What is ice cream overrun?

The new Taylor UK Jargon or Gibberish section is going to help you with some of the terminology used in the ice cream and catering trades to give you a better understanding about what we’re on about, so you know what you’re talking about…

What does ice cream Overrun mean?

Overrun is a term which gets used a lot in the ice cream trade. In simple terms it’s the percentage of air which is held within a frozen product.

All ice cream, gelato and sorbet products have a percentage of air. Without the air, these products would be very dense and hard, lacking the smooth texture which you would usually associate with these items.

Air increases the volume of the finished product, this ultimately increases profit but too much air can lower the quality of the product. Typically one litre of liquid ice cream mix before it’s frozen weights approximately one kilo, the same weight of mix once frozen will no longer fit in a one litre container, it will now require a 1.4 litre container because of the increase in volume due to the air content. For this reason, frozen ice cream style products are usually sold by volume opposed to weight.

Different frozen products have a different percentage of air, typical but not definitive examples are:

Scoop Gelato – Typically 25-30%

Scoop Ice Cream – Typically 50-60%

Soft Serve Ice Cream (gravity machine) – Typically 30-35%

Soft Serve Ice Cream (pump machine) – Typically 60-80%

How to calculate the overrun of your product/machine?

Step 1 – Place an empty container on a set of scales and zero the reading.

Step 2 – Fill the container with un-frozen liquid mix right to the brim and place on the scales. Make a note of the weight of the mixture.

Step 3 – Clean and dry the container. Fill the container with frozen product directly from the machine; with a straight edge, level the top off.

Step 4 – Place the container of frozen product on to the scales. Make a note of the weight of the frozen mixture.

Step 5 – Use the formula bellow to calculate the overrun of your frozen product.

• Measure the Volume of the Mix (Y): Before incorporating air, measure the volume of your raw shake or soft serve mix. For example, if you have 15 oz of mix, that’s your starting point.

• Measure the Volume of the Finished Product (X): After blending or freezing, measure the final volume of the shake or soft serve with the air incorporated. Suppose the volume now measures 10 oz.

• Calculate the Difference: Subtract the initial volume (Y) from the final volume (X).

• Divide by the Initial Volume: Divide the difference by the initial volume of the mix.

• Multiply by 100: Multiply the result by 100 to get the overrun percentage.

In this example, the overrun is 33%, meaning that 33% of the final product’s volume is air, which gives it that light and fluffy texture.

Why Is Overrun Important?

The right amount of overrun affects the texture, mouthfeel, and even the taste of your product. If there’s too little air, your soft serve or shake may end up dense and heavy, while too much air can make it too light and possibly dilute the flavor. Ideally, the overrun for soft serve should range between 35% and 60% for optimal quality and consistency.

PLEASE NOTE – Overrun percentage is affected by multiple variables including but not limited to; machine condition, product recipe/formulation, machine type/configuration. The information contained in this article is for illustration and guidance purposes only, your overrun percentages maybe different.