Culver’s Concrete Mixer Vs Dairy Queen’s Blizzard: There’s A Clear Winner

Why does society always put two baddies against each other? Sadly, that’s the name of the game here so I’ll play ball. I’m from the Midwest, where both Culver’s and Dairy Queen were born, so I’m well versed in the intricacies of the signature desserts of each chain.

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Everyone’s already comparing the Concrete Mixer to the Blizzard, so why not make things official? Here’s our taste test of the two and a true comparison to see which wins out.

Culver’s Concrete Mixer

Pros: The real star of the Culver’s Concrete Mixer is the custard that Culver’s uses to create the whole dish. Rightfully so, Culver’s takes a lot of pride in distinguishing their desserts as having frozen custard instead of the expected soft serve or even a true ice cream. Flavor gets pumped into the custard through two ways: milkfat (more on that later) and pasteurized egg yolks. The resulting product is a rich, fatty dessert that’s ready to fill you up.

I can eat a Dairy Queen Blizzard and go about my business. A Culver’s Concrete Mixer on the other hand will set me back by a few hours. It sticks to your bones in the most indulgent way. I find myself in the middle of a pro and a con on this one because I can see the argument on either side for if this is a good or bad thing to experience.

The added fat also has an unintended benefit. The increased fat in Culver’s custard stops the dessert from melting as fast as if it was made with soft serve. While most Culver’s can be found in colder climates anyway, it’s a neat thing to keep in mind during the summer months.

Cons: Undoubtedly the biggest con of the Concrete Mixer is the name. I was raised on a DQ Blizzard so the first time I had to utter the words “Concrete Mixer” when I was ordering at a Culver’s, I was actually embarrassed. Of all the options you had to pick the one that makes me think of a construction site? Sorry, go back to the drawing board on that one. It’s petty but I am docking a Spork for the name.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

Pros: The best weapon that Dairy Queen has in its arsenal is their soft serve. It has a milder flavor than Culver’s custard which makes it the perfect launch pad for a plethora of creations. Dairy Queen is constantly putting out new and innovative Blizzard flavors throughout the year to capitalize on that foundation. I just can’t see a Strawberry Mango-flavored Mochi flavor working with Culver’s custard as the base.

The whole point of a soft serve is that it’s well…soft. That softness really comes through in a Blizzard. Each bite slides right off of your spoon. It doesn’t weigh you down. That being said, is this a pro or a con? I can’t quite tell. We are looking at the overall experience of a Concrete Mixer vs a Blizzard but it feels disingenuous to give too many points in favor of a Blizzard because they get a little more imaginative with their Blizzard creations.

Cons: The elephant in the room is that we have to call Dairy Queen’s soft serve by that name because it legally can’t be called ice cream. It’s all due to the content of milk fat in the dessert. To be considered ice cream, the FDA requires there to be at least 10% milkfat in the dessert and DQ’s soft serve only has 5%.

Essentially, the whole reason Dairy Queen’s soft serve creates a lighter dish when used to make a Blizzard is because of that missing fat content. It’s incredibly obvious when you compare the fat of DQ’s soft serve (5%) to Culver’s custard (11%). Bite for bite, Culver’s custard just has infinitely more flavor on its own than DQ’s soft serve all because of the fat content. While you can get a little creative with the flavors you add in, it’s hard to beat the base flavor you get from Culver’s.