Welcome to Etalian Ice

The biggest difference between Italian ice and gelato or ice cream is dairy and eggs.  While Italian ice is dairy free, gelato and ice cream both get their creamy texture from the high whole milk and cream content.  Custard versions of both ice cream and gelato may also contains eggs.  Flavors for ice cream and gelato vary widely and include fruits, chocolates, and spices.  Italian ices tend to be fruit flavored.

Sherbert and Italian ice share similar fruit made textures, however, Sherbet's creamy texture is derived from milk, while Italian ice is dairy free.

Italian ice most closely resembles sorbet. Both treats are egg and dairy free with similar texture.  In fact, the biggest difference between sorbet and Italian ice may be their origin.  Italian ice is the Italian version of creamy dairy-free ice while sorbet is of French origin. In addition, sorbets often contain liquor flavors while Italian ices do not generally contain alcohol but may compliment it well.

Italian ice and water ice use the same three ingredients: fruit or fruit juices, sugar, and water. However, water ice is not whipped to create the same creamy, velvety smooth texture that real Italian ice has. Water ice will have a crunchier texture than real Italian ice.

Italian ice and snow cones share their icy base, but the similarity stops there.  Snow cones are crushed or chopped ice that has been packed together.  They have a coarse, gritty texture. For snow cones, the flavoring is poured over the ice after it has been formed on the cone or cup.  This late application of the flavor can lead to uneven or incomplete flavoring of the ice. Italian ice flavorings are added before the freezing process giving a uniform taste throughout the scoop.

Italian ices are hand-dippable frozen consistency.  Slushies are semi-frozen drinks with small ice pellets and liquid flavoring mixed together.