Frozen yogurt — the creamy treat America couldn’t get enough of in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s — seems to be making a surprising resurgence.
Millions of videos on TikTok are devoted to it, and new fro-yo shops are popping up and sometimes drawing lines around the country.
But even as the decades have passed, many of us are still vague on whether frozen yogurt is any healthier than ice cream, or whether they’re basically the same thing nutritionally.
Here’s what to know before you pick up your spoon.
What’s the Difference Between Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt?
“With so many choices in the area of frozen desserts, the lines have blurred between ice cream and frozen yogurt,” says Julie Stefanski, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics based in Baltimore.
But there are some general differences between the two.
Ice Cream
Ice cream typically contains milk or cream (or a combo of the two), sweeteners, and flavorings.
For a dessert to be called “ice cream,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that it contains at least 10 percent milk fat, either from milk or cream.
Commercially produced ice creams also may contain stabilizers to prevent ice crystals from forming and emulsifiers to keep the fat and water from separating during the freezing process, all to provide a smooth, creamy texture.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is often made from cultured milk, which means milk that has gone through a fermentation process through exposure to live active cultures (“good” bacteria), says Emily Villaseca, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Dallas, and founder of Pass the Chia.
Like ice cream, frozen yogurt also typically contains sweeteners and flavorings, as well as stabilizers and emulsifiers.
The freezing process and addition of sweeteners often prevent live cultures from surviving, although pints from the supermarket are more likely to retain them than servings from a fro-yo shop.
Traditionally, frozen yogurt is lower in fat than ice cream (since it’s made from milk, not cream), Stefanski says. But recently, manufacturers have been making whole-milk frozen yogurt, and they sometimes include cream.
Nutrition Facts: Ice Cream vs. Frozen Yogurt
The exact nutritional makeup of ice cream and frozen yogurt varies by brand and flavor. Here’s a general idea of how they compare:
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