Frozen Custard vs. Ice Cream: Differences Between the Desserts

Frozen custard is a cold, creamy dessert made of milk, cream, sweetener, and egg yolks. The egg yolks in a custard recipe help the dessert retain a velvety, scoopable texture even after freezing and differentiate it from eggless (or Philadelphia-style) ice cream.

In the United States, a frozen custard must contain at least 1.4 percent egg yolk solids. Custard is especially popular across the American Midwest, where producers sell it at custard stands.

Ice cream is a frozen dessert made of milk, cream, and sweetener. There are two main types of ice cream: custard, which has egg yolks, and Philadelphia-style or eggless, which sometimes includes alcohol or other de-icers to retain a smooth, scoopable texture. Ice cream has a fluffy, creamy texture and is available in various flavors, including chocolate, chocolate chip, caramel, strawberry, pistachio, and vanilla.

Ice cream has the highest milk-fat content of any frozen dairy dessert, usually ranging from fourteen to twenty-five percent (the USDA requires ice cream to have at least ten percent milkfat).

Other frozen treats include Italian gelato, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and sorbet—differentiated from ice cream primarily by the amount of air, the butterfat percentage, or the inclusion of dairy products.

Here are the main differences between custard and ice cream:

• Ingredients: The main difference between custard and ice cream lies in the ingredients. Egg yolks are an optional ingredient in ice cream, but they are typically a part of custard recipes. The addition of egg yolks makes custard smooth and scoopable and prevents it from freezing solid. Ice cream recipes without egg yolks may call for a small amount of alcohol to prevent crystallization.
• Preparation: Since custard recipes call for egg yolks, they tend to be more challenging than eggless ice cream recipes—requiring you to temper the egg yolks and monitor the temperature of your mixture to avoid scrambling or undercooking.
• Texture: Often, custard recipes are richer and creamier than eggless ice creams since the egg yolks add thickness and prevent the mixture from crystallizing.

To make a standard frozen custard:

1. 1. Heat most of the core ingredients: Whisk the milk, heavy cream, and sugar in a large saucepan and let it cook over medium heat. You’ll need to add the egg yolks separately to avoid cooking them too quickly and turning them into scrambled eggs.
2. 2. Whisk the egg yolks separately: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.
3. 3. Temper the yolks: The trick to a smooth custard lies in your treatment of the egg yolks. Cooks use a technique called “tempering,” which involves adding half of the hot cream mixture to the egg yolks while whisking continuously. Tempering warms the eggs more gradually and prevents them from scrambling.
4. 4. Heat the mixture: After tempering the egg yolks, pour the entire mixture—yolks and all—back into the saucepan and heat until it reaches 170 degrees (to render the egg yolks safe to consume, according to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA) or coats the back of a wooden spoon.
5. 5. Cool: Cool the mixture to fridge temperatures to ensure it freezes well during churning.
6. 6. Churn: Once the mixture is completely cool, churn it in an ice-cream machine (or by hand) to add air bubbles, making it light and fluffy.
7. 7. Freeze: Once fluffy, store the mixture in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it.

To make a standard homemade ice cream base:

1. 1. Combine and heat the ingredients: Whisk the milk, cream, and sugar in a large saucepan, then allow it to cook over medium heat. Some home cooks forgo the heating step in favor of combining all ingredients directly in the bowl of an ice cream maker. However, most manufacturers heat the ingredients to ensure they’re well combined and allow the flavors to mingle. Some recipes may include alcohol to prevent the mixture from icing.
2. 2. Cool: Cool the mixture to fridge temperatures to ensure it freezes well during churning.
3. 3. Churn: Once the mixture is completely cool, churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker (or by hand) to add air bubbles, which will make it light and fluffy.
4. 4. Freeze: Once fluffy, serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream or store the mixture in the freezer until solid for firmer scoops.

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