Perhaps we should open an ice cream shop in Europe, we could eat it all day long and it would of course be more economical, Corina said. When the temperatures soar there is one thing we can just never get enough of…ice cream (or more specifically gelato, a creamier and more luxurious version of traditional ice cream) and when the summer heat comes around we simply can’t resist our craving for that creamy chilled confection no matter where we are.
This summer we happened to be in Europe due to a family emergency with Judit’s 94 year old father, which turned out fine and reminded us that life is full of miracles. During our stay we visited family, traveled to several destinations like Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Hungary, and imbibed in copious amounts of gelato. After Italy, you can find some of the best and most unique flavors of gelato in Budapest. Corina’s record for a day was 3 large waffle cones with a total of 7 gorgeous scoops of gelato. Judit only tallied 2 crisp waffles cones with a sum of 4 scoops, but then again who is counting when you are far away on vacation and nobody recognizes you gobbling down frozen treats.
So of course when we got back from the trip we decided to make our own healthier version recipe and called it Chocolate Almond Gelato Dairy Free Gluten-Free. We used coconut sugar instead of refined sugar, almond milk instead of regular milk to make a Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Guilt Free, Good Carb, semi Paleo ice cream treat. Gelato has no added air compared to ice cream and our version turned out more like a creamy gelato since we gently stirred and slow churned it, then served it at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream usually is to get an almost chocolate mousse-like experience. Gelato is made with more eggs and milk and the lower churning creates this incredibly melt in your mouth addictive texture. Even though the gelato has a lower fat content, we did walk off our sins in the city since we overdid it a little bit. To really complement the chocolatey flavors we added roasted almonds on top and enjoyed our gelato outdoors in the garden. It was still delicious, even though we didn’t have the added benefit of walking on cobblestones up to a castle in Europe.
We found the most wonderful Gelateria in Budapest, right in the castle district and even took a few trips there specifically just for sheer gluttony. They had unique flavors like Ferrero Chocolate, Pistachio, Mon Cheri, Raffaello with Vanilla, Salted Peanut, Caramel, just to name a few. We have always had a weak spot for ice cream (especially Corina) and know where stellar ones are in Europe and in the U.S.. We took Judit’s parents (Corina’s grandparents) to the castle area and Judi’t mom loved the pistachio gelato. She managed to eat the entire two scoops, and she usually doesn’t like sweets. We were worried it would be too much, but she just smiled and enjoyed every bite.
As it happens we have a favorite ice cream shops around the world. If you ever want to know where the best gelato is just ask Corina.
Judit: Growing up in Budapest we had the most wonderful ice cream in summer, with so many unique flavors and I have the most fondest of memories of visiting the local “Cukraszda” sweet shops and picking out a delightful dessert to devour while watching people strolling around the city with ice cream in hand.
Corina: Ha the family doesn’t call me “Gelato Queen” for nothing, I can give you the tour of Europe via gelato! I know that by a certain bridge it is creamier, and on the alley to the church they give huge portions, and in the other neighborhood you get a free wafer cookie with it.
As you may have noticed we are more committed then ever to a healthy lifestyle and to eat less processed foods. It still does take some fiddling to replace refined sugar with coconut sugar or raw honey in a creamy or baked dessert because of the effect of these sweet replacements have on the texture. We know that some traditional dessert or a for say a perfect meringue needs caster sugar and that will be fine for a special occasion it’s alright to cheat a little and indulge your tastebuds.
In our Chocolate Almond Gelato Dairy Free Gluten-Free recipe version we wanted something with less guilt and quality ingredients. Oh yes and even chocolate can be healthy and good for you, since dark chocolate has flavonols, which is a type of antioxidant. We love toasted almonds and it is especially nice to know that almonds have essential nutrients like Vitamin B and Folic Acid, which improve skin, are a fat burning food, and are high in fiber. We chose coconut sugar since it is said to have a lower glycemic index than regular table sugar, which means it should not spike the insulin levels as much and since we are watching the sugar levels of Judit’s husband we have become very conscious of how food affects our body. Coconut sugar also has less fructose than some of the other natural sweetening options and a small amount of vitamins. In return, eating better gave us both a boost in our energy levels and to Judit’s delight a 12 pound weight loss already. Yipee 🙂
Chocolate Almond Gelato Dairy Free Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Milk
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar - divided
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa
- 5 Eggs
- Pinch of Sea Salt
Topping:
- 1/4 cup Slivered Almonds - toasted
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan combine almond milk, coconut oil, half of the coconut sugar (about 1/4 cup) and the cocoa. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and with a wooden spoon stir gently until the coconut sugar and the cocoa is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium glass bowl whisk together the egg yolks, remainder of the coconut sugar and the pinch of salt until the egg yolk mixture is well combined.
