Dairy

Ice cream nutrition, in full.

The number most people want first: 1/2 cup of ice cream holds 137 calories, alongside 2.3 g of protein. The record behind it is USDA’s “Ice creams, vanilla”. Set the serving below and the panel works it out, with the full nutrient table following your choice.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Drawn from USDA FoodData Central, FDC 167575. No account, no upload, percentages against FDA Daily Values.

Calories in ice cream, serving by serving

1/2 cup of ice cream supplies 137 calories, which scales to 207 per 100 g. Each serving listed underneath was weighed by USDA rather than estimated.

How much protein is in ice cream?

1/2 cup of ice cream carries 2.3 g of protein, which is 5 percent of the 50 g Daily Value. You would not choose ice cream for protein: just 7 percent of its calories come from it.

Of every 100 calories, 7 come from protein, 48 from fat and 46 from carbohydrate.

Kitchen notes on ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dairy emulsion of milk, cream, sugar, and flavourings. It is sold in tubs, on sticks, or in sandwiches. Look for cartons that feel heavy for their size, which indicates less whipped air. Avoid tubs with frost on the outside, as this suggests the ice cream has thawed and refrozen.

Heat melts the emulsion, destroying the churned structure. Once melted, ice cream cannot be refrozen to its original state without becoming icy. The most common mistake is leaving the tub on the counter whilst serving. This causes the edges to melt, which forms unpleasant ice crystals when returned to the freezer.

This dessert is eaten cold, often spooned alongside warm puddings. In British kitchens, it accompanies fruit crumbles and pies. In Italian dining, scooped vanilla is drowned in hot espresso. It also fills French choux pastry, or sits atop warm American brownies, balancing hot and cold sensations.

Ice cream: the full nutrient profile

The table follows the selector above, so change the serving or the method and every row updates. Values are per serving, not per 100 g, unless you pick 100 g.

Sugar accounts for 21 g in every 100 g.

How far ice cream goes in a day

Budget-wise, 1/2 cup of ice cream costs 7 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and pays back 5 percent of the day’s protein. The TDEE calculator and macro calculator will tell you what those percentages look like against your own targets.

Three ways to use ice cream

Three recipes from the Calorie Counter Team, each costed ingredient by ingredient against USDA records, so the per-serving figures are sums, not guesses.

Breakfast · British

Vanilla ice cream bread

A quick bread made by mixing melted vanilla ice cream with self-raising flour and baking it.

55 min · serves 8

219kcal

5gprotein

5.8gfat

36gcarbs

Ingredients

• vanilla ice cream, melted 400 g
• self-raising wheat flour 260 g
• table salt 2 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a 450-gram loaf tin.
2. Stir the melted vanilla ice cream, self-raising flour and salt together in a bowl until just combined.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 3 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Snack · American

Vanilla malt milkshake

A thick blended drink made with vanilla ice cream, whole milk and malted milk powder.

5 min · serves 2

411kcal

9.4gprotein

20gfat

49gcarbs

Ingredients

• vanilla ice cream 300 g
• whole milk 120 g
• malted milk powder 30 g

Method

1. Place the vanilla ice cream, whole milk and malted milk powder into a blender.
2. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until the mixture is uniform.
3. Pour the mixture immediately into two chilled glasses.

Per serving, from 3 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Dinner · Italian

Coffee affogato

A simple dessert of vanilla ice cream drowned in hot espresso coffee.

15 min · serves 2

156kcal

2.7gprotein

8.3gfat

18gcarbs

Ingredients

• vanilla ice cream 150 g
• hot espresso coffee 60 g

Method

1. Chill two small dessert glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Place one 75-gram scoop of vanilla ice cream into each chilled glass.
3. Brew 60 grams of hot espresso coffee.
4. Pour 30 grams of the hot espresso directly over the ice cream in each glass and serve immediately.

Figures are per serving and come from 2 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

One meal, costed: ice cream

One way to build a meal around ice cream, costed from the same records. Substitute freely; the method carries over.

Ice cream beside its neighbours

Per 100 g, each in the form its own page leads with; the second column says which.

Ice cream, asked and answered

How many calories are in 1/2 cup of ice cream?

The USDA figure is 137 calories, or 207 per 100 g. It is taken from the record “Ice creams, vanilla”, FDC 167575.

How much protein is in ice cream?

2.3 g in 1/2 cup of ice cream, or 3.5 g per 100 g. That is 5 percent of the 50 g Daily Value.

Does ice cream fit a calorie deficit?

That depends on the rest of the day, not on ice cream. For planning: 1/2 cup of ice cream is 137 calories and 2.3 g of protein, 7 percent protein by energy, so pair it with something that carries more protein.

Why does ice cream sometimes develop a gritty texture in the freezer?

This texture occurs when temperature fluctuations cause the ice cream to melt slightly and refreeze. Water molecules migrate and fuse into larger, noticeable ice crystals instead of remaining small and smooth. Keep the freezer door closed.

How can you make hard ice cream easier to scoop?

Dip your metal scoop into hot water before carving into the block. The heated metal slices through the fat and ice easily. Do not microwave the tub, as this melts the edges unevenly and ruins the overall texture.

Sources

• Ice creams, vanilla — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167575
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9