Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe - Recipes.net (2024)

Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe - Recipes.net (1)

Beat the summer heat with our easy-to-make Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe! No need to go out and endure the hot sun with this cold dessert in hand. This recipe lets you recreate Dairy Queen’s famous soft ice cream with just a few ingredients. Although, you will need the special help of a soft serve ice cream maker to make this delicious frozen dessert.

Soft serve, or soft ice cream, is a popular icy treat that’s usually sold at fairs, amusem*nt parks, and even carnivals. Although it’s often confused with regular ice cream, soft serve is actually different from its classic counterpart. It’s made using more air than normal ice cream, and has less milk fat in its ingredients. The result gives it a softer, creamier texture that’s addicting as it is irresistible. Although popular American ice cream franchise Carvel says that they invented this icy treat, Dairy Queen also claims the same. Whatever the case may be, we’re all thankful this cold treat is now here for everyone to enjoy! Although it’s just basically softer ice cream, soft serve gives off a totally different eating experience. It’s lighter and less dense than ice cream, so the sensation it leaves on the tongue is definitely one of a kind.

The good thing about Dairy Queen’s delicious icy treats is that you can enjoy eating them even when it’s not summer. Soft ice cream is such a well-loved dessert that a lot of people have them as a staple snack when going on roller coaster rides in amusem*nt parks. If you want to complete the whole theme park experience, we recommend you try our Homemade Cotton Candy Recipe!

How To Make Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve

Get a taste of smooth, creamy vanilla soft serve ice cream with our Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe.

Prep: 35 mins

Chill Time: 6 hrs

Total: 6 hrs 35 mins

Serves:

Ingredients

  • 2 envelopes gelatin
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 cups cream

Instructions

  1. Soak the gelatin in cold water.

  2. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan until simmering. Make sure not to boil.

  3. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.

  4. Add the gelatin, sugar, vanilla, and salt.

  5. Cool completely before adding the cream.

  6. Chill for 6 hours or a whole night to further intensify the flavor.

  7. After chilling, pour into a 4-quart ice cream maker.

  8. Churn for about 15 to 25 minutes until the mixture has the desired texture of soft serve.

  9. Use a spatula to scoop ice cream into a pastry piping bag and squeeze it into a cup or cone for a classic soft-serve swirl, and serve!

Nutrition

  • Sugar: 28g
  • :
  • Calcium: 98mg
  • Calories: 290kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 29g
  • Cholesterol: 67mg
  • Fat: 18g
  • Iron: 1mg
  • Potassium: 114mg
  • Protein: 3g
  • Saturated Fat: 11g
  • Sodium: 117mg
  • Vitamin A: 755IU
  • Vitamin C: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer

Want to recreate this classic treat at home? Share your experience and any tweaks you made to this copycat Dairy Queen soft serve recipe in the Baking and Desserts forum!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make soft serve ice cream without an ice cream maker?

Not a lot of people have an ice cream machine laying around at home. Given that, there’s actually a way to make soft serve ice cream without using a special machine. The secret ingredient is to use food-grade dry ice. All you have to do is break the dry ice up into tiny bits, and slowly add it into your ice cream base. Use a blender to mix the dry ice and your soft ice cream base together. Oh, and don’t forget to use gloves when handling dry ice!

Is soft serve healthier than regular ice cream?

Frozen desserts like ice cream and soft serve aren’t exactly known for being healthy. They’re sweet icy snacks, after all. However, soft ice cream does have less milk fat than its popular counterpart. The trick is always to eat these delicious goodies in moderation.

Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe - Recipes.net (2)

Conclusion

Our copycat Dairy Queen soft ice cream is the perfect dessert for summer! To make your eating experience even better, you can also add some toppings like nuts or sprinkles. The summer heat won’t be as unbearable when you have this frozen dessert to help you out!

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Copycat Dairy Queen Soft Serve Recipe - Recipes.net (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in DQ soft serve? ›

Dairy Queen soft serve is a delicious reduced fat ice cream containing the following ingredients: Milkfat and Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Whey, Mono and Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Guar Gum, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan and Vitamin A Palmitate.

