Why put fiber in ice cream?
About 95% of Americans don’t get enough fiber. That’s a problem because fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, supports digestion, and can help slow sugar absorption. Plus, your gut influences a lot more than just digestion.
I spent seven years building a gut health company, and “eat more fiber” was the advice we gave more than any other. It’s also some of the hardest advice to follow.
So I figured, why not put it somewhere people actually want it?
Every pint carries at least three different plant fibers.
Will I taste the fiber?
No. After 80+ test batches, we’ve perfected a custard you’d never know had fiber in it: completely smooth, with no grit or gumminess.
What’s in a serving
55% less added sugar than our premium ice cream benchmark, and 4–5 g of fiber per serving versus 0 g.
| Per 4 oz | Senza | Premium benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugar | 4–5 g | 12 g |
| Fiber | 4–5 g | 0 g |
| Calories | 195–205 | 220 |
| Protein | 5 g | 5 g |
The premium benchmark is the average of seven premium vanilla ice creams, per 4 oz.
For scale, 4 oz of Senza has about as much fiber as an apple, with about half the sugar.
Full nutrition, per 4 oz
| Calories | 195–205 |
|---|---|
| Total fat | 13–14 g |
| Saturated fat | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 100–105 mg |
| Sodium | 95–130 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 24–25 g |
| Dietary fiber | 4–5 g |
| Total sugars | ≤10 g |
| Added sugars | 4–5 g |
| Allulose | 9–10 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
Calculated from our recipes. Values vary slightly by flavor.
Every ingredient in our base, and why it’s there
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Whole milk
Full-fat milk, the base of the custard
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Heavy cream
Hudson Valley
Richness
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Allulose
A rare sugar found in small amounts in figs and raisins
It does most of our sweetening. About 70% as sweet as sugar with a fraction of the calories, and it keeps the scoop soft.
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Egg yolks
Our only emulsifier (it holds the fat and water together), and what makes this a custard
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Nonfat dry milk
Milk
Good ice cream is mostly about controlling water, because loose water turns icy. Milk powder adds dairy flavor and body without adding more water.
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Cane sugar
Sugarcane
For flavor, and the deep notes in our caramel
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Partially hydrolyzed guar gum
Guar bean
The main fiber. More in About the gums
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Acacia fiber
Acacia tree sap (also called gum arabic)
Fiber, and a smoother melt
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Inulin
Agave
Fiber, and a little more body
About the gums
Not all gums are created equal. The word covers ingredients with very different properties, so the name alone doesn’t tell you much about what they do.
The gums we use are plant fibers. Partially hydrolyzed guar, for example, comes from the guar bean. Its fiber chains are shortened so it dissolves easily without making the ice cream gummy. Acacia comes from the sap of the acacia tree and helps give our ice cream a smoother melt.
At my last company, partially hydrolyzed guar was one of the fibers we recommended most. It’s generally well tolerated, even by many people with sensitive stomachs.
We leave out carrageenan, cellulose gum (CMC), and polysorbate 80. Early research has raised questions about their effects on the gut, although human evidence is still developing. They’re very different molecules from the fibers we use, and we don’t think they’re necessary to make great ice cream.
Left out on purpose
We leave ingredients out for two reasons: we don’t like what they do to the flavor, or we’re not convinced we need them.
Stevia, monk fruit
Taste
Their lingering aftertaste fights the flavors. We’d rather use a little cane sugar.
Erythritol
Taste
A cooling aftertaste we don’t want, alongside emerging questions about its health effects.
Carrageenan, cellulose gum (CMC), polysorbate 80
Not needed
Early research has raised questions about their effects on the gut, although human evidence is still limited (see About the gums).
Further reading: what the research looks at
- Fiber intake
Quagliani D, Felt-Gunderson P. Closing America’s fiber intake gap. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2017. - Inulin
Roberfroid M, et al. Prebiotic effects: metabolic and health benefits. British Journal of Nutrition, 2010. - Partially hydrolyzed guar
Niv E, et al. Partially hydrolyzed guar gum versus placebo in irritable bowel syndrome. Nutrition & Metabolism, 2016. - Emulsifiers and the gut
Chassaing B, et al. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota. Nature, 2015. · Chassaing B, et al. Randomized controlled-feeding study of carboxymethylcellulose. Gastroenterology, 2022. - Erythritol
Witkowski M, et al. The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Nature Medicine, 2023.