# Ġelat tan-Nanna (Maltese Ice Cream) Source: https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/gelat-tan-nanna/ Make Maltese Ġelat tan-Nanna with evaporated milk, cinnamon, toasted almonds and glacé cherries. A freezer-and-mixer method with no ice-cream machine. Prep time: 25 minutes (plus cooling, about 4 hours initial freezing and overnight setting) Cook time: 5 minutes Servings: 8 small servings Tags: dessert, ice-cream, milk, almonds, summer, vegetarian, maltese-classic Ġelat tan-Nanna means grandma's ice cream. This Maltese home-style version uses evaporated milk, cinnamon, toasted almonds and glacé cherries. You may also see the name written as gelat tan nanna or ġelat Malti. Start the day before serving: the mixture is partly frozen, beaten with an electric mixer, then frozen overnight. ## Ingredients Measures: **1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml.** For local ingredient names and substitutions, see our [guide to Maltese ingredients abroad](/maltese-ingredients-abroad/). - 800g full-fat unsweetened evaporated milk (2 x 400g tins) - 100g caster sugar - 1 tsp ground cinnamon - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 100g toasted almonds, cooled and chopped - 8 glacé cherries, finely chopped (about 40g) ## Instructions 1. **Dissolve the sugar**: Heat the evaporated milk and sugar in a saucepan, stirring until dissolved and just reaching a gentle boil. Remove from the heat. 2. **Cool**: Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Cool promptly in a shallow heatproof container set in cold water, then refrigerate until cold. 3. **Partly freeze**: Freeze in a covered freezer-safe container for about 4 hours, until slushy and firm at the edges but still breakable with a spoon. Check earlier if using a shallow container. 4. **Beat**: Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until lighter and roughly doubled in volume, allowing up to 10 minutes. If too solid, soften briefly first. 5. **Finish freezing**: Fold in almonds and cherries. Transfer to a covered 2-litre freezer container, leaving expansion space. Freeze overnight until firm. 6. **Serve**: Soften briefly at room temperature, just until scoopable. Return the remaining ice cream to the freezer promptly. ## Evaporated Milk or Condensed Milk? Buy **unsweetened evaporated milk**, not sweetened condensed milk. Check the label and net weight: tins sold abroad vary in size. Weigh out 800g for this batch rather than assuming any two tins are equivalent. Full-fat milk is the starting point here; changing its fat content can change the frozen texture. Use a large bowl for beating so the expanding mixture does not overflow. A metal loaf tin can be used for freezing if it is freezer-safe and has a suitable cover, but transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl before using electric beaters. ## Why Freeze It Twice? The first stage makes a partly frozen base that can hold air when beaten. The second sets that aerated mixture with its almonds and cherries. The freezer does the chilling; the mixer provides the aeration, so an ice-cream machine is not needed for this method. Check the consistency rather than relying only on four hours. Freezer temperature, container depth and the starting temperature all affect how quickly the base freezes. Breakable ice around the edges and a thick, slushy middle are easier to beat than a solid block. This style can set firmer than commercial ice cream, so allow a little softening before scooping. ## Ingredient Choices Glacé cherries are preserved baking cherries, not fresh cherries or cherries in syrup. Pat them dry if sticky with loose syrup, then chop finely so the pieces are manageable when frozen. Check their label for colouring and other ingredients if catering for dietary requirements. Use toasted almonds that have cooled completely. If toasting them yourself, do this before heating the milk so there is time for them to cool. Finely chopped nuts are easier to eat in a frozen dessert than whole almonds. For help with unfamiliar shop labels, see [Maltese ingredients abroad](/maltese-ingredients-abroad/). This version contains milk and almonds. It has no added egg or gelatine; check packaged ingredients separately if needed. ## Serving and Keeping Serve in small bowls, or alongside [Imqaret](/recipes/imqaret/). Keep covered at −18°C or colder, with the container towards the back of the freezer rather than in the door. For best texture, make a batch you can eat within two weeks. Scoop only what you need; do not thaw the whole tub and refreeze it. Find more pastries and frozen-dessert pairings in [Maltese desserts and sweets](/collections/maltese-desserts-and-sweets/). ## A Maltese freezer dessert Ġelat tan-Nanna has several household versions. The [Institute of Tourism Studies demonstration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5GuTVsKSmk) uses tinned milk with lemon, vanilla and cinnamon. This recipe follows the evaporated-milk, almond and cherry style documented by Esther Borg in [Familja, October 2020, page 20](https://familja.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Familja-Nru-12.pdf#page=20), with the tin weight specified here. Other versions include cream, eggs or candied peel; those are variations rather than requirements for every batch. ## Explore the collections - [Maltese desserts and sweets](https://www.malteserecipes.com/collections/maltese-desserts-and-sweets/) ## Serve with or cook next - [Imqaret (Maltese Date Pastries)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/imqaret/): Serve a small scoop beside a warm date pastry. - [Biskuttini tal-Lewż (Maltese Almond Macaroons)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/biskuttini-tal-lewz/): Add a chewy almond macaroon alongside a small bowl. - [Kafè Malti (Maltese Spiced Coffee)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/maltese-coffee/): Finish with a cup of spiced Maltese coffee.