Disney's #1 Snack, The Famous Dole Whip

Sometime in the late 80's while looking for one of my mother's favorite treats, ice cream, we stumbled upon what we thought was a simple soft serve stand. Oh, how wrong we were. This wasn't a simple soft serve stand, but Aloha Isle, the Disney World home of the world famous Dole Whip.

Dole Whip Hawaii Style

What is a Dole Whip? I think one would have to officially just call it a frozen dessert, as it is creamier than a sorbet or sherbet, and fruitier than an ice cream. Really, its just so good let's say its in a class all its own! (It is in fact, not an ice cream as it is lactose free, so the lactose intolerant in your party can enjoy it as well) While Dole Whips themselves come in a variety of flavors, the Disney version comes only in pineapple. You can enjoy your pineapple Dole Whip all by its delicious self, swirled with vanilla soft serve, or in float form with Dole pineapple juice. Everyone has their favorite. While some just have to have the swirl, I prefer it unadulterated in pure pineapple with the pineapple juice float treatment. It is very light, and refreshing, which makes it seem even better in the Florida heat and humidity.

Sampling a Dole Whip Float at Disneyland

The Dole Whip is available both at Magic Kingdom's Aloha Isle in Adventureland, and at Captain Cook's Snack Company at the Polynesian Resort. It is also available in the Tiki Room area at Disneyland in California. The Disneyland location routinely has a 20 minute or more line. The Touringplans.com app "Lines" even has users enter the wait time for their Disneyland Dole Whips, giving it credence as an attraction of its own! At Disneyland however, you can enter the waiting area for the Tiki Room, get your Whip on, and then take it into the Tiki Room to enjoy it in air conditioned comfort. The line in the queue area is just for those getting ready to enter the show, and so the wait can be considerably less than the outside line. Other than those three locations, finding a pineapple Dole Whip in the continental United States is difficult and limited to isolated Mom and Pop ice cream shops. I have heard there is place in Southern California/ Hollywood area that sells them called "House of Dole Whip".

Dole Whip Menu at the Dole Plantation, Oahu

 This past summer my husband and I had our first ever vacation without the kids since our honeymoon, and off we went to Hawaii! Of course, I had to get to the Dole Pineapple Plantation if for no other reason than to visit the home of the Dole Whip. At the plantation, the Dole Whip comes in a wider variety of forms. While you can get a simple Dole Whip in a cup, you can also get a cone, have them add fresh chopped pineapple, a pineapple split, or a float in a souvenir cup that becomes a coin bank. While the coin bank float was very tempting, given that my husband and I would have to consume three of them to bring back one for each kid, I went for the whip in a cup with the fresh pineapple. It was just as good as I was used to, if not a little bit better with the fresh pineapple. (The photo at the top of this post is that delicious Hawaiian version) And what could be fresher than getting the pineapple right from the source!)

If you are long way from your next Disney fix, or just need a little Disney pick me up in the middle of winter, you can attempt to make your own Dole Whip at home if you have an ice cream maker. For the most authentic experience you'll need to "dole out" some cash. You can go to the source for the real Dole Whip at United Enterprises here. That option, though the real thing, is a bit more than most of us probably want to spend for a quick fix. You can also make your own from scratch. There are several recipes online, I have had one that was pretty close. While not an exact replica, it was reminiscent enough to make me enjoy the familiarity. Serve in a fancy martini glass, turn up the heat in the house, and put on a Disney movie and pretend your sweating it out in the Magic Kingdom!

HOME DOLE WHIP RECIPE
1 quart Dole pineapple juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups sugar
Extra milk or water to add in order to get desired consistency

Mix the pineapple juice and sugar, until the sugar is dissolved Add the cream and vanilla Pour mixture into ice cream maker. For a thinner consistency add water to the fill line, or for a creamier consistency add milk. Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker.

My oldest, then age 7, at Aloha Isle

During a particular sad event in my life, a dear friend made this recipe for me, because she knew that Disney made me happy, and she knew how much I loved the Dole Whip. It was delicious, and a genuinely kind gesture which I will never forget.

If you've never had a Dole Whip, be sure to add it to your itinerary on your trip. Just over the bridge from Main Street USA into Adventureland, on the right hand side, you will see Aloha Isle. Grab yourself a Whip, and take a seat by Swiss Family Treehouse and watch the people go by. hmm...I think I'm going to go find my Cuisinart ice cream maker and put it in the freezer for a few hours.....maybe a quick trip to the market....