A Beginner’s Guide To Rolled Ice Cream

Every few years, it seems like there is a new dessert craze that blows up on Instagram. Whether it is fish-shaped ice cream cones, or larger-than-life milkshakes covered in pounds of candy, there never ceases to be a hot new trend. Today, we are covering an ice cream style that has been up-and-coming for the past few years (And in our opinion, it’s here to stay).

This phenomenon is known as rolled ice cream or “stir-fried ice cream.” The creation of this treat is more of an art than a science.

Starting with cream, condensed milk, and whichever mix-ins your heart desires, your ice cream chef furiously chops all of the ingredients together on an ultra-cool metal anti-grill until everything is folded together (For those of you who are missing the gym during the pandemic, this is a great way to keep your forearms looking swole). Once the ingredients are blended, the mixture is then spread thinly across the metal cook top “canvas” in a crepe-like fashion. As the mixture begins to dry it is then scrapped and rolled up into delicious round cylinders.

The result is a texture that can only be described as the love child between hard ice cream and soft serve. It is extremely creamy, yet it still has that full-bodied feel.

The final step is picking your toppings. Most places have preset options (Your traditional sundae option). However, a few lucky people will have access to choose-your-own adventure type shops where you will have the ability to load your ice cream with whatever toppings your heart desires.

Some of our favorite combos are:

• Cookies and Cream: A true classic that stands the test of time. Watch in amazement as the chef pounds Oreo chunks into the anti-grill. 
• S’mores: A popular flavor at most rolled ice cream shops. This will bring you back to the campfire with graham crackers pressed into the mix, and toasted marshmallow to top it off. This is a no brainer.
• Green tea: An OG flavor of rolled ice cream. Any of the tea flavors you might see likely stem back to rolled ice cream’s origins in Thailand.

 Although rolled ice cream may seem like a gimmick, it delivers. We think it’s a trend that will be here for a long time.

Want to expand your horizons even more? Check out some of our other beginner’s guides here.