Ice Cream Mix Calculator for Fat and Total Solids
Calculate ice cream mix by fat and solids
Ice cream mix calculator quick guide and typical ranges
This ice cream mix calculator for target butterfat and total solids helps you build a base that churns creamy and stable. Many classic mixes sit around eight to twelve percent butterfat and thirty six to forty percent total solids with about fifteen percent sucrose equivalent. Egg yolks enrich body and add emulsifiers; condensed milk boosts solids quickly if you prefer an egg free profile.
Choose your batch size, set fat and solids targets, then decide sugar and yolk percentages. If using condensed milk, enter a small percentage and the tool will rebalance cream and milk to meet the targets. If the solver cannot find non negative amounts for cream and milk at your settings, reduce condensed milk or yolks or move the fat or solids goal slightly.
How fat and total solids balancing is calculated
The calculator fixes sugar, yolk, and condensed milk as percentages of your total batch. Their fat and solids contributions are subtracted from your targets. The remaining weight is split between cream and milk by solving two equations: one for butterfat grams and one for total solids grams. Cream milk solids not fat are approximated by adding about five point eight percent to the cream fat to estimate its total solids, while whole milk is modeled at twelve and a half percent total solids. You can override fat assumptions for local products.
Sugar is modeled as one hundred percent solids with zero fat. Egg yolks are modeled at about fifty percent solids with roughly twenty six percent fat. Sweetened condensed milk is modeled at about seventy three percent solids with eight percent fat. These are reasonable starting points for home formulation. Always test churn, record texture and overrun, and adjust targets for your machine and palate.
Common ice cream mix questions
Why might the solver fail at my settings?
If sugar, yolk, or condensed milk percentages are high, the remaining fat and solids space can be too small to hit targets with just cream and milk. Reduce one input or move the targets closer together.
How do I include milk powder or stabilizer?
Increase the total solids target slightly and reduce sugar to keep sweetness in check. A dedicated version can add milk powder as another fixed percentage.
What about freezing point and scoopability?
Higher sugar and lower water lower the freezing point and soften texture. If your mix scoops too hard, raise sugar a little or increase total solids with condensed milk or powder.