Overrun

The amount of air whipped into ice cream or another frozen dessert during freezing, expressed as a percentage increase in volume.

Overrun: A scoop of creamy ice cream cut in half to show its fine, airy texture with tiny air cells
  • Food science and baking chemistry

Also called: ice cream overrun

Overrun is calculated by comparing the volume of the finished frozen product with the volume of the mix it came from. If one gallon of mix makes two gallons of ice cream, the overrun is 100 percent. Air is beaten in as the mix is churned and frozen, and it is what keeps ice cream scoopable instead of rock-hard.

Overrun has a big effect on texture and value. Premium ice creams tend to have low overrun and feel dense and rich, while economy products often have more air and feel lighter. Gelato and frozen custard are typically churned with little air. US standards set a minimum weight per gallon for ice cream, which limits how much air can be added.

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Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Determination of Overrun in Icecream, Virtual Labs (IIT Kanpur, Govt. of India)