Flavoring Tips for Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Manufacturers

Using Flavor Fountain Flavors

  • Recommended usage listed on our label is based on a 6-8% milkfat mix. This is only a recommended starting point and finished formulas may vary from customer to customer.
  • If the customer’s mix is a higher milkfat %, they will probably need more flavor than recommended, and if a non-fat or low-fat mix, they should start at about half of our recommended usage and gradually add more until they get the desired flavor.
  • For any non-traditional mix (ie: sugar-free, fat-free, etc) further experimentation may be needed to reach desired flavor intensity with regard to usage. 
  • General Guideline: if the fat content is higher, more flavor will be needed to reach a desired flavor.
  • If you ever get an unpleasant “medicine/chemical” taste or after-taste, you have used too much flavor in proportion to their mix or product. Users should add more mix, or re-mix and use less flavor. See above note about recommended usage based on fat content.
  • To test a flavor in a small amount (for potency/freshness or just to taste it in general), mix flavor into a sweetened milk or some of a soft-serve mix as follows:   
    • Sweetened milk – 16 oz of milk with 10% sugar 
    • Soft Serve mix 16 oz. (vanilla or chocolate as desired)  Add 1/8 oz of a Flavor Fountain (1 oz per gallon usage)

Using LorAnn Super-Strength Flavors

  • Virtually all of LorAnn’s Super-Strength flavors will work in ice creams, but they should not be used in the same proportion as you would the Flavor Fountain Flavors. For the super-strength family of flavors, a good starting point would be .25 ounces per gallon of mix. For the extra group of Naturals, the best starting point would be .5 ounces per gallon of mix.
  • Note that with these suggested usage guidelines we are referring to a “starting usage level”. Some people may prefer to use more flavor.
  • The pure essential oils are not water soluble, so they need to be mixed in well for even distribution throughout the ice cream.
  • Our Super-Strength flavors generally contain little or no coloring, so customer may want to add color in addition to the flavor.

Using Vanilla Extract

LorAnn Oils offers a variety of vanilla extracts.   Some are 2-fold (or double strength).   Some are all natural while others are artificial or a blend of artificial and natural vanilla.

  • For best results when using vanillas, ice creams should be stored for 72 hours to allow the vanilla flavor to fully develop, depending on the fat content of your mix.
  • When making soft-serve ice creams and yogurts, where the ice cream is eaten right away, natural vanilla’s are fine, but you may want to use a more cost-effective, 2-fold vanilla such as LorAnn’s Velvet Cream instead.    When the ice cream is made and eaten without the benefit of storage time, using a stronger, 2-fold vanilla will help to maximize the flavor release in your finished product.
  • For starting usage levels, we recommend 2 ounces of any 2-fold vanilla extract to 5 gallons of mix, with higher levels for higher fat mixes. 
  • For single fold pure vanilla we recommend 4-5 ounces per 5 gallons of mix, with higher levels for higher fat mixes.