I scream you scream.... for some facsimile of ice cream!
August 28, 2024 6:26 AM   Subscribe

My dad needs to cut out his favorite food in the world - ice cream. What's the very best frozen yogurt/sherbet/etc I can buy him instead?

My poor dad loves ice cream more than anything. He would eat it five times a day if we let him. HOWEVER, his recent blood tests came back showing he has high cholesterol. Not dangerously high but.... we need to deal with it. My mom is trying to adjust his diet (Less red meat, less fried stuff, etc) and one of the foods on the chopping block is ice cream. He is so sad :(

I know its not necessary to go cold turkey and everything in moderation etc but... for now while everyone's freaking out, my mom is saying NO ICE CREAM FOR A WHILE.

In preliminary research, I'm seeing that frozen yogurt/sherbet is much better for you, cholesterol wise (although you still need to be careful about sugar, additives, etc). Can anyone suggest a delicious ice cream alternitive that can be found in a typical grocery store? I'd really like to bring him a nice dessert this weekend. Unfortunately his favorite ice cream flavors are vanilla and chocolate but he does like a good strawberry. So that might work. I dont see him eating any kind of fancy exotic flavor.

I GUESS we could also try a non-cow dairy like almond, soy etc? But those usually taste bad to me. But I'll take those suggestions too.
posted by silverstatue to Food & Drink (41 answers total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
One of my friends, in a similar situation, has found Italian ices a satisfying alternative.
posted by Well I never at 6:47 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]


I'd really like to bring him a nice dessert this weekend.

Hi I am not answering your question.

I got the lamentably named Ninja CREAMi on prime day sale last month and I gotta admit, this thing is extremely fun.

I got it because I'm an ice cream fiend and love ice cream and wanted to eat more ice cream (on demand). What I've ended up doing is making almost anything but ice cream, because it's fun. FUN!

Mashed mandarin oranges + vanilla + coconut milk = delicious creamsicle

Bananas + milk + pie spice ingredients = banana bread

Strawberry jello mix + coconut milk = this really didn't have to go so hard but it did

Crushed pineapple + coconut milk + molasses = pina colada

And so on. It's got specialized settings for treats with lower fat content and they come out creamy ( CREAMi? sorry) every time.

I've made normal ice cream several times, but it's been so fun experimenting with new flavor combos that I haven't really missed real ice cream even once, even though again that was the whole point of me getting the thing.
posted by phunniemee at 6:49 AM on August 28 [37 favorites]


Sorry long story short for $200 you can kit your dad out with a cool new toy and a range of ingredients that I think will help to temper his crushing loss. If there's a birthday or something coming up, definitely something to consider.
posted by phunniemee at 6:50 AM on August 28 [6 favorites]


Best answer: If you have the capability to make it yourself, banana "nice cream" is surprisingly awesome and 100% fruit. You can add cocoa powder and other flavorings as needed as well.

As far as storebought treats, Yasso frozen yogurt bars are pretty awesome if bars are acceptable.
posted by mosst at 6:53 AM on August 28 [5 favorites]


FWIW the Ben & Jerry's non-dairy ice creams are really good, as are So Delicious brand cashew milk-based ones (NOT the almond milk-based flavors). I don't know how they are cholesterol-wise, though.
posted by misskaz at 6:54 AM on August 28 [4 favorites]


Also the Outshine fruit popsicles are delicious for a cold, fruity treat.
posted by misskaz at 6:55 AM on August 28 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Yes, was going to suggest yasso frozen yogurt bars if that's an okay ice cream alternative. It's available at my local grocery stores, including chocolate flavors.
posted by litera scripta manet at 6:55 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]


I helped my dad with his cholesterol for years. What worked for us was cutting WAY down on portion size and upping the healthy foods. He still got full fat yogurt but it was a serving of 1/3 yogurt and 2/3s fresh cut up fruit.
He could have steak, but it was a 3 oz steak and lots of veggies and a salad.
Instead of 3 eggs in the morning with butter and toast it was an egg plus an egg white with some delish mushrooms and onions and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil, not butter.

