Ice Cream Nutrition Facts

Say it with us: I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, no matter the kind.

Few foods capture the imagination—and taste buds!—quite like ice cream. Whether celebrating a special occasion with friends and family or making an ordinary moment special, ice cream is often the go-to treat for many.

Ice cream is made by stirring, while freezing, a pasteurized mix milk (and sometimes other dairy products like cream) sweeteners, and flavorings, and may also include stabilizers or emulsifiers. Ice cream must contain a minimum of 10% milkfat.

There are other dairy products like ice cream, from sherbet, which has less milkfat, to frozen custard, which contains a higher content of egg yolk solids. Other popular frozen dairy products include frozen yogurt, gelato and soft serve.

The delicious frozen dairy products of today evolved from the flavored ices popular with the Romans in the 4th century B.C. The hand-crank freezer, patented in 1846, led to the establishment of the first commercial ice cream plant in Baltimore in 1851. Today, you can make ice cream at home, often in seven simple steps.

Want more? Check out these fun ice cream facts and see how much you know about ice cream. Check out a few of our favorite ice cream recipes here.