Ice Cream Overrun & Recipe Calculator
Calculate ice cream overrun (air incorporation), final volume, and ingredient quantities for any batch size.
Ice Cream Making Guide
What Is Overrun?
Overrun: the percentage increase in volume of ice cream caused by air incorporation during churning. Overrun = (final volume − base volume) / base volume × 100. Cheap commercial ice cream: up to 100% overrun (half the product is air). Premium ice cream (Häagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's): 20-30% overrun. Denser, richer. Domestic machines: typically 25-40% overrun. Italian gelato: 25-35% (denser than American-style). Hard-pack vs soft-serve: hard-pack 30-50% overrun. Soft-serve 50-100% overrun. Why air
Basic Recipe Ratios
Philadelphia-style (eggless, easy): 60% cream (double or whipping), 30% whole milk, 10% sugar by weight. 1L batch: 600mL cream + 300mL milk + 100g sugar = ~950g base + flavourings. French custard style: 50% cream, 30% milk, 12% sugar, 4-6 egg yolks per litre. Cooked to nappe stage (82°C) before chilling. Gelato: 40% cream, 50% milk, 10% sugar. Less air, less fat than American ice cream. Often uses milk powder for body. Sorbet: fruit purée + sugar syrup. Sugar level critical: 25-30% sugar by weig
Why Sugar Levels Matter
Sugar's role: 1. Sweetness. 2. Freezing point depression — prevents ice cream from freezing rock-hard. 3. Texture. Sugar molecules disrupt ice crystal formation. Higher sugar = softer ice cream. Lower sugar = harder. Recipe testing critical for sorbets. Too little sugar: rocks hard. Too much: never properly freezes — slushy. Refractometer: measures sugar concentration of fruit puree (Brix scale). Ideal sorbet: 28-32 Brix. Glucose, dextrose, inverted sugar: alternative sugars used by professional
Equipment Comparison
Freezer bowl machines (e.g. KitchenAid attachment, Cuisinart): require bowl frozen 24 hours in advance. Churns one batch then needs refreezing. Cost £30-100. Adequate quality. Built-in compressor machines (e.g. Magimix Le Glacier, Sage Smart Scoop): no pre-freezing required. Make batch after batch. £200-500. Significantly higher overrun and smoother texture. Worth it if making ice cream frequently. Commercial machines (e.g. Carpigiani, Taylor): hard or soft serve. Industrial output. Used in rest
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