Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream: Which Is Healthier?

Frozen yogurt vs. ice cream–which one is healthier?

Both desserts can provide nutritional benefits. However, depending on how they’re made, they can have potential drawbacks. Understanding their differences can help you make a more informed decision when choosing a sweet treat.

Explore the similarities and differences between frozen yogurt and ice cream and learn how to select the highest-quality option that supports your health and wellness goals.

Frozen yogurt vs. ice cream: what’s the difference?

While frozen yogurt and ice cream share a creamy texture and indulgent taste, they differ considerably in their ingredients and production methods. These variations play a key role in shaping their nutritional profiles and overall health effects.

Here are key differences between frozen yogurt and ice cream.

How they’re made 

Frozen yogurt consists primarily of milk or cream fermented with live bacteria such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus. 

Usually, this mixture is left to ferment for 6 to 8 hours at low temperatures of around 100 to 110 degrees F (38 to 43 degrees C). 

After fermentation, the yogurt base is typically churned to introduce air and achieve a light and creamy texture. During this stage, sweeteners, stabilizers, and flavors are typically added before the mixture is frozen.

In contrast, ice cream is made from a base of cream, milk, sugar, salt, and eggs. The ingredients are simmered at around 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) to create a custard-like base, which is then chilled and churned. 

To create soft-serve ice cream, the churning process is faster, and the mixture is typically served at a slightly warmer temperature, resulting in a smoother, softer texture. 

Watch the video below to learn whether frozen yogurt or ice cream is the better choice. 

Ingredients

While frozen yogurt and ice cream contain dairy and sugar, they have some distinct nutritional differences.

Frozen yogurt includes probiotic microbes, which are beneficial bacteria that can promote gut health, help improve digestive functions, and even affect mood regulation. 

However, the survival rate and concentrations of these beneficial organisms can be uncertain after processing, especially in commercial brands.

This has been confirmed by research published in Food Bioscience stating that extreme cold temperatures can diminish the viability of probiotic organisms.

The types of dairy used for both desserts can include heavy cream, half and half, skim milk, whole milk, or non-dairy alternatives, such as almond or coconut milk, catering to various dietary preferences. 

Traditionally, ice cream combines heavy cream and milk, resulting in a richer texture, while frozen yogurt is primarily produced from skimmed milk.

When it comes to added ingredients, both frozen yogurt and ice cream can contain sugars, artificial sweeteners, coloring, fillers, and flavor enhancers. However, ice cream is often simpler, typically made with just its traditional core ingredients such as heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, and eggs.

Nutrition 

In a side-by-side comparison, regular vanilla ice cream is typically higher in healthy saturated fats than frozen yogurt. These fats can provide energy, promote satiety, and support hormone production.

While frozen yogurt typically has fewer calories, ice cream tends to contain slightly less sugar and carbohydrates, though this varies widely depending on the brand.

Ice cream nutrition facts

Here are the general nutrition facts for eight fluid ounces (235 ml) of Häagen-Dazs® vanilla bean ice cream:

• 525 calories 

• 21 g fat

• 7.5 g protein 

• 43.5 g total carbs 

  • 0 g fiber

  • 42 g total sugars 

Frozen yogurt nutrition facts

Here are the general nutrition facts for eight fluid ounces of Menchie’s creamy country vanilla frozen yogurt.

• 280 calories 

• 0 g fat

• 8 g protein 

• 56 g total carbs 

  • 0 g fiber 

  • 48 g total sugars

In addition, both yogurt and ice cream may contain small amounts of essential nutrients, including:

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin B12

• Calcium

• Potassium

• Phosphorus

• Magnesium

Which is healthier?

From a metabolic health perspective, neither commercial frozen yogurt nor ice cream is considered a healthy choice. This is primarily due to their high sugar content and the presence of processed ingredients, such as modified cornstarch, flavor modifiers, and artificial sweeteners.

However, if you must choose between the two, regular ice cream is usually the better option. It tends to have less sugar, provides healthier fats, and is more commonly made with simple, whole-food ingredients and fewer unhealthy additives than frozen yogurt.

Most commercial frozen yogurt products include lengthy ingredient lists filled with potentially harmful fillers, stabilizers, and artificial additives, such as corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, condensed milk, carrageenan, and various gums and emulsifiers.

