Rolled ice cream: Its history and how it’s made

Rolled ice cream, also known as Thai rolled ice cream, stir-fried ice cream, and marble-top ice cream, is a sweetened frozen dessert.

Made popular through photo-sharing platforms such as Instagram, these sweet treats appear as little swirls of ice cream clustered together in a small cup, covered in colourful toppings.

In this article, we shed light into its history, the unique process of making it, and how it differs from regular ice cream.

Where did rolled ice cream originate?

It is widely believed that rolled ice cream originated from Thailand in 2009. Due to its growing popularity, it spread throughout Asia in the early 2010’s thanks to viral videos posted across social media.

Soon after, the food sensation spread throughout major cities in the United States and is now a popular dessert across the world.

The process of making rolled ice cream

A liquid ice cream base is poured onto a metal disc or plate called an ‘ice pan’ that is kept at temperatures below freezing. Once the liquid hits the surface, it begins to freeze.

The preparer must be quick whilst this liquid freezes and begins to manipulate the cream with a pair of metal spatulas, spreading it evenly across the entire surface of the pan. Depending on the recipe, the preparer adds any additional ingredients to the mixture.

Once the ice cream freezes, the preparer uses his spatula to scoop the ice cream into rolled strips. The rolls are then put into paper ice cream cups and served to customers.

What is the difference between rolled ice cream and regular ice cream?

Rolled ice cream is not pulled from frozen buckets by the scoop like regular ice cream. Instead, its liquid base is poured onto a frozen pan and then chopped, mixed, spread, and rolled.

Although it takes more time to prepare, many describe a different texture when eating rolled ice cream. It mainly provides more customisation with toppings that can be added while the preparer is manipulating the ice cream on the pan.

Can you make ice cream rolls at home?

You certainly can. There are various tutorials and recipes to guide you online.

The ingredients of rolled ice cream

Like traditional ice cream, ice cream rolls come in a wide variety of flavours. Some of the most popular flavours include:

• Cookies ‘n crème
• Strawberry
• Chocolate
• Pistachio
• Mango
• Vanilla
• Coffee

Besides selecting a base flavour, people can choose from a limitless mix-ins and toppings. Popular toppings include:

• Fresh fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, mangoes, etc.
• Nuts: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, etc.
• Sweets and chocolate: chocolate chips, M&Ms and assorted chocolates, assorted chocolate bars, marshmallows, gummy bears, etc.
• Biscuits: Oreos, crackers, digestive biscuits, etc.
• Sauces: chocolate, strawberry, caramel, white chocolate, etc.
• Sprinkles: edible rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, etc.