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.