Ricotta Cheese vs. Vanilla Ice Cream

Nutrition comparison of Ricotta Cheese and Vanilla Ice Cream


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of ricotta cheese versus vanilla ice cream (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream:

  • Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in Vitamin A, calcium, calories and saturated fat.
  • Ricotta cheese has 69% less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream.
  • Vanilla ice cream has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B12.
Detailed nutritional comparison of ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Ricotta Cheese src
Image of Vanilla Ice Cream src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calories. Vanilla ice cream has 38% more calories than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 150 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, ricotta cheese is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to vanilla ice cream per calorie. Ricotta cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 20:19:61 and for vanilla ice cream, 7:46:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Ricotta Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream
Protein 20% 7%
Carbohydrates 19% 46%
Fat 61% 48%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Ricotta cheese has 69% less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 7.3g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Vanilla ice cream has more dietary fiber than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and ricotta cheese does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and ricotta cheese has 99% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Ricotta cheese has 115% more protein than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in saturated fat. Vanilla ice cream has a little more saturated fat (6%) than ricotta cheese by weight - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream are low in trans fat - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and vanilla ice cream does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - vanilla ice cream has 44mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and ricotta cheese does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in Vitamin A. Vanilla ice cream is very similar to vanilla ice cream for Vitamin A - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 1.1ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Vanilla ice cream has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B12. Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Ricotta Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream
Thiamin 0.013 MG 0.041 MG
Riboflavin 0.298 MG 0.24 MG
Niacin 0.137 MG 0.116 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.461 MG 0.581 MG
Vitamin B6 0.097 MG 0.048 MG
Folate 4 UG 5 UG
Vitamin B12 0.85 UG 0.39 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 61% more calcium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium.

iron

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of iron - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron.

potassium

Vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of potassium - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 219mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

carotenoids

Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]

For specific types of carotenoids, both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.

Ricotta Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream
beta-carotene 33 UG 19 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than ricotta cheese per 100 grams. Both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain small amounts of EPA.

Ricotta Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream
alpha linoleic acid 0.043 G 0.175 G
DHA 0.001 G ~
EPA 0.004 G 0.003 G
DPA 0.006 G ~
Total 0.054 G 0.178 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Ricotta Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream
other omega 6 0.012 G ~
linoleic acid 0.356 G 0.275 G
Total 0.368 G 0.275 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Ricotta Cheese or Vanilla Ice Cream .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) .

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FAQ

Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calories. Vanilla ice cream has 40% more calories than ricotta cheese - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and ricotta cheese has 150 calories.

Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese have more carbohydrates?
By weight, ricotta cheese has 70% fewer carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and ricotta cheese has 7.3g of carbohydrates.

Does vanilla ice cream or ricotta cheese contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and ricotta cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 60% more calcium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium.