If you love having a sweet, cold treat on hot summer days, you’ve got a lot of options. At Cruz Creamery here in Santa Cruz, you can choose from a variety of ice cream and frozen yogurt. While these delicious, creamy treats might seem similar, they’re actually very different. In this blog, we will cover what makes frozen yogurt and ice cream their own unique snack so that you can choose the one that makes the most sense for your dietary requirements and for your taste buds!

Ice Cream Defined

According to the USDA, ice cream must have at least 10 percent milkfat and 20 percent milk to be called ice cream. In addition to these requirements, there are other standards that ice cream makers have to adhere to, including a smooth texture and if there is flavoring it has to taste like the flavor (chocolate-flavored ice cream must taste like chocolate, strawberry ice cream must taste like strawberries, etc.). Within those guidelines, there is a lot of leeway. Some ice creams have higher fat content or higher milk content to make it tastier and creamier. Some other common ingredients of ice cream might include cream, sugar, eggs, and flavorings.

What is Frozen Yogurt?

Frozen yogurt is similar to ice cream in that it uses dairy and flavorings to bring you a cool, sweet treat but it doesn’t have any fat content requirements like ice cream. Frozen yogurt instead starts with a base of yogurt, milk, and usually a very small amount of milk fats. The texture of frozen yogurt can differ from ice cream in that it can run the range of super creamy and light to more dense. Frozen yogurt is also a little more sour or tart than ice cream because of the yogurt (or yogurt cultures) used in its production.

Which Should I Eat?

Choosing between frozen yogurt and ice cream can be difficult because of how hard it is to pick just one awesome treat! While we think you should just order both (or try one now and come back for the other on a different day), we want to give you a few ways to approach making this tough decision.

Are you in the mood for a dessert with a more subtle flavor? Try any of our delicious frozen yogurt flavors or some of our more traditional flavors of ice cream like vanilla or chocolate. While all of our flavors are super delicious, we know that not everyone wants intense combinations of incredible sweets all the time.

Do you want to get completely knocked off your feet by deliciousness? Try any of our ice cream flavors or ice cream sundaes to get a mouthful of flavor in every spoonful!

At Cruz Creamery, we serve only the most delicious and fresh natural frozen yogurt and Polar Bear ice cream because we believe that everyone should have access to incredibly delectable treats whenever they want them! Come to our ice cream shop today to get a taste of your new favorite dessert!