Gelato vs Ice Cream vs Kulfi: What’s the Real Difference
If you visit a premium food court in India today, you’ll likely see three frozen dessert options together: a kulfi counter, an ice cream brand, and more often now, an artisan gelato parlour.
For customers, choosing between them is simple. For entrepreneurs, though, the differences are crucial and affect everything from equipment costs to brand strategy.
Ok, let us first understand one fact. Gelato, ice cream, and kulfi are not just different versions of the same dessert. Each has its own origin, production method, fat content, serving temperature, and most importantly, unique equipment needs. Knowing these differences is key to starting your frozen dessert business the right way.
What is Ice Cream?
Ice cream is the most globally recognisable of the three, and arguably the easiest to produce at scale. At its core, it is a churned mixture of cream, milk, sugar, and flavourings, often stabilised with egg yolks or commercial stabilisers.
One key feature that sets ice cream apart is its overrun, which is the amount of air mixed in during churning. Commercial ice cream can have an overrun from 30% to 100%, so up to half of a tub might be air. This isn’t by chance; it’s a choice for both cost and texture. More air makes the ice cream lighter, fluffier, and easier to scoop from a regular freezer.
Ice cream is kept and served at temperatures between -15°C and -18°C, which makes it quite hard and means it needs to soften before scooping. It usually has at least 10% fat, and premium types can go up to 15–18%. This high fat gives a rich texture, but can also slightly dull the flavour.
In India, under the FSSAI regulations, ice cream is defined as a dairy-based frozen dessert containing at least 10% milk fat, 3.5% protein, and 36% total solids. When manufacturers use vegetable fat instead of milk fat, they are to be labelled Frozen Dessert, not ice cream.
What is Kulfi?
Kulfi is India’s traditional frozen dessert, dating back to the Mughal court in the 16th century. Emperor Akbar’s records mention it as a treat flavored with saffron and pistachios, frozen in metal cones set in ice. The process of making kulfi is different from that of gelato or ice cream. Full-fat milk is simmered in a heavy pan, often a kadai, for hours until it reduces to less than half. This slow process caramelises the milk’s sugars and proteins, giving kulfi its unique nutty, cooked-milk flavour. The thickened milk, called rabri, is then flavoured with cardamom, saffron, mango, pistachio, or malai, poured into moulds, sealed, and frozen. Kulfi is never churned, so no air is added, and its overrun is 0%. This makes it the densest of the three desserts. Its density means kulfi melts slowly, releasing flavour gradually and holding its shape much longer in the Indian heat than ice cream. Kulfi is usually served at about 0°C, which is colder than gelato and gives it a firm, almost chewy texture. Its fat content is high because the milk solids become concentrated during cooking. For entrepreneurs, kulfi requires only basic equipment: a heavy pan, moulds, and a standard deep freezer. This low barrier to entry is why kulfi is common as a street food. However, this simplicity also makes it harder to position kulfi as a premium product, unlike gelato.
What is Gelato?
Gelato comes from Italy, with roots going back to the Renaissance. Its modern artisan style was developed in the 20th century by Italian gelato makers who turned it into a true craft. In Italy, gelato is seen as a craft, not just a product.
While Gelato starts with the same ingredients as ice cream, which is a cooked base of milk, cream, and sugar, that is where the similarity ends.
First, fat content: gelato uses much more milk than cream, so its fat content is usually 4–8%, much lower than that of ice cream. This is intentional, not a drawback. Fat can coat your mouth and dull flavours. With less fat, gelato gives a stronger, more direct taste from each ingredient. Second, overrun: gelato is churned slowly, so it usually takes 20–30% of air, which, when compared to ice cream’s 30–100%, is much less. This makes gelato denser and richer in texture, even though it has less fat.
Third, serving temperature: gelato is served warmer than ice cream, usually between -11°C and -14°C. This, while keeping gelato soft and easy to serve, boosts flavour. Aromas are stronger at warmer temperatures, which is why pistachio or hazelnut gelato tastes more intense than the same flavour in ice cream.
These three factors, lower fat, less air, and warmer serving temperature, create the unique experience that makes gelato a premium product worldwide.
The Equipment Difference: Why It Matters for Your Business
Understanding the science behind these products isn’t just theory. It directly affects every equipment choice you make.
Kulfi needs the simplest equipment: a stove, molds, and a regular deep freezer. The low barrier to entry also means profit margins are usually lower.
Large-scale production of ice cream requires batch or continuous freezers, cold storage, and display units. Because ice cream has more air and is served colder, it can better withstand temperature changes during display than gelato.
Gelato production is sensitive to equipment at every step. It’s lower fat, and less air makes it sensitive to temperature changes. Because it’s served warmer, gelato needs a display that retains a steady temperature to keep it just right, not too hard or too soft. Gelato making requires a batch freezer for slow, controlled churning, a blast freezer for quickly firming of the surface to retain texture and flavour. Skipping this step can harm the final product.
This is where Antarctica Equipment is the perfect partner for Indian gelato businesses. They offer a complete solution in one place. With the Valmar Global range, Antarctica Equipment provides batch freezers, pasteurizers, and the Valmix 20 emulsifier, everything needed for artisan gelato production. Techfrost blast freezers ensure perfect hardening after production, keeping flavour, texture, and moisture just right. IFI S.p.A. display counters like the SAM80, Tonda, Milia, and Panorama® that keep gelato at the ideal temperature and make it look appealing to customers.
So, Which Should You Choose?
If you are building a premium frozen dessert brand in India, the question is really about where you want to compete.
Kulfi is loved and nostalgic, but the market is crowded, and it’s hard to stand out or charge premium prices. Large-scale ice cream is a high-volume business led by big brands. Artisan gelato, on the other hand, is growing fast in India and is well-placed to attract premium prices, top locations, and loyal customers who appreciate the difference.
Gelato stands out for its strong flavours, eye-catching displays, Italian heritage, and versatility, whether served in cups, cones, pozzetti, cakes, bars, or at events. This flexibility gives gelato a commercial edge over kulfi and mass-market ice cream.
The facts are clear. The business opportunity is real. And with Antarctica Equipment, you have access to the full range of equipment needed to succeed in India.