What wasn't successful was doing what the dietician suggested -- removing all those delicious high cholesterol foods, because he was so unsatisfied he ate more of the not forbidden food - which often still had stuff that impacts your cholesterol. Having a egg yoke or slice of pie once in a while along with really healthful foods like legumes and veggies, was better for his numbers than him filling the need for comfort food with white bread and rice.

That being said -- for a daily treat instead of dessert and ice cream I found a great homemade fudgesicle recipe. I am sure there are better ones out there now. (I chose homemade because we were pretty good at removing all the "bad" oils. Since flavor wasn't really impacted by changing oils, I replaced it with just homemade stuff that required a bit more effort).
posted by beccaj at 6:56 AM on August 28 [14 favorites]


IMO by far the best alternative to chocolate ice cream is David Lebovitz's chocolate sorbet, which is fairly easy to make if you have (or are willing to get) an ice cream maker. There are commercial versions of chocolate sorbet available but I'm afraid I don't know how widespread. You could also look for some sorbet with strawberry in it.

If you're able to get it, I like Cajou Creamery non-dairy ice cream.
posted by advil at 6:57 AM on August 28 [2 favorites]


I'm basically your dad and I cannot, for human being reasons, eat ice cream nearly as much as I would like. So I eat a lot of plain 2% or fat free Greek yogurt. I know, it sounds weird! But when I add a little real maple syrup or some really good jam, the cold creaminess and the sweet/sour contrast is really satisfying.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:59 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


I've found that the Tofutti "Ice Cream" sandwiches are quite good. It could be that the chocolate wafer helps it taste "real," but I would eat these just as often as old-fashioned ice cream sandwiches.
posted by hydra77 at 7:34 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]


With apologies for further not-answering-your-question, if the Ninja Creami is a direction you want to pursue, YouTuber Abbyinthegalley tries out a bunch of recipes with a variety of more- and less-healthy ingredients in Shorts on her channel. If you search YouTube for "abbyinthegalley ninja creami" (without the quotation marks) you will not be disappointed. She's delightful, highly recommend.
posted by spamloaf at 7:34 AM on August 28 [4 favorites]


I like the Oatly vegan icecreams and they are widely available.
posted by greta simone at 8:05 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


The best substitute will depend on what exactly he likes so much about ice cream - think along the lines of mouthfeel, temperature, flavours. Ask him to rate these categories.

Sorbet for example has a different mouthfeel to ice cream but is similar temperature. If he likes the creaminess of ice cream Greek yogurt or a thickish smoothie would be a better substitute. If he loves the vanilla / chocolate flavours, these can be delivered with a different texture and temperatures.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:06 AM on August 28 [6 favorites]


Oatly Strawberry in particular is a good strawberry, quite enjoy a scoop from my partner's stash, even though I have no problems (so far) with the dairy stuff.
posted by bendybendy at 8:16 AM on August 28


IMO by far the best alternative to chocolate ice cream is David Lebovitz's chocolate sorbet, which is fairly easy to make if you have (or are willing to get) an ice cream maker. There are commercial versions of chocolate sorbet available but I'm afraid I don't know how widespread.

I was coming in to say exactly this; if you want to go the DIY approach, that chocolate sorbet is very very close to giving you the same emotional lizard-brain satisfaction that chocolate ice cream would.

Also here to recommend sorbets in general. The cheaper brands can be a little icy, but the really good brands are very similar to ice cream as far as mouthfeel. The range of flavors isn't as broad; you will find a lot of different fruit flavors, and several chocolate sorbets. But if you lean into that a little you can have a lot of fun playing around with the different fruits; one of the best sundaes I ever had was at a little French cafe that had one scoop each of three different sorbets topped with a little whipped cream.

If you're comfortable with the fat content of coconut milk, that can also be a fun sundae with chocolate sorbet. Throw some chopped almonds, chocolate sauce and a little whipped cream on top and call it an Almond Joy Sundae.

