The best healthy and guilt-free ice creams in Singapore

Mrs Plump’s is the brainchild of Australian-born founder Mia Kusen who has made Singapore her home for over a decade. The idea for healthy ice cream came about after her twins were infected with hand, foot, mouth disease and could only eat ice cream for a week due to mouth ulcers. Chocolate kale was her first creation replacing sugar with dates and dehydrated kale included to ensure her kids still got their nutrition. Other bestsellers are carrot cake and cream cheese, vegan banana dates and keto acai berry. You can shop the ice cream superfood online or at their shop at Upper Pickering Street.

The Ice Cream and Cookie Co. (ICC) started with their first product that is still a bestseller - their signature ice cream sandwiches. Two house-baked cookies and a scoop of premium ice cream, so heavenly. The founder, Natasha Chiam’s husband and son are allergic to dairy and eggs so her products are personal to her. Ice cream flavours here include dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan options. You can order online or find them in some supermarkets.

Think of Nuude Ice Cream as the skinnier, leaner sister to homegrown ice cream brand Udders. After all, it’s made with all-natural ingredients to give you an indulgent treat that packs much fewer calories, sugar, and fat than regular ice cream. The vegan-friendly product also comes fortified with nutrient-dense ingredients: cacao nibs, goji berries, and camu berries. Flavours include the indulgent dark chocolate with cacao nibs sorbet, refreshingly aromatic Alphonso mango and kaffir lime sorbet, strawberry and camu berry, and the simple vanilla and goji berry. You can order it online or find them stocked here.

Kind Kones scoops up ice cream that is, well, kind on your waist. Its range of healthy, vegan, and largely gluten-free products are made from scratch using chemical-free ingredients. Eggs and dairy products are omitted, and the ice cream parlour uses leaner alternatives like coconut, cashew, and almond milk as the base instead. Flavours might differ depending on when you visit, but highlights include the Blue Planet, made with coconut milk, cashew milk, vanilla, and butter pea flower swirled with pieces of matcha cake to resemble the planet Earth.  

Smoocht serves up scoops of r’ice creams – a frozen treat made from brown rice and other natural ingredients. These vegan and lactose-free treats are sweetened naturally with organic sugar cane juice, and flavoured with real fruits and various kinds of nut butter to give you wholesome creations such as black sesame, coconut, and mocha. Ice cream cakes are also available for pre-orders. 

Go coco for the coconut-based creations by Zebra Dreams. This Australia import is friendly to most diets: vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, and sweetened with natural coconut nectar that lends a hint of caramel aftertaste. Choose from flavours that include salted caramel, strawberry baobab, and lemongrass caramel with macadamia. Zebra Dreams can be found at Little Farms outlets.

The ice cream from Callery’s promises “maximum happiness, minus the guilt” – a tall order considering that it claims to contain fewer calories, sugar, and fat as compared to regular ice cream brands. But it’s still intensely flavoured, with classic options that include vanilla bean, Belgium dark chocolate, and strawberries and crème. Each serving packs between 51 to 72 calories, so go ahead and reach for that second scoop. Pick up a pint from any NTUC Fairprice Finest outlet, Redmart or Honestbee. 

Made with no artificial sugars, high in probiotics, and free from preservatives, Sugalight promises to be just as creamy as regular ice creams. Flavours available include avocado, dairy-free dark soy chocolate, cappuccino, and mango sorbet. Beyond just frozen treats, Sugalight has also expanded into making sugar-free cakes and Chinese New Year cookies. Try it by placing an order from its online store, or head down to a partnering cafe. 

Oat milk brand Oatly has achieved a cult-like following in recent times. The dairy-free alternative hopes to champion sustainability through its plant-based dairy alternative. While most of us are already familiar with its oat milk, it’s time to get acquainted with its vegan ice cream line-up. Singapore is the first market in Southeast Asia for the Swedish brand to debut its dairy-free icy treat – perfect for out perpetual warm weather. Tubs come in flavours of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate hazelnut swirl, salted caramel, and our favourite, the chocolate fudge with gooey chocolate sauce dotted within. You can grab some tubs on Redmart, or at selected Fairprice Finest outlets.

The chunky, rich, and indulgent pints from Ben & Jerry’s should hardly be considered healthy. But they have two waist-friendly ranges to choose from to help ease the guilt when digging into its famous ice cream. Those who are lactose-intolerant can reach for its Non Dairy range at the supermarkets aisle in Singapore. Expect the same loaded bite in its dairy-free flavours. Not available here but still good to know is the Moo-phoria range. It has just 150 to 160 calories per serving due to the usage of organic skim milk. You’ll still get the full creamy flavour without having to worry about the extra time you need to spend at the gym.