The Best Healthy Ice Cream Brands You Can Buy

Even if you weren't a fan of Arctic Zero's original lactose-free ice cream alternative (like this Shape editor, who swore off all healthy ice cream), you need to give their new healthy ice creams a shot. Made from real milk, cream, and cane sugar, these pints contain no sugar alcohols, are non-GMO, and have a boost of prebiotic fiber. (BTW, here's what you need to know about sugar alcohols.)

You can grab pints in seven flavors, including Cookie and Brown Dough, Toffee Crunch, Mint and Chocolate Cookies, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Chunk, and Vanilla Bean.

Pros: Shape testers found the new formula to be "surprisingly good" and said it didn't taste like artificial sweeteners or flavors.

Cons: One tester said she liked the dough chunks in the Cookie and Brown Dough way better than the actual ice cream (#chunklife), and another said the healthy ice cream wasn't quite creamy enough for her taste.

($8 at icecreamsource.com, or find a retailer near you.)

If you've been on Instagram anytime in the last couple years, you've likely seen Halo Top on your feed. This social-sensation brand uses organic stevia and erythritol (a sugar alcohol that's not supposed to affect blood glucose or cause bloating) to create sweet, creamy desserts that clock in at only 280 to 360 calories per pint. Their collection now boasts a keto-friendly ice cream series, dairy-free offerings, pops, and more, allowing vegans and lactose-intolerant ice cream fans to get in on the hype too.

Pros: If you want a relatively clean label and to throw portion control to the wind, this is the brand for you. Plus, with a zillion flavor options, you're bound to find one that hits the spot.

Cons: One Shape tester said that the Sea Salt Caramel flavor was a little overly sweet, while another said it wasn't quite creamy enough to satisfy her ice cream craving.

($5; find a retailer near you.)

Enlightened crowns itself the best-of-the-best in healthy ice cream, logging even fewer calories, fewer grams of sugar and fat, and more protein and fiber than other healthy ice cream brands. Their inventive flavors range from French Toast and Glazed Donut to Cold Brew Coffee and Bananas Foster, and log in at just 60 to 100 calories per half-cup serving. Sweetened with zero-calorie erythritol and packed with fiber from corn, Enlightened promises not to spike blood sugar. (Bonus: They now offer ice cream bars, too.)

Pros: Shape testers were super into Enlightened's creative Movie Night flavor (it tastes like movie theater popcorn with chocolate and caramel!) and the generous cookie chunks in Cookies and Cream. Overall, testers said the healthy ice cream flavors were amazingly creamy.

Cons: Testers reported a slight aftertaste, possibly from the erythritol sweetener.

($5; find a retailer near you.)

If mix-ins are your favorite part of digging into a pint, Ben & Jerry's is probably your go-to brand—and they even preserved that v. important part of their ice cream in their three new Moo-Phoria light ice cream flavors. Their Chocolate Milk & Cookies, Caramel Cookie Fix, and PB Dough all promise to be "light on calories and fat, heavy on the flavor, chunks & swirls," all without any sugar alcohols or any other type of sugar substitutes.

The result: a treat with 60 to 70 percent less fat and 35 percent fewer calories than traditional Ben & Jerry's ice creams, but allllll the hidden-treasure goodness of Phish Food and Half Baked.

Pros: Most Shape testers ranked these as their fave healthy ice cream for its just-like-the-real-thing taste. One tester wrote: "This really tastes like regular ice cream. HOW?!"

Cons: For whatever reason, testers noted that the ice cream melts quickly (so eat up!).

($5-7 per pint; store.benjerry.com)

Love a satisfying chew in your scoop? You may want to try KIND Healthy Snacks new plant-based ice cream line, Frozen Pints. Yep, the healthy nut bar company has branched off from snack bars to cereals, oatmeals, smoothie bowls, and now, plant-based ice cream. (Related: The Best Natural Snacks to Keep In Your Pantry)

And get this: It isn't just made from non-dairy milk. The main ingredients are actually pear juice and almonds or pear juice and peanuts, depending on the flavor. "When looking for a plant-based frozen treat, I look for ones without much added sugar — aim for less than a third of the daily value per serving — and that also contain ample amounts of protein and fiber," says Amy Gorin, M.S., R.D.N., plant-based registered dietitian and a KIND nutrition partner. Good news: the brand's seven flavors fit that criteria. (Some are inspired by existing KIND bar flavors, such as Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt, while others, such as Coffee Hazelnut, are new.) Each pint has 5-6g of protein, 12g of added sugar, and about 2-4g of fiber.

Pros: Shape testers tried all seven flavors and thought that, unlike other vegan ice creams (which sometimes lack that creamy dairy texture), these pints are super smooth. The swirls of real fruit, peanut butter and/or dark chocolate, and chunks of nuts make it extra satisfying.

Cons: They don't have the traditional flavors, so if you're craving cookie dough or vanilla you're SOL.

($5-6, instacart.com or at a retailer near you.)

If you're a nutrition purist looking for a plant-based ice cream — meaning, you don't want any sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners mucking up your treats — Snow Monkey is the brand for you. The brand is so committed to using natural ingredients, that their tagline is: "If Mother Nature didn't make it, we didn't use it." They also take care to source only ethical, non-GMO ingredients.

The base of their ice creams is made of bananas, apples, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and pure maple syrup. Then, they add superfoods like açai, matcha, or cocoa powder to make their seven flavors — all of which are free of dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, sesame, and peanuts.

Pros: You can count on Snow Monkey for being especially flavorful, smooth, and creamy. "I'm not even a chocolate ice cream person, but this was one of my favorites," one Shape tester wrote about trying the brand's cacao flavor.

Cons: The brand has seven flavors, so you don't have a ton of options to choose from.

($60 for 4 pints, snow-monkey.com)