The "healthiest" ice cream flavor depends on your goals, but generally, plain options like vanilla or simple fruit flavors in healthier bases (Greek yogurt, nut milk) are best, while brands like Halo Top, Yasso, or Nick's offer lower-calorie, higher-protein choices with less sugar, especially flavors like vanilla or mint chip. Homemade versions using just frozen bananas and nut butter are also excellent healthy choices.
5 Healthiest Ice Creams for Less Fat and More Flavor
The Healthiest Ice Cream is Eclipse
Eclipse ice cream is plant-based (free of dairy and egg), non-GMO, free of most common allergens, and does not contain any preservatives or artificial colors, or flavors.
Gelato might hold the key. “Made with less cream and no eggs, gelato is significantly lower in total fat than ice cream,” says Erickson. In many cases, gelato also contains plant-based milks like coconut or soy, which can improve gut health.
7 Unhealthiest Ice Creams on the Planet—Ranked by Sugar
Instacart released data from America's shopping orders during the summer of 2024 and found that the most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla.
Since the ice cream is made and served in the polluted streets, the locals called sorbetes "dirty ice cream" as a joke. The nickname caught on, and it is now remembered as a delicious treat in the Philippines.
At the moment, we simply don't have enough good quality evidence to suggest that ice cream definitely has any health benefits. But a couple of small portions a week – paired with an otherwise healthy diet and exercise regime – is unlikely to do much harm.
No Palm Oil, only 100% milk, cream and gourmet ingredients. That's what real ice cream is.
Honorable Mentions
Top 3 Healthiest Ice-Cream Brands! (and best rated flavors) 1: Edy's Slow Churned (Coffee) 2: Breyers Natural (Vanilla) 3: Halo Top (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) Anyone try these brands?
10 Healthy Alternatives To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
The 17 Most Healthy Ice Creams to Try
America's top 10 favorite ice cream flavors:
Gelato tastes, feels, and looks much more decadent than regular ice cream by a large margin. Because it has rich flavors, a creamy texture, and not much fat, gelato is a very tasty treat that will please even the pickiest dessert lover.
First off, yes, McDonald's soft serve is, in fact, ice cream. Its ingredients are milk, sugar, cream, corn syrup, natural flavor, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and vitamin A palmitate. But it falls under a specific subset of ice cream: reduced-fat ice cream.
Ice cream brands in the U.S.
Ben & Jerry's is number one in popularity among consumers. Leading Breyer's and Blue Bunny in second and third place, respectively.
Product Information. Discover Magnum Double Gold Caramel Billionaire Ice Cream Sticks – our most indulgent ice cream yet. Experience the pleasure of velvety smooth biscuit and pecan flavour ice creams, with a layer of rich salted caramel sauce coated with golden caramel chocolate encrusted with crunchy biscuit pieces.
Eating a bowl of ice cream every day won't improve your health no matter what type you eat. However, if you choose an ice cream made from more simple, natural ingredients — more on that in a bit — the dish becomes a bit less unhealthy. But that still doesn't move healthier ice creams into the “health food” category.
Experts suggest eating any foods that contain added sugar and saturated fat, like ice cream, in a moderate and mindful way. In excess, these foods might displace nutritious choices in your diet and increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes over time.
Ice cream, particularly those with creamy textures, can trigger the release of hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, the "feel-good" hormones. Indulging in this sweet treat occasionally can help lift your spirits and provide a momentary escape from the challenges of daily life.
Description. Friendly's Forbidden Chocolate Ice Cream is a premium ice cream so delicious that you'll need a second scoop. With an indulgent, real chocolate flavor, this frozen ice cream tub comes with a perfectly creamy texture to satisfy every craving and celebrate every moment.
Typically, McDonald's soft serve uses 5% reduced fat, which falls below the 10% milk fat requirement to be technically considered ice cream. Instead, it's simply known as soft serve.
The unhealthiest ice creams are typically rich, indulgent flavors from brands like Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs, featuring high amounts of sugar, saturated fat, and calories from mix-ins like fudge, caramel, and candy, with flavors like Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Monkey" or"Peanut Butter Cup" often topping lists due to their extreme sugar and calorie counts per serving. Beyond specific brands, ice creams with artificial colors, flavors, and emulsifiers, along with excessive added sugars and unhealthy fats, should be avoided for better health.