Espresso Gelato
I love coffee ice cream, but lately I wanted something with a stronger coffee flavor than you usually find in most store-bought ice creams. I’ve made ice cream with reduced espresso and espresso powder, but I really wanted to bring the coffee flavor to the next level—to eleven, naturally.
There are a number of recipes that use coffee grounds, and the key to using coffee grounds is to use very coarsely ground coffee. A fine sieve or chinois is also very useful, but some tiny grounds can still pass through. Fortunately, each time you pour the gelato base from one container to another, fine coffee grounds are left behind. ). I also opted for a more gelato-like dairy base in this recipe by using twice as much milk as cream.
I also added some espresso powder to add more coffee flavor since too much coffee grounds can be overpowering. This gelato is definitely for the coffee lover, but you can also reduce or eliminate the coffee grounds and replace with 2 tablespoons of espresso powder to produce a milder flavor.
Ingredients for making Espresso Gelato.
Add 1/4 cup of very coarsely ground espresso coffee grounds to 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 cups of whole milk.
Add 1 tablespoon of espresso powder.
Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until simmering. Remove from heat.
Pour mixture through a chinois or sieve to filter out coffee grounds.
With mixer on low, slowly add 3/4 cup of sugar to 5 egg yolks. Increase speed and beat until color lightens and mixture is fluffy.
With mixer on low, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks and sugar.
Return custard base to saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches about 165° F.
Pour mixture through chinois or sieve again to strain out any egg bits. Place in ice bath.
Once the gelato base is no longer hot, add 1 tablespoon of Kahlúa and stir to mix. Continue chilling until it reaches 45° F or colder.
Pour gelato base into ice cream maker and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
Transfer gelato to dedicated, odor-free container and let ripen in the freezer for several hours before serving
The recipe pictured above, with detailed instructions and photo gallery can be found on the Espresso Gelato recipe page.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:43 am
This looks soooo goood….I am so happy I found your blog!
April 4th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Ah, this is practically my dream dessert – just misses the thick, dense chocolate cake it should get plopped on. Truly gorgeous! Coffee is the only ice cream flavor I eat!
April 6th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Penny: Thanks for stopping by!
Jamie: Yes, I think this would go well with some decadent chocolate cake!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I like strong coffee and I like coffee ice cream to taste like strong coffee. This sounds good. Thanks.
May 16th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
After seeing this, I was really in the mood for gelato! Fortunately, the options in Miami Beach did not disappoint: CJ’s Crab Shack on Ocean Drive has a little gelato/coffee bar in the lobby…
yum! I tried the coconut gelato with fresh shredded coconut, delicious!
May 17th, 2009 at 6:49 am
Brian I just found your blog and am in love with it! I bought myself an ice cream maker and can’t wait to try all the recipes you have!! LOL!!
May 17th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Hi Bunny, glad you are liking what you find. Be sure to also check out Ice Cream Ireland and David Lebovitz (both in my blogroll to the right) for other great ice cream recipes and links to more sites.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Thanks for posting this recipe – it looks fabulous. I’m hoping to get an ice cream maker for my birthday and will definitely give this coffee ice cream a go if I do – possible not one to share with the kids though, they have enough energy already!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I’ve tried many times making gelato but the texture just didn’t quite turn out. This looks like a great recipe. I’ll definitely give it a try. Wonder if it’ll work with chocolate?
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
This espresso gelato looks absolutely delicious. Thinking about a scoop of it on top of a warm dark chocolate brownie sprinkled with chocolate covered coffee beans is making me drool!
November 25th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I like the coffee ice cream! This looks delicious
I love it!
January 12th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Oh my. I would put this on a piece of death by chocolate cake. Thanks.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:31 am
Wow. This is a great recipe! Fabulous blog!
Have you tried Vosges chocolate? Very interesting flavors, unique combination. Today Vosges founder Katrina Markoff is featured on girl crush.
http://girlcrushoftheday.blogspot.com/2010/02/katrina-markoff.html
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Thanks so much. Yeah, I had their bacon chocolate and goji berry chocolate a couple years ago. Very unusual. I think I liked the bacon chocolate more than the goji berry one, though.
March 29th, 2010 at 5:31 am
I never really liked the idea of chocolate and coffee but I tried this recipe for a birthday and it was a hit. Thanks!
April 11th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Really nice blog! You make it appear very easy to make, haha! Photos are great, thanks for sharing! I wish more blogs look like yours.
June 17th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Great recipe instruction with pictures! can not go wrong! This looks great enough to eat! Just found your blog, off to read more recipes here. Thanks.
July 9th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
I love chocolate! And, I loved reading your blog!!
Best, Bruce Mackh
July 9th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
I love chocolate! And, I loved reading your blog!!nnBest, Bruce Mackh