In fact - if you want to play more with scaling back on portion size, then maybe making a modest sundae out of it is the way to go. Instead of a big huge bowl of ice cream with nothing else in the bowl, go for a smaller bowl, and then add a little whipped cream, a little sauce of some kind, some chopped nuts....it sort of emotionally feels more like an Event, and that can be emotionally satisfying even though the actual amonut of ice cream you've gotten is smaller.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:19 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]


Oh, and if you have access to an ice cream maker, I can suggest this absolutely god-damn amazing cantaloupe sorbet.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


Here are some rankings of Low Calorie Ice Cream, No Sugar Added Ice Cream, Dairy Free Desserts.
posted by bove at 8:21 AM on August 28


Honestly, your dad may just need to take a low, low dose of a statin. My dad had this same situation happen and he is on, like, 5mg of something. He was not happy because he hates to take pills and feels that he needs to be healthy without medications, but it has been fine.

That said! I have been vegan off and on, and the only true off-the-shelf products I like as well as dairy ice cream as Sharon's Sorbets in coconut and chocolate. I would eat the coconut one for preference over many dairy ice creams.

The raspberry is also good. I haven't had any of the others.

This is a place to lament Ben and Jerry's former blueberry sorbet, which was amazing. That might have single-handedly supported me into full time veganism if it were still available.
posted by Frowner at 8:27 AM on August 28 [4 favorites]


Ditto on the Ninja CreamI. Tweak the recipes and keep monitoring.
posted by kschang at 8:41 AM on August 28


+tofutti ice cream bars SO gOOD
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:07 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


I have been encouraged to share the recipe for that cantaloupe sorbet I mentioned above. Enjoy!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:36 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]


I can't have ice cream either, but for avoiding excess sugar. I really like Dream Pops Bites (Vanilla Sky or Birthday Cake both read vanilla to me). They are coconut-based and chocolate covered. The serving size is 3, which is small, but extremely satisfying.
posted by miscbuff at 9:43 AM on August 28


I've been enjoying Trader Joe's Coconut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream.

I do not find it overpoweringly coconutty. It scratches my ice cream wanting itch.
posted by sciencegeek at 10:05 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


The best vegan ice cream I've tried: Van Leeuwen

It's made with a combination of oat milk and cashew milk. For me it's indistinguishable in flavor & texture from cow's milk ice cream.
posted by oxisos at 10:19 AM on August 28


I don't know if vegan ice cream is ok, but if it is, Clementines makes delicious vegan ice cream. I'm partial to the lemon poppyseed, but they're all tasty, and they ship. I'm also a fan of Jenis, but I can't speak specifically to their vegan flavors.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 10:38 AM on August 28


Tofutti Better Pecan is unreal good. Outshine bars are great. Frozen red grapes are surprisingly fun and satisfying texture.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 11:00 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]


When my daughter was dairy free, I made homemade chocolate ice cream with coconut milk, and honestly it's some of the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had. It doesn't taste like coconut to me at all. I can't seem to find the recipe now, but I'll take a look. It was just something I found on Pinterest a while back.

This Texas Sheet Cake ice cream from Jeni's is also really good, as are the dairy free options from Ben & Jerry's, as mentioned previously.
posted by timestep at 12:23 PM on August 28


I have two suggestions. I use plain yogurt with a small amount of sugar-free syrup, like Torani, to add sweetness and flavor. It works great, the syrup comes in many flavors and is easy to find. I just pour a little dab in the bowl and stir it up. My second suggestion is to get a countertop ice cream machine and use Ensure or Premier Protein drinks to make it. We did this for my diabetic stepmother at the end of her life and it worked just fine. I don't remember the details of how we did it, we had to fiddle with it a little bit, though, to get it right.
posted by raisingsand at 1:17 PM on August 28


Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far! What I'm looking to reduce is the amount of saturated fats. Some of these look absolutely delicious but.. have even more saturated fats than traditional ice cream! I'm looking for 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

Alas... my dad is never going to use any kind of machine. These have to be ready made and easily buyable.
posted by silverstatue at 2:49 PM on August 28 [2 favorites]


Some of this is going to depend on your dad. Is he any good with portion control? It would be really hard for me to have ice cream or frozen yogurt in the house and only eat a tiny amount every day. But, other people might be fine with this. I'd say to go to your local grocery and look at whatever upscale brand of frozen yogurt there is. A half cup of regular frozen yogurt has about 2 grams of fat, depending on the brand and ingredients. Could your dad just stick to half a cup?

