Philadelphia Style

The original American ice cream—no eggs, no cooking, just dairy, sugar, and flavor. Named for Philadelphia’s historic ice cream tradition, this style produces clean, bright dairy flavor with straightforward preparation.

Characteristics

Property	Value
Fat %	~18–20%
MSNF	~9%
Total sugar	~16%
PAC	~208
Target overrun	50–80%
Character	Clean, bright, dairy-forward

Formula

Component	1 Qt	2 Qt	3 Qt	4 Qt
Base
Heavy cream (36%)	475g (2 c)	950g	1425g	1900g
Whole milk	240g (1 c)	480g	720g	960g
Granulated sugar	150g	300g	450g	600g
Skim milk powder	25g	50g	75g	100g
Fine sea salt	1.5g	3g	4.5g	6g
Vanilla extract	10g (2 tsp)	20g	30g	40g
Base total	~902g	~1803g	~2705g	~3606g

Note

This is a no-cook base. The simplicity is the point—fewer steps, pure dairy expression.

Calculated Values

Fat Breakdown

Source	Amount (1 Qt)	Fat Contribution
Heavy cream (36%)	475g	171g
Whole milk (3.5%)	240g	8.4g
Total fat		179.4g

Fat % = 179.4g / 902g × 100 = 19.9%

Caution

This high fat content is characteristic of Philadelphia style. It produces rich, creamy texture but may feel heavy to those accustomed to gelato.

PAC Calculation

Sugar	Amount (1 Qt)	PAC Value	Contribution
Sucrose	150g	100	15,000
Lactose (in dairy)	~38g	100	3,800
Total			18,800

PAC = 18,800 / 902g × 10 ≈ 208

Note

PAC of ~208 is intentionally firm—Philadelphia style is served harder than gelato, and the eggless base relies on this for clean scooping. For a softer texture, replace 30g sucrose with dextrose.

Method

Dissolve Sugar

In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, skim milk powder, and salt. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved (2–3 minutes). The mixture should feel smooth, not gritty.

Add Cream

Whisk in heavy cream until fully combined.

Add Vanilla

Stir in vanilla extract.

Chill

Cover and refrigerate until base reaches 4°C / 40°F. Minimum 2 hours, preferably 4+ hours. Unlike custard bases, no overnight aging required.

Churn

Pour into ice cream maker. Churn until temperature reaches –6°C / 21°F.

Harden

Transfer to container, press plastic wrap on surface, freeze minimum 4 hours.

No Cooking Required

The beauty of Philadelphia style is simplicity:

• No eggs to temper
• No heating to monitor
• No custard to strain
• No overnight aging required

Trade-offs:

• Less complex flavor (no Maillard from cooking)
• Less body (no egg protein structure)
• Higher overrun tendency
• Faster meltdown

Stabilizer Addition (Optional)

For improved texture and shelf life, add stabilizer:

Addition	Amount per 1 Qt
Commercial stabilizer blend	3g
Xanthan gum (alone)	1g

Method: Whisk stabilizer with sugar before adding to milk. This prevents clumping. No heat required for xanthan; other stabilizers may need brief heating to 85°C.

Variations

Lighter Version

Component	1 Qt
Heavy cream	300g
Whole milk	415g
Fat %	~14%

Vanilla Bean

For more complex vanilla:

Component	1 Qt
Vanilla bean	1 pod
Vanilla extract	5g

Split bean, scrape seeds into milk. Add pod. Heat milk mixture to 70°C, steep 30 minutes, remove pod, cool, then proceed.

Strawberry

Addition	1 Qt
Fresh strawberry purée	200g
Reduce milk to	150g
Reduce sugar to	120g

Add purée after base is chilled, before churning.

Best Applications

Philadelphia style excels for:

• Pure vanilla — Clean canvas for vanilla expression
• Fresh fruit — Fruit flavor uncompeted by egg
• Mix-in bases — Cookie dough, candy pieces
• Quick preparation — Same-day production possible

Comparison to Other Bases

Property	Philadelphia	French Custard	Gelato
Eggs	None	Yes (yolks)	Yes (yolks)
Cooking	None	Required	Required
Fat %	15–20%	14–18%	6–10%
Overrun	50–80%	40–60%	25–35%
Prep time	30 min + chill	2 hrs + overnight	2 hrs + overnight
Character	Light, clean	Rich, complex	Dense, intense

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