Gianduja Gelato Recipe
Updated March 26, 2019
My brother, sister in law, and their adorable one year old girl, Ramona, were visiting us for the past week. We had so much fun. I loved playing with my little niece, she is such a doll. My brother and his wife are culinary experts, so we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. It was fun having a couple to cook and eat with. One of my favorite recipes from the week was David Lebovitz’s Gianduja Gelato.
My brother lived in Italy for a couple of years. He used to write home and brag about the outstanding gelato. I had never tasted gelato before, but really wanted to after reading his letters. Luckily, when we graduated collage my dad sent us on a trip to Europe. My brother was my personal tour guide. We visited Milan, Como, Venice, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Biella, and Rome. It was an amazing vacation. I fell in love with Italy’s gorgeous scenery, the people, and of course the food.
I still remember my first gelateria experience in Milan. It was one of our first stops after we got off the plane. My eyes lit up as soon as I saw the never ending choices of fresh, creamy gelato. I had to ask my brother to translate some of the flavors, there were so many! I think I stood and stared at the gelato case for at least ten minutes. I was in awe and couldn’t decide on what flavors to get. My brother told me to hurry up and not to worry because I would have time to eventually sample them all.
We were in Italy for two weeks and enjoyed gelato every single day. I loved it. The gelato we made this past week placed me back into that first gelateria in Milan. Gianduja is an Italian candy made of hazelnuts and milk chocolate. If you are a chocolate hazelnut fan, this is the glato for you. It is rich, creamy, smooth, and divine. It is the best!
*You do need an ice cream maker for this recipe. We used our Cuisinart ice cream machine to make this gelato-it works like magic.*
Gianduja Gelato
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups 185 grams toasted hazelnuts
- 1 cup 250 ml whole milk
- 2 cups 500 ml heavy cream
- 3/4 cup 170g sugar
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 4 oz milk chocolate at least 30% cacao solids, chopped
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Rub the toasted hazelnuts in a kitchen towel after roasting to remove as much of the papery skin as possible. Discard the skins. Chop the hazelnuts in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.
- 2. Warm the milk with 1 cup of the cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Once warm, remove from heat and add the chopped toasted hazelnuts. Cover and let steep for 1-½ hours.
- 3. Put the milk chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat the remaining 1 cup of cream in a medium saucepan until it begins to boil. Pour the cream over the milk chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set a mesh strainer over the top of the bowl.
- 4. Pour the hazelnut-infused milk through a strainer into a medium saucepan. Squeeze the nuts with your hands to etract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible. Discard the hazelnuts.
- 5. Rewarm the halzenut-infused mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. If you don't have a rubber bottomed bowl, place it on a rubber glove or moistened kitchen towel for the next step. Slowly pour the warm hazelnut mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constanly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
- 6. Stir the mixture constanly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof plastic spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the straner and stir it into the melted milk chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath.
- 7. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- 8. Serve immediately for a soft, smooth gelato. Place gelato in a container and freeze for a firmer gelato.
- Note-to toast hazelnuts-place hazelnuts in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Stir once while roasting. Remove from oven and let cool and then remove skins.
Have you tried this recipe?
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If you like this gelato, you might also like:
Apricot Sorbet from Two Peas and Their Pod
Red Beauty Plum and Muscat Gelato from White On Rice Couple
Homemade Strawberry Gelato from bell’ alimento
Malted Milk Gelato from Andrea’s Recipes
I love this recipe too! I made the straciatella version (ribbons of chocolate throughout). It was so good. Yours looks beautiful. And I’m so jealous of your true Italian gelato eating experience!
Maria- this looks so wonderful!! I’ve only made a couple of kinds of gelato… must make this one too!
What a fabulous gelato!
Maria, you have found your way straight into my heart with this recipe. I backpacked through Italy many years ago and ate gallons of hazelnut gelato. I can’t wait to make this at home.
I’ve made a lot from that book and I think that recipe is my favorite. SO GOOD! Love those cute bowls!
Definite hazelnut fan. This looks so good! I love gelato, but have yet to eat any that compares to what we’ve had in Europe. Maybe making it myself is the answer. I should start with this one!
I too will never forget the first time I tried Gelato in Italy….nothing like it. Yours sounds amazing, glad to hear you had such a great time with your brother and family 🙂 xo
This looks so delicious! Perfect for these hot summer days.
This looks so delicious! My husband loves hazelnuts, so maybe I should try this for Father’s Day. 🙂
Kara-if your husband loves hazelnuts, this is the gelato for him!
This looks divine, Maria!
wow! I am fully drooling over that gelato!! It looks absolutely amazing!!
Oooo I’m going to make this.. I made Mint Ice Cream from DL’s The Perfect Scoop as well.. it’s yum
Oh my, what an awesome looking gelato. I’d risk hives (from a hazelnut allergy) just to try it!
My hubby would love this because he’s a huge fan of hazelnuts! What a fun trip you had with your brother too 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. The weather here calls for ice cream!
who knew you can make gelato at home!! i love gelato!!!!
I am bookmarking this one! I have big plans of making lots of gelato this summer!! btw…where to you buy good containers to store your ice cream in after you make it??
wow! this is truly a treat!
YUM! This looks great! I live in Milan, Italy and we eat gelato often! I received a new gelato maker a month ago and am looking forward to trying out this recipe! (What gelataria did you first visit)???
I don’t remember the name because we went to so many:) I love Milan, we really enjoyed our time there. Thanks for reading our blog.
Sounds fantastic – thanks for sharing!
I’d like to make this tonight and have a couple questions:
1. What is “dark milk” chocolate? As opposed to “milk” chocolate or “dark” (60%, 70%, etc) chocolate? I just want to make sure I use the right chocolate and don’t end up with a bitter dessert.
2. Gelato’s typically have less butterfat than ice cream. This recipe uses more cream than milk, giving it a very high butterfat content.
3. It is possible to omit, or reduce, the eggs?
Thanks!!!
Use a high quality milk chocolate. That is a typo-thanks for catching it. I will fix it. Gelato usually uses less cream, but David’s recipe called for 2 cups, so I went with it and it is amazing, so I wouldn’t mess with it:) If you reduce the eggs it may not be as thick and creamy. Let me know how it turns out.
I’m not sure why he calls this “gelato” when it uses the exact same ratio as his ice creams. Just call it ice cream if it’s going to have the same butterfat content.
I LOVE Gianduja icecream – yum, yum, yum. Chocolate and hazelnut work soooooooooo well together, don’t they. Yum again
I just made this recipe tonight, and it is TO DIE FOR! I did a bit of research on what milk chocolates I could use (cocoa solid percentage), but I wanted so much to use Cadbury Milk Chocolate which is our favorite. Well, I tried it anyway. I also added a touch of Frangelico, and used Organic Stonyfield 2% Milk, which tastes just like Whole Milk to me, anyway. It’s currently in the freezer, hardening a bit more. It took a little longer to harden than I expected but in it’s smooth creamy state, it is amazing!
So glad you are enjoying the gelato. It is my favorite!
I don’t care about your damned trip to Italy, just the recipe.
I loved this recipe! Chocolate hazelnut is one of my favorite gelato flavors. Reminded me of Europe. thanks!
Glad you liked the gelato! My favorite too!