I have another suggestion: what if you bought a few different brands and flavors and combos of frozen yogurt, frozen non-dairy stuff, etc and did a family taste this weekend? You could scoop out a spoonful of each flavor into a few small serving bowls and label them 1, 2, 3, etc., and then see which folks like best. Kind of makes a game of it. And then take home the extra, if he would be tempted to plow through all of it.

My other suggestion is to make ice cream a very special occasion food. So, instead of having it in the house, you only have ice cream once a month/ on holidays/on birthdays/whatever. Make is so he can have his beloved ice cream, a cup total, maybe once a month or less. That might help preserve the joy of it.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:07 PM on August 28


I've had this dairy-free Talenti Chocolate Sorbetto and it's REALLY good. And I usually have no patience for dairy-free ice cream.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 4:16 PM on August 28


Noosa Yogurt and Fage Yogurt Flavored. Both of these brands of yogurts are very creamy, not tart, have low-fat options and use real fruit for flavoring and are available at conventional groceries stores like Costco. They worked really nicely for our elder when she had to restrict her fat intake and she would hardly eat anything.
posted by effluvia at 4:39 PM on August 28 [1 favorite]


I would happily eat ice cream for every meal, but also have to limit saturated fats. So my condolences to your dad. At times, I have found it far easier to cut out saturated fats in other areas and allow myself a small portion of really good ice cream instead. Other times I've opted for Yasso Greek yogurt bars - I can only barely tell a difference and usually don't even notice it - or really good Italian ices. Outshine products have also been happily consumed.
posted by Saucy Possum at 5:37 PM on August 28 [1 favorite]


This caught my eye in your follow-up:

I'm looking for 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.

Hmm. I would look very closely, then, at what the serving size on the container says - and compare it to the serving size your father has actually been eating. Because something like that could help right there - a pint of Ben and Jerry's actually contains four servings per pint, but everyone I know usually eats either half a pint, or the whole thing, in one go. If you think your father does the same thing, that could be the problem right there.

So I'd suspect maybe a smaller, more proper serving of ice cream with some fruit on top to make it a sundae might work. Or if not - go with the sorbet. The Talenti chocolate sorbet is one I've also tried and that works.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:28 AM on August 29 [1 favorite]


Given from your description that this is as much about your mum panicking as it is about your dad's actual diet, I suggest you run your choice by her before bringing it over. Just because it's fine on paper doesn't mean it will feel fine to her.
posted by plonkee at 4:15 AM on August 29


Hmm. I would look very closely, then, at what the serving size on the container says - and compare it to the serving size your father has actually been eating. Because something like that could help right there - a pint of Ben and Jerry's actually contains four servings per pint

Gently, no. OP is correct to ask this question and seek alternatives. A serving size of my lord and savior Cherry Garcia is 1/3 of a pint, and that still has a whooping 13 grams of sat fat. A 2 gram sat fat serving of Cherry Garcia is only a tablespoon of ice cream. That's a joke amount of ice cream. It's not a serving size problem, ice cream really is a decadent treat.
posted by phunniemee at 4:36 AM on August 29 [1 favorite]


OP is correct to ask this question and seek alternatives. A serving size of my lord and savior Cherry Garcia is 1/3 of a pint, and that still has a whooping 13 grams of sat fat. A 2 gram sat fat serving of Cherry Garcia is only a tablespoon of ice cream. That's a joke amount of ice cream. It's not a serving size problem, ice cream really is a decadent treat.

This is true.

Paying attention to serving sizes may still be a good idea anyway, because if something is 2 grams of sat fat per serving but there are 4 servings in the container, and Dad eats the whole container, he's gotten more than 2 grams of sat fat in that serving.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:16 AM on August 29 [2 favorites]


Nthing the recommendation to try Yasso bars. I am your dad, and these things are incredible. The fudge brownie flavor in particular is incredibly rich tasting and satisfying, with only 0.5 g of saturated fat per bar.
posted by little mouth at 10:19 AM on August 29


Response by poster: Yasso bars look like the winner! Thank you so much everyone. I will buy some and report back :)
posted by silverstatue at 6:49 PM on August 29 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: He liked the Yasso bars! Flawless victory!
posted by silverstatue at 6:29 PM on September 1 [4 favorites]


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