Can Anybody Beat a Dairy Queen Blizzard?
Have you had a Dairy Queen Blizzard? This recipe came about because I had it for the first time this year and I was in complete shock by how tasty it was. I’ve never had a Dairy Queen near me, so in order to try one of these, I had to drive 45 minutes. While it was definitely worth the trip; it isn’t a routine I would want to do. I became a man on a mission to master this recipe so anybody reading this can get the same copycat Blizzard that I had.
The History of Soft Serve Ice Cream
Dairy Queen has been around since 1940 (Joliet, Illinois), and they expanded into Canada in 1953. The famous Blizzard wasn’t introduced until much later in 1985 and you could get one for $0.85. The Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard recipe was coming in just a matter of time.
Dairy Queen is taking the claim that they invented the soft serve in 1938 although Tom Carvel (from the famous Carvel) claims he started it in 1934 over Memorial Day. His story is that his ice cream van had a flat tire and his ice cream was melting and this phenomenon led to him selling out his entire van in two days. However, the skeptic that I am, am very curious to know how you can keep melted ice cream in a van with no cooling for two days? I’m guessing he’s also claiming the milkshake since that’s probably what his remaining inventory would end up as. lol.
Why is the Blizzard Upside Down?
The St. Louis franchisee owner, Sam Temperato, came up with the idea of serving it upside down. There was a nearby stand serving thick shakes with fruit and candy, and a regular 14 year old boy would come in and always ask for his shakes thicker and thicker at the nearby stand. Sam caught notice of this method of proving the thickness and knew it had to be a part of Dairy Queen. He brought the idea to the corporate team in 1983 and they loved it. So this is why we are going to give you a Blizzard as thick as Dairy Queen’s.
It’s Time for Ninja Creami Recipes
My goal is to make a homemade Blizzard equal or better than Dairy Queen; so I spent a lot of time trying to decide on the following methods:
- Buy really good ice cream
- Buy a soft serve machine (Cuinsart’s home machine)
- Buy a multi serve machine (Ninja Creami)
I’ve looked at every online Dairy Queen Blizzard recipe and everyone took the easy way and just mixed ice cream. So boring! Besides, it’s not the same thing too. So I moved to the next step: Buy a machine.
When I make a purchase for my home, I prefer to have something that can serve at least more than one purpose. I’ve wasted my money on panini makers, smoker guns, and other one trick ponies that catch dust after my ‘brilliant idea’. When I came across the Cuisinart soft serve ice cream machine, I felt it was just going to be that: Make ice cream, and throw in some mixers. But I was completely turned off when I saw a demo video and the guy was showing how to add M&M’s to the ice cream to mix; he opened the latch and it started falling all over the place. 😂 He didn’t even bother to edit the video; you can hear the anger in his voice.
I ended up getting the Ninja Creami and plan on making a lot of Ninja Creami recipes. The videos were solid and I was surprised nobody made a replica Blizzard with it yet. The mission continues.
Preparation Before a Recipe Shoot
Before I shoot any recipe I have to make the product at least once before. The more complicated, the more practice I need to give myself. As I was doing my research I came across a homemade vanilla ice cream recipe for the Ninja Creami. A perfect place to start! However I have three containers so it was time to experiment with a couple of other options: Thickening agents.
What makes a Dairy Queen Blizzard unique is not just the flavors but the gooey consistency. When you lift the spoon of ice cream up, the ice cream stays attached, almost like a cheese pull for mozzarella. Fortunately I went to Dairy Queen just last week and did a few cheese pull tests along with the upside down test.
To add thickening / gooeyness to ice cream I came across two options:
- Guar Gum: Comes from Guar beans (plant based), absorbs water quickly and commonly used in thicker dairy products.
- Xanthan Gum: Produced through a fermentation process (bacteria based), used for thickening sauces, dressings, gluten free foods.
Between the two, Guar Gum is mainly used for cold food, but Xanthan Gum can be used for both.
I bought both to do my own testing to see which is the best, and I’m glad I did because the end result with the Ninja Creami was really surprising and I’m saving you a lot of trouble and disappointment.
