Ice cream —a sweet, creamy frozen treat loved by all adults and kids alike. The smooth texture and interesting flavors make this a divine and glorious dessert to have after dinner or to cool off on a hot day. It’s truly a well loved dessert by everyone, especially in warmer seasons, but ice cream can also be loaded with tons of calories and sugar per serving making it a dessert that should only be enjoyed on occasion.
However, today I’m going to share a round up of healthy alternatives that can satisfy your ice cream cravings minus the guilt.
Healthy Substitute For Ice Cream
There are so many reasons why someone may be searching for healthy alternatives to ice cream. Whether you are in need of an ice cream alternative due to dietary restrictions or you’re desiring to be more health cautious, we’ve got you covered with some cool and delicious alternatives below.
Is Ice Cream Healthy?
Before we dive into healthy substitutes, you might be wondering if ice cream is healthy. While traditional ice cream may contain some important nutrients like protein, the reason why ice cream is considered to not be healthy is because the amount of protein is insignificant compared to the amount of sugar, saturated fats, and calories per serving.
What Are The Best Healthy Ice Cream Substitutes
If you are looking for the best healthy ice cream substitutes, then look no further. Here are several options for you to choose from below.
Protein ice cream
Protein ice cream is an amazing alternative to traditional ice cream if the goal is to go healthier. Protein ice cream is typically lower in calories, lower in sugar, and higher in protein with the addition of whey or other protein additives.
Halo Top
For every 100 calories (⅔ cup) of Halo Top, you’ll get 6g protein, 2g fat, 21g carbs, 7g sugars.
Wondering does ice cream have protein? Halo Tap does! Halo Top has a high milk protein concentrate, making it a healthy alternative to regular ice cream. Every pint it’s packed with 20 grams of protein, plus it’s also low in calories.
This ice cream is made of ultrafiltered skim milk and comes in a wide variety of flavors like birthday cake or strawberry to name a few. Definitely a good, healthier dupe on the market for traditional ice cream. It’s keto-friendly too!
Arctic Zero
This is another high protein, dairy free milk, plant based ice cream option worthy of mentioning. One serving (⅔ cup) of Arctic Zero is only serving 50 calories, but packs a solid 2g protein, 0g fat, 11g carbs, and 8g sugars. It comes in classic vanilla bean flavor, purely chocolate, strawberry shortcake, or many many more. So GOOD too which is hard to find with light ice cream brands.
Arctic Zero’s are made with the plant based faba bean protein concentrate and sweetened with organic cane sugar, making them also low glycemic, vegan, and also keto-friendly! While they do have peanut butter and pistachio flavors, there’s also a selection that are peanut, tree nut, and soy free. Excellent healthy dupe.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is another great alternative to ice cream because it’s also lower in calories and fat, and a good source of live probiotic cultures. You can usually find frozen Greek yogurt, which is low fat or no fat yogurt. It’s an awesome frozen dessert that should be consumed in moderation though as some varieties are high in sugar, especially with added toppings.
Avocado ice cream
Traditional ice cream is high in saturated fats, containing around 7grams per serving. Avocado based ice cream contains half that with only 2-3 grams per serving.
Sorbet
Most sorbet is made of real fruit, water, and sugar making it another healthier alternative to ice cream. Ice cream lovers can enjoy the same creamy texture with this dairy-free frozen treat and delight in the fact that with sorbet they are getting a source of vitamins and minerals with typically lower calories and fat than ice cream. Just a heads up though that some varieties of sorbet may contain artificial sweeteners, flavors, and added sugar that could make it not as healthy as other alternatives.
So Delicious Dairy Free Light
This coconut milk ice cream is another excellent dairy free ice cream alternative you can try. For every serving (⅔ cup), it’s 110 calories, 1g protein, 5g fat, 20g carbs, and 6g sugars. While it doesn’t contain a ton of protein, it does include healthy nutrients like pea protein and coconut oil and is only 330 calories per pint, making it another low calorie ice cream option that also happens to be low fat and low carb.
Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars
Have you ever tried these frozen ice cream bars? For every 100 calories (1 bar), you can enjoy about 5g protein, 5g fat, 18g carbs, and 16g sugars. The rich and creamy texture is due to the Greek yogurt base, making it naturally high in protein. Plus for every 100 calories per serving, you’ll get 4 to 6 grams of protein from milk protein concentrate. Not sure what flavors to reach for? Definitely grab the cookies and cream flavor or even their salted caramel, which are awesome alternatives to traditional ice cream.
Homemade ice cream
Banana ice cream
Did you know you can make banana ice cream with just one ingredient? It’s true! If you’ve got frozen bananas and a food processor or blender, you can whip up the most delicious and creamy frozen dessert alternative to regular ice cream. And healthy too because it’s naturally sweet without all the extra added sugars.
Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie Bowl
251 CALORIES
If you’re having an ice cream craving and looking to avoid traditional ice cream, a homemade smoothie bowl might be your next best thing. To make this vegan ice cream smoothie only requires 3 ingredients. The flavor combination of blueberries and pineapple brings a natural sweetness, with only 29g Carbs, 23g Protein, 5g Fat, 2g Fiber, and 0g Added Sugar so you can enjoy this one without the guilt!
Ingredients
½ cup Blueberries, frozen – 35 calories
½ cup Pineapple, frozen chunks, unsweetened – 47 calories
8 oz Greek Yogurt, plain, 2%, from tub – 170 calories
Instructions
Step 1: Mix all ingredients in a blender, pour into a bowl, & enjoy!
Step 2: No dairy? Use a dairy-free yogurt.
Peanut butter banana smoothie bowl
While you’re at it with making frozen smoothie bowls, definitely add this peanut butter banana smoothie to your list! With just 4 simple ingredients: peanut butter, frozen banana, vanilla extract, and a natural sweetener like honey or agave, you’ve got one of the most delicious and classic protein-enriched smoothie recipes you could imagine.
Peanut butter is an easy way to add protein to your smoothie. This nut butter contains an impressive 65 grams of protein per cup! So you won’t need much when making this heart healthy sweet treat, about ¼ cup should be more than enough.
Like this list? You may also love these healthy high protein desserts ideas.
