6 Protein Ice Cream Brands, Ranked

If there's one buzzword you've been hearing more and more in the foodie sphere, it's probably (definitely) "protein." It's long been a necessity in every diet, but nowadays, both fitness aficionados and your average Joe are all about maximizing their protein intake. Obviously, the fodder for food media here is endless, everything from Burger King's most protein-packed breakfast item to protein-packed Trader Joe's meal hacks. Perhaps the only avenue we've left unexplored is ice cream.

I wasn't at all surprised when I heard that protein ice cream is becoming more and more prolific in the freezer aisle — it only makes sense for the dairy-based treat. The real question is: are protein ice creams actually good? I offered myself up as a willing test subject for today's tasting and dutifully made my way through six brands (tasting three flavors of each — the burdens of the modern food writer) to determine which is worth your hard-earned dollar. As always, this taste test was bound to be subjective. I made my final ranking based on how well each offering mimicked ice cream in tandem with its protein content, as well as its overall flavor and texture profile. 

It feels worth mentioning right off the bat that I'm a massive fan of Yasso's Greek Yogurt Bars; they're summertime freezer staples, and I go through them faster than they can melt in a Portland heat wave, which is saying something. It turns out, though, that I like the offering less in pint form, especially when pitted against several other comparable options. Who knew?

First, with each flavor I tried, you can definitely tell it's Greek yogurt. It just has that certain tang that ice cream will never have, and that's a big part of why it landed at the bottom of my list. It's not at all a bad quality — it just means that this couldn't fully check the "mimics ice cream" box of my requirements. Combine that with the fact that some of the following boast much higher amounts of protein, and I had to stick Yasso in sixth place. 

My favorite flavor, though, was wholly unexpected. I loved the Mint Chocolate Chip flavor; I'll never choose mint chocolate chip, but I think the Greek yogurt did something really wonderful in giving the flavor a more savory appeal. I enjoyed the other two pints (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Cookies 'n' Cream), but Mint Chocolate Chip was a standout.

Choosing which should rank higher between Frozen One and the next brand was nearly impossible. Frozen One's flavors were delicious and boasted way more protein than the following; however, the following is way more widely available and is a closer mimic to ice cream. I'm still a little torn, but I'm going with my gut on ranking the following a bit higher. 

Frozen One's pints each contain 40 grams of protein, giving them some of the highest protein content on this list. That's remarkable in itself. Of the three flavors I tried, its Apple Pie was easily my favorite, and just stunning overall. It was really bright with cinnamon and incredibly thick and creamy. Still, I couldn't say the offering screamed "ice cream," and as with Yasso's pints, I feel I'd have preferred this in a popsicle format. 

Frozen One's Peanut Butter Chip flavor is definitely one to get if you adore the spread — it tasted purely of peanut butter, and the chips scattered throughout provided a lovely textural contrast. Salted Caramel Crunch was my least favorite of the trio, mostly just because it was incredibly saccharine (as caramel sometimes can be). So, while I thought Frozen One did a really good job at making some flavorful pints, they didn't quite give that ice cream appeal I was looking for. 

Yet another flavor that I was wholly surprised not to place higher was Halo Top. Again, the competition was too fierce! After a vicious internal battle, though, I did place the brand higher than the previous one because it was a closer mimic of ice cream. However, the protein content here wasn't as high as some competitors. Two of the pints I tried had 17 grams of protein, while the third had 20, around half of what Frozen One offered. 

I appreciated the interest that mix-ins brought to Halo Top's offerings. In Cookies & Brownies, the cookie and brownie pieces were absolutely decadent. I liked Halo Top's P.B. Cookie Dough & Fudge a little less than Frozen One's Peanut Butter Chip, though — the peanut butter here was sweeter and didn't taste as unadulterated as the previous. On the other hand, I found Halo Top's Caramel Cookie Crunch to be more compelling than the previous caramel flavor, primarily because it wasn't as cloying. 

Moreover, Halo Top's texture was fantastic — extremely light and fluffy, and very in line with traditional ice cream. Which one you choose between Halo Top and Frozen One will likely be a matter of personal preference. You could always do your own taste test, too.

Blue Bell's Protein Pints offered nothing in the way of mix-ins, which is actually part of why the brand ranked in the top half of this list — for being "plain" ice cream, I was incredibly impressed by each of the pints. I tried Vanilla, Salted Caramel, and Coffee. The first two contain 33 grams of protein per pint, while the third has 34 grams. And, while this wasn't a factor in my ranking, I can't write about Blue Bell's protein ice cream without also mentioning that they have zero grams of added sugar. 

The brand's Coffee ice cream was absolutely incredible. Ever so slightly bitter, but with that full, morning brew flavor that I always look forward to when I dig into the treat. Similarly, I loved the Vanilla offering, which was rich and custardy. The Salted Caramel pint really tasted like browned butter, which I loved, and it wasn't too saccharine. 

All of that is to say, Blue Bell's pints are very compelling entries in the protein ice cream space, and I was very impressed with all of them. They just couldn't surpass my top two picks. 

The first thing I loved about Thrive Gelato was its single-serving cups — I'll gladly take a smaller size over needing to portion out some ice cream myself! Each 4-ounce cup has 9 grams of protein, which equates to 36 grams per pint, for the sake of our comparison. So, a solid protein content in the grand scheme of things!

But now, onto the flavors, which were sublime, to put it mildly. I was floored by the butter pecan offering, which was incredibly rich, buttery, and tasted strongly of pecans without having any actual pecan pieces in it. It even had a salty appeal that I adored. The vanilla was thick like custard and incredibly flavorful, and I even loved the chocolate, even though I'm not normally a fan of chocolate ice cream — it tasted dark and unadulterated, almost like a quality pudding.

The textures were also excellent. Granted, these are technically gelatos, but I absolutely adored how thick, creamy, yet still soft each small cup was. Thrive Gelato could only be beaten by the GOAT of protein ice cream brands. 

You heard it here first, folks — Protein Pints does the best job at mimicking traditional ice cream and packing in the protein, and I was pretty amazed by what the brand brought to the table. If you had made me eat this blind, I wouldn't have guessed that it was any different from traditional ice cream. In the "health food" space, that's saying something. 

I tried the brand's Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, and Fudge Brownie flavors, and all three were impeccable. I loved the chunks of cookie dough in the first flavor, and the base ice cream itself was very creamy, custardy, and rich in flavor. The Fudge Brownie was decadent and tasted of rich chocolate, and I adored the little brownie pieces studded throughout. Lastly, the brand's Cookies & Cream ice cream was very true to its flavor and will easily satisfy a cookies and cream craving. 

With its stellar flavors, impeccable textures, and impressive protein content, Protein Pints pretty easily took the top spot on this list. It's well worth ordering if you want to get your ice cream fix and pack some protein in along the way.

To qualify for this list, each ice cream had to contain at least 15 grams of protein per pint. My biggest priority was finding options that genuinely tasted and felt like traditional ice cream rather than simply offering a high protein count. When an offering closely mimicked the flavor and texture of regular ice cream while also delivering plenty of protein, it ranked near the top. Some otherwise strong contenders, like Yasso and Halo Top, placed lower because they contained less protein, while others, like Frozen One, impressed nutritionally but didn't replicate the classic ice cream experience well enough to earn a higher ranking.