Frozen Dairy Dessert vs Ice Cream: What’s The Difference?

When you’re wandering down your local grocery store’s freezer aisle, trying to choose between various frozen treats, you may have noticed that some aren’t labeled “ice cream,” but rather “frozen dairy dessert.” You might assume that it’s just a marketing choice, but it turns out those terms are regulated by the government and they mean a lot about whatever frozen treat you’re about to devour a whole pint of. (Can we all just accept that the proper serving size of ice cream is always “the whole container?”) 

To end this chilly conundrum, we’ve tracked down the meanings of all the terms that define your grocery store’s icy treats, so you’ll know exactly what’s giving you that headache when you wolf it down too fast. 

What is a “frozen dairy dessert?”

“Frozen dairy dessert” is a generic term for any frozen treat, so it could really be just about anything. While the FDA and most states have laws defining what can be sold as “ice cream,” there aren’t any federal laws defining this term, so they can slap it on anything they want. 

However, it typically means it’s not actually “ice cream,” as if the product met the definition of ice cream, they’d probably just call it that. 

So, what’s ice cream? 

The FDA has two main requirements for a dessert to be labelled as “ice cream.”

1.  It must contain more than 10 percent milkfat, with that fat coming from a dairy source like milk or cream.  

2. It must contain no less than 1.6 pounds of total solids to the gallon, and weigh more than 4.5 pounds to the gallon. 

The first excludes a lot of non-dairy alternatives, like frozen oatmilk or frozen cashewmilk treats. 

The second removes a lot of air-whipped desserts. And all of those excluded treats fall into the “frozen dairy dessert” territory. 

What are the other types of frozen dairy desserts? 

While the FDA doesn’t specify requirements for every kind of frozen dessert, most states do, and they follow similar guidelines. Just to avoid confusion, we’ll use Pennsylvania’s guidelines for ones that aren’t listed in the FDA guidelines. Here’s a list of different deserts, going from the most milkfat to the least.  

Frozen Custard

This falls under the same milkfat minimums as ice cream, however it must contain more than 1.4 percent egg yolks by volume. Although, just to be confusing, this can also be labelled “French ice cream” or “French custard ice cream,” too.

Gelato

While not defined by law, gelato is loosely the same as ice cream, however it contains less milkfat (typically between 4 and 7 percent), and uses more milk than cream, resulting in a richer, denser dessert. 

Ice Milk

Ice milk also uses more milk than cream. Its milkfat content must be between two and seven percent and the total solids per gallon must be 1.3 pounds or more. This gives it a lighter taste and often lower calories than full-fat ice cream. 

Frozen Yogurt

As you might guess, frozen yogurt is made from, well, frozen yogurt. But it’s required to have not less than 3.25 percent milkfat and weigh at least five pounds per gallon. 

Sherbet

This frozen dessert is defined as having a milkfat content between 1 and 2 percent, and must weigh no less than 6 pounds to the gallon. Basically, it’s a frozen mixture of fruit, sweeteners and a small amount of dairy products. 

Sorbet or Water Ice

Sorbet or water ice is a fruity mixture is just like sherbert, except it doesn’t contain any dairy. It’s basically just frozen juice (or fruit-flavored water) and sweeteners.