The Dairy Queen Blizzard Recipe Test Shoot
For the Youtube video, I was planning on doing a homemade vanilla whipped cream along with two tasty Blizzards: Reese’s peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies. In the three batches I made the same exact ingredients and marked them.
- Original
- Guar Gum Version
- Xanthan Gum Version
In order to make ice cream with the Ninja Creami, you have to prep the day before and let the containers freeze for at least 24 hours. When I removed all three, they looked pretty identical. I couldn’t tell the difference, fortunately I had them all labeled.
When each container goes in the Ninja Creami, the end result is what made the difference.
- Original Ice Cream: Delicious, thick. It melted just like normal ice cream. Upside down test: Passed
- Guar Gum Ice Cream: Delicious, wavy. It resembled the Dairy Queen Blizzard the most. Upside down test: Passed (even after eating half of the cup)
- Xanthan Gum Ice Cream: Super soft serve. I thought the Ninja Creami heated it up because it looked like it was super soft. It looked EXACTLY like a soft server machine, but it was not very thick. Upside down test: Failed
Now I know which to include in the recipe, and I strongly recommend not using Xanthan Gum. But if you want a smooth gelato, adding the smallest amount of Xanthan Gum to your batch will give this to you. Sidenote: Even after putting the final Nninja Creami ice cream blend in the freezer all day, I took the Xanthan Gum version out to see if it hardened at all, and NOPE, still soft like Gelato. Pretty trippy.
Key Points to Making a Good Blizzard
I’ve learned a lot making this copycat Blizzard and simplicity and quality of ingredients is the best route to success. I mean this when I’m explaining the ice cream base and also when it comes to the toppings. This recipe can give you just about any of the classic Blizzard combinations: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (my favorite), Oreo cookies, Animal Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookie, Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Butterfinger, Heath, or just about any crunchy cookie.
- If you don’t have a microwave, like me (I threw it away); you can heat up the cream cheese (Philadelphia was my choice) in a non-stick pan very quickly and just use a spatula to get it in the mixing bowl.
- I used A2 Whole Milk to reduce the bloated feeling I get with most dairy.
Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor Used for pulsing candy
- 1 Mixing Bowl Preferably metal for chilling in the freezer
- 1 Spatula For scraping the sides of the bowl
- 1 Serving cups Any type to serve the Blizzard in
- 1 Ninja Creami Kit for ice cream, gelato, sorbet of all kinds
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 + 2 cup + tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk A2 milk came out great
- 1/4 teaspoon guar gum
- 1/2 cup chunks of Oreo Cookies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, Chocolate Chips, or any other mixin Must prepare chunks before adding to ice cream. Creami isn't used to chop or process.
Instructions
Preparation
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the cream cheese for 10 seconds. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla extract, and guar gum with a spatula. As you finish adding the sugar, it will turn into a frosting type of look and get very thick in 60 seconds.1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon guar gum
- Slowly mix in the heavy cream and milk with a whisk until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved.1 + 2 cup + tablespoon heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- Pour base into a Ninja Creami Pint to the Scoopable Max Fill line. Place storage lid on pint and freeze for 24 hours. Must stand completely straight up; no angles.
- Prep the Mixins: Using the food processor, pulse the mixins to give you some small chunks. Empty the mixins on a strainer to remove any powder.1/2 cup chunks of Oreo Cookies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, Chocolate Chips, or any other mixin
Cooking / Creating
- Remove the pint from the freezer and remove the lid.1/2 cup granulated sugar
- The Creami should be on FULL and ICE CREAM which will last 2 minutes.
- Remove the pint from the machine and open a hole in the center of the pint to allow room for your mixins.
- Add the pint with the mixins and select FULL and MIX-IN for 1 minute.
Serving / Presentation
- For a great topping, use left over heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to whisk up some homemade whipped cream for the top.
- For a fun Dairy Queen touch, try holding the cup upside down briefly to show off the thick texture of your homemade Blizzard.
- Serve immediately with a long spoon and enjoy right away.