Gelato calories come to 398 for one 160 g scoop of vanilla and 249 per 100 g. Fat supplies 59% of those calories, and a single scoop carries 33 g of sugars, so the size of the scoop matters far more than the flavor you pick.
398kcal
1 scoop · 160 g, vanilla
6%protein
5.6 gProtein
36 gCarbs
26 gFat
How to burn off 398 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Vanilla · per 160 g
Calories
398 kcal
Protein
5.6 g
Carbohydrate
36 g
Fat
26 g
Saturated fat
16.5 g
Cholesterol
147 mg
Sodium
98 mg
Potassium
251 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Gelato: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
1 scoop (160 g)
398
5.6 g
35.7 g
25.9 g
98 mg
20%
Chocolate scoop (160 g)
402
7.6 g
31.6 g
27.2 g
91 mg
20%
1 cup (175 g)
436
6.1 g
39 g
28.4 g
107 mg
22%
100 g
249
3.5 g
22.3 g
16.2 g
61 mg
12%
3 × 1 scoop (160 g)
1,195
16.8 g
293 mg
5 × 1 scoop (160 g)
1,992
28 g
488 mg
One scoop is 398 calories, three are 1,195
A standard 160 g scoop of vanilla gelato has 398 calories, which is 20% of the daily value for energy. That is a lot for something served in a small cup. Gelato is dense, with 249 calories in every 100 g and little air whipped in to dilute it. Ask for a cup measure instead and 175 g lands at 436 calories, or 22% of the daily value.
The total climbs fast once scoops stack. Two scoops weigh 320 g and bring 797 calories. Three scoops, 480 g, reach 1,195 calories. Five scoops, the kind of total a shared tub can reach over an evening, add up to 1,992 calories across 800 g.
The practical move is to decide the portion before the server picks up the spatula. A single scoop is a dessert. A double is closer to a meal by calories, yet it gives only 11.2 g of protein, so it will not hold you the way a real meal would.
Fat supplies 59% of every scoop
Fat supplies 59% of gelato's calories, carbohydrates 36% and protein just 6%. Per 100 g that works out to 16.2 g of fat, 22.3 g of carbs and 3.5 g of protein. In a 160 g scoop the fat reaches 25.9 g, against 35.7 g of carbohydrate and 5.6 g of protein.
Most of that fat is saturated: 10.3 g of the 16.2 g in every 100 g. The daily value for saturated fat is 20 g, so 100 g of vanilla gelato covers about half of it, and a full scoop covers more than that.
Nearly all the carbohydrate is sugar. Of the 22.3 g of carbs in 100 g, 20.7 g are sugars and fiber is 0. That pairing of fat and sugar is why gelato tastes rich in small amounts, and also why a scoop delivers plenty of calories with little to slow you down.
Sugar is the row to watch, not sodium
One 160 g scoop carries 33 g of sugars, and a 175 g cup carries 36.1 g. That sugar arrives with 0 g of fiber in the vanilla version, so there is nothing in the bowl to blunt it. If you track sugar closely, a single serving of gelato will use up much of your room for the day.
Cholesterol is the other row worth a glance. Vanilla gelato has 92 mg per 100 g, set against a daily value of 300 mg, so a scoop takes a noticeable share. Potassium is modest at 157 mg per 100 g.
Sodium, by contrast, is not a concern. A scoop has 98 mg, only 4% of the daily value, and 100 g has 61 mg. If you watch salt, gelato is one of the easier desserts to fit in. If you watch sugar or saturated fat, it is one of the harder ones.
Chocolate gelato trades sugar for protein
Flavor changes the calorie count less than you might expect. A 160 g chocolate scoop has 402 calories against 398 for vanilla, a gap you will barely see on any tracker. The makeup shifts more than the total does.
Chocolate brings 7.6 g of protein per scoop versus 5.6 g, and 1.4 g of fiber where vanilla has none. Sugars drop to 27.8 g from 33 g, while fat edges up to 27.2 g from 25.9 g. If you want a little less sugar for the same calories, chocolate is the better pick.
Packaged pints vary too. Talenti, Ital Gelato, Superbo and Figo all sell flavors like pistachio, tiramisu and caramel, and the label is the only reliable guide for those. To keep a scoop in proportion, pair it with fresh fruit rather than a cookie or a waffle cone. BodyPal can log gelato from a photo, which helps when the cup size is a guess.
How does gelato compare?
Here is how vanilla gelato stacks up against a Frosty, a twinkie and fudge, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories pick a Frosty, at 132 per 100 g and 2.6 g of fat against gelato's 249 and 16.2. Gelato still beats twinkie and fudge per 100 g, at 249 versus 374 and 410, so among dense sweets it is the lighter treat.
Most popular gelato brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Figo Organic Gelato Chocolate Duet1/2 cup · 105 g211 kcal
2Talenti Gelato Sicilian Pistachio1/2 cup · 100 g210 kcal
3Talenti Gelato Tiramisu1/2 cup · 100 g240 kcal
4Talenti Gelato Caramel Cookie Crunch1/2 cup · 100 g220 kcal
5Ital Gelato Tiramisu2/3 cup · 100 g210 kcal
6Superbo Gelato Pistachio1/2 cup · 105 g181 kcal
7Superbo Gelato Cappuccino1/2 cup · 118 g136 kcal
8Ital Gelato Caramel Sea Salt2/3 cup · 100 g220 kcal
Pint labels are lighter than the generic vanilla figure above: most US gelato brands sit between 181 and 240 calories per 100 g, against 249 for the plain vanilla scoop. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Gelato FAQs
How many calories are in a scoop of gelato?
A 160 g scoop of vanilla gelato is about 398 calories. A full cup, 175 g, comes to 436.
Is gelato good for weight loss?
A 160 g scoop is 398 calories with 25.9 g fat, which is a large share of a day for one dessert. An 80 g half scoop is 199 calories.
Is gelato lower in calories than ice cream?
Per 100 g the two are close: vanilla gelato is 249 calories and vanilla ice cream with added ingredients is 242.
How much sugar and fat are in gelato?
Per 100 g vanilla gelato has 20.7 g sugars and 16.2 g fat. A 160 g scoop works out to 33.0 g sugars and 25.9 g fat.
How many calories are in a cup of gelato?
A 175 g cup of vanilla gelato has 436 calories, or 22% of the daily value. It also carries 28.4 g of fat and 36.1 g of sugars, so a cup is a full dessert on its own.
How many calories are in chocolate gelato?
A 160 g scoop of chocolate gelato has 402 calories, just above vanilla's 398. It offers 7.6 g of protein, 1.4 g of fiber and 27.8 g of sugars, so it has slightly less sugar than vanilla.
How much protein is in gelato?
A 160 g scoop of vanilla gelato has 5.6 g of protein, 11% of the daily value. Per 100 g it is 3.5 g, and protein supplies only 6% of the calories, so gelato is not a protein food.
How much sodium is in gelato?
A 160 g scoop of vanilla gelato has 98 mg of sodium, only 4% of the daily value. Per 100 g the figure is 61 mg, which makes it a low-sodium dessert.
Is gelato high in cholesterol?
Vanilla gelato has 92 mg of cholesterol per 100 g, against a daily value of 300 mg. A 160 g scoop therefore takes a meaningful share of that daily value, so it is worth counting if you track cholesterol.
