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Vila Cova Kitchen

Order ahead, or find us at local markets and events throughout the summer.

Vila Cova Kitchen is a small kitchen creating handmade plant-based Gelatos and refreshing sorbets made with passion for quality ingredients and vibrant, seasonal flavors.

05/06/2026

***Tomorrow at the Benfeita Market***
That happy Gelato-eating-face could be be you.

Starting at 11, I will be there with my freezer full of flavors.
Hope to see you there.

27/05/2026

Been busy this week, but proud to present the color palette for Quinta dos Corgos on Saturday. Come to the market. Enjoy the beautiful setting. Indulge in guilt-free Gelatos ❤️

21/05/2026

🚀 Our Mission: Reducing Sugar for Higher Antioxidant-Power! 🧪✨

When we think of Italian gelato, we think of that creamy, velvety melt on the tongue. But behind that flawless texture lies a precise physical science—and the absolute star of the show is sugar.

Sugar is far more than just a sweetener – it acts as a natural anti-freeze, drastically lowering the freezing point of water. It is only because of the sugar that the gelato does not come out like an unmanageable block of ice, as it binds free water molecules and prevents large, crunchy ice crystals from forming on your tongue. At the same time high amounts of refined sugars can actually hinder your body’s ability to absorb beneficial antioxidants contained in nuts and fruits.

So, on our mission, this creates a dilemma: simply cutting out sugar for a more health conscious gelato completely ruins the structure. The gelato becomes rock-hard and feels watery. So the goal is to replace highly refined traditional sugars with smart, functional, and unrefined alternatives that support well-being without sacrificing texture.

🐢 Our Step-by-Step Journey:
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is the perfect gelato! Fine-tuning recipes requires a lot of testing in our kitchen. Because we cannot transform all our recipes overnight, we are taking this flavor by flavor.

🌳 The Swap: We replace Dextrose with Xylitol 🌳
The freezing point depression power of plant-based xylitol is exceptionally high. This allows us to keep the gelato texture the same while slashing the sugar content to an absolute minimum. No insulin spikes, no blocked antioxidants.

🌱 Açúcar Mascavo Claro 🌱
Instead of refined white sugar, we pair the Xylitol with unrefined brown cane sugar. It keeps the sugar levels low, brings its own natural polyphenols, as well as trace amounts of minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium from the original sugarcane juice into the mix.

🌾 Glucose Support 🌾
With Dextrose out of the equation, we rely on a little bit of complex glucose powder for structural support. Glucose consists of longer carbohydrate chains, meaning it has a much lower sweetness profile, while giving the structural stability to insure that the gelato doesn't melt instantly under the warm Portuguese sun!

👇 Let us know what you think about our Xylitol mission in the comments!

15/05/2026

🍨 For the M A R K E T tomorrow 🍨
🫐 I made a reduced-sugar-blueberries-coconut gelato! 🫐
As well as a few other gelatos and sorbets.

As you know... blueberries are considered one of the best natural sources of antioxidants. 💪

12/05/2026

My gelato M I S S I O N is to blend the goodness of healthy ingredients with the experience of a delicious summer treat.

That is why I do not use animal milks or eggs. I use mostly organic ingredients and fruit that grows on either our Quinta, or the ones of like-minded people - which is not certified, but for sure has never seen non-biological fertilizers or any insecticides.

Through cold-processing I aim to preserve the maximum of what polyphenol-rich ingredients, like fruit, nuts, chocolate and spices, offer. Without getting too technical, polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants that act like a "defense system" for both the plant and your body. In the context of gelato, using fresh, colorful ingredients means serving up a delicious way to help neutralize free radicals.

Next: Let’s talk about sugar. Stay tuned.

11/05/2026

Thinking about the Coja Market on Saturday, as I am looking at a brilliant weather forecast for this weekend. ☀ I am ready to open the Kitchen and start cranking the gelato machine. 🍦 Everything hinges on a notification, one final word from the Coja Market Committee on whether or not I can get a space at the market. Keep fingers crossed 🤞

05/05/2026

This is the new home base of the Vila Cova Kitchen, where you can find stories related to gelatos, ingredients, nutritional info and more. I will post flavors of the week, and places to come and get your treats. If you want to pre-order or feedback, please use the Vila Cova Kitchen WhatsApp group, as it is a more immediate and responsive channel.

Endereço

Vila Cova De Alva
3305-285

Website

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