what is dairy queen ice cream made of

Dairy Queen’s classic vanilla soft serve is made with milkfat and nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, whey, mono and diglycerides, artificial flavor, guar gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, and vitamin A palmitate. It’s also higher in air and lower in milkfat than standard ice cream, which is why it has that light, fluffy texture.

What that means

• Milkfat and nonfat milk give it the dairy base.

• Sugar and corn syrup add sweetness and help texture.

• Whey adds more dairy solids.

• Stabilizers and emulsifiers like guar gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, and mono/diglycerides help keep it smooth and consistent.

• Vitamin A palmitate is added to restore vitamin A in low-fat dairy products.

One useful detail

Dairy Queen’s soft serve is commonly described as not quite “ice cream” by FDA standards because it has about 5% milkfat, while ice cream typically needs at least 10%.

Quick note

Different DQ treats can have additional ingredients, especially chocolate coatings, mix-ins, and Blizzard add-ins.