Does Ice Cream Expand When Frozen Or Melting?

Last updated on September 22nd, 2022 at 08:48 am

Summertime is the perfect time of year for one very special and yummy dessert, ice cream! Ice cream is available in all kinds of wonderful flavors from vanilla and chocolate to chocolate chip cookie dough and fruit-flavored. 

There are so many kinds of ice cream so everyone can enjoy the soft and creamy treat. Ice cream is a dessert that is so rich and sweet and melts in your mouth with a cold creaminess. 

It can be eaten alone, with a cake or brownie, or plopped into a cup of coffee. Ice cream is a signature summer dessert but can be enjoyed year round. 

To store ice cream you have to put it in a freezer. But, when it is frozen or melting, does it expand?

Ice cream will expand if it melts and is refrozen. Water when it is frozen expands into larger crystals. When ice cream melts, the water in it melts as well resulting in it expanding when it is refrozen.

If you are making homemade ice cream, know that it will expand when you freeze it. So, leave a little bit of room at the top of the container for expansion. 

Water expands when frozen and ice cream contains water. So, when ice cream is set out and melts and then refrozen, the water in the ice cream will refreeze to larger crystals and cause it to expand. 

The Science of Ice Cream states that, “… Evaporation can also cause large ice crystals to form. For instance, in a half-eaten container of ice cream, moisture can evaporate from the ice cream in the freezer and recrystallize on the inside of the container, where the ice crystals grow larger and larger. This is another reason why it’s helpful to store ice cream in small containers with little to no headspace.” 

To answer our question, “does ice cream expand when frozen or melting?”, it will expand when it has melted and been refrozen.

Does Ice Cream Expand When Frozen?

Ice cream is cool, creamy and delicious and there are so many options to choose from. Available in plain flavors like vanilla, or strawberry, or with toppings like brownie bites, or chocolate chips, the frozen dessert is a classic. 

Made from a mixture of milk, cream, sugar and other add-ins, ice cream is frozen to become a soft and creamy dessert. Coming in all colors, and flavors, ice cream is a favorite dessert for many. 

When frozen, does ice cream expand?

Ice cream does expand when it is frozen. This is true for homemade ice cream that is frozen for the first time, or for melted ice cream that is put into the freezer. If kept at a frozen state, ice cream won’t expand but stay the same once it is frozen.

It is recommended that you don’t refreeze ice cream after it has melted entirely. This is because the water in the ice cream melts too and also loses the air that makes it fluffy. 

When refrozen, the melted water freezes and expands into larger crystals and not having any more air left in it results in a rough and crunchy consistency. This is why sometimes instead of being soft and creamy, ice cream tastes hard and crispy. 

By storing ice cream correctly you can avoid this happening to your delicious dessert. Don’t leave ice cream out on the counter for too long. After you have scooped some into a bowl, return it right away to the freezer. 

Make sure the lid is sealed tightly on the ice cream container and keep it in the back of your freezer. This can prevent exposure to changing temperature whenever you open and close the freezer doors. 

Ice cream will expand when it is melted and then refrozen and won’t taste as good.

What Is The Effect Of Ice Cream Melting?

We have all experienced it. You are walking along on a hot summer day with an ice cream cone in hand. Enjoying occasional licks of the sweet and creamy treat, you glance around at how bright and beautiful the world is. 

Looking back at your ice cream cone, you noticed that it is starting to melt. The longer you walk the faster it melts. This can cause you to wonder what causes this. 

What is the effect of ice cream melting?

Ice cream is a cold dessert that is kept at a freezing temperature. When the ice cream is heated, it melts because it is absorbing heat. This heat turns the solid desert into a liquid if it isn’t kept at a certain temperature.

The temperature at which the ice cream melts all depends on what its base is. For instance, milk has a melting point of 31 degrees Fahrenheit and other things added into the ice cream can change that temperature. 

Even the type of container you are storing the ice cream in can affect its melting point. So, keep that ice cream frozen when you’re not scooping some out for a treat and seal the lid of the ice cream container tight when putting it back into the freezer. 

Place the container of ice cream in the back of the freezer so the temperature around it doesn’t change much with opening and closing the freezer doors and you’re all set. 

Since it is a frozen dessert, it will turn to a liquid when it’s warmed up resulting in the ice cream melting.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the answer to out earlier question, “does ice cream expand when frozen or melted?”, receives the answer, ice cream expands when it has melted and is refrozen. Ice cream melts when it is in a hot environment. 

This dessert is meant to stay frozen and so when it is transferred to a warmer temperature it will melt. 

Refreezing ice cream expands because the water melts too and air escapes from it. When it’s refrozen, the melted water freezes into larger crystals causing expansion and since there is no air left in the ice cream it becomes hard and crunchy. 

It is not recommended to refreeze fully melted ice cream. Ice cream that has melted and is refrozen doesn’t taste as good. 

Homemade ice cream expands when it is put into the freezer for the first time. It’s part of the process of creating the soft and creamy treat. 

The delicious dessert of creamy, cold ice cream expands when it is refrozen after it has melted.