Ricotta Cheese vs. Vanilla Ice Cream
Nutrition comparison of Ricotta Cheese 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
ricotta cheese
versus
vanilla ice cream
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream:
- Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in Vitamin A, calcium, calories and saturated fat.
- Ricotta cheese has 69% less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream.
- Vanilla ice cream has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B12.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calories. Vanilla ice cream has 38% more calories than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 150 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, ricotta cheese is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to vanilla ice cream per calorie. Ricotta cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 20:19:61 and for vanilla ice cream, 7:46:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Ricotta Cheese | Vanilla Ice Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 19% | 46% |
| Fat | 61% | 48% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Ricotta cheese has 69% less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 7.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Vanilla ice cream has more dietary fiber than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and ricotta cheese does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and ricotta cheese has 99% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Ricotta cheese has 115% more protein than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in saturated fat. Vanilla ice cream has a little more saturated fat (6%) than ricotta cheese by weight - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream are low in trans fat - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and vanilla ice cream does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - vanilla ice cream has 44mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and ricotta cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in Vitamin A. Vanilla ice cream is very similar to vanilla ice cream for Vitamin A - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 1.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Vanilla ice cream has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B12. Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Ricotta Cheese | Vanilla Ice Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.013 MG | 0.041 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.298 MG | 0.24 MG |
| Niacin | 0.137 MG | 0.116 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.461 MG | 0.581 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.097 MG | 0.048 MG |
| Folate | 4 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.85 UG | 0.39 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 61% more calcium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium.
iron
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of iron - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron.
potassium
Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of potassium - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 219mg 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 ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Ricotta Cheese | Vanilla Ice Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 33 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 ricotta cheese per 100 grams. Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain small amounts of EPA.
| Ricotta Cheese | Vanilla Ice Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.043 G | 0.175 G |
| DHA | 0.001 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.004 G | 0.003 G |
| DPA | 0.006 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.054 G | 0.178 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Ricotta Cheese | Vanilla Ice Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.012 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.356 G | 0.275 G |
| Total | 0.368 G | 0.275 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Ricotta Cheese or Vanilla Ice Cream .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) .
Ricotta Cheese g
()
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Daily Values (%) |
Vanilla Ice Cream g
()
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| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
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| G % |
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5% | saturated fat | 5% |
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G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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5% | protein | 5% |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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5% | choline | 5% |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
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MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calories. Vanilla ice cream has 40% more calories than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and ricotta cheese has 150 calories.
Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese have more carbohydrates?
By weight, ricotta cheese has 70% fewer carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and ricotta cheese has 7.3g of carbohydrates.
Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 60% more calcium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium.