Stracciatella Gelato
Stracciatella is the purest milk gelato, with melted chocolate drizzled in at the end so it sets into thin, crackly shards. There are no eggs here: we thicken the base lightly with starch and add milk powder for a dense, smooth texture. A spoonful of oil in the chocolate keeps the shards from turning brittle — they snap, then melt in the mouth.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 8 h
- Total
- 8 h 55 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 305 kcal
Ingredients
For the gelato base
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What to use instead
You can leave out the milk powder, but the gelato will be a little less dense and ice up sooner.
For the chocolate
Makes: about 1 litre, 8 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
In a saucepan, mix the sugar, milk powder, cornflour and salt. Mixing them dry first stops the powder and starch from clumping.
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Step 2: Cook the base
Gradually whisk in the milk, then the cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until it just bubbles, and simmer for 2 minutes — the base will thicken slightly and lightly coat a spoon.
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Step 3: Chill
Strain into a bowl, set in iced water for 15 minutes, then press film onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
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Step 4: Melt the chocolate
Shortly before churning, melt the chocolate with the oil over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in 20-second bursts. Let it cool until just warm but still fluid.
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Step 5: Churn
Churn the cold base for 20–25 minutes until thick and white, like soft-serve.
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Step 6: Add the chocolate
With a minute of churning left, drizzle the chocolate in a thin stream into the running machine: it sets on contact and breaks into shards. No machine? Freeze the base in a metal container, beating with a fork every 30 minutes 4–5 times, then layer the half-frozen gelato into a tub, drizzling chocolate over each layer and giving it a light stir.
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Step 7: Firm up
Transfer to a container, press film onto the surface and freeze for another 4 hours. Let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & variations
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Tip
The chocolate should be fluid but not hot: hot chocolate melts the gelato and forms lumps instead of fine shards.
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Swap
You can leave out the milk powder, but the gelato will be a little less dense and ice up sooner.
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Variation
For mint stracciatella, steep a handful of fresh mint in the hot base for 20 minutes, then strain.
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Storage
Keeps up to 10 days in a sealed container.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 305 kcal | 2,440 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 40 g |
| Fat | 17 g | 136 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 264 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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