Gelato is different from ice cream in many ways. Gelato is churned at slower speed than ice cream and contains more milk than cream. This result in gelato containing less fat compared to ice cream. Ice cream has minimum of 10 percent fat while gelato contains five to seven percent fat. The result is gelato does not coat your mouth the same way as ice cream. Gelato is denser than ice cream, with less air and as a result it has an elastic texture. The dense is due to gelato’s slow churn and less air. Gelato contains 25 to 30 percent air while ice cream contains more like 50 percent or more air. Ice cream is served frozen while gelato is served at slightly warm temperature.
The Italian treat is made with milk, cream, sugars of many kind, and flavorings. There are no standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for gelato compared to published standards for ice cream.
Some of the biggest commercial gelato brands in the U.S. include Gelato di Babbo of Lititz, Pennsylvania; Talenti of Minneapolis; G.S. Gelato of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Ciao Bella of New York; Haagen-Dazs; and Maple’s Organics.