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Calories · Café & desserts

Calories in ice cream

A typical restaurant serving of ice cream (one generous parlor scoop in a cup, about 120 g) is about 250 calories, usually 130–500.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called ice cream scoop, vanilla ice cream.

~250
Ice cream

The usual range

Drawn on one 0–2,000 scale shared by every dish page, so plates compare at a glance.

Protein, carbs and fat

  • Protein4 g
  • Carbs28 g
  • Fat13 g

One serving

Serving
one generous parlor scoop in a cup
Weight
~120 g
Per 100 g
~207

The dish

About ice cream

Ice cream gets its energy from cream and sugar in roughly equal measure. Premium and gelato-style scoops, waffle cones and sauces all push the number higher.

Ways it comes

One dish, a few numbers

Ice cream · rough numbers

  • Two scoops~500

What moves the number

Why one plate is 130 and another 500

  • Number and size of scoops
  • Premium ice cream has more cream
  • Cone, sauces and toppings

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Order a kids or single scoop
  • Choose a cup over a waffle cone
  • Pick sorbet or fruit flavors

Side by side

Next to other Café & desserts dishes

Café & desserts · typical restaurant servingAll about Café & desserts food →

  • Cappuccino~100one small café cappuccino, 12 fl oz · usually 60–180
  • Latte~210one medium café latte, 16 fl oz · usually 100–300
  • Glazed donut~250one medium glazed yeast donut · usually 190–450
  • Ice cream~250one generous parlor scoop in a cup · usually 130–500
  • Matcha latte~250one 16 oz café matcha latte with 2% milk, sweetened · usually 180–400
  • Bubble tea (milk tea with pearls)~280one 500 ml cup with tapioca pearls, regular sugar · usually 180–450
  • Croissant~280one café butter croissant · usually 200–450
  • Banana bread~320one thick café slice, without butter · usually 250–550
  • Mocha~320one medium café mocha, 16 fl oz · usually 150–500
  • Fruit smoothie~360one small café smoothie with fruit and yogurt or milk · usually 200–750
  • Hot chocolate~380one 12 fl oz café hot chocolate with whipped cream · usually 150–600
  • Brownie~400one café brownie · usually 250–750

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

Off unless you turn them on

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and, when PlateDiary AI reads your photo of the table, each dish gets one rough “~” number. Accept it or change it; a number you correct is remembered for that dish. With Calories off, the app looks exactly as it did before.

A read sends small pictures of the cut-out dishes, with the place's name as a hint — never the table photo, faces or your location. Calorie numbers never go to analytics, and nothing is written to a health app. PlateDiary AI starts with free tries; here is how it works.

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How these numbers were made

Method and sources

Last reviewed

Restaurant portions and cooking vary, so these are typical estimates for one serving, built from the sources below. Treat it as a rough number: your plate may land anywhere in the range.

If you manage a health condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian.

AI helped draft this page; every number was checked against the sources.

  1. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Ice cream, vanilla, FDC 2705630
  2. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Ice creams, vanilla, FDC 167575

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in ice cream?

A typical restaurant serving of ice cream (one generous parlor scoop in a cup, about 120 g) is about 250 calories, usually 130–500. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

Is gelato higher than ice cream?

Premium and gelato-style scoops can run higher than a standard scoop; a generous parlor scoop of vanilla is about 250.

Does the cone matter?

A waffle cone, sauces and toppings all add on top. A cup is the plainest way to have it.

What changes the calories in ice cream?

Number and size of scoops. Premium ice cream has more cream.

How can I order ice cream lighter?

Order a kids or single scoop. Choose a cup over a waffle cone.

Can PlateDiary show calories for the dishes I eat out?

Yes, if you want it to: calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and each dish you save from a photo of the table gets one rough “~” number you can accept or change.