Nutella Gelato Cappuccino Recipe

Warm dairy

Combine the whole milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat until it begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edge (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Whisk yolks and sugar

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the yolk-sugar mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to medium-low heat.

Cook custard

Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula and cook until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (an instant-read thermometer should read 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not let it boil.

Incorporate Nutella and cocoa

Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk in the Nutella, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until fully melted and incorporated. If the Nutella is stiff, whisk vigorously or briefly return to very low heat for 15–30 seconds to loosen, then remove from heat.

Strain and chill

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

While the custard is chilling, prepare the coffee swirl by combining the hot espresso (or very strong coffee) with 1 tsp sugar and stirring until the sugar dissolves. Chill the coffee mixture until cold. Once the gelato base is chilled and ready to churn, place the cold coffee in the refrigerator until assembling the swirl.

Churn gelato

Pour the chilled Nutella custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve gelato texture (typically 20–30 minutes).

Layer with coffee swirl

Spoon a third of the churned gelato into a freezer-safe container. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the chilled coffee mixture over the gelato, then add another third of gelato, more coffee drizzle, and finish with the remaining gelato. Use a spatula to gently ripple the coffee into the gelato, creating ribbons rather than mixing completely. Reserve any extra coffee for serving if desired.

Harden in freezer

Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze the gelato until firm, at least 4 hours (overnight preferred) so it reaches scoopable gelato consistency.

Make magic shell

Shortly before serving, melt the chopped chocolate with the coconut oil in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (double boiler) or microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth. Let cool slightly but keep liquid.

Serve

Scoop the Nutella gelato cappuccino into bowls or cups. Drizzle the warm chocolate magic shell over each scoop — it will harden on contact for that crackly shell. Immediately sprinkle rainbow sprinkles over the hardened shell and dust lightly with cocoa powder if using. If desired, spoon a small extra drizzle of the reserved coffee swirl over the top before serving.