What is Scoop Science?
Perfect your homemade ice cream recipes with science
🍦 From Web to Pint: How it Works
The Scoop Science ecosystem is designed to let you formulate with precision on your desktop and execute with ease on your mobile device.
Formulate on the Web
Our website is your primary Research & Development lab. Use the large-screen Scoopulator to:
- •Balance the PAC/POD: Fine-tune your sugar-to-water ratios with high-precision decimal controls.
- •Beat the "Density Trap": Watch your protein and fat percentages update in real-time as you swap ingredients like cream for high-protein milk.
- •Finalize your Creation: Once your gauges hit the "Perfect Range," click Save to My Creations.
Instant Cloud Sync
The moment you save a recipe on the website, it is securely stored in your Scoop Science account. There is no manual exporting or emailing required.
Open the App
When you're ready to spin, grab your phone and head to the Creations tab in the Scoop Science app:
- •Automatic Instructions: The app instantly generates step-by-step processing instructions based on the category you selected (e.g., Sorbet vs. Lite Ice Cream).
- •Visual Organization: Your new recipe will appear with a placeholder image, ready for you to replace with a photo of your actual final result once it's spun!
- •Log the Spin: Track your results, leave notes on texture, and even "Remix" the recipe if you want to try a different PAC balance next time.
The Science Behind the Calculator
PAC (Anti-Freeze Power)
Measures how much an ingredient lowers the freezing point of your ice cream base. Sugar is the baseline at 100 PAC.
- Ice Cream: Target 22-30 PAC for scoopable texture
- Sorbet: Target 25-32 PAC for smooth, refreshing texture
- Milkshake: Target 32-40 PAC for soft-serve consistency
POD (Sweetness Power)
Measures relative sweetness compared to sugar (100 POD). This is separate from texture!
- Allulose: 70 POD - Less sweet but great texture (PAC 100)
- Erythritol: 70 POD - But crystallizes! (effective PAC only 180)
- Stevia: 30,000 POD - Ultra-sweet, tiny amounts needed
Water Content & Dilution
More water = icier texture AND lower nutrition density. When you swap heavy cream for milk:
- Water % increases (cream is 58% water, milk is 88%)
- Protein % decreases even though protein grams stay the same
- PAC per 100g drops (ingredients are diluted)
Scoopability Score
Our proprietary metric that weighs PAC against water content. A recipe can have perfect PAC (25) but still be icy if water content is too high (85%+). The Scoopability Score accounts for both factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does protein percentage go down when I swap cream for milk?
It's not about protein grams—it's about concentration. Milk has more water than cream, so even if protein grams stay the same, the percentage drops because the recipe is diluted. More water also means icier texture.
What's the difference between PAC and POD?
PAC affects texture (softer vs harder). POD affects sweetness. They're independent! Allulose has PAC 100 (great texture) but POD 70 (less sweet than sugar). This lets you fine-tune texture and sweetness separately.
Why is allulose recommended over other sugar substitutes?
Allulose has PAC 100 (same as sugar) but 90% fewer calories. Unlike erythritol (which crystallizes into sand at freezing temps), allulose stays smooth. It's the best 1:1 sugar swap for ice cream texture.
What's "lid-off freezing" and when should I do it?
For high-water recipes (sorbets, some lite ice creams), freezing without a lid for 4-6 hours lets excess moisture evaporate. This prevents the "hump" that can damage your CREAMi blade and gives better texture. Our calculator flags recipes that benefit from this.
Why does erythritol make ice cream sandy?
Erythritol has theoretical PAC of 280, but at freezing temps it crystallizes into gritty chunks. We use an "effective PAC" of 180 to account for this. Keep it under 4% of water weight or your ice cream will be sandy.
Can I trust the nutrition estimates?
Our nutrition calculator uses USDA data and accounts for machine type scaling (deluxe is 1.5x larger). However, exact values depend on ingredient brands and measuring accuracy. Treat them as close estimates, not lab-tested facts.
Why We Built This
Scoop Science started as a companion tool for our Ninja CREAMi mobile app. We wanted to give the ice cream community a free, science-based way to perfect their recipes before freezing.
The calculator is based on real ice cream science research—PAC values from food science journals, texture analysis from professional ice cream makers, and feedback from thousands of home CREAMi users.
📱 Ninja CREAMi Mobile App Coming Soon
Access 330+ recipes, AI recipe generation, virtual freezer tracking, and community sharing. Sign up on the calculator to be notified when it launches!