- Slowly whisk in about one cup of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. Then gradually whisk the egg yolk mixture into the sauce pan. Simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes by stirring constantly.
- Pour the custard into a clean bowl and let it cool in an ice bath. Stir a few times. Refrigerate the cold mixture for at least 2 hours or you can even chill it over night.
- Transfer the cold custard to your ice cream maker and proceed according the manufacturer instruction. Freeze the ice cream for at least 1 hour or overnight and remove 10 minute before serving.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread almond slivers over a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake almonds for about 5 minutes or until very light gold. Set aside to cool. Store in a airtight container.
- Serve in small bowls and sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.
A creamy ice cream in summertime is an irresistible indulgence ( and now became our obsession) and we can’t think of a better way to complete a dinner in the garden then serve little bowls filled with this creamy Chocolate Almond Gelato Dairy Free Gluten-Free temptation to your friends and family for dessert. We love the crunchy toasted almonds on top for a more deep, rich nutty flavor, but please feel free to top it with your favorites!
I certainly wouldn’t believe this is dairy or gluten free, this gelato looks so creamy and smooth!
A delicious recipe and beautiful photos 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
So glad you liked the Gelato recipe and photos Choc Chip Uru! Besides being creamy it was also not too sweet, which made it disappear too quickly! J+C
Oh! They look insanely tasty! I love chocolate!
Looks like you had a perfect trip!
I love your photos 🙂
Thank you Marcela, we did have a wonderful time and wish we were still there right now eating more of that decadent Gelato. J+C
Wow,gelato looks super rich and creamy despite the fact these are vegan,what a treat it must be on summer day,than you for the visit to my space,would be glad to see you over and over 🙂
It was amazingly creamy even with almond milk and no dairy, especially if served not too cold as Gelato is best enjoyed a little warmer than ice cream. Have a lovely summer!
This is something that seems easy enough for me to make. I might give it a go! Thanks for the recipe 😀
Hope you do get to try the gelato on a nice warm day! Toasting the almonds makes it even better 🙂
I love that your gelato recipe looks so good and still is gluten free and dairy free and has chocolate! It sounds and looks just right on a hot summer day.
Hi Mary Anne, we do love Gelato in the summer and even in the winter upon occasion too!
Cool trip! I can imagine that it’s difficult to turn down all those ice cream flavors. I don’t think I could eat it every day though, but your healthy gelato version sounds like it would be less evil to my stomach if I did.
In Budapest there were not just the sweet shops to resist going into, there were also ice cream stands on the street corners beckoning you to try a tasty morsel and since it was record heat, a little ice cream was the perfect to cool down while walking in town. We tried to make the healthier version with good-for-you ingredients, hopefully less evil ones. 🙂
If I see so many flavors of gelato, I would be eating gelato all day, and won’t be tired of it! Your chocolate almond gelato sounds spectacular! Love that it’s GF and DF!
Yes it was difficult resisting all those flavors ranging from mon cheri to caramel Nami! We thought to make a more GF (gluten-free and guilt-free) version and are happy your liked it! J+C
Three cones in one day?! Obviously we are meant to be BFFs, because that is my kind of eatin’! This gelato looks amazing, and I love how you’ve healthified it!
Dear Elizabeth, we could have had more than three cones at once since they were so good, but thought that would just be gluttony! Glad you liked the healthy Gelato version! J+C
Love chocolate ice cream, I’ve been to Budapest for a short trip but didn’t get to eat this amazing ice cream there.
Hi Ella, hope you get to return to Budapest during the summer and try all the lovely ice cream! J+C
Amazing photographs! I really enjoyed reading about your gelato experience in Europe. How fun! Anyway, I love this healthier version! It looks so creamy and delicious! All those almonds… yum! Also, I can’t believe that it’s made with almond milk!
Thank you Ruby, toasting the almonds makes it even better and the almond milk adds even more nutty flavors that go so well with the chocolate. J+C
Looks like an amazing trip! I had no idea that Budapest had good gelato.
Budapest has some of the most divine Gelato, outside of Italy, and also many delightful pastries and layer cakes! It is very difficult to resist all the sweet shops and bakeries, which are called Cukrászdas.
“the tour of Europe via gelato”… Now there’s something I’d love to experience!
It would definitely be a very sweet and tasty tour 🙂
Ohhhhhh yummm!!!! 7 scoops of gelato!???? Yes, I’d gladly eat that too! ^_^ All your photos are just SOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL and do I need to even mention that this chocolate almond gelato is making me droooool!!!?? 🙂 All those lovely gelato photos from your trip are just absolutely tempting and delicious!!!!!!
