What is soft serve?

Soft serve, often called soft ice cream, is known for its smooth and fluffy texture. This softness comes from the introduction of air during the freezing process. This air is referred to as “overrun,” and it plays a key role in the texture of the final product. Overrun can vary from 10% to 60%—lower percentages result in a denser, icier texture, while higher percentages create a lighter, creamier feel. Both have their own pros and cons, which you can learn more about here! The basic ingredients used to create soft serve include milk fats, milk solids, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, water, and flavorings. If some of these terms seem unfamiliar, don’t worry! You can learn more about each ingredient at this link.

Key Differences Between Soft Serve and Ice Cream

While soft serve and ice cream are equally delicious desserts, the two terms are not technically interchangeable! As we mentioned above, the overrun content in soft serve is much higher than that in regular hard ice cream. Soft serve usually contains around 3%-6% butterfat, while hard ice cream must contain at least 10% butterfat to legally be considered ice cream. Last but not least, soft serve is produced at a temperature of around 25°F while hard ice cream is made at a much colder temperature of about -5°F. To learn more about the differences between soft and hard ice cream, please refer to this article on our site.

Different Types of Soft Serve Product

The delicious treat we all know and love comes in many different forms, and which one tastes best is totally up to personal preference! The two most popular ways soft serve ice cream comes is powdered or liquid. Powdered soft serve is soft serve that comes in a bag and has the longest shelf life. It usually needs to be mixed thoroughly with water, milk, or some other type of solvent. Liquid soft serve is super convenient and comes ready to pour into your machine. If you are not using it right away though, it must be stored in a freezer until you are ready to use it, then thawed out in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. To learn more about the different types of soft serve, refer to this post on our Instagram.

Equipment Needed to Serve Soft Ice Cream

Now that you know what soft serve is, let’s get to the real question: how do you make it? Authentic soft serve is created by pouring soft serve mix into a commercial soft serve machine. While there are methods to make soft serve at home, they’re not practical for high-volume establishments like restaurants. Lucky for you, Spaceman offers a variety of machines in different sizes and specs, including single flavor, twin-twist, countertop, and floor-standing models. To explore our wide range of commercial soft serve machines, click here to visit our website!

How does soft serve differ from other frozen desserts?

Soft serve isn’t the only frozen treat we all love: what about milkshakes, sorbet, custard, gelato, or frozen yogurt?! All of these frozen delights might differ in taste, but did you know that they can all be produced in Spaceman soft serve machines? That’s right – even though our machines are called ‘commercial soft serve machines’,  that doesn’t mean they are only capable of making soft serve! However, if you’re interested in serving one of the above mentioned treats at your establishment, we always recommend using store-bought product. While creating your own soft serve or gelato may be rewarding and super delicious, it is a pretty tricky task. If you choose to do this, please consult a professional and know that it will be trial and error until you perfect your product!

We hope this article has given you a better understanding of soft serve—how it’s made, how it compares to other frozen desserts, and more. If you have any questions or need some guidance in choosing the right soft serve machine for your business, please reach out to us at success@spacemanusa.com.