Product reviewed: Gourmia GSI180 Automatic Healthy Frozen Dessert Maker
I wasn’t a kid who grew up loving ice cream. In fact, I used to go to the ice cream shop with my parents and ask for cherries in an ice cream cone. Come to find out, I didn’t just have weird taste — I’m actually lactose intolerant! I have purchased hard dairy-free ice cream and sorbets from the grocery store, but I don’t typically see dairy-free soft serve options on the menu at ice cream shops. When I had the opportunity to review the Gourmia GSI180 Automatic Healthy Frozen Dessert Maker and finally have some soft serve ice cream, I took it. This was an exciting opportunity for me!
The Gourmia GSI180 Automatic Healthy Frozen Dessert Maker is a soft serve sorbet and frozen fruit dessert machine. After plugging it in and putting in only frozen fruit, this appliance quickly creates a non-dairy dessert the consistency of soft serve ice cream. The frozen desserts made in this kitchen tool also are free of added sugars.
While the website and promo video say you can “eat as much as you want” of the dairy-free and no-added-sugar desserts, it’s important to remember that fruit has natural sugar and carbohydrates, so be aware of your portion size. There is no added fat in the frozen desserts, and I found that while they had a sweet flavor, they did not give me the satiety dairy-free ice cream does.
With this product, Gourmia provides a recipe book. All of the recipes have frozen bananas as a base to create the consistency of soft serve ice cream — so a liking of bananas is a must if you are going to use the provided recipes (note: I’m not a huge banana fan). The recipe book recommends to run each fruit through the machine individually. However, I found the flavor and consistency were much better when the fruit was mixed together when making soft serve. Gourmia also recommends freezing the prepared frozen dessert for an hour before consuming, but I don’t think that step is necessary, unless you want a harder texture that you have to use an ice cream scoop to serve.
Lastly, making the frozen desserts is super-fast! If you have fruit that’s already frozen, you can be eating a frozen dessert in about five minutes. For an example of how I preferred to use the machine, check out my Mixed Berry and Basil Frozen Fruit Treat recipe below.
If you are looking for a dairy-free summer dessert maker, the Gourmia GSI180 Automatic Healthy Frozen Dessert Maker could be the answer.
It’s easy to put together and use, though I did find that hand-washing it and storing the bigger box was a bit of a pain. Nevertheless, this is a great addition to a lactose-free kitchen, especially in the summertime. It’s ideal for families with kids who have lactose intolerance and those who are craving some soft serve ice cream. This tool works much faster than a traditional ice cream machine and is practical to use every day if you’d like. It’s a refreshing way to get more fruits into your diet!
Mixed Berry and Basil Frozen Fruit Treat
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 frozen banana, peeled
- 1 cup organic frozen mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Directions:
- Chop the banana and place in a small bowl. Add the frozen berries and basil to the bowl and toss to combine.
- Turn on the machine and place a bowl underneath for your dessert.
- Place half the fruit-basil mixture in the chute, then use the handle to push the mixture through the machine. Repeat with the other half.
- Serve and enjoy!
