14 Best & Worst Low-Calorie Ice Creams, According to a Dietitian
Is a pint of ice cream calling your name? By finding the right healthy, low-calorie ice cream brands, you can answer the call without derailing your efforts to level up your nutrition.
Americans have a love affair with ice cream. The average American eats about 20 pounds of ice cream per year, or about four gallons. Our consumption of ice cream has been cooling for years, down from 29 pounds per person in the mid-70s. One of the reasons why ice cream is less popular is the growing interest in dairy-free and vegan foods and beverages. At the same time, many health-conscious individuals don't want all the sugar normally found in their favorite scoop.
Ice cream manufacturers have responded by creating vegan and dairy-free options, often made with nut milk, coconut, soy, and oat milk. At the same time, companies have made great strides to also offer lower-calorie and lower-sugar options to create healthier frozen treats. To help you find the right ones, we've selected our favorite store-bought brands.
How we choose the best low-calorie ice creams:
No more than 210 calories per serving: There is no true definition of low-calorie ice cream, but super-premium ice creams often have about 400-450 calories in a 2/3-cup serving, so to qualify as low-calorie ice cream, we defined low-calorie as ice cream with up to 210 calories per 2/3 cup serving.
No more than 12 grams of added sugar: We looked for ice creams that keep added sugars to a reasonable amount at about 12 grams or 3 teaspoons. If you choose low-calorie ice cream with no more than 12 grams of sugar, you can easily keep total added sugars to the American Heart Association's recommendation of up to 10% of total calories. Even lower amounts of added sugar are better for your health, and most of our best-bet choices have less than 10 grams of sugar.
No more than 15 grams of saturated fat: Many super-premium ice cream flavors pack 20 or more grams of saturated fat per day. That's about all the saturated fat that's recommended to have in a day. For your heart's health, lower saturated fat counts are even better.
Read on to learn about some of the best low-calorie ice cream brands, as well as a few that we recommend steering clear of. Then, check out the 25 Unhealthiest Ice Creams—Ranked by Sugar.
10 Best Low-Calorie Ice Creams
1. Best: Halo Top Light Vanilla Ice Cream
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 100
Fat: 2 g (Saturated fat: 1.5 g)
Sodium: 90 mg
Carbs: 21 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 6 g
Made with real milk and low in calories, saturated fat, and sugar, Halo Top Ice Cream is one of the best bests if you want to have a treat without compromising your health and nutrition. Halo Top has more fiber than a large apple and as much protein as an egg. To keep sugar counts low, the frosty treat is sweetened with stevia and erythritol.
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2. Best: Rebel Coffee Chip Ice Cream
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 210
Fat: 18 g (Saturated fat: 12 g)
Sodium: 70 mg
Carbs: 16 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 0 g)
Protein: 3 g
Rebel offers rich and creamy full-fat ice cream but with little or zero added sugar. While that means you are getting more saturated fat (60% of all the saturated fat you should have in an entire day), this choice from Rebel is great for anyone following a low-carb lifestyle. It has no added sugar but is sweetened with erythritol, a sugar alcohol, as well as monk fruit.
3. Best: So Delicious Vanilla Sandwiches Almondmilk Frozen Dessert
Nutrition (Per 1 sandwich):
Calories:100
Fat: 4 g (Saturated fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 30 mg
Carbs: 14 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 1 g
If you want a vegan alternative to ice cream, So Delicious has several worth noting. The brand has been creating dairy-free ice cream for more than 30 years. So Delicious' vegan frozen treats are made with plant-based milk created from nuts, coconut, oat, and soy. Many of the vegan pints can be high in added sugar, so that's why we included the brand's vanilla almond milk sandwiches, which are calorie-controlled and moderate in added sugar, and low in saturated fat.
RELATED: 12 Ice Cream Brands That Use the Lowest Quality Ingredients
4. Best: Breyer's CarbSmart Brownie a la Mode
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 120
Fat: 6 g (Saturated fat: 4.5 g)
Sodium: 70 mg
Carbs: 21 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 1 g
If you're watching calories and carbs, Breyer's CarbSmart line of ice cream flavors deliver the taste you expect from Breyer's minus extra calories, carbs and sugar. What's more, this Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream has filling fiber from chicory root, and it is sweetened with a variety of non-caloric sweeteners.
5. Best: Nick's Strawbar Swirl Swedish-style Light Ice Cream
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 90
Fat: 5 g (Saturated fat: 3.5 g)
Sodium: 140 mg
Carbs: 22 g (Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 1 g)
Protein: 3 g
This creamy Swedish-style ice cream is made with cream and a dairy-based protein blend. It is sweetened with allulose, stevia, and maltodextrin. It is one of the highest-fiber ice creams, with 8 grams, equivalent to the fiber in four cups of fresh strawberries. This ice cream is perfect for anyone wanting more flavor and less sugar in their frozen treats.
