When the weather gets hot, the desserts get cold! Whether you love ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt or are more of a fresh fruity sorbet fan, all frozen desserts deserve their time in the sun. Keep reading to find out the differences between these tasty treats, plus some fun facts and more!
Ice Cream
In order to be considered officially “ice cream,” there must be at least 10% milk fat present. Any ice cream substitute that doesn't contain at least 10% milk fat must be called an “iced dessert.” There are vegan ice creams available, like coconut milk and almond milk ice creams if you can’t have the traditional kind — they may not technically be “ice cream”, but they can still be delicious.
Gelato
An Italian frozen dessert, gelato is made with a base of 3.25% milk and sugar. It’s typically lower in fat than other frozen desserts and can be more dense and heavily flavored. Original flavors include chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut, but today you can find anything from strawberry gelato to black licorice!
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt contains the same basic ingredients as ice cream, but — like regular yogurt — includes live bacterial cultures. It’s also generally lower in fat than ice cream and has a more tart taste. Unlike Ice cream and gelato, the star of a frozen yogurt dessert is often the toppings! Soft serve frozen yogurt is an excellent vehicle for candy, cereal, nuts and pretty much anything that’s tiny and tasty.
Ice Milk
The main difference between ice milk and ice cream is that Ice milk contains less than 10% milk fat, but they have the same sweetener content. Ice milk is sometimes labeled as “low fat ice cream” but — as we know from the earlier definition — it’s technically not “ice cream.”
Sorbet
A delicious non-dairy option, sorbet is made with berries and flavored, sugar-sweetened water. While there are definitely vegan sorbets available, some sorbets contain egg whites to help the mixture hold together better. If you’re looking for a non-dairy frozen dessert — but want to please that sweet tooth — sorbet is the way!
