Spumoni Vs Neapolitan Ice Cream: What's The Difference?

Nothing beats ice cream on a hot summer day, but the worst part of going to the ice cream parlor, besides the mess of melted ice cream, is always which flavor to choose out of the litany of options.

If you are having a problem narrowing down your choices, you can always opt for a scoop of Neopolitan ice cream to get three flavors in one. Neapolitan is a traditional flavor of ice cream served in American scoop shops that combines three popular flavors of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Those with more of an international palate would probably prefer spumoni, a similar tri-colored frozen dessert hailing from Italy made of pistachio, cherry, and chocolate gelato with some mix-ins added for good measure.

The two desserts have a lot in common; they are both frozen and come in three vibrant colors that make both a three-for-one deal. But there are a few key differences that make the two desserts their own unique experience.

Though spumoni is made of ice cream, you would not find it in your typical ice cream parlor. This frozen dessert is made of gelato, a version of ice cream made in Italy which is usually comprised of more milk in place of the cream and eggs found in American ice cream. Gelato is also churned at a slower speed so less air is incorporated into the custard, and is served at a warmer temperature, giving it a softer texture. 

The gelato bases are traditionally flavored in pistachio, cherry, and chocolate, all of which are individually combined with whipped cream to make them lighter. Spumoni also has added texture from mix-ins such as chopped pistachios, maraschino cherries, chocolate flakes, and even crushed ameretti cookies. The three bases are layered in a loaf tin before being frozen and unmolded like an ice cream cake, which is then served by the slice. Some versions of spumoni swap out the chocolate flavor for vanilla, which when layered with the cherry and pistachio recreates the colors of the Italian flag.

Neapolitan ice cream is comprised of three of the most popular ice cream flavors in the U.S.: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, all layered together in one tub. The colored layers are what make spumoni and Neapolitan ice cream resemble each other so closely. However, Neapolitan ice cream does not include the mix-ins found in spumoni, which makes for a smoother texture.

Technically, spumoni is not pure ice cream because of the whipped cream mixed in. It is more aligned with the Italian dessert semifreddo, which translates to "half-frozen." You would more likely see spumoni served in an Italian restaurant instead of an ice cream parlor. However, some scoop shops carry a spumoni flavor of ice cream, which includes all the flavors and textures of spumoni in scoopable form.