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The 8 Best Low-Sugar Ice Creams That Will Satisfy Your Craving, Based on Our Taste Test

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Vanilla and chocolate might have seemed like the only ice cream flavors that mattered when we were kids, but the days of their supremacy are long gone. It’s 2023, so now there are a zillion flavors in the freezer aisle, and many of them also happen to be keto, lactose-free, non-dairy and, perhaps most intriguing of all, low-sugar. But just because there are plentiful options to choose from doesn’t mean they’re all worth the buy. (In fact, if you’ve been freezer-burned by “healthy” ice cream in the past, you know all too well that they can be icy in texture, freaky in flavor and near impossible to scoop.) So, we tried more than 30 low-sugar ice creams to bring you the best of the best. Read on for our top picks.

(Note: An average half-cup serving of regular ice cream contains 12 to 24 grams of added sugar, so we only considered picks that contained less than 12 grams per serving.)

We Taste-Tested 11 of the Best Vanilla Ice Cream Brands & Graded Them from ‘Passable’ to ‘Ate the Whole Pint’


The Best Low-Sugar Ice Cream at a Glance

best low-sugar ice cream: woman eating bowl of ice cream on lap
Dusan Ladjevic/Getty Images

Scroll down for in-depth reviews of each.

How We Chose the Best Low-Sugar Ice Creams

Depending on the base (traditional ice cream is made with cream and milk, but there are many brands that use nondairy alternatives, like oat, coconut and almond milk, as well as more unexpected ingredients, like beans or avocado oil), low-sugar ice creams can be a gamble. Some are frosty and crystallized in texture, others smooth and silky like the real thing. Another thing to consider is that some use less real sugar than other brands, while some substitute sugar alcohols or sugar-free sweeteners, like monk fruit, to keep the sugar content low while maintaining an authentic flavor. Whatever is used, low-sugar ice cream should ideally be as creamy, smooth and tasty as possible.

To uncover the best low-sugar ice creams, we scoured the internet (and surveyed our sundae-loving staff) for their favorite brands and varieties. Then, we nabbed a few flavors from more than 15 brands and tasted them. After choosing our favorites from each, we ranked them on five factors:

  • Value: Is the low-sugar ice cream worth what it costs given the ingredients and taste?
  • Quality: Is the low-sugar ice cream made with authentic ingredients? Is it full of fillers or preservatives?
  • Flavor: Is the low-sugar ice cream tasty? Does it taste like the flavor it’s labeled as?
  • Texture: Is the low-sugar ice cream creamy, smooth and silky? Are there ice crystals in it?
  • Scoopability: Is it easy to scoop? How long do you need to wait for it to soften before you can run an ice cream scoop through it? Does it melt at a rapid pace? For non-scoopable ice creams, like bars and sandwiches, are they soft enough to bite into right away? Do you need to wait for them to thaw a bit before eating?

The 8 Best Low-Sugar Ice Creams

Best Low-Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Turkey Hill No Sugar Added Vanilla Bean

  • Value: 20/20
  • Quality: 17/20
  • Flavor: 18/20
  • Texture: 18/20
  • Scoopability: 18/20

TOTAL: 91/100

Let’s start with old faithful, shall we? When in doubt (or when serving brownies, pie, cake—you get the picture), vanilla is an easy win. This is Turkey Hill’s singular option with no added sugar, and it also happens to be fat-free. (Each serving contains 8 grams of sugar from the milk.) It’s made with nonfat milk and real vanilla bean, but the rest of the ingredients are sugar alcohols, thickeners and caramel color. While it doesn’t exactly taste like regular ice cream, it’s still creamy, clean and vanilla-y. Its texture is soft and rich, but it’s best to wait a few minutes before scooping.

Best Low-Sugar Chocolate Ice Cream

2. Rebel Creamery Triple Chocolate

  • Value: 18/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 18/20
  • Texture: 18/20
  • Scoopability: 18/20

TOTAL: 90/100

If you’re sensitive to lactose, on keto or can only have sugar-free ice cream, it’s worth considering Rebel Creamery. Made with real cream, egg yolks, erythritol, monk fruit and gums for texture, these pints contain a few grams of protein and fiber in every serving (this particular flavor has 3 grams and 6 grams, respectively). Their high fat content also makes them an especially good choice for low-carb or keto dieters. We loved the Triple Chocolate variety because of its intense Dutch cocoa flavor and the crunchy chocolate flakes, but wish it was a little easier to scoop and less frosty.

