Types of Frozen Desserts, Explained (Gelato, Custard, Froyo & More)
Ice cream, gelato, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, soft serve, rolled ice cream, Italian ice — they all live in the freezer case, but they're genuinely different desserts made in different ways. The differences come down to a few things: how much butterfat is in the base, whether there's dairy at all, how much air gets churned in, and whether eggs or live cultures are involved. Here's the whole family in one place, with links to the deep-dive on each.
The frozen dessert family at a glance
| Dessert | Dairy base | Butterfat | Egg yolks | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice cream | Cream | 10–18% | Optional | Rich, fluffy |
| Gelato | More milk | 4–9% | Sometimes | Dense, silky |
| Frozen custard | Cream + egg | ~10%+ | Required | Dense, ultra-smooth |
| Frozen yogurt | Cultured milk | Low | No | Tangy, lighter |
| Soft serve | Milk/cream | 3–6% | No | Airy, soft |
| Sherbet | A little milk | 1–2% | No | Creamy-ish, fruity |
| Sorbet | None | 0% | No | Icy, refreshing |
| Italian ice | None | 0% | No | Fine, slushy |
| Rolled ice cream | Cream | Varies | No | Dense, made-to-order |
Dairy, rich, and churned: the classics
Ice cream is the benchmark: a cream base with at least 10% butterfat (often 14–18% in premium brands), churned with plenty of air so it's rich and fluffy. Everything else is a variation on one of its variables.
Gelato uses more milk and less cream, so it has less butterfat, and it's churned slowly with far less air. The result is denser and silkier, served a touch warmer, with more intense flavor. See gelato vs ice cream.
Frozen custard is ice cream with egg yolks (required, at least 1.4%) and almost no air churned in — which makes it the smoothest, richest option, usually served fresh from the machine. See frozen custard vs ice cream.
Soft serve is a lighter cousin, made with a lower-butterfat mix and more air, dispensed soft from a machine rather than scooped. That air and warmth are why it's so light and swirly.
Lighter and tangy
Frozen yogurt swaps the cream base for cultured milk (yogurt), so it's tangier and usually lower in fat — though often higher in sugar, and easy to load up with toppings. See frozen yogurt vs ice cream.
The dairy-free and fruit side
Sorbet has no dairy at all — just fruit, sugar, and water — so it's naturally dairy-free and usually vegan, with bright, intense fruit flavor and a refreshing, slightly icy texture.
Sherbet is essentially sorbet with a little dairy added (1–2% milkfat), which makes it creamier than sorbet while staying fruit-forward. It is not dairy-free.
Italian ice is a fine-textured, fruit-flavored frozen treat with no dairy — similar in spirit to sorbet but typically smoother and slushier. For the sorbet/sherbet distinction, see sorbet vs sherbet vs gelato.
The showpiece
Rolled ice cream (Thai "stir-fried" ice cream) isn't a different base so much as a different method: a liquid cream base is frozen to order on a cold steel plate, mixed with add-ins, then scraped into delicate rolls. It's dense like gelato because almost no air is whipped in. See what is rolled ice cream.
Which one should you get?
If you want rich and classic, order ice cream or frozen custard. For dense and flavor-forward, gelato. For light, soft serve or frozen yogurt. For dairy-free or refreshing, sorbet or Italian ice. And for a show, rolled ice cream. Most great artisan shops make several of these, so the best way to learn the difference is to taste them side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gelato and ice cream?
Gelato uses more milk and less cream than ice cream, so it has less butterfat, and it's churned with less air and served warmer — making it denser, silkier, and more intensely flavored. Ice cream is richer and fluffier.
What frozen desserts are dairy-free?
Sorbet and Italian ice contain no dairy and are usually vegan. Sherbet has a small amount of dairy, and gelato, ice cream, custard, froyo, and soft serve are all dairy-based.
Which frozen dessert is the healthiest?
There's no single answer — sorbet is fat-free but sugar-heavy, frozen yogurt is often lower in fat but can be high in sugar, and gelato has less fat than ice cream but dense portions. They're all treats; portion and toppings matter most.
Ready to taste the difference? Find an artisan ice cream, gelato, or frozen custard shop near you.