Nothing says summer like a trip to the freezer aisle to stock up on ice creams and ice lollies – but just how much sugar is in your favourites?
Which ice cream contains the most sugar?
From classic Magnums to retro Fabs and mini Twisters, we compared some of the UK’s most popular high-street frozen snacks to see how they rank. The findings reveal stark differences across each category, with some options packing more than a child’s full daily sugar allowance into a single serving. Whether you're looking for a lighter choice or just curious about what you're really eating, here’s what we discovered.
How much sugar is in ice creams and lollies? Ranked
We compared the following ice creams and ice lollies to find out how they ranked against one another in terms of calories, and sugar and saturated fat content.
- Magnum Classic Chocolate
- Cornetto Classico
- Solero
- Fab
- Mr Whippy with a Flake
- Mini Milk
- Calippo
- Twister
- Sainsbury’s Lemon Sorbet
- M&S Greek Style Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt
The Magnum came out on top for all categories, with more than twice the calories of a Solero and six times the saturated fat of a Twister.
Both Cornettos and Magnums exceeded the recommended daily sugar intake for adults and children — but the Magnum did so by a wider margin. A single Magnum Classic contains 20g of sugar, which equates to 105.3 per cent of an adult’s daily limit and 133 per cent of a child’s.
Mini Milk is by far the lightest option, with just 12g of sugar per 100g. Next is the Twister with 16g, followed by Calippo and Cornetto (both 17g), then Solero and Fab (18g and 18.2g respectively). Mr Whippy comes in at 19g, the vanilla frozen yoghurt at 19.5g, and the Magnum tops the list with 27g of sugar per 100g.
Lemon sorbet is surprisingly high in sugar, at 23.1g per 100g — likely due to the extra sugar needed to balance the tartness of citrus.
While many of us grew up with full-sized versions, Twisters and Calippos are now largely sold in mini formats in supermarkets – perhaps in response to their relatively high sugar content.
Saturated fats are primarily found in ice creams, as they typically come from milk fat or cream used in production. These are among the less healthy fats, known to raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. UK health guidelines recommend no more than 30g of saturated fat per day for men, and 20g for women. A single Magnum or Cornetto can make a big dent in that allowance, with 9.8g and 7.2g of saturated fat respectively.
If you're looking to reduce your saturated fat intake, an ice lolly may be a better option –Calippos, Twisters and lemon sorbet contain very little.
Did you know? We ranked the UK's best ice creams. You could also try making your own ice lollies with our great summer recipes – try the pineapple weed and coconut ice lollies!