What makes Dairy Queen soft serve different? ›

While the vast majority of soft serve is in the 10% to 15% butter fat range, DQ uses 5% butter fat. (think 1% milk, 2% milk, etc) Of course fat adds flavor, which is why ice cream has so much fat. In it's liquid form Soft Serve is called mix. The mix has air added in a very specific proportion.

Did Dairy Queen change their soft serve recipe? ›

But, even though our soft serve may have been categorized differently in the past, our recipe has not changed. DQ soft serve contains 5% butterfat, which is not the same as 95% fat-free.

Why is DQ soft serve so good? ›

That's Not the Only Difference

This is because soft serve ice cream has air added into it to enhance creaminess during the freezing process. The soft serve is also kept at a different temperature when compared to regular ice cream and contains emulsifiers to keep all the ingredients together.

Is DQ soft serve healthier than ice cream? ›

Ultimately, it depends on the recipes being used, but, generally speaking, soft serve tends to be the healthier choice between the two. This is due to the fact that soft serve contains around 3%-6% of milk fat, while ice cream must contain at least 10% by federal law.

Why is Dairy Queen soft serve not ice cream? ›

"To be categorized as ice cream, the minimum butterfat content must be 10 percent, and our soft-serve has only 5 percent butterfat," DQ writes. It's not ice cream, but it is delicious.

What makes Dairy Queen ice cream so thick? ›

DQ's Blizzards have a high viscosity because of emulsifiers (aka the things that keep the soft serve's ingredients from separating), which hold on to the air blended into the soft serve. Plus, after adding all the brownies, candy and/or cheesecake pieces, even more air is added.

What makes soft serve so creamy? ›

The liquid base used in soft serve ice cream typically consists of a mixture of milk, sugar, and stabilizers. Stabilizers, such as gelatin or cornstarch, are added to the base to help create a smooth and creamy texture. These ingredients work together to create a soft and airy consistency that is unique to soft serve.

What kind of soft serve machine does Dairy Queen use? ›

As the manufacturer of the first soft serve machine for Dairy Queen, Stoelting is the go-to brand for quality frozen treat equipment for any commercial food service application.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating Dairy Queen? ›

If you have experienced gas, cramping, or diarrhea after eating ice cream or other dairy-rich foods, you may be lactose intolerant.

Why does Dairy Queen ice cream melt so fast? ›

The Basics

If you've ever compared how quickly a Blizzard melts compared to hard ice cream, you'll have noticed that Blizzards become liquidy much faster. This trait can be attributed to the soft serve's air content. In contrast, ice cream without added air tastes denser and melts slower.

What company owns Dairy Queen? ›

Through its subsidiaries, IDQ develops, licenses and services a system of more than 7,000 locations in over 20 countries. IDQ is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which is led by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire.

Why does soft serve ice cream taste different? ›

A Difference in Texture, Taste, and Ingredients

While this ratio may vary slightly between products, regular ice cream always has a higher percentage of milk fat than soft serve and is produced at a lower temperature.

What's the difference between soft serve and ice cream? ›

Soft serve, also known as soft ice, is a frozen dessert, similar to ice cream, but softer and less dense due to more air being introduced during freezing. Soft serve has been sold commercially since the late 1930s in the United States.

What ingredients is in Dairy Queen ice cream? ›

Vanilla Cone - Kids' Artificially Flavored Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream: Milkfat And Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Whey, Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Guar Gum, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, Cake Cone: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, ...

Are Dairy Queen shakes made with real ice cream? ›

Dairy Queen Shakes

In fact, like McDonald's, Dairy Queen doesn't even call its shakes milkshakes, it too sticks with "shakes." And malts. Both the shakes and malts at DQ use as a base "Artificially Flavored Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream" which, according to the proper definition of ice cream is not real ice cream.

What is the main ingredient in soft serve ice cream? ›

Soft serve is a frozen dairy product produced by freezing a heat-treated mixture of milk, cream, milk solids, sugars, stabilisers, emulsifiers and flavourings. Soft serve differs from hard ice cream in that the final product is formed at retail, made from a powdered or liquid premix.

What chemical is in soft serve ice cream? ›

An ingredient such as tetrasodium phosphate gives soft serve its smooth and even texture. Ingredients such as maltodextrin and carrageenan thicken the ice cream, while potassium phosphate helps prevent the ice cream from changing its texture and form in undesired ways over time.

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