Gelato is a dessert-style hybrid reported to come from Sunset Sherbet and Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, and it was developed in the San Francisco Bay Area. The numbers in names like Gelato 33, 41 and 45 are phenotype selections of that cross. Here's the origin, what the numbers mean, how Gelato connects to Runtz, and every Gelato strain in our database.
What is Gelato?
Gelato is a hybrid cannabis strain that's most often reported as a cross of Sunset Sherbet and a Thin Mint cut of Girl Scout Cookies. It's known for a sweet, creamy, citrus-and-berry aroma, and for colourful, frosty flower.
That lineage comes from breeders and menus rather than independent testing, so it's best read as reported. For how types like hybrid are used, see our indica vs sativa guide.
Where did Gelato come from?
Gelato is generally credited to a Bay Area breeder working in the Cookies family, in the early-to-mid 2010s. Accounts agree on the Bay Area and the Cookies connection and differ on small details, so we leave it there.
The family tree is simple. Girl Scout Cookies is widely reported as a cross of OG Kush and Durban Poison, which ties Gelato back to the Kush line covered in our what is kush guide. Thin Mints is the cut of that Cookies line used here.
| Strain | Reported parentage | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset Sherbet | Reported Girl Scout Cookies and Pink Panties line | Parent of Gelato |
| Thin Mints | A Girl Scout Cookies cut | Parent of Gelato |
| Gelato | Sunset Sherbet with Thin Mint GSC | The family namesake |
| Runtz | Zkittlez with Gelato | Descendant of Gelato |
What do Gelato 33, 41 and 45 mean?
The numbers are phenotype or cut numbers. A phenotype is how a plant turns out when the same genetics are grown from different seeds. A breeder germinates many seeds from one cross, grows them all, and picks standouts by number. Each selected plant, kept and cloned, becomes a named cut. Our phenotype guide covers the idea in full.
That's the logic behind Gelato 41 and Gelato 45, and our records also include Gelato 44. You'll also see Gelato 33 on menus, commonly tied to the name Larry Bird, and some accounts list a 42 as well. Numbers show a different selection from the same cross, but they don't guarantee a specific smell, THC level or effect, and different growers sometimes use the numbers loosely.
In practice, two jars labelled Gelato 33 from different producers can differ. The batch lab results are the reliable part, not the number alone.
Gelato strains at a glance
The summary below is computed from our records, so it always matches the catalogue. It shows how many Gelato-family strains we track, how they split by type, and their typical THC.
- Gelato strains
- 125
- Indica-leaning
- 61
- Hybrid
- 54
- Sativa-leaning
- 9
- Typical THC
- 24%
What does Gelato smell like?
Gelato is usually described as sweet, creamy and fruity, with citrus, berry and sometimes a faint fuel or herbal edge. In terpene terms, that often points to limonene, caryophyllene and linalool, though batches vary. Our guide to what weed smells like explains the terpene link.
The charts below come straight from our records. The first shows the spread of THC across Gelato strains, and the second shows which terpene leads most often. They're averages of reported values, so any single batch can fall outside them. To read the numbers on a package, see reading cannabis labels.
THC ranges for the most searched Gelato strains
- Lemon Cherry Gelato19–29%
- Runtz19–30%
- Gelato18–26%
- Ice Cream Cake20–25%
- White Runtz18–30%
- Biscotti20–27%
- LA Bomba20–26%
- Gelato 4120–29%
- Jealousy18–30%
- Gelonade20–31%
- Gusher15–22%
- Cheetah Piss18–29%
Which terpene leads in Gelato strains
How to choose between Gelato cuts
When you see several Gelato cuts side by side, ignore the hype around any single number and read the label. Compare Total THC, then the terpene list, which is where the cuts tend to differ most. Two jars of Gelato 41 from different producers can still smell different, because growing conditions and curing matter as much as the genetics.
Freshness matters too. Check the packaged date and how the flower was stored, since aroma fades with age. Our guides on whether weed expires and how long a high lasts cover storage and timing. If a strain is new to you, start with a small amount, particularly with high-THC flower.
It also helps to know how the strain is consumed. Dried flower can be smoked in a joint or vaped, and the aroma that made Gelato popular is strongest in fresh, properly cured flower. Pre-rolls and concentrates sold under the Gelato name follow the same labelling rules, but the product format changes the experience, so read the format as well as the strain name. The name Gelato also appears on many flavour variants, so check that a jar is the strain you expect.
The chart above shows where most Gelato-family strains fall on THC, and the list at the bottom lets you open any strain for its own numbers. More THC by weight isn't automatically better, and tolerance differs from person to person.
Gelato in Canada
In Canada, every strain, Gelato included, must be sold through a provincially authorized retailer from a federally licensed producer under the Cannabis Act. Packages carry the same labelling and THC reporting as any other product, and adults can carry up to 30 g of dried cannabis in public.
For what that amount looks like, see our weed measurements guide.
Gelato strains in our database
Browse the most searched strains in the Gelato family below, with a search link for the rest. The list is generated from our records, so it updates on its own.
These are the 72 most searched. Search all Gelato strains
A name tells you about reported lineage. The lab results on the package tell you what's in the jar.
Sources: leafly.com, leafly.com, leafly.com, canada.ca, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca