You'll love this orange cream Italian gelato recipe made with 7 simple ingredients including orange juice. This fruity gelato is perfect on a hot summer day.
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After spending 3 months in Southern Italy going to culinary school, I learned how to make gelato from scratch. Since then I've created many gelato recipes from the classics like fior di latte and stracciatella to coffee.
I'll walk you through all of the helpful tips that I learned in school including the important ingredients and the proper techniques. You will need some kind of ice cream machine to churn the gelato.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- The importance of each ingredient used in authentic Italian gelato.
- Two different options for orange juice, depending on your preference.
- Helpful tips and step-by-step photos for making orange gelato.
If you want even more gelato recipes, grab my free eBook with the best recipes and helpful tips for making homemade Italian gelato.
Ingredients You Need
There are a few specialty ingredients you'll need to make authentic Italian orange gelato. But don't worry, everything can be found on Amazon (I've linked them below in the recipe card).
- Dextrose: This is a type of sugar that helps to reduce both the perceived sweetness and the freezing point of the gelato.
- Guar gum and locust bean gum: These are both types of stabilizers, and they're used to thicken the gelato. These are imperative if you're making gelato at home since an at-home machine will whip too much air into the gelato without the addition of these stabilizers.
- Heavy cream: You may see this ingredient labeled as heavy whipping cream at the grocery store. The cream provides a great taste and mouthfeel.
- Granulated sugar: This is the second type of sugar used in gelato. The ratio of sugar helps to determine how quickly the gelato will melt as well as lowers the freezing temperature of the gelato base.
- Skim (nonfat) milk powder: The powdered milk is important to help thicken the gelato and provide the correct texture.
- Orange juice: I'd suggest using bottled orange juice if you prefer a sweeter gelato, or freshly squeezed orange juice if you want a more fresh, citrus taste.
How To Make This Recipe
Here's a step-by-step guide for making orange gelato at home.
1. Whisk dextrose, guar gum, and locust bean gum in a small mixing bowl.
2. Cook heavy cream in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, until it reaches 105°F (40°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Once it reaches temperature, whisk in granulated sugar and skim milk powder (there may still be some larger clumps even after whisking). Once dissolved, whisk in the dextrose mixture.
4. Continue cooking the gelato base over medium heat, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t burn until it reaches 195°F (90°C) on an instant read thermometer. Then, remove the saucepan from heat.
Strain the gelato base, then allow it to cool in an ice bath until it has stopped steaming. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the gelato (to prevent a skin from forming on top) then cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
5. Remove the gelato base from the refrigerator (it will be thick), and whisk in orange juice.
6. Pour the gelato base into an ice cream maker, and process for about 25 - 30 minutes or according to the manufacturer's directions. The gelato will be on the soft side.
Expert Tips
- This gelato comes out of the freezer slightly firmer than other recipes. Allow the gelato to slightly soften before serving.
- Don't forget to place the ice cream machine bowl in the freezer 24 hours before churning if you don't have a built-in freezer compressor.
- Want to serve gelato like they do in Italy? Use a gelato spatula then swipe the gelato and smash it down on the side of the container to remove the air before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Store gelato in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. It's best to keep the gelato in a freezer that's not often opened and closed. Every time the temperature of the gelato increases and then refreezes, there's more of a chance for the gelato to become icy/grainy. If you notice the gelato is icy or grainy, it has gone past its prime.
I use this Whynter machine and love the results it gives me. The Lello machine is pricier but also delivers amazing gelato.
Yes, the stabilizers are very important for achieving the dense, smooth texture in the gelato.
More Gelato Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below. Have questions as you're cooking? Leave a comment below, and I'll help!
Orange Italian Gelato
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dextrose
- ¼ teaspoon guar gum
- ⅛ teaspoon locust bean gum
- 1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons skim milk powder
- 3 cups orange juice
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with ice to use later as an ice bath. Place an empty bowl on top of the ice. Set aside. Place a storage container in the freezer to chill.
- Whisk dextrose, guar gum, and locust bean gum in a small mixing bowl.
- Cook heavy cream in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, until it reaches 105°F (40°C) on an instant read thermometer. Once it reaches temperature, whisk in granulated sugar and skim milk powder (there may still be some larger clumps even after whisking). Whisk in dextrose mixture.
- Continue cooking the gelato base over medium heat, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t burn, until it reaches 195°F (90°C) on an instant read thermometer. Remove saucepan from heat.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over the empty bowl on top of the ice bath. Strain gelato base.
- Chill gelato base until it has stopped steaming. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the gelato (to prevent a skin from forming on top) then cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Remove the gelato base from the refrigerator (it will be thick), and whisk in orange juice. Pour the gelato base into an ice cream maker, and process for about 25 - 30 minutes or according to the manufacturer's directions. The gelato will be on the soft side.
- Transfer churned gelato into chilled storage container. Place gelato into the freezer to "cure" or harden up for a few hours. To serve, swipe the frozen gelato with a flat paddle. Smash the gelato on the side of the storage container to push out some of the air. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Store gelato in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Sandy
I didn't realize I could make gelato at home. After visiting Italy, this has been a fun recipe to play around with.
Todd Roberts
Not a fan of this recipe. It's not really gelato, there's no milk in it you're using 4 ingredients you dont need just to stop it from being icy because there is a ton of water in that much orange juice. Just use the standard gelato ratio. 2/1 milk to cream, add egg yolks, temper. You dont need guar, locust bean, milk powder dextrose. All of those are for stabilizing, emulsifying or changing the freezing point because way too much water. Real orange extract, real vanilla extract, standard gelato base is all you need.
Jessica Mode
Hi Todd! Doesn't really sound like you actually made the recipe if you're leaving out 4 of the 7 ingredients. Milk doesn't have to be present in order to make gelato. It's all about balancing your ratios of fat, sugar, water, etc. This recipe is balanced just like I learned in Italian culinary school. Adding eggs to Italian gelato is more often found in Northern Italy (I studied in Calabria), so many of the gelato recipes we created were egg free. Using a standard gelato recipe like you have listed won't work for a couple of reasons. First off, if you add ingredients like chocolate (high in sugar/fat) or pistachio paste (high in fat), you have to then balance all of the ingredients to fit within standard gelato ratios. The stabilizers are there mainly to achieve the right texture (especially with an at home gelato machines). If you're happy with your recipe, then I'm glad you've found one you like! But trust me, after spending lots of time in Italy, that's not the standard ratio that all gelaterias are using 🙂
Heloísa Xavier
Can you teach how to make more fruits gelatos? Like strawberry. Thank you.
Jessica Mode
Hi Heloísa! Sure, I can add strawberry gelato to my list of recipes to develop 🙂