Yes Samina, the Gelato was just so divine one scoop was not enough! Good thing we did a lot of walking while there. We are so glad you enjoyed the photos from the trip and the gelato! Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully it includes a few scoops of tasty gelato! J+C
this is a gorgeous recipe, im committed to eating healthier, i think this may be a great starting point!
Glad you liked the Chocolate Gelato recipe milkteaxx and it is a delicious way to eat healthier ingredients! J+C
Such a gorgeous-sounding recipe. And beautifully styled too!
Thank you Helen, have a great week!
You’d never guess this creamy gelato was a healthified version! It looks terrific! We always need to get our gelato fixes when we’re in Europe 🙂
Thank you Liz, we too can’t get enough of gelato in Europe! There are so many flavors to try, but we still love chocolate and it doesn’t last very long in the freezer. J+C
What a unique ice cream dessert and stunning photos of the dish and the vacation. I would like a bowl right now, especially since the ingredients sound so good for you.
Thank you Andrea, the ingredients are quite healthy, but we still found every bite tasted good as well! J+C
You guys look great in the pictures! And the Gelato looks so delicious and I want some now!
I have to wait for a few more months until moving to a bigger house, then I could finally buy a ice cream maker. Really looking forward to make ice cream at home 🙂
Oh Maggie, you are so kind! What an exciting news with your move to a bigger house 🙂
Cheers,
J+C
Wow, this chocolate gelato looks fabulous…almond milk and coconut oil? I must give this a try. Awesome pictures!
Hope you both are having a great week 😀
You will love this simple treat Juliana! The almond milk does give an extra nutty flavor. This summer we are cooking and baking a lot with coconut oil and can’t believe that we did not discover this wonderful oil sooner 🙂
J+C
Welcome back. Ice cream is always a perfect choice. for a dessert when all else fails. Its universally loved. I could eat it everyday.
Thank you Carol! Oh yes we could eat ice cream everyday too 🙂
J+C
This looks absolutely delicious, the pictures are beautiful. I love that you made this dairy free too!
Hello Danielle! It is always nice to have dairy free and good carb desserts to beable to indulge guilt free 🙂
J+C
It’s hot here, so definitely gelato weather. This looks so terrific — lovely flavor, and really interesting recipe. Thanks so much.
Thank you John, and hope you are enjoying some cold treats in the hot weather.
Cheers,
J+C
I was in Italy back in 1996 and I still have dreams of the gelato I had there and wish I could find something here anywhere close. Love your recipe and the food intolerance friendly version!
We know the feeling Evelyne, because we tried our share of gelato here in the US and somehow In Italy or Budapest tastes creamier and not so sweet.
J+C
Yum!! Love that it’s dairy and gluten free yet still manages to be fabulous!
Thank you Angela, and we can’t wait to make it ( and eat it) again soon.
J+C
YUM! This looks amazing!! I love love LOVE you’re photography! It is so beautiful! …love the blog as well! So pretty, cute and ‘glamorous’! Glad that everything turned out alright in Europe! Looking forward to more of your posts!!
Thank you so much for your kind words Cailee, you made our day 🙂 We are looking forward to share many healthy recipes 🙂
J+C
I am in love with these photos of the Chocolate Almond Gelato! Thanks for sharing this easy peasy recipe 😀
Glad you enjoyed the photos Vanny, and hope you will try soon this very easy recipe 🙂
J+C
So glad that the family emergency turned out fine, and gave you an opportunity to taste so many delicious sounding ice creams! I cannot go a day without gelato when we are in Europe and found the most interesting flavours while we were in Tropea (Southern Italy). This recipe sounds so delicious and worth a try 🙂
Thank you so much Tandy! It is hard when something happens with an aging parent, but we are vey thankful because it did turned out fine and our 94 years old father/grandfather is doing miraculously well. Italy is the master among gelato and you right they have many unique flavors.
Hope you are enjoying your summer.
J+C
I just recently had almond milk and have to say it does have an interesting flavor so I can imagine it would be good in a chocoalte ice cream. Your photos of the ice cream look so good that I think it would taste just as good as it would with regular sugar and milk.
Oh yes, the taste was absolutely delicious Margot! The refined sugar sometimes makes an ice cream a little to sweet for us, so we were delighted with the result. Hope you will try this simple recipe.
Cheers,
J+C
What an awesome trip. Budapest is one place I’ve always wanted to go to. However i didn’t know they had awesome gelato. I better start your diet before I go. This gelato looks amazing. Thanks for sharing! And gorgeous photos. i truly enjoyed them!
