Cincinnati's best soft serve isn't made by the newest technology — it's made by a machine older than most of your grandparents.
If you've ever stood at the window at Putz's Creamy Whip and wondered why that vanilla cone tastes different from anywhere else in the city, the answer is humming right behind the counter. Her name is Bessie — a 1953 Electro-Freeze soft-serve machine — and she's been churning out Cincinnati's most iconic creamy whip for over 70 years.
A Cincinnati Institution Since 1938
Putz's Creamy Whip got its start when Constantine and Anna Putz opened an ice cream business in two converted streetcars on Spring Grove Avenue, selling hand-dipped ice cream — three scoops for a nickel. That was 1938, and the family has been serving Cincinnati ever since.
Now a five-generation family operation located at 2673 Putz Place on the West Side (yes, the street was named after them), Putz's is one of the most beloved seasonal destinations in all of Cincinnati.
The Secret Is in the Machine
When the family relocated to their current home at the foot of Mt. Airy, they brought in two brand-new Electro-Freeze ice cream machines — purchased in 1954 and 1955. The Putz family swears these machines are what separates their ice cream from every other creamy whip in the area. Incredibly, both are still in full-time operation today.
The star of the show is Bessie — a 1953 Electro-Freeze soft-serve machine. According to the Borgman family, who now operates Putz's, there are only about 100 of these machines left in the world still in working condition.
So what makes Bessie special? Some say it's that she doesn't pump air into the ice cream like modern machines do. Others say she forms ice crystals so tiny and uniform that they mingle with the richness of the cream in a way no modern machine can replicate. Whatever the science, the result is a dense, silky soft serve that has kept Cincinnatians coming back for generations.
As Putz's descendant Mindy Borgman puts it: "It was made in the '50s and it's still running. That's what we're most famous for — everything made with that machine, from shakes to cyclones and everything in between."
More Than Ice Cream — A Cincinnati Tradition
For most Putz's customers, a trip for ice cream is a walk through childhood memories. They bring their own children and grandchildren down and look through the same windows at the same Electro-Freeze machines that once served them as kids. That multi-generational connection is rare — and it's exactly what makes Putz's more than just an ice cream stand.
Putz's has been honored as "Best of Cincinnati – Soft Serve Ice Cream" in Cincinnati Magazine's annual awards and has been featured in national food guides. But the real testament is the line that forms every season the moment they flip the sign back to open.
Plan Your Visit
Address: 2673 Putz Place, Cincinnati, OH 45225 Season:
Typically, March through September
Payment: Cash Only — come prepared!
👉 View the full listing on the Cincinnati Ice Cream Directory: https://cincinnatiicecream.org/putzs-creamy-whip
Discover more of Cincinnati's best ice cream shops, creamy whips, and hidden gems at CincinnatiIceCream.org — your guide to the Queen City's sweetest spots.
