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Ice Cream

Common

Worldwide

A frozen dairy dessert made from milk-derived ingredients together with sweeteners and, depending on the variety, flavorings and other permitted ingredients.

About Ice Cream

Ice cream is a frozen dairy dessert made from a mixture of cream, milk, sugar, and usually egg yolks or other stabilisers, churned while freezing to incorporate air and produce a smooth, creamy texture. It is one of the world's most universally popular foods, consumed across virtually every culture and climate. The origins of frozen desserts are debated, but forms of ice-sweetened drinks and desserts were enjoyed in ancient China, Persia, and the Arab world, while cream-based frozen confections emerged in Europe during the 17th century and were brought to the Americas by colonists.

Modern ice cream is produced by heating a mixture of dairy ingredients and sugar to pasteurise it, homogenising the mixture, ageing it at cold temperatures to allow the fat to crystallise, then churning it while freezing and incorporating air. Definitions vary by jurisdiction. In the United States, 21 CFR § 135.110 defines ice cream and generally requires at least 10% milkfat, with specified exceptions for bulky flavors.

The range of ice cream styles is enormous: American-style ice cream typically has high overrun (more air) and a soft texture; French-style ice cream (glace) is made with egg yolks for richness; gelato (Italian) has lower overrun and a denser, more intensely flavoured texture; sorbet contains no dairy; sherbet has minimal dairy. Premium ice creams typically contain less air and more fat than standard products, resulting in a richer, denser product.

Sources & Further Reading

USDA FoodData Central — Vanilla Ice Cream (current search) — Current USDA database search for the named food; select the matching product/data type because formulations and database records can change.
eCFR — 21 CFR § 135.110 Ice Cream and Frozen Custard — Current U.S. standard of identity; ice cream generally contains at least 10% milkfat, subject to specified exceptions.

Nutrition

Standard vanilla ice cream (per 66g / ½ cup serving) typically contains:

Calories~137 kcal

Fat~7 g

Saturated Fat~4.5 g

Sugar~14 g

Protein~2.3 g

Calcium~84 mg

Ice cream is relatively high in sugar and fat, particularly saturated fat from dairy cream. Premium and full-fat varieties contain more fat and calories than standard versions. Ice cream contains lactose and dairy proteins, making it unsuitable for people with lactose intolerance or dairy allergy. Dairy-free ice creams made from coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or almond milk are widely available as alternatives.

Common Uses

◌ Dessert on its own◌ Sundaes◌ Ice cream cones◌ Milkshakes◌ Affogato◌ Pie à la mode◌ Ice cream sandwiches

Ice cream is consumed on its own in cones, cups, and bars, and as a component of many classic desserts. Sundaes combine ice cream with sauce, whipped cream, and toppings. Milkshakes blend it with milk. An affogato — a popular Italian dessert — consists of a shot of hot espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla gelato. Ice cream sandwiched between cookies, wafers, or cake is a global street food tradition. As a base ingredient, ice cream is used in bombes, baked Alaska, and ice cream cakes.

Interesting Facts

The United States is the world's largest consumer of ice cream, consuming billions of litres annually — Americans eat an average of approximately 20 litres of ice cream per person per year.
Gelato contains significantly less air (overrun) and less fat than American-style ice cream, making it denser and more intensely flavoured — the fat content of gelato is typically 4–8% compared to 10–18% for American ice cream.
Soft-serve ice cream, developed in the 1930s and 40s, contains higher overrun (up to 100% air by volume) and is served at a slightly warmer temperature than regular ice cream, giving it its characteristic soft, creamy texture.
Astronaut ice cream — a freeze-dried product sold in science museum gift shops — was developed by NASA but was reportedly never actually used in space missions due to crumbling and mess in zero-gravity conditions.
The world record for the largest ice cream scoop tower was set in Italy in 2015, stacking over 120 scoops on a single cone without it falling.