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6. Best: Enlightened Sea Salt Caramel Bars
Nutrition (Per 1 bar):
Calories: 80
Fat: 2 g (Saturated fat: 1 g)
Sodium: 150 mg
Carbs: 17 g (Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 5 g
Enlightened Bars are portion-controlled to help keep calories in check, but they also have more muscle-building protein than most ice cream options. The protein comes from skim milk, the first ingredient in the bar, and milk protein concentrate. The bars also have lower sugar because they are sweetened with allulose, monk fruit, and stevia. The bars also pack in 5 grams of fiber due to the corn fiber included in the recipe.
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7. Best: Halo Top Chocolate Fudge Pop
Nutrition (Per 1 bar):
Calories:70
Fat: 2 g (Saturated fat: 1.5 g)
Sodium: 65 mg
Carbs: 11 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 5 g
Halo Top's bars are a great choice if you want a lower-calorie frozen treat. Like the brand's lower-calorie ice cream, the main ingredient of these bars is ultra-filtered skim milk. These Halo Top Bars are low in total fat and saturated fat, have 5 grams of protein, and have just 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of added sugar. The bars are sweetened with allulose and stevia to keep sugars lower.
8. Best: Yasso Strawberries&Cream Frozen Greek Yogurt Bar
Nutrition (Per 1 bar):
Calories: 80
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 45 mg
Carbs: 14 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 12 g)
Protein: 4 g
This Yass Bar is made with nonfat milk, nonfat Greek yogurt, and milk protein concentrate, which is why it is lower in calories. It has 4 grams of protein per bar and 6% of the calcium you need in a day. It doesn't have any sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners, and yet, added sugar is limited to 8 grams (2 teaspoons).
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9. Best: Edy's Slow Churned Classic Vanilla Light Ice Cream
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories:130
Fat: 4 g (Saturated fat: 2.5 g)
Sodium: 50 mg
Carbs: 23 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 17 g)
Protein: 3 g
Dreyer's started in 1928 and expanded nationally in 1977. Since then, the company has used the Dreyer's name west of the Rockies and Edy's East of the Rockies. The slow-churned light ice cream from Dreyer's or Edy's has about 1/3 fewer calories and 1/3 the fat of traditional ice cream. The first ingredient is skim milk to keep calories and fat lower and protein higher.
10. Best: Artic Zero Vanilla Latte Frozen Dessert
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories:50
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 90 mg
Carbs: 11 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 2 g
Artic Zero is a vegan option made with water as its first ingredient, and it is sweetened with sugar, allulose, and monk fruit. It also has added fiber and natural flavors. Since water is the first ingredient, this Arctic Zero Ice Cream doesn't have the same creaminess as a dairy- or coconut oil-based ice cream. If you can set aside its texture, Artic Zero is one of the lowest in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and sugar. If your stomach is sensitive to sugar alcohol, Artic Zero may be a better option as it contains no sugar alcohol.
4 Worst Low-Calorie Ice Creams
1. Worst: Talenti Double Cookie Crunch Gelato
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 330
Fat: 17 g (Saturated fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 150 mg
Carbs: 44 g (Fiber: <1 g, Sugar: 33 g)
Protein: 2 g
This dairy-free option from Talenti is made with oat milk but packs in 8 teaspoons (or nearly 70% of all the sugar you can have in a day) in addition to its 330-calorie serving. Because it's made with oat milk, it has added coconut and canola oils to give it a richer, creamier mouthfeel. However, the coconut oil also increases the saturated fat in this dessert.
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2. Worst: Oatly Vanilla Frozen Dessert
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 210
Fat: 13 g (Saturated fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 40 mg
Carbs: 25 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 18 g)
Protein: 1 g
It's easy to be confused about what constitutes a healthy ice cream when it is marketed as a better-for-you vegan alternative. Made with oat milk, this Oatly Vanilla Ice Cream meets our calorie guidelines but exceeds our recommendations for added sugar.
3. Worst: Haagen-Dazs Heaven Light Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 230
Fat: 8 g (Saturated fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 115 mg
Carbs: 30 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 22 g)
Protein: 9 g
The brand says that this ice cream from Haagen-Dazs has 1/2 the fat, 1/3 fewer calories, and 1/4 of the sugar of traditional ice cream. However, their comparison is likely to super-premium ice cream brands like Ben&Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs, which are significantly higher in calories, fat, and sugar than the more run-of-the-mill brands like Dreyer's/Edy's and Breyer's. This ice cream is made with ultra-filtered skim milk to up the protein, but it has more than 5 teaspoons of sugar.
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4. Worst: Blue Bell Light Homemade Vanilla
Nutrition (Per 2/3 cup serving):
Calories: 180
Fat: 5 g (Saturated fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 85 mg
Carbs: 29 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 28 g)
Protein: 6 g
This Blue Bell Light Vanilla Ice Cream meets our guidelines for calories and saturated fat, but it has 7 teaspoons of sugar coming from sugar and high fructose corn syrup. It's made with skim milk, so it packs 6 grams of protein per serving.
