German Spaghetti Ice Cream (Homemade Spaghettieis Recipe)
This article may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure link for more information.
If you’ve got vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and strawberries, you can make Spaghettieis – a popular German ice cream sundae that looks just like spaghetti – at home. No trip to Germany required!
Contents
What Is German Spaghetti Ice Cream (Spaghettieis)?
Ice cream that looks like a plate of spaghetti.
Whaaaat?!
Dessert spaghetti? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Not if you’ve been to Germany.
If you have, you probably know all about the popular German ice cream sundae called Spaghettieis.
Of course there’s no spaghetti in Spaghetti Ice Cream.
It just looks like spaghetti with vanilla “noodles”, fresh strawberry “tomato sauce”, and white chocolate or coconut “parmesan cheese.”
Visit any ice cream parlor in Germany and you’ll find Spaghettieis – spaghetti ice cream – on the menu. And it’s not just for kids!
It’s kind of amazing just how satisfying the vanilla ice cream + strawberry sauce + whipped cream combo is. The whipped cream is actually hidden under the ice cream noodles so it’s a nice little surprise that adds a delicious touch to the taste and texture of the dish.
Whenever I’m in Germany during the summer I always have Spaghettieis at least once. I’m so excited that I can now make it at home — it’s actually quite easy and there’s no cooking required.
Spaghetti Ice Cream FAQ
Who Invented Spaghetti Ice Cream?
A guy named Dario Fontanella who lived in Mannheim in the late 1960s. Evidently when he first served the dessert to kids they’d cry because they wanted ice cream and not what they assumed was a bowl of spaghetti!
Where Can I Get Spaghetti Ice Cream?
If you’re visiting Germany you can get it at pretty much any ice cream parlor (and sometimes you can buy it ready made at the grocery store). Not in Germany? Your best bet is to make it at home using a few simple ingredients.
How Can I Make Spaghettieis at Home?
First you place a mound of whipped cream on a plate. Then make the ice cream spaghetti noodles by pressing vanilla ice cream through a potato ricer (or a Spätzle press, if you have one of those). Finally, top the noodles with homemade strawberry sauce and a sprinkle of grated white chocolate or coconut flakes.
Should I Use Ice Cream or Gelato?
You can use either one. Just make sure it’s vanilla.
How Far In Advance Can I Make Spaghettieis?
You can make the no cook strawberry sauce a couple hours to a couple days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. And you can whip the heavy cream a few hours ahead. But don’t make the ice cream pasta until you’re ready to serve it because it melts quickly.
Do I Need a Special Spaghetti Ice Cream Maker?
All you need is a simple potato ricer to make the ice cream noodles. I one this one on Amazon. If you have a Spätzle press, you can use that instead.
Can I Use a Prepared Strawberry Ice Cream Topping?
Yes — BUT I recommend making homemade strawberry sauce so you can customize the sweetness. It only takes a couple minutes to make the perfect fresh strawberry drizzle for your Spaghetti Ice Cream.
What’s the Correct “Spaghettieis” Pronunciation?
Shhpaa-ghett-ee-ice (Spaghetti = spaghetti, Eis = ice cream)
What You Need to Make German Spaghettieis
Ingredients:
- Vanilla ice cream or gelato
- Heavy cream (whipping cream)
- Strawberries
- Orange (or lemon) juice
- White sugar
- Vanilla sugar (make your own!)
- White chocolate or coconut flakes
- Cookies or wafers (optional, garnish)
Kitchen Tools:
- Knife
- Spoon
- Ice cream scoop
- Whisk or hand mixer (I still love this one)
- Blender or food processor (I use my mini chopper)
- Potato ricer or Spätzle press (I bough this one)
- Microplane (if using white chocolate)
- Plates & spoons for serving
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Spaghettieis melts quickly! Serve it as soon as you make it.
- Put the the potato ricer (or Spätzle press), ice cream scoop, and serving plates in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before making dessert.
- To get the best noodles, the ice cream needs to be a bit soft — but not too soft, otherwise it will melt too quickly once on the plate. If you can’t easily scoop the ice cream, place it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. That will soften it up a bit without melting it.
- Keep the strawberry sauce in the fridge until you use it.
- If you use lemon juice instead of orange juice in the strawberry sauce you might want to add a little extra sugar.
- I like to use white sugar in the strawberry sauce and vanilla sugar in the whipped cream. You can do the same or just use all white sugar or all vanilla sugar. Or use a different sweetener of your choice.
- This is one of those recipes where the ingredients don’t need to be measured exactly. You can make everything to your taste – type of vanilla ice cream, portion size, sweetness of the sauce, etc.