Thank you Abbe, and you will love Budapest! The city is full of history and beautiful architecture so do not worry about a diet just walk around and enjoy your gelato 🙂
J+C
I didn’t know there could be such thing as a dairy free and gluten free ice cream until I bumped into your post! That gelato look divine 🙂 Love the sound of all the ingredients you used 🙂 I just have to get some coconut oil!
Hi Olivia, you will love this easy and guilt free ice cream. The little coconut oil makes this treat even more creamier. Enjoy the recipe.
Cheers,
J+C
So creamy and delicious and I love that this is refined sugar free too.
Hi Angie, we love it too, and we are so excited that you can make so many different dishes healthier by omitting refined sugar.
Cheers,
J+C
The photographs, once again, are great…The Gelato looks very inviting.
Thank you and it was surprisingly creamy even with the almond milk. Perhaps the tablespoon of coconut oil did the trick.
Cheers,
J+C
That is some serious ice cream consumption in great locations! So much better without the dairy and gluten. I haven’t tried coconut sugar before so will take a look if I can find it in the grocery store.
Hi Andrew! We have a lot more photos to share from previous trips and will do soon. Hope that you can find coconut sugar in your grocery store, otherwise we found several good sources online.
Cheers,
J+C
A delicious looking and sounding ice cream. I love this combination of flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Rosa! So glad you liked our combination, it was really delicious and creamy! We did have some really decadent ice cream in Geneva too 🙂
Cheers,
J+C
Wow this is a beautiful post — I had no idea Hungary had such wonderful gelato, but I think yours looks just as great. I’m curious to try coconut sugar!
Hello Sue! Hungary was always known for great food and decadent desserts, but not many tour guide mentioned about the unique “Fagylaltozo” or Ice Cream shops which you can find through out in the city and in the country as well. Hope you will enjoy coconut sugar, it taste close to brown sugar with lower glycemic impact.
J+C
Really enjoyed this post, girls! I didn’t know that you’d grown up in Budapest, Judit! What a beautiful city Budapest is! I went there a few years ago and absolutely loved the castle area, although I don’t remember the gelato place so I think I’d better go back there again to put that right!
Thanks so much for explaining the difference between gelato and ice cream – I had no idea there was a difference!
I am very impressed that you’ve come up with this healthy version!
So glad you enjoyed our gelato report Helen! Have to admit we are in love with our result too. Budapest is truly beautiful and one of the best cities along with Florence to stroll through history with a decadent gelato in hand. Let us know when you go back and we can point you to some really divine “Gelateria’s” or “Fagylaltozok”.
J+C
so craving a chocolate gelato right now! your photos are seriously delicious..
Thank you Thalia, there is really nothing better on a hot day then a bowl of delicious gelato! Mmm, we better make some more…
Your gelato looks so good and so does your vacation! The almond milk sounds like a great idea for those with lactose intolerance or a gluten sensitivity. Since I am lactose intolerant this is the perfect gelato recipe for me! I can’t wait to try it and am waiting for a nice day to make it.
Hello Casey! We are so glad that you found our recipe and hope that you will be able to enjoy it soon 🙂
J+C
I am so amazed by how delicious this gelato looks! Such beautiful pictures, and even better that it’s dairy free and gluten free!
So glad you like this gelato Gayle! It was very creamy and the almond milk was a good choice because it added and extra nutty flavor. Can’t wait to make it again…
J+C
This gelato looks amazing, and I really want to try using coconut sugar. I’ve seen it around lately but have never tried it. I love that this is less guilt, and your trip to Italy sounded wonderful! When you’re there, you have to indulge, but back home it’s about getting back to normal. This gelato is the perfect thing! Pinning. 🙂
Thank you so much for pinning Marcie! We totally changed our diet and now we mostly use only coconut sugar. It works well in most recipes and the flavor you could compare perhaps to brown sugar. For special desserts like something topped with Meringue or a white butter cream, we will still indulge in a little refined sugar. Let us know how you like it.
J+C
What great shots of the two of you!!! And, I am loving the look of this Chocolate Almond Gelato! Yum! And almonds are one of my favorite things ~ I absolutely love them ~ add them to chocolate and yes! I love the photo of all the yummy gelatos!!! So many to pick from! And, I love the tips on where to get the best ones (creamy by the bridge!!!) It’s inspiring!!
Thank you Kristi! This summer we are also a little addicted to almonds, especially with chocolate, and it seems they do compliment each other deliciously. We ended up making this recipe twice for our post because it was so good that we kept testing for creaminess all the way to the bottom of the bowl before we could take the photos. Corina did eat her share of Gelato throughout Europe so she really would make a good tour guide 🙂
J+C