10 Best Sugar-Free Ice Creams That Taste (Almost!) Like the Real Thing
Whether you're doing keto or just want a little less added sugar in your life, here are the tastiest scoops to try.
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If the mashup of the phrases "sugar-free" and "ice cream" sounds completely bonkers to you—you might as well have coffee without the caffeine, or The Office without Steve Carrell!—then you can stop reading right now. But if you're one of the millions of Americans looking to cut your intake of added sugars, which the American Heart Association advises should be no more than 25g per day for the average woman, then keep on reading for some tasty news.
Supermarket freezers are now full of ice cream, in pints, bars, and sandwiches, that proudly proclaim they have "no sugar added." Many of these brands are marketed as "keto-friendly," for dieters who are cutting carbs and sugars, but still want the sweet taste of a chocolatey ice-cream cone or a scoop of vanilla bean. "These ice creams are also a good choice for people with diabetes, who don't want their blood sugar to spike, or for people who are cutting added sugars for their dental health," says Good Housekeeping's nutrition expert, Stefani Sassos, RDN. "But just like the label 'fat-free,' 'sugar-free' doesn't necessarily equal healthier or more nutritious. You have to ask, if they're taking out the sugar, what else are they adding in?"
In most cases, the sweetness in these frozen desserts comes from sugar alcohols such as xylitol, maltitol, and erythritol. These are natural sweeteners that come from plants and berries, and contain fewer calories than regular sugar. "A lot of sugar alcohols are from 200 to 2,000 times sweeter than regular sugar," Sassos explains. "Sometimes they can taste hyper-sweet." Sassos also points out that if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or other GI conditions, these types of sweeteners can trigger symptoms.
We sampled a whole freezer-full of sugar-free, no-added-sugar, and low-sugar ice creams. While the texture of most of these treats wasn't as creamy as sugar-loaded ice creams, there were still plenty of yummy options if you're cutting sugars and carbs:
Mammoth Creameries Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Custard
An excellent choice for anyone doing a hard-core keto diet, this luxe custard is packed with extra cream and grass-fed butter for a whopping 32g of fat per serving (if you're not on keto, you may want to limit yourself to a spoonful). Because of all that extra fat, this one had a creamier taste than most in the category.
Per 2/3 cup: 350 cals, 32g fat, 9g total carbs; 2.6g total sugars, 0 added sugar, 8g sugar alcohol; 4g proteins
Eaten Lightened Keto P.B. Cookie & Brownie Dough Pint
Pros
Cons
Another dessert designed for low-carb dieters, Enlightened + Delish's Keto line offers fun flavors including Peppermint Brownie, Red Velvet, and Pumpkin Cheesecake. This light and fluffy flavor with bits of cookie and brownie dough hit all the right spots on our taste buds.
Per 2/3 cup: 260 cals; 24g fat, 13g carbs; 1g total sugars; 12g sugar alcohol; 5 g protein
One of the best ways to control portions is to buy ice cream bars, says Sassos. These truly delicious Carb Smart versions from Breyers give you the childlike joy of eating a pop (with the added crunch of almonds), but with only 150 calories and 5 net carbs.
Per bar: 150 cals, 12g fat; 11g carbs; 5g total sugar; 3g added sugar; 3g sugar alcohol; 2g protein
The popular brand, known for its low-cal pints, has also hopped on the keto bandwagon. Made with erythritol and stevia, the white chocolate and macadamia variety has a nice touch of saltiness to balance out the sweet.
Per 2/3 cups: 150 cals, 12g fat; 15g carbs; 2g total sugar, 2g added sugar; 9g sugar alcohol; 6g protein
If you want to grab a tub for the entire family for less than the cost of a latte, you can't go wrong with this sweet treat. There's a long list of sugar alcohols in the ingredients—including sorbitol, maltodextrin, and sucralose—but on the plus side, you also get chocolatey sea-salt caramel bunnies.
Per 2/3 cup: 160 cals, 5g fat, 33g total carbs, 6g total sugars; 0 added sugars, 12g sugar alcohol; 3g protein
Pros
Cons
Sweetened with Splenda and with half the fat of regular ice cream, this classic variety has rave reviews from people with diabetes looking for a tasty dessert.
Per 2/3 cup: 150 cals, 6g fat; 21g carbs; 5g total sugar, 0 added sugar; 4g sugar alcohol; 4g protein
This old-school Neopolitan tub of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla has a little something for everyone in the family. Sweetened with malitol syrup and a touch of Splenda, works for almost any diet, at only 110 calories per serving.
Per 2/3 cup: 110 cals; 4g fat; 17g total carbs; 4g total sugar, 0 added sugar, 8g sugar alcohol; 2g protein
If you're looking for frozen dessert without sugar OR dairy, check out the flavors from So Delicious, which are made with coconut milk and sweetened with erythritol and monk fruit extract, with chicory root for added fiber.
Per 2/3 cup: 130 cals; 9g fat; 24g total carbs; 2g total sugars, 0 added sugar, 4g sugar alcohol; 2g protein
Another good option for portion-controlled desserts are these Skinny Cow ice-cream sandwiches. There's a whole chemistry-textbook list of ingredients, but they manage to pack some classic flavor into just 140 calories.
Per sandwich: 140 cals, 2g fat; 28g carbs; 5g total sugar, 0 added sugar; 4g protein
This low-carb, high-fat pint piles on the fudgy flavor with heaps of chocolate flakes. Chicory root fiber, monk fruit, egg yolks, and butter are some of the more natural ingredients, along with the sugar alcohol erythritol.
Per 2/3 cup: 190 cals, 18g fat; 19g total carbs; 0 total sugar, 0 added sugar; 11g sugar alcohol; 3g protein
Marisa Cohen is an editor in the Hearst Lifestyle Group’s Health Newsroom, who has covered health, nutrition, parenting and culture for dozens of magazines and websites over the past two decades.
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