5 Low-Calorie Ice Creams That Taste As Good As The Real Thing

Halo Top’s made a name for itself as a bona fide fan favorite—largely because it’s a low-cal, high protein healthy ice cream option that still tastes delish. Go for flavors like Mint Chip or Pistachio, which have a more minimal ingredient list.

Oh! And it’s not made of gold—that high price is for a pack of eight.

Per serving: 80 calories, 3 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 14 g carbs, 6 g sugar, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.

An extra special Aldi find (and some say a Halo Top dupe), Kenny’s Frozen Dessert is the cheapest of the bunch coming in at $4.99 for a 475ml pint. Currently offering salted caramel and cookies and cream as its two options, the frozen dessert has only 300 and 360 calories respectively.

Per serving: 73 calories, 2.3 g fat (1.4 g saturated), 8 g carbs, 6.6 g sugar, 5 g protein.

https://www.aldi.com.au/

Only launched last month, iconic yoghurt brand YoPRO has also launched their very-own frozen desserts tub range. Boasting flavours of Berry White Choc, Double Choc, Mint Choc, and Salted Caramel Peanut, each tub has no added sugar, less than 165 calories, and 10g of natural protein per serving.

Per serving: 86 calories, 7.0 g fat (1.4 g saturated), 13.4 g carbs, 4.5 g sugar, 11.4 g protein.

https://www.yopro.com.au/

The most affordable of the lot, Australian made and owned Tilly’s is exclusive to Woolworths. Similar to other brands, Tilly’s markets itself around having 300 calories per tub, although this depends on the flavour you go with. Tilly’s also says its ice cream contains no artificial sweeteners.

Per serving: 68 calories, 3.3 g fat (2.1 g saturated), 12.2 g carbs, 5.4 g sugar, 3.6 g protein.

tillysguiltfree.com.au/

Made by dessert mastermind and ex-New York pastry chef Charlotte Haygarth and former professional hockey player Jayde Taylor, Denada focuses on low carb and lactose, gluten-free, keto-friendly, diabetic-friendly, vegan and halal ice creams. They’re a great pick for anyone with allergies and made from all-natural ingredients.

Per serving: 75 calories, 9.3 g fat (6.3 g saturated), 4.4 g carbs, 0.8 g sugar, 1.6 g fiber, 3.4 g protein.

denadaco.com

What’s in Low Cal Ice-Cream?

Regular ice-creams get their rich, creamy texture and flavour from their dairy ingredients – think milk and cream – and most of their flavour from sugar and artificial flavours. When it comes to low-cal and high protein ice-creams, these ingredients are stripped away and supplemented for healthier options.

They are replaced with ingredients like:

Stevia: Stevia is made from a super sweet herbaceous plant. It’s a non-nutritive sweetener, meaning it doesn’t have any kilojoules or carbohydrates, and is about 100 times sweeter than regular sugar. 

Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol which isn’t metabolised by our body during digestion; it is also calorie free. While safe for consumption, it can cause an upset stomach in some people.

Xylitol: Xylitol is another sugar alcohol. 

Prebiotic fibre: To make low-cal ice-creams “high fibre”, many of these ice creams contain prebiotic fibres, also known as inulin. These help to bulk out the ice cream and basically give it more texture (with no calories).

Organic vegetable gum: Vegetable gums are made up of indigestible polysaccharides. They’re often used in processed foods because of their texture and how they increase shelf life.

High Protein Vs Low Cal Ice-Cream

While these low calories options are healthier, they aren’t all high in proten. However if you find a high protein ice-cream, it will probably be low in calories, too.

The Best Aussie Low Calorie Ice Cream Brands

Below is a list of some of the most popular and easily available low calorie and “healthy” ice-creams in Australia.

Compare their nutritional value below: