Which is healthier: ice cream or sorbet? - Healthy Food Guide (2024)

FAQs

Which is healthier: ice cream or sorbet? - Healthy Food Guide? ›

If weight loss, cutting calories and a healthier heart are your aims, it makes sense to choose sorbet. But ice cream is more nutritious, with higher levels of some vitamins and minerals (although a small glass of skimmed milk will give you good amounts of these, minus the fat and sugar).

Sorbet has less calories than ice cream and other frozen desserts, and no fat. It's fruit content also makes it rich in vitamin C. Any downsides? That fruit content also means it contains a fair bit of sugar, and if we're comparing it with ice cream and gelato, it has less calcium, vitamin A and iron.

On average, one cup of fruit sorbet provides 200–250 calories, which is a good calorie amount for a snack. You can consume that amount of calories without ruining your diet because it is very appropriate to get 200 calories for your healthy snack. Sorbet is low in calories because most of it is water.

Sherbet vs Ice Cream

Because it's made with more dairy, ice cream has a higher calorie count and fat content than sherbet. Sherbet is made with fruit, sugar and small amounts of dairy, such as milk, cream or buttermilk.

Low cholesterol and saturated fat alternatives

People can still enjoy frozen desserts that contain less saturated fat, sugar, or dietary cholesterol. The following are some suitable options: Sorbet: This is a dairy-free option consisting primarily of fruit puree, water, and sugar.

But if you're watching your blood-sugar levels, then sorbets aren't the best choice because they raise blood sugar quicker." I used to think sorbets were the healthier treat of the summer. But Joy explained they tend to contain more sugar than ice cream or gelatos.

Waitrose Alphonso Mango sorbet: Half a 500ml tub is one of your five a day, but this size serving (three times what you should stick to) comes with 30g added sugar — around threefifths of the recommended daily limit.

If you add too much sugar your sorbet won't freeze properly and you'll end up with slush. However, if you don't add enough you'll end up with a hard block of ice, which is less than appetising. Apparently, 20 -30% sugar is about right.

Sorbet is made up of fruit juices, syrup and water.

One cup of an all-fruit sorbet has 184 calories, 34 grams of sugar, 46.2 grams of carbohydrates and no fat. While no fat is good, sorbet is high in sugar and doesn't have any calcium, like milk-based frozen treats do.

Sherbet is often seen as a healthier alternative to traditional ice cream because it contains less fat. Typically, sherbet is made with a mixture of fruit puree, sugar, water, and a small amount of milk or cream.

What ice cream has no sugar? ›

The main difference between ice cream and gelato is their fat content. With only 4-9% fat to the usual 10-25% of ice cream, gelato usually is lighter and healthier. Per portion, however, the answer is clear, gelato is typically healthier than ice cream.

The nutrition lowdown

But, with the exception of vitamin C, it also tend to be low in nutrients (the amount of vitamin C will vary according to the type and quantity of fruit used). Basically, sorbet provides a heavy dose of sugar with little else!

The difference between ice cream and sorbet is also based on whether or not dairy is used. Technically speaking, ice cream always contains cream and/or milk as its main ingredients, while sorbet traditionally never includes dairy or eggs, instead being primarily made from fruit juice or fruit purée.

As most calorie-sensitive people know, sorbets are generally preferable to ice cream when it comes to minding one's weight. While sorbets admittedly contain a lot of sugar they at least tend to contain little or no fat. That, however, is something that usually does not apply to chocolate sorbets.