Best Gelato in Chapel Hill

The Best Gelato in Chapel Hill falls under the Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt category and we are honored to have won this category for six years!

We make over 100 flavors of gelato and sorbetto in house, and offer gelato catering by the bin. We’ve honed our process for over a decade, making gelato that is dense, creamy, and flavor-packed. We use fruit, spices, and specialty ingredients, like Stracciatella (a delicious rich chocolate), imported from Italy.

If you’re not familiar with gelato, let us explain…

What’s the Difference Between Ice Cream and Gelato?

While we often consider ice cream and gelato together if we’re thinking about a cold, sweet treat (or voting in the Best Ice Cream in Chapel Hill category), gelato isn’t quite the same thing as ice cream. If you only want to remember one thing about how they’re different, this is it:

To break it down, there are three main differences:

1. Gelato is made with less FAT than ice cream. We know, you might think it has more fat because it’s so creamy. But it that’s because…
2. Gelato is churned more slowly than ice cream, with less air incorporated, and a resulting creamy texture.
3. Gelato is served at a slightly warmer temperature, which also gives it extra creaminess.

Because gelato has both less air and less fat, it tends to be both more dense and more intense (or flavorful).

There are other differences – ice cream is often made with eggs while gelato usually isn’t (all of La Vita Dolce’s gelati are egg-free with the exception of those that have toppings with eggs), but these are the main differences. Of course they can both be enjoyed in a cup, cone, or milkshake!