Kahlúa Espresso Gelato Recipe

A few scoops of Espresso Gelato with Kahlua in a cream-colored bowl with two bowls below it.

5 from 2 votes

I would equate this over-the-top delicious Kahlúa Espresso Gelato, to the tastiest, richest and creamiest latte you've ever had -- with a splash of Kahlúa and a touch of chocolate.

*Please note that you should make the base for the gelato at least a day ahead, and that most of the time is freezing and refrigeration.

Makes 1 quart

Prep Time50

Cook Time10

Cooling, Refrigeration & Freezing15

Total Time16

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: dessert for summer party, coffee recipes, best gelato recipes

Servings:

Calories: 489kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup plus ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
4 tablespoons instant espresso powder
⅓ cup Kahúla
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
¾ cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, crushed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make milk mixture. Add the milk, cream, ⅓ cup of the sugar, espresso, kahlúa and vanilla to a medium-sized saucepan. Place it over medium heat and stir to blend. Cook just until the sugar has completely dissolved, and it's beginning to simmer, a few minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it on the stove.
Make egg mixture. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Use an electric mixer on a high speed to blend until the eggs become thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. (You can of course also use a hand whisk -- it will just take longer and use a lot of muscle.)
Tempe and make custard base. Pour about 1 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture and immediately stir to blend. Then add this mixture back into the saucepan, and stirring continuously, over low heat, cook until it becomes a beautiful custard, about 15 minutes. When it's ready, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Timing is important here -- you want to remove it as soon as it's at the point -- usually it's when I see the first couple of bubbles from the heat. If it goes too long it might curdle.)
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Set the custard aside to cool to room temperature, at least an hour. Then cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and ideally overnight. (Pouring it into a container with a tightly fitted lid is ideal.)
Churn. Transfer the custard base to an ice-cream maker, and freeze according to the machine's instructions.
Crush chocolate-covered beans. While the ice cream is churning (or anytime earlier), crush the chocolate covered espresso beans. You can use a spice grinder or add them to a heavy-duty, Ziploc bag, remove the air, seal it, and use a meat mallet or the bottom of a small sauté pan to crush the beans.
Finish, serve or freeze. Once the gelato is ready, add the crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans, and turn the machine on for another churn or two, just to mix them in. Serve immediately if you want it very soft, or place it in the freezer in an airtight container until you're ready to serve. (About 6 hours to get a relatively firm scoop.)

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition