Zabaglione Recipe

Name: Zabaglione
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Zabaglione custard:; 6 egg yolks; 1/3 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest; Pinch ground cinnamon; Drop vanilla extract; 3/4 cup Marsala; Serve with:; 1 cup heavy cream, whipped; Strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti

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Zabaglione is a simple Italian dessert made of egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine. It is usually served warm, though it can be served cold, as a sauce, or even frozen.

Where Does Zabaglione Come From?

The Gourmet Sleuth writes, "Zabaglione is said to have been invented in the 16th Century in Florence, Italy in the court of the Medici. This dessert is classified as a 'caudle' rather than a custard. A 'caudle' is a sauce used as a custard to fill pies or tarts. The original pre-sixteenth century version was a drink made or wine or ale thickened with egg yolks."

I found the original recipe for zabaglione in the out of print Time Life The Good Cook series’ Wine volume. The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of sugar, which in all of our opinions here was way too much.

A Lower Sugar Zabaglione Recipe

I have since found similar recipes calling for half as much sugar. So, I would suggest 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, depending on taste.

This is actually quite easy to make. You just need a double boiler set up, or a stainless steel bowl on top of, but not touching, simmering water.

Two parfait glasses with a custard dessert topped with cream and layered with strawberries. — Annika Panikker

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Watch This Zabaglione Recipe

The Difference Between Zabaglione and Sabayon

Zabaglione is often called sabayon (or zabayon). Zabaglione is an Italian dessert, and sabayon is the French version of zabaglione. Sabayon is typically served over fresh fruit; sometimes it's broiled over fruit in a dish and called a gratin.

Tips for Preparing the Custard

Zabaglione needs constant whisking, so that it doesn't overcook or curdle. Make sure you have all of the ingredients ready so that you don't overcook the custard.
Adjust the sugar. If you prefer your zabaglione sweeter, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time until you hit the right sweetness level for your taste buds.

Other Wines to Use in Zabaglione

Marsala wine is the traditional ingredient in zabaglione, but feel free to substitute it with another sweet wine, like sherry, Madeira, sparkling Moscato, or another dessert wine. Even some Grand Marnier would work.

How to Serve Zabaglione

Zabaglione is not a make-ahead dish. Leave it too long and all of your hard whisking work will be wasted once the dessert deflates over time.

It's served quite often in restaurants folded into whipped cream, which helps hold the custard chilled for several hours. You can then spoon it over a slice of cake or panettone.

Zabaglione can also be served in a bowl or dish topped with some fresh fruit, like pears, raspberries or sliced strawberries. It can be the star dessert just topped with some toasted almonds or with just a couple of biscotti.

More Classic Italian Desserts to Try!

Zabaglione

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Cooling Time 15 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 6 servings

Zabaglione custard:

6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Pinch ground cinnamon
Drop vanilla extract
3/4 cup Marsala

Serve with:

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Strawberries, raspberries, or biscotti

Put the custard ingredients into a bowl:

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large, round-bottomed stainless steel or Pyrex bowl. Add the grated lemon zest, a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the Marsala.

Annika Panikker
Prepare a double boiler:

Fill a pot halfway with water, and bring the water to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Set the bowl containing the custard mixture over the water.

Note: the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.

Annika Panikker
Whisk the custard mixture until it thickens:

Whisk the custard mixture, making sure that the water in the pot below is just gently boiling and not touching the bowl. This ensures a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without curdling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture.

Continue whisking for several minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up, and becomes pale.

Annika Panikker

Annika Panikker
Remove the bowl from the pot:

When the custard reaches the desired consistency, take the container of custard out of the pot. Slightly thickened, the custard can be used as a sauce. Longer cooking will thicken the custard further, giving it the texture of mousse. Continue whisking for a minute or two to prevent the custard from sticking to its container.

Annika Panikker
Serve warm or cooled:

Serve the custard while still warm, or, if you want to serve it cool, set it aside for about 15 minutes.

Add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together. Reserve some of the whipped cream to serve on top.

Ladle the zabaglione into individual dishes. Serve with whipped cream, berries, and/or cookies, such as biscotti.

Annika Panikker

Annika Panikker

Annika Panikker

Annika Panikker

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
284	Calories
20g	Fat
17g	Carbs
8g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	284
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g	26%
Saturated Fat 11g	55%
Cholesterol 262mg	87%
Sodium 266mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 17g	6%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 8mg	38%
Calcium 66mg	5%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 168mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.