Pistachio Gelato (Ninja Creami, Gelato Program)

Gelato is denser than ice cream because it has less cream, less air and more egg, and this base follows that pattern: a cup and a quarter of whole milk, a third of a cup of heavy cream, two cooked egg yolks and a quarter cup of pure pistachio paste, which brings its own fat and protein. The yolks emulsify the pistachio oil so it does not separate in the freezer. We tested it on the Ninja Creami NC601 in a 24 oz XL tub on the Gelato program, frozen 24 hours at 0 F, and it came out dense and scoopable with zero re-spins. Each serving is an estimated 300 kcal, 8 g protein, 26 g carbs and 19 g fat.

Tested recipe

Pistachio Gelato

A dense, low-overrun pistachio gelato built on a cooked egg yolk custard and a quarter cup of pure pistachio paste.

GelatoNC6010 re-spins

Prep

20 min

Freeze

24 h

Process

3 min

Total

24 h 23 min

Servings

4 per pint

16 oz pint24 oz XL tub

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (300 g) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (80 g) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
• 2 (36 g) egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (64 g) pure pistachio paste, unsweetened
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

Equipment

• Ninja Creami NC601
• 24 oz Deluxe XL tub (16 oz pint on NC301 and NC351)

Method

1. Whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar in a bowl until pale.
2. Heat the milk, cream, remaining sugar and salt in a saucepan until steaming, about 170 F.
3. Pour the hot milk slowly into the yolks while whisking, then return everything to the pan.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the custard coats a spoon and reads 175 F, about 4 minutes.
5. Whisk in the pistachio paste and almond extract off the heat, then blend with a stick blender for 20 seconds.
6. Pour the base through a sieve into the tub or pint, stopping at the max fill line, and cool to room temperature.
7. Lid the container and freeze it for 24 hours on a level surface.
8. Lock the frozen tub into the outer bowl, fit it to the machine and press Gelato.
9. Scoop, or re-spin once if the top is crumbly, then level, lid and refreeze.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Calories

300 kcal

Protein

8 g

Carbs

26 g

Fat

19 g

Program: Gelato · Tested on NC601 · By Mike Lala

Tips

• Cool the custard before it goes in the freezer. A hot base warms the tub, freezes slowly from the outside in and sets with a domed top; a room temperature base froze flat in the same 24 hours.
• Freeze on a level shelf. The flat-top rule applies to every Creami base and a tilted gelato tub leaves one side under-processed because the Gelato program runs only once.
• Strain the custard. Even a careful custard has a few threads of cooked egg white, and the sieve removed them; unstrained custard left firm specks the paddle did not break down.
• If the surface is crumbly after the Gelato cycle, press Re-spin once. We did not need it on the NC601, but on a colder freezer the 80 second re-spin brings it back; add 1 tbsp of whole milk only before a second re-spin, per our re-spin guide.
• Blend the pistachio paste in with a stick blender rather than a whisk. Paste whisked by hand left oil streaks on the surface of the frozen block.

Variations

• Pistachio stracciatella: after the first spin, pour 2 tbsp (30 g) of melted dark chocolate through the well and run the Mix-In program so it shatters into flakes.
• Pistachio and cherry: add 1/4 cup (40 g) of chopped amarena cherries, drained, with the Mix-In program.
• Hazelnut gelato: swap the pistachio paste for the same weight of pure hazelnut paste and skip the almond extract.

Storage and refreeze

Level the remaining gelato with the back of a spoon, lid the tub and return it to a flat shelf at 0 F for 24 hours before the next spin. Egg custard bases refreeze better than almost any other Creami base: our XL tub went through four spins over two weeks and the texture score stayed at 5, with the pistachio flavor if anything deeper by the third day. Run the Gelato program again on the refrozen tub, then one Re-spin if the top is crumbly. Because the base contains cooked egg, eat it within two weeks, and keep the tub lidded so it does not pick up freezer odors. The full XL tub serves six; the 16 oz pint serves four.

The model and pints we used

We made this in the 24 oz XL tubs supplied with the NC601, which also fit the NC501; spares are listed on the Deluxe XL tubs page, and 16 oz machine owners should use the pint quantities with the originals on the pints page. The NC601 measured 83 dB at 1 m. The custard ratios this recipe follows, including the yolk and cream column for gelato, are in the base ratios cheat sheet, and our other Italian-style bases are in the gelato hub.

Frequently asked questions

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