Dairy desserts are extremely popular all over the world. In fact, ice cream, ice cream cakes and chocolate sundaes are three of the top 10 favorite desserts in the U.S. The most popular ice cream flavors, listed in descending order, are vanilla, cookies n’ cream and strawberry. Sherbet, another popular product, is a frozen dessert made with fruit juice with added milk or cream, egg white or gelatin.
While consumers generally do not consider dessert a primary source of nutrients, dairy desserts do contain significant nutrients. The nutrients for ice cream and sherbet listed in the table below are for non-premium varieties. If you select a premium ice cream or a specialty ice cream (e.g. made with artificial sweeteners), consult the Nutrition Facts side panel of the product for the nutrient levels.
| Nutrient |
Pudding
(1/2 cup) |
Custard
(1/2 cup) |
Ice Cream
(1/2 cup) |
LF Ice cream
(1/2 cup) |
Sherbet
(1/2 cup) |
Frozen Yogurt
(1/2 cup) |
| Kilocalories |
143 |
147 |
137 |
137 |
107 |
114 |
| Protein (g) |
2 |
7 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
| Carbohydrate (g) |
25 |
16 |
16 |
22 |
23 |
17 |
| Sugars (g) |
19 |
16 |
14 |
17 |
18 |
17 |
| Fiber (g) |
0 |
0 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
1 |
0 |
| Total Fat (g) |
4.2 |
6.5 |
7.3 |
3.7 |
1.5 |
4 |
| Calories from Fat |
38 |
59 |
66 |
33 |
14 |
36 |
| Saturated Fat (g) |
1.1 |
3.1 |
4.5 |
2.2 |
0.9 |
2.5 |
| Cholesterol |
1 |
118 |
29 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
| Cholesterol (%DV) |
0% |
39% |
10% |
7% |
0% |
0% |
| Sodium (mg) |
156 |
86 |
53 |
56 |
34 |
63 |
| Sodium (%DV) |
7% |
4% |
2% |
2% |
1% |
3% |
| Potassium (mg) |
72 |
209 |
131 |
158 |
71 |
152 |
| Potassium (%DV) |
2% |
6% |
4% |
5% |
2% |
4% |
| Vitamin A (IU) |
7 |
247 |
278 |
340 |
34 |
153 |
| Vitamin A (%DV) |
0% |
5% |
6% |
7% |
1% |
3% |
| Vitamin B12 (ug) |
0.2 |
0.6 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
| Vitamin B12 (DV) |
3% |
10% |
5% |
7% |
2% |
3% |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
0.2 |
0 |
0.4 |
0.9 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
| Vitamin C (%DV) |
0% |
0% |
1% |
2% |
3% |
1% |
| Vitamin D (IU) |
0 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| Vitamin D (DV) |
0% |
0% |
1% |
1% |
0% |
1% |
| Calcium (mg) |
54 |
151 |
84 |
122 |
40 |
103 |
| Calcium (%DV) |
5% |
15% |
8% |
12% |
4% |
10% |
| Folate (ug) |
2 |
14 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
| Folate (%DV) |
1% |
4% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
| Iron (mg) |
0.1 |
0.5 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.22 |
| Iron (%DV) |
1% |
3% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
| Magnesium (mg) |
4 |
16 |
9 |
11 |
6 |
10 |
| Magnesium (% DV) |
1% |
4% |
2% |
3% |
2% |
3% |
| Phosphorus (mg) |
45 |
159 |
69 |
78 |
30 |
93 |
| Phosphorus (%DV) |
5% |
16% |
7% |
8% |
3% |
9% |
| Thiamin (mg) |
0.02 |
0.05 |
0.03 |
0.04 |
0.02 |
0.03 |
| Thiamin (%DV) |
1% |
3% |
2% |
3% |
1% |
2% |
| Riboflavin (mg) |
0.08 |
0.34 |
0.16 |
0.19 |
0.07 |
0.16 |
| Riboflavin (%DV) |
5% |
20% |
9% |
11% |
4% |
9% |
| Niacin (mg) |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.05 |
0.2 |
| Niacin (%DV) |
1% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
0% |
1% |
Source of all nutrient values: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Vitamin D fortified dairy foods can be an excellent source of vitamin D, however, levels vary considerably. Read the food label or contact manufacturer for specific levels.
The sugars listed on the Nutrition Facts label include naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit and milk) as well as those added to a food or drink.
% DV = Daily Value, based on energy and nutrient recommendations for a general 2000-calorie diet.
| Units: |
g=grams |
|
mg=milligrams |
|
ug=micrograms |
|
IU=International Units |