Culver's Vs Freddy's: Which Chain Makes The Best Frozen Custard?

Frozen dairy desserts take on many forms. Classic ice cream now has a growing cast of buddies, like Italian gelato, frozen yogurt, and fruity sherbet. Naturally, different regions develop different preferences, and Midwest has taken a particular liking to the variation known as frozen custard — even though it actually originated in Brooklyn, New York. It's richer and denser than ice cream and can be found at local, old-fashioned custard stands. But two of the best-known and widely accessible places to get it are the fast-food chains Culver's and Freddy's.

Culver's has been at it a bit longer. The Wisconsin-born chain opened its doors in 1984, while Kansas-based Freddy's didn't arrive on the scene until 2002. But on paper, the two are doing remarkably similar things when it comes to their frozen custard. Both chains make fresh batches throughout the day using the basic frozen custard formula of dairy, sugar, and egg yolks. Churning the mixture with less air than traditional ice cream gives it its signature thick consistency. Tack on the fact that both chains' dual focus is on cooked-to-order burgers — ButterBurgers at Culver's and Steakburgers at Freddy's — and they start to look like two sides of the same coin.

However, following a similar playbook doesn't mean that the quality and results are going to be exactly the same. And after tasting my way through a handful of comparable custard options, I discovered who's consistently churning out the better frozen dessert. Let's see how the two measure up in terms of texture, flavor, and mix-in mastery.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region. 

To get the best read on Culver's and Freddy's frozen custard, I had to try their vanilla and chocolate flavors without any toppings. Then, I also added on a few more specialty picks that were the same across both chains to see how they blend toppings and balance those extra add-ins. These picks included turtle sundaes and Oreo Concretes (don't worry, we'll get into what a Concrete is later). I ordered the smallest size of each item. My first stop was Culver's, where I ordered and tried all four custard creations, followed by Freddy's, where I did the exact same.

As I went, I was obviously checking for flavor and that signature dense custard consistency. But I also compared things like price, topping variety, and the overall custard selection on each menu. For the sundaes and Concretes specifically, I considered how generously the toppings were portioned and how well they were mixed throughout. This all helped me determine which Midwestern chain does frozen custard best.

It doesn't get much simpler than a single scoop of vanilla. It almost pained me to pass up the sundaes and 28 mix-in options at Culver's in favor of something so bare-bones. I didn't even try it in a cone, just a lowly plastic dish. But I stand by the fact that the best way to check for quality is in a custard's most stripped-down form.

We're dumbing it down for science. But one spoonful later and it doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice. Culver's clearly puts a lot of effort into its frozen custard, and it's on full display here. I could immediately tell that the egg yolk was working overtime to help create that unbelievably dense and creamy texture. It may just be my Midwestern bias talking, but compared to standard ice cream, it feels utterly luxurious. The vanilla taste is also far from boring. It's rich from the start and melts into a butteriness that coats your tongue in the best way possible.

Even on a table of other flavors and more elaborate dishes, I kept coming back to this one. Plus, for just $3.49, it still feels like just the right amount of custard (though I could always have more).

Since it uses a similar process as Culver's, you'd expect Freddy's to be very similar to it. I can confirm the two do share some similarities. But they also have some important distinctions.

I could tell right away that Freddy's vanilla had less of a yellow tint to it, which was accompanied by a much lighter flavor. The vanilla notes aren't quite as prominent as they were in Culver's cup. They show up more as you're finishing your spoonful, making you wish it had been that tasty the entire time. As for texture, it starts with that same smoothness, but it didn't turn out as thick as I was hoping for. It actually felt much more like traditional soft serve to me — perhaps a blend of soft serve and frozen custard, with qualities of both.

The most concerning part, though, is that I paid 20 cents more than I did at Culver's for what seems like half the custard. Most scoop shops give you your one scoop and then just a little bit extra just to fill your cup. But Freddy's stood firm at one and done, making it look and feel like a very sad portion by comparison.

If vanilla is the great equalizer of frozen desserts, then chocolate is the first real test of character. It offers another benchmark, but raises the stakes with an entirely new set of expectations. And at Culver's, it really does come down to these two flavors. Vanilla and chocolate are the foundation for nearly all of its frozen creations. The lone wildcard is the chain's rotating Flavor of the Day, which adds an extra sprinkle of variety.

When we're talking about ingredients and process, the chocolate isn't too far off from the vanilla, and it shows in the consistency. That same condensed creaminess carries over. It even feels more glossy when dressed in a light chocolate brown hue. The cocoa notes themselves actually tasted familiar, and then I realized they're reminiscent of a fellow fast-food favorite: a Frosty. Culver's recipe is perhaps a bit richer than the iconic Wendy's treat, but it's certainly not as extreme or boldly decadent as other chocolate custards or ice creams I've tasted. It almost straddles the line between chocolate and vanilla, with milder milk chocolate-like flavors.

Overall, I think Culver's chocolate plays it safe. But that's not necessarily a bad thing — especially if you're planning to load it up with sauces, candies, or other sweet bites.

Freddy's relies even more heavily on its classic vanilla and chocolate custards. There is no other option when it comes to base flavors. Unless, of course, you count the half-and-half blend of both vanilla and chocolate. It even skips a flavor-of-the-day option, although it does offer some seasonal specialties, like a banana split sundae for summer.

If chocolate is one of only two choices, it better be good. Luckily, it holds up its end of the bargain. I even liked it more than the chain's plain vanilla. It has a fuller body and a velvety mouthfeel, much closer to the texture that I love from Culver's — and the kind of texture you would expect from frozen custard. Not to mention, it feels like more of a grown-up flavor. Compared with Culver's, the chocolate is deeper and more cocoa-forward. It's less Frosty-like and more on the side of smooth decadence that stops just short of becoming bitter.

