A few years ago I made chocolate-covered strawberry hearts for Valentine’s Day. I loved the flavors so much I wanted to revisit them in a new form.
Enter Strawberry Chocolate Chip Gelato — silky, fruity, and studded with little bursts of chocolate.
This was my first time making gelato, and it turned out wonderfully. The recipe is straightforward with a short ingredient list and simple steps.
Why gelato rather than ice cream? Gelato has a softer, silkier texture. Typically it uses more milk than cream and often skips eggs, giving it that dense, velvet mouthfeel.
You can make this with any ice cream maker; I use a basic machine and it works perfectly.
Using ripe fresh strawberries gives this gelato a bright, natural fruit sweetness, while mini semi-sweet chips add the classic chocolate-strawberry pairing in every spoonful.
Try this recipe and enjoy—it’s a great way to capture the flavor of chocolate-covered strawberries in a scoopable dessert.
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Gelato Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups about 1 pound sliced fresh strawberries (very ripe)
- 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, freeze beforehand
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, cream, powdered sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
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Warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly for 7–10 minutes, until it bubbles and begins to thicken.
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Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
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Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool completely. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming; chill about 2 hours or until cool to the touch.
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While it cools, purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
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Pass the strawberry purée through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds, then fold the purée into the cooled milk mixture.
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Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 3 hours to fully chill and meld the flavors.
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Churn the chilled mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I churned for about 10 minutes until it reached a soft-gelato consistency.
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Add the frozen mini chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes of churning, or fold them in after transferring the gelato to a freezer-safe container.
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Freeze the gelato for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving. Scoop and enjoy.