Every child in America has at least one good memory of visiting Dairy Queen for a topped ice cream cone or even a sundae. It is one of the most adored dessert shops and for good reason. The Dairy Queen Ice cream is arguably their famous dessert with various floors and various toppings as well as creative serving methods. For many dessert lovers or sweet-toothed people, Dairy Queen Ice cream gives an extensive menu to pick from: from ‘Chocolate Extreme Blizzard’ to ‘Mocha Almond Fudge’ and other exotic options. There are also variously flavored sundaes to pick from with options of your ice cream coming in a branded cup, waffle cone, or waffle cup. But, Is Dairy Queen Real Ice Cream?
It might shock all DQ Ice cream lovers to finally realize that their beloved franchise does not sell actual ice cream. There are rigid guidelines that oversee the production and classification of all food products governed by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These strict guidelines mean the famous Dairy Queen desserts cannot be classified or exactly addressed as actual ice cream. The dessert enterprise rather uses the term “soft serve” to address their dessert.
What is the problem? It’s their content of milk fat. According to the FDA, for a product to be considered ice cream, the product must not have a content of less than 10 percent milkfat nor a content of 10 percent nonfat milk solids, and Dairy Queen’s soft-serve desserts just don’t meet the requirements.
Big ups to Dairy Queen however for explaining succinctly on its website why it cannot use the term “ice cream” on its menu: “To be categorized as ice cream, the minimum butterfat content must be 10 percent, and our soft serve has only 5 percent butterfat content.” Dairy Queen soft-serve desserts have been recognized, embraced, and loved for over 76 years and even as FDA guidelines have evolved over the years to redefine what qualifies as ice cream, Dairy Queen’s desserts recipes have remained the same.
What are the key ingredients in Dairy Queen’s Ice Cream?
Given us Mr. Krabs and the Krabby Patty’s secret formula vibes, we cannot tell exactly how the Dairy Queen soft-serve desserts are made especially the ‘ice cream’ but we’ll give a little summary as to what it contains. It’s safe to assume that with their new head quarter’s move to Bloomington, Dairy Queen also moved the safe deposit box containing the secret recipe with it. Let us remember that while Dairy Queen’s ‘ice cream is served frozen (to some extent), creamy and sweet, it is not exactly ice cream. It falls short of the FDA’s guidelines that require ice cream to have at least 10 percent milkfat and Dairy Queen only has 5 percent. A regular vanilla cone contains:
- Air: It is baffling; we know but 40% of any Dairy Queen soft serve is air which is honestly not abnormal for any ice cream product.
- Milkfat and Nonfat Milk
- Cake Cone: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Mono and Diglycerides, Guar Gum: The first two ensure a smooth texture in the soft serve, and the latter, the guar gum prevents ice crystal growths in soft-serve desserts.
Other ingredients include small additions of Sugar, Corn Syrup, Whey, artificial flavor, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, and more.
Dairy Queen includes the recipes of all soft-serve deserts to ensure transparency and for customers to check for allergens.
Is the Dairy Queen Soft Serve Healthy?
For a lot of people, desserts are eaten without hesitations or second thoughts; either as a way to indulge a sweet tooth, satisfy cravings or just enjoy the good life with friends and family, ice cream is the way to go. However, a small percentage of people show hesitation to carelessly indulge in the yummy soft serve. The first thing to note is the insane amount of calories; Dairy Queen has repetitively said that their soft serve is not 95 percent fat-free because it only contains only 5 percent butterfat (so much for wishful thinking). A visit to any Dairy Queen outlet is a calling for empty calories that you might not have bargained for except you are having the Kiddies Vanilla cone. The hard fact is simply that a Dairy Queen ‘ice cream’ might not be the best decision when sticking to a strict diet especially a diet of 2000 calories and less as a serving of ‘ice cream’ might take up to 72 percent of your recommended daily calories. Considering one of Cookie Blizzards? My apologies Hunny but on the Dairy Queen website, that’s about a hefty 1,310 calories. Perhaps the popular large Peanut Butter Sundae? 780 of your 2000 calories are gone in a heartbeat. The Dairy Queen Ice Cream is not exactly advisable for a strict diet, weight loss, or weight maintenance.
Asides from these, the Dairy Queen soft-serve recipes as listed on their website have certain ingredients although all are FDA approved. Mono and diglycerides that help with the smooth texture for instance can cause irritation in high concentrations and must have a monitored quantity in food products. The guar gum on the other hand has been linked to various health conditions like abdominal pain, flux, spasms, asthma, and flatulence.
Let’s not even go into certain hygiene issues Dairy Queen has been involved with over the years. Between 2015 to 2019, Diary Queens made the national news for constantly violating health and safety violations. People feared that one bite of Dairy Queen soft-serve might contain dirt, sour milk, or roaches. The hygiene standards in a lot of Dairy Queen outlets have publicly been exposed and criticized and are one more thing for customers to worry about.
Dairy Queen’s Low-Calorie Alternatives
As a considerate enterprise, Dairy Queen began producing frozen yogurt as a low-calorie alternative to its usual soft serve ice cream and it was a tremendous hit. Popularly known as Breeze, this product has 25 calories per ounce as opposed to the regular soft serve’s 35 calories per ounce. You could also consider any of the Kid’s ice cream cones which are a lot less in calories ranging from 170 calories – to 200 calories. The top 3 lowest-calorie sundaes are small chocolate sundaes, small pineapple sundaes, and the small strawberry sundae ranging from 230 -to 270 which are also healthier alternatives. You could also try their other low-calorie desserts like the Blizzard. It is best to check the website or ask customer care representatives to know your options.
Conclusively, Dairy Queen ‘ice cream’ cannot exactly be classified as ice cream because they do not meet the FDA’S strict guidelines of what ice cream is and is not. They are instead addressed as soft serve but not to worry, the less milk fat content doesn’t make the soft serve any less delicious. Dairy Queen has outlets in over 30 countries, is widely embraced, and is the forever favorite of many ice cream-eating individuals.
Frequently asked Questions
- Why does Dairy Queen make me sick?
The answer to this might be lactose intolerance. If you experience gas, cramping, or diarrhea right after eating Dairy Queen treats, you may be lactose intolerant. This is a condition in which an individual can’t fully digest the sugar in milk. The best option would be to consult a doctor and stay away from Dairy Queen.
- What is Dairy Queen Blizzard?
The Blizzard is a popular Dairy Queen treat with a thick blend of ingredients such as sundae toppings, pieces of cookies (such as Oreos), and/or candy. It is a customer favorite and Dairy Queen has sold more than a million servings.