- You can half the recipe for 1 portion or double it for 4 portions.
How to Make Spaghetti Ice Cream (German Spaghettieis)
First, place the potato ricer (or Spätzle press), ice cream scoop, and serving plates in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. I found that having these items cold (especially the serving plates) helped prevent the ice cream noodles from melting too quickly.
Next, test your ice cream – it should be easy to scoop. To press the ice cream through the ricer and create good noodles, the ice cream needs to be a bit soft (but not too soft). If your ice cream is too hard to scoop, place it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to soften up a bit.
Now make the strawberry sauce by pureeing the sliced strawberries, orange juice, and sugar in a blender or food processor.
If your strawberries are very ripe and sweet, or if you just want a less sweet sauce, you might not need all (or any) of the sugar. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar to taste. If you use lemon juice instead of orange juice, you might need more sugar.
Pour the sauce into a bowl and place in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Whip the heavy cream and vanilla sugar to stiff peaks using a whisk or hand mixer (I absolutely LOVE my Breville hand mixer with 2 whisk attachments because it whips cream in half the time of my old one).
I like to use vanilla sugar in my whipped cream but you can use white sugar + vanilla extract, white sugar only, powdered sugar or leave the sugar out all together (add sugar to taste). I often do that if the strawberry sauce is on the sweet side.
Keep the whipped cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
When you’re ready to serve Spaghettieis, gather all of your ingredients. The ice cream noodles will start to melt immediately so you want to work as quickly as you can.
To plate your Spaghettieis, first place a spoonful of heavy cream on a cold serving plate.
Then scoop ice cream into your ricer. My ricer is on the large side and I found I got the best noodles when I filled it pretty full. You might want to test your ricer (or Spätzle press) ahead of time. Depending on the size of your ricer, you might need more ice cream than what I suggest in the recipe.
Hold the ricer over the mound of whipped cream and press down to squeeze out the noodles. Swirl the noodles over the whipped cream so it looks like spaghetti.
Quickly top the noodles with with strawberry sauce and a sprinkle of grated white chocolate or coconut flakes. You can also add a cookie or wafer on the side.
Serve immediately!
If you enjoyed making Spaghettieis at home, you’ll also enjoy making my authentic homemade scones, clotted cream, and lemon curd!
German Spaghetti Ice Cream (Spaghettieis)
This popular German ice cream sundae that looks just like a plate of spaghetti but is made with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 cup [8oz / 215 g] strawberries (sliced)
- 1 TBSP orange or lemon juice
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 1/2 cup [113 ml] heavy cream
- 1 TBSP vanilla sugar
- 2-3 cups [300 -450 g] vanilla ice cream or gelato
- 2 tsp grated white chocolate or coconut flakes
Instructions
- Place the potato ricer (or Spätzle press), ice cream scoop, and serving plates in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- If the ice cream isn't easy to scoop. place it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to soften up a bit.
- Puree strawberries, orange juice, and sugar in a blender or food processor. Pour the sauce into a bowl and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- Whip heavy cream and vanilla sugar to stiff peaks. Store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- When you're ready to serve Spaghettieis, gather all of your ingredients and be prepared to work quickly.
- Place a spoonful of heavy cream on a chilled plate.
- Add a couple scoops of ice cream to the potato ricer. Hold the ricer over the whipped cream and press the ice cream through, swirling the ice cream spaghetti over the whipped cream.
- Top with strawberry sauce and a sprinkle of grated white chocolate or coconut flakes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- If your strawberries are very ripe and sweet, or if you just want a less sweet sauce, you might not need all (or any) of the sugar. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar to taste.
- If you use lemon juice instead of orange juice in the strawberry sauce you might want to add a little extra sugar.
- I like to use white sugar in the strawberry sauce and vanilla sugar in the whipped cream. You can do the same or just use all white sugar or all vanilla sugar. Or use a different sweetener of your choice.
- Spaghettieis melts quickly! Serve it as soon as you make it.
- Put the the potato ricer (or Spätzle press), ice cream scoop, and serving plates in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before making dessert.
- To get the best noodles, the ice cream needs to be a bit soft --- but not too soft, otherwise it will melt too quickly once on the plate. If you can't easily scoop the ice cream, place it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. That will soften it up a bit without melting it.
- This is one of those recipes where the ingredients don't need to be measured exactly. You can make everything to your taste - type of vanilla ice cream, portion size, sweetness of the sauce, etc.
- You can half the recipe for 1 portion or double it for 4 portions.
