:
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Ingredient Notes
Like with many rich ice cream recipes, gelato base is a cooked custard.
Milk & Heavy Cream: Provides the basis for the dairy custard. Gelato has more milk than heavy cream, giving it less fat than ice cream, but still has that rich ice cream flavor and texture.
Flavorings: Here we're using vanilla and almond extracts to add soft buttery-almond notes
If you want to leave out the almond extract, just increase the vanilla extract to 1½ teaspoons. Better yet, infuse the milk mixture with a fresh vanilla bean, halved and scraped, letting it steep in the warm milk for 30 minutes. Rewarm the milk to steaming and remove the spent bean before tempering in the egg.
For even more almond flavor and texture, consider adding ½ cup of chopped toasted almonds in during the last 30 seconds of churning.
Salted Caramel Sauce: Swirled into the gelato before it gets too hard, this mix-in raises this salted caramel gelato to flavor heights! See the Pro Tip below on how to make it at home.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make homemade gelato
Step 1: Make the custard base
Heat the milk and heavy cream in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form and it starts to steam. This takes about 6 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved (photo 1).
Gently heat the egg mixture by slowly adding ½ cup of the warm milk to the egg mixture while continuously whisking. This process is called tempering the eggs. Add another ½ cup of milk and temper the egg mixture again (photo 2).
Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk (photo 3). Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat (don't let it boil).
Cook until the custard has thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 to 6 minutes. It should coat the back of the spoon and leave a trail when you draw your finger through it (photo 4).
Step 2: Strain and chill the custard base
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl (photo 5). If the custard boiled during thickening, straining it out will help remove any curdled bits of egg.
Cool the base using an ice bath (½ ice cubes, ½ water, reaching halfway up the sides of the bowl). Stir the custard occasionally until it's cooled to room temperature (a digital thermometer should read around 70 to 80˚F). This helps to prevent any bad organisms growing in the custard as it cools (photo 6).
Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight (photo 7). Chilled custard can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. For the best results, make sure the base is about 40˚F prior to churning.
Step 3: Churn the gelato
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze per the manufacturer’s instructions, about 25 to 30 minutes (photo 8).
The ice cream maker I'm using is a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment for a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Another good option is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.
The finished gelato will have a soft consistency (photo 9).
Step 4: Layer in the caramel sauce
Transfer ⅓ of the gelato to a freezer-safe container and drizzle ⅓ of the caramel sauce over it. Repeat layering with remaining gelato and caramel sauce, then smooth the top using a small offset spatula (photo 10).
Step 5: Ripen the gelato
Freeze the gelato for 2 to 4 hours to allow gelato to firm up, a process called ripening (photo 11).
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Recipes for homemade ice cream are fairly straightforward. At its most basic all you really need is heavy cream and a sweetener (that’s the base). After that you flavor your base as you please (vanilla beans, chocolate, mint…) and add mix-ins if you'd like (chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallow creme, cookie crumbs). Generally speaking, ice cream base starts cold from the refrigerator, so you don't have to wait for it to chill before churning it.
Gelato uses the same method, but its base typically has twice as much milk than heavy cream, so it has a lower butterfat content than ice cream. Great flavor, less calories.
An ice cream custard base (aka frozen custard) is in the same family as pastry cream (that's Crème Pâtissière for you purists). That is, it's a cooked base that's thickened with egg yolks. That base must be chilled before churning it in an ice cream maker.
The benefit is that frozen custard is richer in flavor and has more body than regular ice cream. However, with that added richness comes added calories.
The importance of chilling your base to no more than 40˚F cannot be overstated. If you put warm base into your ice cream maker, it will take much longer to churn and you run the risk of having the finished ice cream turn icy and grainy.
Also, you have to firm up your ice cream in the freezer after churning it. The ice cream maker will produce a soft product, and churning the base longer won't harden it the way ripening does. Again, trying to ripen in the ice cream maker only increases the odds that the finished product will be grainy.
Pro Tip: Make your own Salted Caramel Sauce
To make the Salted Caramel Sauce, prepare a Basic Caramel Sauce and add 1 teaspoon of salt after you remove the caramel from the heat. You won't need the entire amount, but then you have some to drizzle on top of your scoop!
Caramel + Almond + Custard = Happiness
Salted Caramel Swirl Gelato has got to be one of the best ice cream recipes (ahem…gelato!) I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a fair few. It's rich and creamy, with soft buttery-almond notes that contrast well with the sweet and salty caramel sauce. This gelato recipe produces a taste sensation that's clean and smooth in the mouth.
For even more almond flavor and texture, consider adding ½ cup of chopped toasted almonds in during the last 30 seconds of churning.
Salted Caramel Swirl gelato is a frozen custard that's really extraordinary. Serve it with a drizzle of extra caramel sauce, and get ready to experience something special!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
I scream, you scream, we all scream to make ice cream, gelato, sherbet, and sorbet! Here are lots of choices for homemade frozen treats, ice cream toppings, and ideas for an ice cream party. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help with? Let me know! Or, if you made the recipe, I'd love for you to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Salted Caramel Swirl Gelato Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the custard base
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, see Recipe Notes
For the caramel drizzle
- salted caramel sauce, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Make the custard base: Heat the milk and heavy cream in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form and it starts to steam. This takes about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved.
- Gently heat the egg mixture by slowly adding ½ cup of the warmed milk mixture to the egg mixture while continuously whisking. Add another ½ cup of the milk mixture and whisk again. This process is called tempering the eggs, and its purpose is to heat the eggs slowly, preventing them from curdling while the pudding cooks.
- Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat (don't let it boil). Cook until the custard has thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 to 6 minutes. It should coat the back of the spoon and leave a trail when you draw your finger through it.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. If the custard boiled during thickening, straining it out will help remove any curdled bits of egg.
- Cool the base using an ice bath (½ ice cubes, ½ water, reaching halfway up the sides of the bowl). Stir the custard occasionally until it's cooled to room temperature (a digital thermometer should read about 80 °F).
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Chilled custard can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. For the best results, make sure the base is about 40 °F prior to churning.
- Churn the gelato: Pour the cold base into an ice cream maker and freeze per the manufacturer’s instructions, about 25 to 30 minutes. The finished gelato will have a soft consistency.
- Layer in the caramel sauce: Transfer ⅓ of the gelato to a freezer-safe container and drizzle ⅓ of the caramel sauce over it. Repeat layering with remaining gelato and caramel sauce, then smooth the top using a small offset spatula.
- Ripen the gelato: Freeze the gelato for 2 to 4 hours to allow it to firm up, a process called ripening. Serve and enjoy!
Shira Duff says
Those pictures!! Looks so good!