Pistachio ice cream with an ice cream maker. Here we are — finally, after years of Recipes for ice cream without an ice cream maker, from the fiordilatte recipe to the hazelnut ice cream, and even the pistachio ice cream without an ice cream maker, I finally bought the long-desired ice cream maker — so now let’s get ready to make lots of artisanal ice creams that taste like the ones at the gelateria but made at home! Today we’ll start by preparing pistachio ice cream made with fresh pistachios, or rather with the homemade pistachio paste made from real pistachios, and later we’ll move on to other recipes. I should warn you: if you want to make an ice cream like at the gelateria, you should buy some indispensable ingredients such as locust bean gum (a thickener), dextrose (a sugar that lowers the freezing point of the product, keeping it soft so it doesn’t turn into a brick), and milk powder, which gives softness, structure and volume to the churning. That said, it’s time to head to the kitchen — our ice cream maker is waiting, and so is our homemade pistachio ice cream, as good as from the gelateria!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 6 Hours 41 Minutes
- Portions: 2.6 lb gelato
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make pistachio ice cream with an ice cream maker
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp cups heavy cream (fresh liquid cream) (do not use vegetable cream)
- 1.6 oz whole milk powder
- 3/4 cup sugar (sucrose – common granulated sugar)
- 1/4 cup dextrose
- 7 oz pistachio paste (pure)
- 1 1/2 tsp locust bean gum (carob seed flour) (no more than this amount — be precise)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Tools
- Ice cream maker
- Bowls
- Thermometer
- Refrigerator
- Blender
Preparing pistachio ice cream with an ice cream maker
Gather all the powders in a container and mix them together. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, stir and bring almost to a boil — you should reach a temperature of 185°F.
Pour this liquid over the powders little by little, avoiding formation of lumps.
Add the pistachio paste, the salt and blend well using a blender or a whisk (work for at least 3 minutes). Let cool and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, although ideally 12 hours.
Whisk the now-cold mixture briefly, pour it into the ice cream maker and…
Wait for the machine to reach the proper churning/consistency. Starting from a cold base will shorten the churning time. To obtain an excellent ice cream it’s ideal to use a compressor ice cream maker, because a freezer-bowl machine, especially on hot days, may not maintain the proper temperature to get a good result. Freezer-bowl machines also allow you to make only one flavor at a time, and the bowls must be frozen for at least 24 hours before reuse.
Typically, churning time for a cold base is 35–40 minutes. Depending on the size of your machine, you can divide the mixture in two and churn one half first and then the other.
The ice cream is ready to enjoy. Garnish with pistachio spread and chopped pistachios.
Storage and Tips
Pistachio ice cream stores very well in the freezer if sealed in its container. Unfortunately, after several hours in the freezer it will become a bit firm — ice cream should be served at approximately -9°C to -11°C (16°F to 12°F), while household freezers reach -18°C to -20°C (0°F to -4°F). So before serving, let it temper for about 10 minutes at room temperature and rework it with a spoon to soften.
Real pistachio ice cream has a slightly green color but more tending to light brown; bright green ice creams are often rich in artificial colorings.
