Buttermilk vs. Vanilla Ice Cream

Nutrition comparison of Buttermilk and Vanilla Ice Cream


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of buttermilk versus vanilla ice cream (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in buttermilk and vanilla ice cream:

  • Both vanilla ice cream and buttermilk are high in calcium.
  • Buttermilk has 3.8 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream.
  • Buttermilk has 75% less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream.
  • Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A.
Detailed nutritional comparison of buttermilk and vanilla ice cream is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Buttermilk (Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Buttermilk src
Image of Vanilla Ice Cream src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and buttermilk has 70% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and buttermilk has 62 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, buttermilk is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to vanilla ice cream for fat. Buttermilk has a macronutrient ratio of 21:32:48 and for vanilla ice cream, 7:46:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
Protein 21% 7%
Carbohydrates 32% 46%
Fat 48% 48%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Buttermilk has 3.8 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and buttermilk has 4.9g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Vanilla ice cream has more dietary fiber than buttermilk - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and buttermilk does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and buttermilk has 77% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and buttermilk has 4.9g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Vanilla ice cream and buttermilk contain similar amounts of protein - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and buttermilk has 3.2g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Vanilla ice cream is high in saturated fat and buttermilk has 72% less saturated fat than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and buttermilk has 1.9g of saturated fat.

cholesterol

Buttermilk has 75% less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 44mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and buttermilk has 11mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Vanilla ice cream and buttermilk contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and buttermilk does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 151% more Vitamin A than buttermilk - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and buttermilk has 47ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Buttermilk has 550% more Vitamin D than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and buttermilk has 52iu of Vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Vanilla ice cream and buttermilk contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and buttermilk has 0.07mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Vanilla ice cream and buttermilk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and buttermilk has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Both buttermilk and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
Thiamin 0.047 MG 0.041 MG
Riboflavin 0.172 MG 0.24 MG
Niacin 0.09 MG 0.116 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.38 MG 0.581 MG
Vitamin B6 0.036 MG 0.048 MG
Folate 5 UG 5 UG
Vitamin B12 0.46 UG 0.39 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both vanilla ice cream and buttermilk are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 11% more calcium than buttermilk - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and buttermilk has 115mg of calcium.

iron

Vanilla ice cream and buttermilk contain similar amounts of iron - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and buttermilk has 0.03mg of iron.

potassium

Vanilla ice cream has 47% more potassium than buttermilk - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and buttermilk has 135mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

carotenoids

Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]

For specific types of carotenoids, both buttermilk and vanilla ice cream contain small amounts of beta-carotene.

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
beta-carotene 7 UG 19 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than buttermilk per 100 grams.

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
alpha linoleic acid 0.076 G 0.175 G
EPA ~ 0.003 G
Total 0.076 G 0.178 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more linoleic acid than buttermilk per 100 grams.

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
linoleic acid 0.122 G 0.275 G
Total 0.122 G 0.275 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Buttermilk (Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) .

Buttermilk g

()
Daily Values (%)

Vanilla Ice Cream g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does vanilla ice cream or buttermilk contain more calories in 100 grams?
Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and buttermilk has 70% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and buttermilk has 62 calories.

Does vanilla ice cream or buttermilk have more carbohydrates?
By weight, buttermilk has 3.8 times fewer carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and buttermilk has 4.9g of carbohydrates.

Does vanilla ice cream or buttermilk contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and buttermilk are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 10% more calcium than buttermilk - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and buttermilk has 115mg of calcium.