You're still getting that measly mini helping here. But the richer, creamier custard makes it feel like you're getting more bang for your buck than with Freddy's vanilla.

Despite the name, there's no cement truck out back churning Culver's custard. In the chain's vernacular, a Concrete Mixer is simply its answer to a Dairy Queen Blizzard or Sonic Blast. Each mixer consists of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard blended with your choice of toppings, and the concrete is just a not-so-subtle hint at its thicker consistency.

As I previously mentioned, there's no shortage of add-ins to choose from. There are 28, to be exact, ranging from sprinkles and real fruit to salted caramel and cheesecake pieces. The options really are endless, and you can add more than one. But I decided to keep it classic with an Oreo Concrete Mixer.

As far as cookies and cream ice cream or frozen treats go, it's pretty darn good. It certainly puts the Oreo McFlurry to shame, in my opinion. It's not quite as dense as the unadorned vanilla, perhaps due to the blending process. I also would have preferred another handful of cookie bits. But overall, you still get that silkiness paired with a nostalgic vanilla-meets-chocolate-and-cream flavor. It's a safe option on the menu — one that you can always count on to be tasty when you don't feel like branching out.

Seeing as Culver's predates its competitor by nearly two decades, you might assume that Freddy's is the one that "borrowed" the Concrete name. It skips the "mixer" part, going simply with Concrete, but the concept remains the same. It consists of frozen custard — vanilla, chocolate, or half-and-half – mixed with your choice of toppings. Freddy's offers 21 different options that are fairly similar to Culver's lineup, though there are a few wildcards thrown in, like cold brew and gummy worms. The chain also has a few fixed options on its menu, and one happens to be the Oreo Double Trouble, which includes a double portion of the cookies, whipped cream, and even more crumbled cookies on top. Even just the mini version rang up at $5.89, while Culver's mini Oreo concrete mixer was priced at $5.09.

My first thoughts when I tasted it were that the amount of Oreos seemed far from doubled and that it was extra blended. It was soupy and lacked large cookie chunks, meaning it felt more like a milkshake than anything else. I felt like I should have been sucking it up with a straw rather than scooping it with a spoon. The taste isn't necessarily lacking. You still get the light taste of cookies and vanilla. But I was left pining for more Oreos and that signature frozen custard body. It doesn't live up to the Concrete name.

Aside from Concretes and single scoops, another area where Culver's and Freddy's overlap is with their sundaes. You can build any kind of sundae you want at either chain, but they also share one signature option on their menus: the Turtle Sundae. Obviously, I couldn't pass up such a perfect opportunity to compare them.

Culver's sundae starts with vanilla custard, though you can trade in chocolate if you so choose. Then, it piles on hot fudge, caramel sauce, roasted Southern pecans, and a maraschino cherry. I ordered mine with just one scoop for $5.79, but two- or even three-scoop dishes are also available.

This combination of ingredients is a personal favorite of mine. Something about the salty-meets-sweet just makes sense, plus, add pecans to just about anything and I'm in. Culver's also does a really good job with the ratio in this sundae. It's just the right amount, so you can still appreciate the vanilla custard but also get a little bit of buttery caramel and thick, chocolatey fudge in every spoonful. With a little crunch from the nuts thrown in to offset the otherwise smooth textures, it's everything you could want from a sundae.

Freddy's doesn't reinvent the wheel with its own turtle creation. It follows the exact same makeup as the one from Culver's, layering hot fudge, caramel sauce, and toasted pecans onto its custard. It does, however, adorn its sundae with a dollop of whipped cream in addition to a cherry garnish. That may be the one thing Culver's forgot. This all adds up to $5.19 for a mini size.

Even with the addition of whipped cream, it feels like there are fewer toppings here than what Culver's offered. The fudge and caramel sauce don't seem to go as far, and I only counted about six total pecan pieces in the cup — not even full pecan halves but broken-off bits. So all those delicious turtle flavors are there, just on a smaller scale. On top of that, Freddy's vanilla custard once again shows its inferiority. It's lighter and melts away almost immediately, making for more of a melt-in-your-mouth experience than a true custard experience. Rather than holding its own against the sauces and toppings, it seems to disappear underneath them.

It's a fine pick on its own. But when compared with Culver's, this turtle sundae doesn't win the race.

Because of their similar processes, variety, and adherence to Midwest traditions, Culver's and Freddy's frozen custards appear to be on a level playing field — at least on paper. And I can attest that you're not going to have a bad time with either of their dishes, sundaes, or Concretes. I certainly wouldn't turn them down after a hearty fast-food meal of burgers and fries at either joint.

That being said, in a spoon-to-spoon frozen custard face-off, I have to give the edge to Culver's. In nearly every matchup, from plain vanilla to a loaded-up turtle sundae, the Wisconsin chain came out on top. There's just something about its thicker, creamier consistency and buttery, almost marshmallow-like flavor that makes it the crème de la crème of vanilla frozen custard. Plus, I liked that Culver's was a bit more generous with the toppings, loading up its Concretes and sundaes with more of the good stuff than Freddy's did.

The one area where Culver's falters is with its chocolate scoops. I thought Freddy's recipe was just a bit better, with a stronger cocoa flavor and a more lavish mouthfeel than its own vanilla. However, with overall texture, taste, and, in most cases, even price on its side, Culver's frozen custard is still my undisputed winner. It's the flavor of the day, any day.