Many individuals often confuse ice cream and frozen custard due to their similar appearance and taste; however, there is a significant difference between the two. The primary distinction between ice cream and custard lies in their key ingredients: ice cream mainly consists of milk, cream, and sweeteners, while frozen custard’s main ingredient is egg yolk. Custard is a dessert made from eggs, sugar, and milk. This article will primarily focus on the differences between ice cream and frozen custard since they are very similar in appearance.
Key Takeaways
- The main ingredients in ice cream are milk, cream, and sweeteners, while frozen custard’s main ingredient is egg yolk.
- Frozen custard is thicker and creamier than ice cream due to the addition of egg yolk.
- Ice cream has a high air content pumped into it, while the addition of air in frozen custard is natural and much less than ice cream.
What is Ice Cream?
Ice cream is one of the most popular desserts worldwide. The main ingredients of ice cream are milk, cream, and sweeteners. According to the United States Department of Agriculture standards, any food or dessert labeled as ice cream in the US must have 20% milk solids and 10% milk by weight. Any less, a dessert does not qualify to be an ice cream. Some of the costlier brands contain a lot more fat, containing 14-18% of milk fat. Another essential ingredient in ice cream is sugar, without which ice cream does not become yummy for all. Around 15% by weight in an ice cream is sugar.
Figure 01: Ice Cream Cone
Moreover, ice cream is full of air that is pumped inside when the ingredients are mixed and whipped. This air increases the volume of ice cream. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requires that there should be at least 4.5 pounds/gallon of ice cream, to ensure manufacturers do not pump in the excess air and cheat customers.
What is Frozen Custard?
Frozen custard makes use of cream and milk just like ice cream, but there is an additional ingredient in the form of egg yolk. According to FDA, any dessert that contains at least 1.4% egg yolk by weight is frozen custard. If this percentage of egg yolk goes down, the dessert qualifies to be an ice cream. The addition of egg yolk makes frozen custard thicker and creamier.
Figure 02: Chocolate Frozen Custard
Moreover, frozen custard is prepared fresh and not sold as ice cream. Thus, frozen custard does not contain additives and preservatives like ice cream.
What is the Difference Between Ice Cream and Custard?
Ice Cream vs Custard
Ice cream is a soft, sweet frozen food made with milk and cream. Custard refers to a variety of food based on a mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Frozen custard is a frozen dessert that looks like ice cream.
Main Ingredients
Milk, cream, and sweeteners. Egg yolk (1.4% by weight), milk, cream, and sweeteners.
Texture
Not as thick or creamy as custard. Thicker and creamier.
Air Content
A high air content is pumped inside when whipping up ice cream to increase its volume. Addition of air in frozen custard is natural and much less than ice cream.
Additives
May contain a lot of additives and preservatives. Contains no or very little additives and preservatives.
Summary – Ice Cream vs Custard
The term custard refers to many culinary preparations based on a mixture of milk, cream, and egg. Frozen custard is one such food, which falls under the category of frozen desserts. Many people do not understand the difference between ice cream and frozen custard since both these desserts are very similar in appearance. Overall, the difference between ice cream and custard lies in their ingredients, texture, and aeration process.
Image Courtesy:
1. “2360321” (Public Domain) via Pixabay
2. “FrozenCustard” By stu_spivack – Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
