A Quick Guide to Ice Cream Overrun

What is overrun?

Ice Cream overrun refers to the amount of air that is incorporated into ice cream during the churning process.

A higher level of overrun will result more ice cream being produced at the end of churning. Ice cream manufacturers love overrun. It means they can sell a tub of ice cream; half of that being air. It’s a great way to reduce costs.

Governments regulate how much overrun can be incorporated into commercially made ice cream.

An ice cream with 100% overrun: means air has doubled the quantity of the ice cream from when the ice cream base was first added to the machine.

An ice cream with 50% overrun: means air has increased the quantity of the ice cream by 1.5 times from when the ice cream base was first added to the machine.

Commercial v domestic overrun

Overrun will vary depending on the type and brand of ice cream machine used. A commercial machine has dashers that rotate at 100+ rpm and can create a lot of air.

The end result is ice cream with as high as 150% overrun. Domestic ice cream makers such as a Cuisinart could be as low as 20% as their dashers are much smaller and slower.

The impact of overrun on ice cream recipes

Keep overrun in mind when you’re making ice cream at home. The yield quantity that I state in recipes may not yield the same for you. This is because overrun varies by ice cream maker.

The more you use your ice cream maker at home, the better you’ll understand the overrun you can expect from your finished product.