What Is Philadelphia-Style Ice Cream?

Ice cream comes in two classic styles, and the difference changes everything about how it tastes. Here's the short version.

Philadelphia-style vs. French-style

French-style (custard) ice cream is made with egg yolks, which add richness but also mute delicate flavors. Philadelphia-style skips the egg entirely, using just dairy, sugar, and flavor, so the base tastes cleaner and the featured flavor comes through brighter.

What “overrun” means

Overrun is the amount of air whipped into ice cream as it churns. High-overrun ice cream is fluffy and light, and there's literally less ice cream in the pint. Low-overrun ice cream is denser, creamier, and heavier in the hand.

A real example

Be Free's Sea Salt Assault is churned Philadelphia-style (no egg) at 12% milkfat with a low overrun, so less whipped-in air means it lands dense and creamy on the spoon, with the sea salt and pralined pecans front and center.

Why craft brands choose it

Philadelphia-style rewards real ingredients: with no custard to hide behind, the dairy and the flavor have to stand on their own. That's the approach behind Be Free's café-developed pints: small batches, real ingredients, bold flavors.