While frozen yogurt may offer some probiotic benefits to support gut health, its high sugar content can outweigh these benefits. 

Excessive sugar can fuel the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut, potentially leading to dysbiosis, where potentially pathogenic microbes outnumber beneficial ones. This imbalance can contribute to digestive issues, inflammation, and a weakened immune system.

Tips for choosing a healthy dessert

Understanding what to look for when shopping for delicious dairy products can help you make informed choices that align with your health goals.

Start by carefully reading nutrition labels and ingredient lists and choosing products with simple, whole-food-based ingredients. 

Look for items without added sugars or artificial sweeteners, which can significantly contribute to chronic inflammation and associated health issues.

Opt for plain varieties and consider adding your own toppings and natural sweeteners, such as allulose, stevia, or monk fruit extract, if desired.

It’s also critical to avoid hydrogenated or trans fats from vegetable and seed oils. Instead, choose desserts made with high-quality fats, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, or full-fat dairy.

These alternatives offer greater nutrient density than low-fat options while minimizing the inflammatory effects of highly refined oils.

“To maximize nutritional benefits, choose grass-fed A2 full-fat dairy products with minimal added ingredients,” Dr. Berg explains. “Low-fat varieties often contain hidden sugars, flavoring, and stabilizers that can disrupt gut health, spike blood sugar, and promote insulin resistance.”

One of the best ways to ensure you’re consuming a high-quality, nutrient-rich dessert is to make your own. Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy recipes that you can quickly prepare at home. 

Here are a few tasty frozen dessert recipes:

• No-Churn Ice Cream

• Keto Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream

• Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

• Frozen Chocolate Coconut Bites

• Coconut Almond Raspberry Bark

Key takeaways

Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream–which one is the healthier option? 

Both frozen yogurt and ice cream offer benefits, but the key to making the best choice lies in understanding which ingredients have been used.

Many store-bought options are filled with low-quality ingredients, excessive sugars, and artificial additives. To make a healthier choice, it's essential to select products made with whole-food ingredients, high-quality fats, whole-fat dairy, and natural sweeteners such as allulose, stevia, or monk fruit.

FAQ

1. Frozen yogurt vs. ice cream: which is healthier?

Despite the potential benefits of the probiotic yogurt cultures in frozen yogurt, ice cream is typically the better choice among pre-made commercial options. Ice cream tends to contain more healthy fats and less sugar, which can support satiety and doesn’t affect blood sugar balance as significantly as sugary frozen yogurt. 

Neither commercial frozen yogurt or ice cream can be considered truly healthy, as most options are loaded with added sugars and artificial ingredients. The best choice for your health is to make your own dairy desserts at home, allowing you to control the quality of ingredients and create a more nutritious treat.

2. Are frozen yogurt and soft serve the same?

No, frozen yogurt and soft serve ice cream aren’t the same. Soft serve is more similar to traditional ice cream but with a higher air content and a different freezing process, while frozen yogurt contains cultured milk and often has a much lower fat content.

3. Is frozen yogurt fine to eat every day?

Due to its high sugar content, commercial frozen yogurt has little to no health benefits and shouldn’t be eaten daily. It can contribute to blood sugar fluctuations and insulin resistance, which can negatively impact metabolic and cardiovascular health. 

4. Does frozen yogurt have more sugar than ice cream?

While this can vary by brand, frozen yogurt generally contains more sugar per serving than ice cream. Manufacturers often add more sugar to compensate for the reduced fat content and balance yogurt's natural tartness.

5. Is frozen yogurt easier on your stomach than ice cream?

Frozen yogurt may be easier to digest than ice cream for some individuals, particularly those with lactose intolerance, due to its lower lactose content and the presence of probiotics that can aid digestive processes. 

However, ice cream's higher fat content can slow digestion, which might be gentler on the digestive tract for others. Ultimately, individual tolerance varies, so choosing the option that aligns with your digestive comfort is essential.

6  Is frozen yogurt good for weight loss?

Despite it being marketed as a healthier alternative to ice cream, generally, frozen yogurt isn’t a great option for weight loss. This is primarily due to its inclusion of added sugars and artificial additive content.

Moreover, its low-fat content can result in less satiety, potentially leading individuals to overeat.

Source

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212429222004564