What Makes Gelato Better than Ice Cream?

When I saw that a gelateria (a store or stand that sells gelato) had been installed at my local shopping mall in none other than hickville Wisconsin, I knew there was something special about this dessert. Even as few as five years ago, gelato could only be found in big name cities like New York or Chicago, or in towns that had large Italian neighborhoods. Then, thanks to wider distribution of gelato flavors by manufacturers such as Ciao Bella, the general populace came to know and love this delectable treat. Over the course of several years, the gelateria became a common installation in most cities and even small towns. Sometimes featured as part of the offerings of a coffee shop, and sometimes contained within a store or restaurant, gelato had arrived.

Despite the growing popularity of gelato, not many people are truly aware of what it is and how it differs from traditional ice cream. Also, there is often a false presumption that gelato is fattier than ice cream and therefore loaded with calories; the opposite is actually true. Finally, many people instantly assume that gelato is exotic and therefore hard to make at home; however, historical records indicate that it was one of the first desserts created by civilization, and even today requires little more than three ingredients, a chilled container, and a spoon.

To begin with, gelato is typically composed of three simple ingredients: milk, sugar and a flavoring agent such as vanilla or fruit. That's it. If the "gelato" contains no milk and only water, sugar and a flavoring agent, then it is termed sorbetto. Both sorbetto and gelato are highly favored in countries like Italy, with the southern regions of the country (e.g., Sicily) preferring the dairy-free sorbetto due to the hotter climate and the northern regions sticking more to the milk-based version of this frozen treat. Because gelato contains only milk as its fattening agent, gelato fat composition is typically between 2%-8%.

In contrast, traditional ice cream makes use of heavy cream, sugar and flavoring agents, with the heavy cream making the resulting ice cream very fatty. Most ice cream contains 20% or higher fat by volume, the biggest reason why even a half cup of ice cream easily runs 230-275 calories, with 14-17 grams of fat or more (nutrition data taken from CalorieKing). Gelato, on the other hand, contains an average of 140-170 calories per half cup, with 3-6 grams of fat. If you make gelato with skim or fat-free milk, you can shave off calories and fat even further. Alternately, you could even try your hand at using soy milk instead of animal-based milk, which would produce a gelato with an average of 150 calories per half cup serving and roughly 3-4 grams of fat. Here's some more information about gelato and calories.

On the other hand, what if you'd prefer to simply cut out the sugar and keep the fat? This would be most useful if you were diabetic or were trying to maintain a low-carb diet. Well, the good news is that gelato made with whole milk and an artificial sweetener like Splenda® will have only 90 calories per half cup serving and about 10 grams of carbs.

Another major difference between gelato and ice cream is the level of overrun, or aeration, that is present in the dessert. Ice cream goes through a significant amount of churning during its manufacture in order to incorporate air into the final product. This is necessary so that the ice cream mixture does not become a solid piece of ice after packaging. In some cases, churning can result in a product that has as much as 50% air by volume. Indeed, the U.S. guideline for the maximum amount of air that can be incorporated into ice cream is 50%- and many ice cream manufacturers stick to that number as closely as possible. For example, certain flavors of Breyer's ice cream do contain as much as 50% air. In contrast, Ben & Jerry's ice cream contains around 12% air- a huge difference when you consider how much more ice cream you are getting in a pint of Ben & Jerry's versus Breyer's. Since ice cream is sold by volume and not weight, there is an obvious economic advantage to aerating ice cream as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the cost of over-aeration is taste. Ice cream, or even gelato for that matter, feels creamier and tastier when fat molecules can congregate in higher numbers on the tongue. If the fat molecules are separated by too much air, the resulting product becomes a flat, marshmallow-like paste. In contrast to many traditional ice creams, gelato typically has 15-20% air by volume. Such a low air percentage explains why gelato tastes smoother and creamier than ice cream.

Based on the fact that gelato is simple to make, has fewer calories and lower fat than ice cream, and has more creamy goodness per unit volume, my conclusion is that gelato beats ice cream hands down. In my articles below, I discuss how gelato makers have simplified the process of making gelato at home- and freed the imaginations of new gelatieri to make whatever dessert flavor their hearts desire. Please read on...

How Does a Gelato Maker Work?

Gelato versus Ice Cream: Which One has Fewer Calories and Less Fat?