Pistachio Ice Cream, Gelato al Pistacchio

How to make smooth and creamy Pistachio Ice Cream from scratch. This recipe is easy and utterly good made using homemade Italian pistachio cream for that classic sweet and nutty flavour!

You can't walk into a gelateria in Italy and not find Gelato di Pistacchio, it's so popular and incredibly good. It's without a doubt our absolute favourite flavour of all time and there's no way we could walk out of a gelateria without it.

So of course, we had to figure out how to make it at home and here it is, our homemade pistachio ice cream. It's smooth, creamy, sweet and nutty and totally addictive.

What's even better is how easy it is to make, see the full recipe below including our top tips, step by step photos and helpful video. Enjoy!

Don't have an ice cream machine? Why not try our pistachio granita recipe it's easy to make and as good!

Ingredient notes

See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make this recipe plus some important tips on ingredients!

• Pistachio cream – follow our recipe to make this popular Italian spread, it's sweet and addictivley good plus it's quick and easy to make!
• Whole milk – make sure you use whole milk for best flavour and creamy texture.
• Heavy cream – this is an essential ingredient, don't use low fat cream.
• Sugar – you only need a small amount of sugar since the pistachio cream is already sweet.

Step by step photos and recipe instructions

Put the cream, milk and sugar in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved (don't let it boil) (photo 1).

Once the sugar has melted, turn off the heat and whisk in the pistachio cream until melted (photos 2 & 3).

Let the mixture cool completely then churn in your ice cream machine. Depending on what machine you have it can take up to 20 minutes to churn. It should be thick and creamy (photos 4-6).

Transfer the ice cream into a suitable container and freeze. Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before serving (photos 7 & 8).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Pistachio cream – this is a mix of pistachios, white chocolate and milk. It's quick and easy to make and is the key to the best tasting pistachio ice cream!
• Churning the ice cream – the length of churning time will depend on your own ice cream machine, ours takes around 20 minutes for it to double in volume.
• Make sure the mixture is cold before churning – it's important to let the ice cream mixture cool completely before churning or it may not work. If a skin has formed on the milk remove it before churning.
• Toppings – top your ice cream with extra chopped pistachios, it's good!

Do we need an ice cream machine to make this?

Yes, because most no-churn recipes use condensed milk it would overpower the pistachio flavour.

How long does it last?

The ice cream will keep well in the freezer for up to 6 months.

More good ice cream recipes to try

• Stracciatella Gelato (No Churn)
• Italian Affogato Recipe – Ice Cream And Coffee
• Italian Lemon Ice Cream with Limoncello
• Tiramisu Ice cream
• Panettone Ice Cream (No Churn)

Ingredients

Makes 2 pints (1.3kg)

• 1 batch Pistachio Cream ((300g))
• 2 cups whole milk ((475ml))
• 2 cups heavy cream ((double cream UK) 475ml)
• ¼ cup sugar ((50g))
• chopped pistachios (for topping (optional))

Method

1. Put the cream, milk and sugar in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved (don't let it boil).

2. Once the sugar has melted, turn off the heat and whisk in the pistachio cream until melted.

3. Let the mixture cool completely then churn in your ice cream machine. Depending on what machine you have it can take up to 20 minutes to churn. It should be thick and creamy.

4. Transfer the ice cream into a suitable container and freeze for at least 3 hours. Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before serving.

Kitchen notes

• Pistachio cream this is a mix of pistachios, white chocolate and milk. It's quick and easy to make and is the key to the best tasting pistachio ice cream!
• Churning the ice cream the length of churning time will depend on your own ice cream machine, ours takes around 20 minutes for it to double in volume.
• Make sure the mixture is cold before churning it's important to let the ice cream mixture cool completely before churning or it may not work. If a skin has formed on the milk remove it before churning.
• Toppings top your ice cream with extra chopped pistachios, it's good!
• Freezing will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.