Vanilla Ice Cream vs. Whole Milk
Nutrition comparison of Vanilla Ice Cream and Whole Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
vanilla ice cream
versus
whole milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in vanilla ice cream and whole milk:
- Both vanilla ice cream and whole milk are high in calcium.
- Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A.
- Whole milk has 3.4 times less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream.
- Whole milk has 3.9 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and whole milk has 71% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and whole milk has 61 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, vanilla ice cream is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to whole milk for fat. Vanilla ice cream has a macronutrient ratio of 7:46:48 and for whole milk, 21:32:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 46% | 32% |
| Fat | 48% | 48% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Whole milk has 3.9 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and whole milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Vanilla ice cream has more dietary fiber than whole milk - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whole milk does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and whole milk has 76% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and whole milk has 5.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of protein - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and whole milk has 3.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Vanilla ice cream is high in saturated fat and whole milk has 73% less saturated fat than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whole milk has 1.9g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Whole milk has 3.4 times less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 44mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and whole milk has 10mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and whole milk does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 157% more Vitamin A than whole milk - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whole milk has 46ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Whole milk has 538% more Vitamin D than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and whole milk has 51iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.07mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Both vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.041 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.24 MG | 0.169 MG |
| Niacin | 0.116 MG | 0.089 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.581 MG | 0.373 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.048 MG | 0.036 MG |
| Folate | 5 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.39 UG | 0.45 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both vanilla ice cream and whole milk are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 13% more calcium than whole milk - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and whole milk has 113mg of calcium.
iron
Vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of iron - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.03mg of iron.
potassium
Vanilla ice cream has 51% more potassium than whole milk - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and whole milk has 132mg 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 vanilla ice cream and whole milk contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 19 UG | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than whole milk per 100 grams.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.175 G | 0.075 G |
| EPA | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.178 G | 0.075 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more linoleic acid than whole milk per 100 grams.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.275 G | 0.12 G |
| Total | 0.275 G | 0.12 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: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) .
Vanilla Ice Cream g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whole Milk g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
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 % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does vanilla ice cream or whole milk contain more calories in 100 grams?Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and whole milk has 70% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and whole milk has 61 calories.
Does vanilla ice cream or whole milk have more carbohydrates?
By weight, whole milk has 3.9 times fewer carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and whole milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
Does vanilla ice cream or whole milk contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and whole milk are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 10% more calcium than whole milk - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and whole milk has 113mg of calcium.