Ice cream is a beloved treat, especially during hot weather. However, traditional ice creams often contain high amounts of calories, fat, and sugar. Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives available, catering to various dietary needs and preferences. You can find organic, vegan, keto, low-calorie, and no-sugar-added ice cream options that allow you to indulge without compromising your health goals. This article explores some of the best healthy ice cream brands you can find at Whole Foods.
Understanding Healthier Ice Cream Options
Before diving into specific brands, it's essential to understand what makes an ice cream "healthy." Healthier ice cream options often focus on:
- Lower Calories: Reduced calorie content per serving.
- Reduced Sugar: Use of alternative sweeteners or lower amounts of sugar.
- Lower Fat: Lower fat content, often achieved by using milk instead of cream.
- High-Quality Ingredients: Use of organic, non-GMO, and natural ingredients.
- Dietary Considerations: Options that cater to vegan, keto, dairy-free, or gluten-free diets.
Top Healthy Ice Cream Brands at Whole Foods
Here are some of the top "healthiest" ice cream brands available at Whole Foods, considering various dietary needs and preferences.
Best Overall: Halo Top
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Birthday Cake, Blueberry Crumble, Candy Bar, Caramel Macchiato, Chocolate Cake Batter, Chocolate Caramel Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Mocha Chip, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chip, Oatmeal Cookie, Peaches & Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, Pistachio, Red Velvet, Sea Salt Caramel, Strawberry, and Vanilla Caramel Milkshake
- Ingredients: Ultrafiltered skim milk and skim milk, erythritol, corn fiber, cream, sugar, vegetable glycerine, egg yolks, inulin, natural flavors, ground vanilla beans, stabilizers, sea salt, stevia, caramel color, and vitamin A palmitate
Halo Top stands out for its low-calorie count, relatively simple ingredient list, and wide variety of classic ice cream flavors. It also contains a substantial amount of protein and is sweetened with sugar and erythritol, a naturally sourced sugar alcohol.
Best Gelato: Talenti Organic Gelato
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Oak-Aged Vanilla, Brown Butter Caramel, Chocolate Mousse, and Ginger Matcha
- Ingredients: Organic skim milk, organic cream, organic cane sugar, organic dextrose, oakwood extract, organic carob bean gum, and organic vanilla extract
Gelato is a lower-fat alternative to ice cream, typically made with milk instead of cream. Talenti Organic Gelato uses 100% organic ingredients and is free of highly processed additives. While many gelato products contain more sugar than traditional ice cream, Talenti's organic options provide a creamy texture without the extra fat.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Best Organic: 365 Everyday Value Organic Ice Cream
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Chocolate, Mint Chip, Chocolate Chip, Coffee Chip, Cookies & Cream, and Toffee Caramel
- Ingredients: Pasteurized organic milk and organic cream, organic cane sugar, organic non-fat dry milk, vanilla extract, organic stabilizers, and organic vanilla bean
365 Everyday Value, a Whole Foods brand, offers numerous organic options. Their ice creams are made with high-quality, 100% organic ingredients. While they may not be lower in sugar, fat, or calories than traditional ice cream, they provide a trusted organic option for those seeking cleaner ingredients.
Best Vegan: NadaMoo!
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peach Cobbler, Strawberry Cheesecake, Caramel Cold Brew & Cookies, S’mores, Rockiest Road, Pistachio Nut, Cookies & Crème, Birthday Cake Cookie Dough, Maple Pecan, Organic Vanilla Bean, Organic Chocolate, Organic Mint Chip, and Cookie Dough Fudge
- Ingredients: Organic coconut milk, water, organic agave and tapioca syrup, organic inulin, organic guar gum, sea salt, organic locust bean gum, organic vanilla bean powder, and natural vanilla flavor
NadaMoo! is a popular dairy-free and vegan frozen dessert made with a coconut milk base. Many flavors are organic, and the coconut taste is subtle, allowing other flavors to shine.
Best Plant-Based: Cado
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Choco Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mud Pie, Deep Dark Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Java Chip, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean, Cherry Amaretto Chip, and Simply Lemon
- Ingredients: Water, avocado oil, organic cane sugar, tapioca starch, vanilla bean paste, sea salt, organic guar gum, and organic gum acacia
Cado frozen dessert is a unique option made with avocado, providing a creamy fat source often lacking in vegan ice creams. The brand’s products are made with organic ingredients and are dairy-free, vegan, and soy-free.
Best Dairy-Free: Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Boom Chocolatta, Bananas Foster, Mint Chocolate Chance, Colin Kaepernick’s Change the Whirled, Crème Brûlée Cookie, “Milk” & Cookies, Mint Chocolate Cookie, American Dream, Caramel Almond Brittle, Cherry García, Chocolate Caramel Cluster, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Coconut Seven-Layer Bar, Karamel Sutra Core, Netflix & Chilll’d, P.B & Cookies, Peanut Butter Half Baked, Phish Food, and The Tonight Dough
- Ingredients: Almond milk, sugar, cherries, coconut oil, corn syrup solids, dried cane syrup, cocoa, pea protein, stabilizers, fruit and vegetable concentrates, natural flavor, lemon juice concentrate, vanilla extract, carrageenan
Ben & Jerry’s offers a line of vegan and dairy-free frozen desserts made with either sunflower butter or almond milk. These flavors are exceptionally high in sugar and calories compared with other ice creams.
Best Lactose-Free Keto: Rebel Keto Ice Cream
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Raspberry Sorbet, Lemon Sorbet, Mango Sorbet, Peppermint Chip, Orange Cream, Peanut Butter Caramel Chip, Birthday Cake, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana Peanut Butter Chip, Chocolate Chip, Triple Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Cherry Chip, Coconut Almond Swirl, Black Raspberry, Cookies & Cream, Butter Pecan, Mint Chip, Coffee Chip, Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Fudge, Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry
- Ingredients: Cream, water, erythritol, vegetable glycerin, egg yolks, chicory root fiber, milk protein isolate, natural vanilla flavor, lactase enzyme, stabilizers, salt, and monk fruit
Rebel ice cream is made with real cream and sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol to keep the carb count low. It contains no sugar, and its calorie count is comparable to those of most other ice creams because of its high-fat content.
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Best Keto: Halo Top Keto Series
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Mint Chocolate Cookies, Turtle Cheesecake, Banana Cream Pie, Brownie a la Mode, Caramel Butter Pecan, Chocolate Caramel Lava Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Macadamia Nut Cookie, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean
- Ingredients: Ultrafiltered skim milk, cream, caramel swirl, erythritol, eggs, roasted pecans, vegetable glycerin, soluble corn fiber, inulin, natural flavors, cellulose gel and gum, sea salt, and stevia
Halo Top offers a line of keto-friendly ice creams made with a base of skim milk and cream and sweetened with erythritol and stevia. However, these products contain fillers, such as sunflower lecithin and cellulose, and natural flavors.
Best Ice Pops: reBLEND Frozen Smoothie Shots
- Price: \$\$\$
- Flavors: Very Berry Glow, Tropical Bliss Recover, Super Greens Detox, Frosé All Day Chill, and Raspberry Lemonade Refresh
- Ingredients: Strawberry, cauliflower, banana, raspberry, cherry, date, beet, apple juice, organic citric acid, flaxseed, rose water
These single-serving ice pops are made with high-quality whole-food ingredients that are packed with nutrients and antioxidants. They’re also free of added sugars.
Best Frozen Yogurt: Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Birthday Cake, Black Raspberry Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Coffee Chocolate Chip, Cookies ‘n Cream, Fudge Brownie, Mint Chocolate Chip, Pistachio Brittle, and Sea Salt Caramel
- Ingredients: Non-fat milk, Greek yogurt, sugar, milk protein concentrate, maltodextrin, Dutch-processed cocoa, natural flavors, stabilizers
Yasso bars are made from frozen Greek yogurt, which is higher in protein and lower in fat than traditional ice cream. These small bars come in various flavors.
Best Low Calorie: Enlightened
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Brownies & Cookie Dough, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cold Brew Coffee, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Marshmallow Peanut Butter
- Ingredients: Skim milk, non-GMO soluble corn fiber, milk protein concentrate, cream, erythritol, egg, allulose, tapioca syrup, vegetable glycerin, natural flavor, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gel and gum, monk fruit extract, ground vanilla bean, and vitamin A palmitate
Enlightened makes low-calorie, high-protein, low-fat, and low-sugar ice cream with a skim milk base. Although these products contain fillers, they’re free of artificial sweeteners and flavored with real ingredients and natural flavors.
Best Sugar-Free: Breyers No Sugar Added
- Price: \$\$
- Flavors: Vanilla, Vanilla-Chocolate-Strawberry, Caramel Swirl, and Butter Pecan
- Ingredients: Milk, maltitol syrup, maltodextrin, cream, whey, mono and diglycerides, vegetable gums, natural flavor, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, vitamin A palmitate, and annatto
Breyers features a line of frozen desserts with no sugar added, sweetened with the sugar alcohol maltitol and Splenda. This line of products also contains several fillers, along with artificial sweeteners.
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Best Low Fat: Edy’s Slow Churned No Sugar Added
- Price: \$
- Flavors: Butter Pecan, Fudge Tracks, Neapolitan, Triple Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, and Vanilla
- Ingredients: Non-fat milk, cream, maltitol syrup, maltodextrin, polydextrose, whey protein concentrate, glycerin, natural flavor, propylene glycol monostearate, guar gum, sorbitol, citric acid, xanthan gum, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, vitamin A palmitate, and annatto
Edy’s Slow Churned ice cream has a lower fat content and fewer calories than traditional ice creams. Like Breyers, Edy’s offers a no-sugar-added line, though the products do contain fillers, artificial sweeteners, and flavors.
Other Brands to Consider
In addition to the brands listed above, Whole Foods offers a variety of other ice cream options that cater to different preferences and dietary needs. These include:
- Coconut Bliss: Known for its creamy coconut milk base and organic, gluten-free, dairy-free flavors.
- New Barn: Offers premium almond milk-based flavors with short ingredient lists, many of which are certified organic.
- So Delicious: Features cashew milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and soy milk varieties, providing plant-based options for everyone.
- Three Twins: Made exclusively with organic ingredients, offering a range of enticing flavors.
- Local Pints: Whole Foods often supports nearby farmers and vendors, so check your store for local ice cream options.