Are you an ice cream purist, or are you the type of person who likes any variety of frozen treats? While ice cream is certainly one of the more popular and prevalent frozen desserts on the market, there are plenty of delicious treats to choose from that aren’t your traditional ice cream. Whether you’re more a fan of a nice, creamy scoop, a soft-serve ice cream cone, or are partial to gelato, there’s sure to be a creamy, sweet frozen dessert that’s perfect for you! Here’s all the information you need to tell the difference between the many options out there, and to decide which one is perfect for you.

Ice Cream

First of all, we have to start out with the tried and true frozen treat, ice cream. Whether you’re getting your next scoop from a carton purchased at the grocery store or from a world-class locale like the Besties Ice Cream truck, traditional ice cream is sure to be delicious. The ice cream you know and love usually contains around ten percent milk fat, which means it’s creamy but not as dense as some of the other frozen treats out there.

While ice cream isn’t always as flashy as some of its frozen counterparts, never count out this tried and true favorite. Ice cream is a staple in the frozen treat department, and for good reason. With so many flavor combinations and incredible recipes, there’s bound to be an ice cream flavor or brand to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Soft Serve

When you think of soft serve, there are probably several iconic types that come to mind. Soft serve has often been served in iconic cake cones and twirled a mile high. Some soft serve ice cream is swirled so you can get the best of both worlds when it comes to your top two favorite flavors. 

The thing all soft serve has in common, though, is that it comes from an ice cream machine. Soft serve machines churn ice cream from a mix—most typically a pre-made commercially produced mix—and incorporate a lot of air into the ice cream as it’s being made. This is what makes soft serve so much softer than traditional ice cream and gives it such a smooth finish.

Ice Cream Bars

One of the most unique (and fun) kinds of frozen treats is the ice cream bar! When you hear that term—ice cream bar—there is likely a certain brand or treat in particular that pops into your mind. With so many different ice cream bars out there, it’s likely, too, that everyone thinks of a different bar when this term comes up. There’s everything from ice cream sandwiches to ice cream bars covered in chocolate to ice cream cookies to ice cream cones out there that could all reasonably fall into the ice cream bar category. The one thing that these different treats all have in common is that they feature ice cream in some way, shape, or form—and usually feature chocolate, too!

Frozen Custard

Custard is another frozen dessert treat that’s known for its creamy deliciousness and smooth texture. Custard is different from regular ice cream, soft-serve, or gelato because it contains egg yolk. The higher egg yolk content in custard makes for a different consistency than ice cream and the end result is a much richer dessert.

Many people are familiar with non-frozen custard, too. Custard used in pies and tarts is created with the same primary ingredients, but it has a more pudding-like consistency. When custard used in non-frozen desserts is baked, it makes for a creamy and rich filling. Frozen custard is largely the same, but just frozen, as the name implies!

Gelato

The most luxurious-sounding frozen treat of the bunch due to its Italian name, gelato is known for many of its unique flavors and ultra-rich consistency. Gelato is particularly dense and creamy because when it is made it is churned slowly. Surprisingly enough, though, it contains a smaller amount of fat compared to other types of frozen treats. Despite the lower fat content, however, gelato is known as one of the creamier types of ice cream, partly due to the aforementioned slow churning process and also due to the slightly warmer temperature it is often served at.

Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt seems to come in and out of the spotlight depending on current trends. Many people have heard that frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream, though that’s not always the case. The main difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream is just what you might think—yogurt is added to the ice cream mix when making frozen yogurt. While regular ice cream usually just contains cream and milk, frozen yogurt usually contains both those staple ingredients plus yogurt. There’s no set amount of yogurt included in most frozen yogurt, though, so the flavor and texture can vary depending on the brand and recipe of the frozen yogurt. Whatever the combination, the addition of yogurt to the ice cream mixture tends to lend a more sour flavor to the final product.

When it comes to frozen treats, there are a lot of options out there! While we’re fans of the tried and true traditional scoop of ice cream, the many alternatives on the market are not too shabby. If you’re looking for a less traditional treat but still craving ice cream, then an ice cream bar might be just the fit for you. But if you’re wanting to shake up your usual ice cream for something a bit different, then one of the other options might be for you. Is something richer what you’re after? Give frozen custard a try. What about tarter? Then frozen yogurt might hit the spot. How about creamier? Soft serve might be right up your alley. And what if you’re looking for a little taste of luxury? Then gelato might be perfect for you. All these frozen treats have their merits, so if you’re constantly wondering what the difference is, now you know—and now you can make the right decision when picking out your next treat!