This fabulous hazelnut ice cream boasts a rich nutty flavor and natural creaminess. It is a great ice cream recipe for beginners, as well as a definite keeper for your permanent gelato repertoire.
You can easily make an extraordinary batch of hazelnut ice cream at home. In fact, this is one of the best ice creams to make at home, because it keeps very well in home freezers thanks to the creaminess built right into the hazelnuts.
The innate creaminess of nuts makes them a truly magic ingredient in ice cream or gelato, giving homemade hazelnut ice cream a big edge over most other kinds of homemade ice cream, which tend to get icy in home freezers, since they are much colder than the freezers found in gelaterias or ice cream stores.
Ice cream made with hazelnuts (and other nuts) ground into a paste doesn’t really need added ingredients like stabilizers to prevent crystallization, or becoming icy or rock hard in your home freezer.
Yet while hazelnut ice cream’s inherent creaminess may be guaranteed (thank you mother nature!), not all hazelnut ice creams are created equal. Flavor and texture can vary greatly depending on the recipe and the technique you use.
Below is the inside scoop on how to make luscious hazelnut ice cream, with the tips you need to know to get the flavor and texture just how you like it.
This hazelnut ice cream recipe is one of the ice creams we make most during the fall and winter months. It is easy to vary the flavor and texture according to your preference, what form of hazelnuts you have, and the tools you have on hand.
What Does Hazelnut Ice Cream Taste Like?
Imagine a luxurious ice cream with an unmistakably distinct yet delicate nutty flavor. The flavor of hazelnut ice cream is similar to that of hazelnut spread, but with a lighter, creamier, fluffier texture. Lovers of any kind of nut butter, like peanut butter, as well as lovers of nutella, can easily fall in love with hazelnut ice cream.
Ingredients
It takes just a few ingredients to make amazing hazelnut ice cream: hazelnuts, eggs, milk and sugar, with a pinch of salt.
You can go a few different ways with the hazelnuts:
In Italy, a land of bountiful hazelnuts (thanks to the ancient Greeks), hazelnut gelato, or rather gelato alla nocciola, is loved for its unmistakable flavor and deep nutty creaminess, and is a favorite in gelaterias. I’ve enjoyed countless scoops of it in Italian gelaterias throughout the years, and all have been ultra smooth. However, to get that smooth of a texture at home basically takes an industrial grade hazelnut paste.
Using hazelnut paste is typically the most expensive option, so while we splurge for it on occasion, we also enjoy using hazelnut flour, either bought or homemade. Sometimes we even use half hazelnut paste for the intense flavor it contributes, with half ground hazelnuts to add a rustic texture.
Hazelnut Flour
With hazelnut flour, you can expect the hazelnut flavor to be more subtle than with hazelnut paste, and the ice cream to have more texture.
- Buying hazelnut flour – Buying hazelnut flour is very convenient. You can generally expect a more subtle hazelnut flavor than when grinding your own, since the hazelnuts may not be toasted.
- Grinding your own hazelnuts (toasted and peeled) into hazelnut flour – The potential advantages of grinding your own hazelnuts are freshness, and being able to toast them. Roasted hazelnuts contribute a delicate toasty flavor that enhances the distinct flavor of the hazelnuts, infusing the ice cream with a truly exquisite flavor.
Hazelnut Paste
Imagine taking a spoonful of the smoothest, creamiest, most luxurious ice cream. If you want ultra creamy texture and intense hazelnut flavor, then using a very fine hazelnut paste is the way to go. Heads up, hazelnut paste can be pricey and harder to find.
Your best bet might be to source it online (hazelnut pastes), or through specialty stores. Look for a paste with 100% hazelnuts and no other ingredients. (In case you were thinking to make your own, it takes an expensive industrial grade mill to make such a fine paste. You may have found this if you’ve ever tried to make homemade nutella.)
Making Hazelnut Ice Cream
Part of the appeal of making this hazelnut ice cream is how easy it is to make it wonderful! And how it keeps a creamy texture without the need of stabilizers or other extra ingredients, even in icy home refrigerators.
This hazelnut ice cream is simply made by blending a custard base with ground hazelnuts (hazelnut flour, or alternately with hazelnut paste). To compliment the creaminess, added crunchy bits of hazelnut can create a delightful contrast in texture.
I recommend using an ice cream maker. I have made hazelnut ice cream without an ice cream maker, and I would do it again, if needed. However, using the ice cream maker is easier, faster, and produces a smoother texture.
Storing
Homemade hazelnut ice cream keeps very well in home freezers. Keep tightly covered to help prevent freezer burn.
More Desserts to Make
- Queen of Sheba Cake (Chocolate Almond Cake)
- Tiramisu (The best tiramisu recipe ever!)
Serving
I recommend taking the ice cream out of the freezer at least five minutes before serving, for the best flavor and texture. We love to enjoy hazelnut ice cream on its own, or with a combination of whole and crushed hazelnuts sprinkled around and/or on top.
Add a shot of espresso coffee and you have made one of the best expressions of affogato. Or try it topped with or surrounded by Fabbri’s deep, dark, syrupy amarena cherries.
It would also make a delicious accompaniment to a dark chocolate tart or cake, or chocolate chess pie.
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For a super easy, no-cook ice cream, try this homemade peach ice cream recipe.
Recipe
Tools
- Candy Thermometer (very helpful)
- Food Processor (if making your own hazelnut flour)
- Long Handled Whisk
- Long Handled Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup hazelnut flour (see Notes for substitutes)
- coarsely chopped hazelnuts to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt together until smooth and pale yellow.
- Continuously stir while slowly pouring about half of the hot milk into the bowl of whisked egg yolks. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, and continue to stir over low heat until the cream slightly thickens, enough to coat the spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes.Temperature Notes – You should see evaporation during the last half of cooking – if not, the heat may be too low. However, to help prevent curdling, keep the mixture below 175°F (80°C) .
- Remove from heat, stir in the hazelnut flour and mix well.
- Chill – Let cool completely. Then refrigerate until cold – 2 hours to overnight.
- Freeze – Process in an ice cream machine. (Alternately, freeze, stirring every 2 hours until solid, around 4 to 8 hours.)
- Serve with a handful of chopped hazelnuts sprinkled on top and/or around.
Hazelnut Flour Substitutions
- Whole unsalted hazelnuts, toasted and peeled – Pulse 1 cup in food processor to a sandy texture.
- For a smoother texture, use half the amount of either:
- Hazelnut Paste – For the absolute smoothest texture (look for 100% hazelnuts.)
- Hazelnut Butter – Varies in coarseness, so get the finest texture you can find (look for 100% hazelnuts.)
Notes
- Total Preparation Time does not include time to chill or freeze, due to variations in temperatures, quantities and freezing methods.
- Storage – Store in tightly sealed container in freezer.
- Serve it at its best – Let ice cream thaw 5 to 15 minutes at room temperature before scooping.
Nutrition Info: Click to Expand
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