Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop. (2025)

Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop. (2)

For the first time since 2012, Culver's will be dishing out new frozen custard flavors of the day.

The six new frozen custard combinations maketheir way into the rotation beginning May 10. The flavors and release dates are as follows (mark your calendars accordingly):

  • Cappuccino Cookie Crumble, May 10. Frozen custard blended with cold brewed espresso and mixed with crushed sugar cookies and swirls of novelty chocolate.
  • Blackberry Cobbler,June 10. Cinnamon granola crumble, blackberries and vanilla frozen custard.
  • Chocolate Pretzel Crunch,July 10. Chopped Bavarian pretzels, novelty chocolate and salted caramel blended into the vanilla custard.
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough,Aug. 10. Brand new peanut butter frozen custard mixed with roasted peanuts and chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough.
  • Dark Chocolate Decadence,Sept. 10. The first-ever dark chocolate frozen custard at Culver’s made with a blend of four cocoa powders.
  • Peanut Butter Salted Caramel,Oct. 10. Peanut butter custard, roasted peanuts and ribbons of salted caramel.

Now, for those of you sticking with this story past the flavors listing, here's your reward:An inside scoop on how these flavors came about and tasting note highlights.

I made the trip to Culver's headquarters in Prairie Du Sac to talk— and taste— frozen custard with Quinn Adkins, the company's director of menu development.

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All six flavors making the grade for this year's release were created, tasted, reformulated, tasted againand vetted by the Culver's menu development team before a Sweet 16 of finalists were tasted and scored by an independentpanel of 150 potential guests.

It's a process, says Adkins, that will allow Culver'sto release new flavors more often. He's already focused on a new batch for next year.

It took 18 months of research and development to make Dark Chocolate Decadence, well, dark. Add dark chocolate cocoa to the custard mix before running it through the machine and you get a cup of gray frozen custard. It delivers the dark chocolate flavor, says Adkins, but not the color.

Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop. (3)

That's because the color we associate with dark chocolate develops at a lower temperature than serving temperature of frozen custard.

Because frozen custard at Culver's is made in small batches, on-site, freezing the custard to develop the proper color wasn't an option. Nor was adding food dyes, says Adkins.

Sohe began experimenting with adding additional cocoas. When he landed on the right blend of four cocoas and gave a sample to company co-founder Craig Culver, Adkinswas rewarded with a hug.

As a bonus, if you allow Dark Chocolate Decadence to melt and linger, you will pick up multiple layers of chocolate flavors. Originally I thought the Blackberry Cobbler was my favorite, but the more I think about it, Sept. 10 feels likea long wait to get another scoop of Dark Chocolate Decadence.

In the interest of full disclosure, I usually prefer fruit and nut desserts like Blackberry Cobbler over the ooey-gooey, chocolate and candy-laden flavors, so it's no surprise that I took to that one. But the company's taste-testers also backed my impressions of thisflavor. Blackberry Cobbler, says Adkins, had the largest reach among testers. Berry tartnessblended with creamy vanilla sweetness. What's not to love?

Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop. (4)

A hint of cinnamon and crunch from the granola are nice touches.While it didn't take 18 months to develop, Adkins tried 15 different granolasbefore finding the perfect addition.

Chocolate Pretzel Crunch is built with some of Adkins' favorite flavors. Think dipping chocolate covered pretzels into frozen custard. They're some of my favorites, too.There are sizable pieces of Bavarian-style pretzels adding a savory layer to the salted caramel,and sweet custard.

Cold-brewed coffee gets blended into the custard mix, giving theCappuccino Cookie Crumblea coffee-flavored base. The result is coffee flavor without any bitterness.Tiramisu inspired this combination and was named accordingly until the test panel gave the name a thumbs down. Thus the name change.

Peanut butter lovers, you get two hits this year that's built on a new method that mixes the peanut butter sauce topping into the custard mix. Thus every bite delivers peanut butter flavor.

Adding roasted peanuts to both thePeanut Butter Cookie Dough andPeanut Butter Salted Caramel kicks up the peanut flavor.

One last interesting takeaway from my afternoon of tasting and talking frozen custard with Adkins is that the local franchises have a lot of control over when to offer the new scoops and even how to make them. Ifyou miss your shot at a new flavor on the release date, you'll just have to wait for your local franchisee to decide when and how often to mix it in as a flavor of the day option. And there isn't an exact recipe for making any of the flavors of the day. At each of the more than 650 locations across 24 states, the folks making your custard are following guidelines, making each scoop a unique tasting experience.

Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop. (2025)

FAQs

Culver's will debut 6 new frozen custard flavors of the day. We've got the scoop.? ›

Culver's custard is not exactly a healthy option

The dish contains 14 grams of fat in total, nine of which are saturated fats. With 95 milligrams of cholesterol and 29 grams of sugar, a cup of chocolate custard is not exactly a diet-friendly food. Add a cone on top of that, and the overall dish is pretty heavy.

Is Culvers frozen custard bad for you? ›

Culver's custard is not exactly a healthy option

The dish contains 14 grams of fat in total, nine of which are saturated fats. With 95 milligrams of cholesterol and 29 grams of sugar, a cup of chocolate custard is not exactly a diet-friendly food. Add a cone on top of that, and the overall dish is pretty heavy.

What is the difference between Culver's custard and ice cream? ›

In fact, the distinction is even written into law. Custard is made from a combination of milk, cream and pasteurized egg yolks, and in order to be true custard, it has to be at least 1.4 percent egg. Anything less than that, and it's just ice cream. Discover why we craft in small batches.

What is Culver's frozen custard made of? ›

Vanilla Frozen Custard [Milk, Cream, Skim Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Egg Yolk, Guar Gum, Mono & Diglycerides, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Natural and Artificial Vanilla Flavor], Pecan Pieces [Vegetable Oil (Peanut, Cottonseed, Soybean and/or Sunflower Seed), Sea Salt], Salted Caramel [Corn Syrup, Sweetened Condensed ...

How would you describe Culver's frozen custard to a guest? ›

Rich, Creamy, Delicious

Think of Frozen Custard as the most premium dessert you've ever tasted. Luscious and creamy with farm fresh dairy, it contains less air so it's denser and richer than ordinary ice cream.

Is frozen custard worse for you than ice cream? ›

Brands vary, but vanilla ice-cream typically has about 10 per cent more calories than custard, as well as twice the saturated fat, less protein and half the calcium and potassium. However, ice-cream usually has less sugar and salt, too.

Is frozen custard full of sugar? ›

Slower churning makes it dense and creamy and sharply cuts down on air. (Air makes up 30% to 50% of ice cream's total volume.) The eggs bump the fat to approximately 24.5 grams per serving, though. At about 314 calories, 18 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of carbs, consider frozen custard a “special treat.”

Why is Culver's custard so good? ›

Culver's custard is made fresh each day in small batches

The restaurant's frozen custard is made in small batches and slow-churned to perfection, multiple times a day. No matter what flavor or custard treat you order, you know you are getting a product that has been made that very day.

Why is frozen custard so good? ›

According to the FDA, frozen custard follows the same rules as ice cream but also must contain 1.4 percent egg yolks by weight. That means egg yolks are a requirement in frozen custard, which makes for a richer, more luscious product.

Are the eggs in custard cooked? ›

Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin.

Does Culver's use real butter? ›

The butter we use on our buns also comes from right here in Wisconsin, crafted by our friends at Alcam Creamery, a small, family-owned creamery less than an hour outside our home in Sauk City.

What cooking oil does Culver's use? ›

Canola Oil (fryer oil) - Canola Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness and Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent.

Is frozen custard real ice cream? ›

The difference between ice cream and frozen custard comes down to one ingredient: egg yolks. Ice cream is made with milk, cream, and sweetener. Frozen custard contains the same ingredients, plus egg yolks. This extra ingredient means frozen custard usually has a richer, thicker, and creamier texture than ice cream.

How is Culver's custard different from ice cream? ›

The main difference comes down to one ingredient: eggs. Ice cream is made from milk, cream (or a combination of the two), and sugar. Frozen custard adds egg yolks (no less than 1.4 percent egg yolk solids by weight, per FDA guidelines). If the product contains less than that, it's considered ice cream.

Can you freeze Culvers custard? ›

Yes the freezer works very well. In fact I have several frozen pizza's and Culver's custard in it right now.

Can you get a pint of the flavor of the day at Culver's? ›

Take home Culver's custard to enjoy whenever you want by picking up a pint from your restaurant's freezer or asking to get a pint or quart of the featured Flavor of the Day to go. Sometimes, however, nothing beats the sweet surprise of stopping in for a flavor you've never tried before and savoring every blue spoonful.

What is the unhealthiest food at Culvers? ›

Worst: Culver's Curderburger

"Eating foods like this puts you at risk for heart disease as trans fat has been banned and saturated fat is recommended to limit to five to six percent of total daily calories (or about 13 grams for most people) according to the American Heart Association.

How unhealthy is custard? ›

No, custard is not a healthy option for someone trying to lose weight. Custard is high in sugar and calories, making it an unhealthy food choice. There are many other options a person can choose that are healthier and may aid in weight loss, such as lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.

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