Best Low-Sugar Fruit-Flavored Ice Cream

3. Nick’s Strawbär Swirl

  • Value: 20/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 19/20
  • Texture: 19/20
  • Scoopability: 18/20

TOTAL: 94/100

We taste-tested Nick’s Swedish-style light ice creams when they first launched, and this fruity flavor was our favorite of the lot. You seriously would have no clue that it wasn’t regular ice cream, thanks to each pint being made with a mix of plant-based sweeteners like stevia, corn fiber, birch sugar and allulose. (Each serving contains less than 1 gram of sugar.) Despite being made with skim milk, the ice cream has a luxuriously thick, creamy texture, courtesy of a plant-based fat called EPG. The vanilla ice cream swirled with ribbons of strawberry tastes like the O.G., but we wish the strawberry was thicker and more prominent.

Best Low-Sugar Coffee Ice Cream

4. Cado Java Chip Avocado Frozen Dessert

  • Value: 17/20
  • Quality: 19/20
  • Flavor: 18/20
  • Texture: 19/20
  • Scoopability: 19/20

TOTAL: 92/100

“This ice cream is made with organic avocado puree” is a sentence we never expected to utter, but hey, it’s 2023—of course avo ice cream is a thing, thanks to Cado. Their offerings average around 12 grams of sugar per serving, less than many big brands on the market. It’s also lower in calories, free of sugar alcohols and artificial flavorings and made with avocado instead of dairy, meaning it’s loaded with healthy fats, which in turn keep the ice cream easy to scoop and silky in texture. (Cado also happens to be Paleo-friendly.) Of the flavors we tried, we most enjoyed the latte-like Java Chip, made with chocolate flakes, organic coffee and a touch of sea salt.

Most Unexpectedly Tasty Low-Sugar Ice Cream

5. Halo Top Oatmeal Cookie Light Ice Cream

  • Value: 19/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 18/20
  • Texture: 19/20
  • Scoopability: 20/20

TOTAL: 94/100

We *definitely* get why some fans devour Halo Top by the pint. The Oatmeal Cookie variety contains 8 grams of sugar per serving, only 4 of them added (the ice cream gets most of its sweetness from erythritol and stevia extract), along with 6 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. That’s pretty darn filling for light ice cream. Its flavor is solid—think brown-sugar caramel meets cinnamon-kissed oatmeal cookies—but we wish there were more oats or crunchy bits throughout. Nevertheless, we greatly appreciated how soft it is straight out of the freezer. Go ahead, stow the scoop away in favor of digging in with a spoon.

  • Value: 19/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 20/20
  • Texture: 19/20
  • Scoopability: 20/20

TOTAL: 96/100

As far as dairy-free, vegan treats go, this pick from So Delicious just might be the tastiest we’ve ever tried. Starring non-dairy coconutmilk frozen dessert—thickened with pea protein, locust bean gum and guar gum and sweetened with organic cane sugar—these sammies are as indulgent as they are fresh tasting. There’s no off-putting stickiness around the edges and no weird taste in the cookie, which are made with cocoa, wheat flour, cane sugar and organic brown rice syrup. As long as you like the taste of coconut, these are worth the buy. They aren’t sugar free, but each only contains 7 grams, so you’ll just need to keep from devouring the whole box in one sitting—which is harder than it seems.

Best Low-Sugar Ice Cream Bar

7. Yasso Chocolate Fudge Greek Yogurt Bars

  • Value: 18/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 19/20
  • Texture: 20/20
  • Scoopability: 19/20

TOTAL: 94/100

TBH, these taste almost identical to the Fudgesicles of our youth, plus a bonus 5 grams of protein. (Thanks, Greek yogurt.) We’ve tried our fair share of flavors from this brand, and this one tastes the most like regular ice cream. Each of these Yasso bars, flavored with Dutch cocoa, contains 12 grams of sugar, but only 8 of those are added (no artificial sweeteners here)—the rest are from milk and yogurt. The bars also contain gums for texture, but the yogurt doesn’t need much help in the richness department. It’s chocolatey without being cloying, but it’s the texture that will keep you coming back for another lick.

Best Low-Sugar, Non-Dairy Ice Cream Bar

8. Chloe’s Oatmilk Cookies and Cream Pops

  • Value: 18/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Flavor: 18/20
  • Texture: 18/20
  • Scoopability: 19/20

TOTAL: 91/100

Ice cream bars that aren’t made with real milk often have the texture of ice pops, meaning they’re frostier than they are creamy. But these kid-friendly pops from Chloe’s surprised us, as they deliver sophisticated sweetness and only slight iciness in every bite. Their mild flavor will satisfy the vanilla lovers in your house, while little ones will especially enjoy the chocolatey cookie pieces. Both the oatmilk base and the cookies are sweetened with cane sugar, so each bar contains 11 grams. Not only are they dairy-free, but the cookie pieces are also made without wheat flour, so gluten-free snackers can get in on the fun too.

Honorable Mentions

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.


taryn pire
Taryn Pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...
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