Rolled ice cream
A liquid base is spread on an ice pan and rolled into tubes — a show right before your eyes.
Rolled ice cream (Thai, “ice pan”, also known as “stir-fried ice cream”) is not made in an ice cream maker but on a very cold metal plate. A liquid base is poured onto a plate chilled far below freezing, chopped and mixed with add-ins using spatulas, then spread into a thin layer and rolled into tubes. The whole thing takes a few minutes and happens in front of the customer — which is also why rolled ice cream is more of a show than an everyday type.
It differs from cream ice cream mainly in how it is frozen. The base is barely whipped during rolling, so it contains very little air and is dense. The thin layer freezes quickly.
Origin and history
Rolled ice cream comes from Thailand, where it appeared around 2009 under the name “i-tim-pad”. It spread around the world from about 2012 thanks to viral videos. These details come from the English Wikipedia.
Typical composition
We were unable to find exact percentages in a verified source. The base is usually a dairy mix (milk, cream, sugar) or soya milk, into which fruit, biscuits or syrups are mixed on the plate.
| Parameter | Roughly | zmrzka target |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | depends on the base | 4–16 % |
| MSNF | depends on the base | — |
| Sugars | depends on the base and add-ins | 12–22 % |
| Total solids | depends on the base | 28–42 % |
| Overrun | low (hardly whipped) | 0–10 % |
| Plate temperature | professional around −30 °C | — |
| Serving temperature | straight after rolling | −12 to −6 °C |
A base similar to cream ice cream or gelato works well for rolling. Since the ice cream is not stored in the freezer, there is no need to balance it for −18 °C. Too much sugar, however, means the base will not set quickly enough on the plate.
What the law says
Rolled ice cream has no category of its own. It is assessed according to the composition of the base.
In Slovakia
Slovak Decree No. 82/2018 requires frozen desserts made for sale to be at least pasteurised. We have not verified exactly how this applies to unpackaged ice cream from a plate — but it makes sense to use a pasteurised base or pasteurised ingredients here too.
In Czechia
In Czechia, the base is assessed under Czech Decree No. 397/2016 — a “milk” frozen dessert (mléčný mražený krém), for example, must contain at least 2.5 % milk fat and 6.0 % milk solids non-fat.
How to make it at home
At home you use an ice pan or a frozen tray. Home pans are mostly passive: they contain a cooling liquid and have to be frozen in the freezer beforehand — manufacturers often state 12–24 hours. Such a pan is not as cold as a professional one and warms up quickly, so you make one small portion on it at a time.
- Base. Mix milk, cream and sugar (or use a ready-made, well-chilled ice cream base). Do not use raw eggs — the base is not cooked.
- Chilling. Keep the base and add-ins in the fridge for at least an hour. The colder the base, the faster it sets on the pan.
- Pan. Take it out of the freezer only just before use.
- Rolling. Pour on a small amount of base, add chopped add-ins and chop and mix them with the spatulas until the mixture thickens. Spread it into a thin, even layer.
- Shaping. Once the layer has set, push a spatula under the edge at an angle and press forward — the ice cream rolls up into a tube.
- Serving. Stand the rolls up in a cup and serve straight away.
zmrzka does not have any rolled ice cream recipes yet. As the base, you can use the mix from a cream ice cream recipe — for example vanilla without eggs.
Tip
Chop hard add-ins (chocolate, biscuits) as finely as possible. Large pieces tear the thin layer and the rolls fall apart.
The most common mistakes
- The pan is not cold enough — the base does not set, stays slushy and cannot be rolled.
- A thick layer — it sets slowly and breaks or tears when rolled.
- Too many liquid add-ins — juices, syrups and soft fruit thin the base and slow freezing.
- Too much sugar or alcohol — they lower the freezing point so much that the base will not set on a passive pan.
- Large portions — a home pan warms up quickly; make smaller batches and put it back in the freezer in between.
Warning
Professional compressor plates run far below freezing. Do not touch them with bare hands, and do not leave children near them unsupervised.
How to recognise good rolled ice cream
- The rolls are thin, even and firm, and do not fall apart.
- The ice cream is dense and creamy, without icy bits.
- The add-ins are finely worked in, not in large lumps.
- The shop cleans the plate between portions and works hygienically — with rolled ice cream you see the whole process.
- The flavour comes from the ingredients (fresh fruit, good chocolate), not just from syrups.
How long it takes at home
| Stage | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Freezing the pan | 12–24 h ahead | according to the pan manufacturer |
| Making the base | 10 min | active |
| Chilling the base | 1 h | |
| Rolling one portion | 2–5 min | active |
Total: about 20–30 minutes of active work for several portions, around 1.5 hours in all if the pan is frozen in advance.
Equipment
Recipes (5)
Rolled ice cream — basic vanilla base
The base for all rolled ice creams: cream, milk and condensed milk, with no cooking and no eggs.
Rolled strawberry ice cream
Fresh strawberries chopped straight into a cream base on the ice pan — pink rolls with pieces of fruit.
Rolled cookies & cream ice cream
Cream-filled cocoa biscuits chopped into a vanilla base — a flavour children especially love.
Rolled ice cream with banana and hazelnut spread
Ripe banana and chocolate hazelnut spread chopped into the base — thick, sweet, nutty and chocolatey.
Rolled mango and lime ice cream
Ripe mango with a dash of lime chopped into a cream base — yellow rolls that taste of tropical fruit.