Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam Ice Cream: Labelgrade C- (59/100)
C- 59 / 100 — Notable sugar load and very low sodium.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam Ice Cream delivers 4g of protein and 270 calories per 0.5 cup (USDA FDC 2111803). Per 100g that’s 3.8g of protein; per oz, 1.1g. The Labelgrade is C- (59 / 100): Notable sugar load and very low sodium.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 56 / 100 | 3.8g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | B | 75 / 100 | 15 ingredients, recognizable, no significant additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | D | 50 / 100 | 10g per serving (9.5g per 100g) — meaningful saturated fat load |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 59.8mg per serving (16mg per oz) — low |
| Sugar load | F | 17 / 100 | 26g sugar; USDA omits the added-sugar line, but the ingredients list a sweetener — scored as added, not naturally-occurring |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g fiber, expected for animal-protein products |
| Overall | C- | 59 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam Ice Cream (this product) | 4g | 3.8g | 1.1g | 270 |
| Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream | 5g | 4.2g | 1.2g | 270 |
| Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream | 3g | 3.4g | 1g | 170 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Super-premium means richest — which is why it grades lowest
Here’s the lesson hiding in plain sight in the comparison table: of the three mainstream ice creams we grade, Häagen-Dazs is the richest, and it earns the lowest score precisely because it’s the richest. At 16g of fat (10g saturated), 26g of sugar, and 270 calories in a half-cup, it carries the most of every number that drags an ice cream down. That’s not a defect — it’s the definition of the category. “Super-premium” is an industry term for ice cream with high butterfat and very low overrun, meaning very little air is whipped into the mix. Less air plus more cream equals a denser, heavier, more luxurious scoop. It also equals more saturated fat and more sugar per spoonful than a lighter, airier ice cream like Breyers, which whips in more air and lands at 9g of fat and 170 calories.
So the intuition that “premium costs more, so it must be the better choice” runs backward on a nutrition scorecard. The premium tier is engineered to be richer, and richness is exactly what the formula penalizes. Häagen-Dazs at C- is the most indulgent ice cream here and the lowest-graded one for the same reason. If you’re choosing a scoop on the numbers, the lighter pint wins; if you’re choosing on pure decadence, this is the one — just go in knowing it’s the heaviest option in the case.
A short, real ingredient list on a genuinely indulgent dessert
It would be easy to assume the lowest-graded ice cream here has the worst ingredients, but the opposite is true. Häagen-Dazs is famous for a minimalist label, and this one holds up: the vanilla base is cream, skim milk, sugar, egg yolks, ground vanilla beans, vanilla extract — six real things, the kind of list a home cook would recognize — and the banana rum swirl is mostly banana puree, sugars, actual rum, and coconut oil. That earns a B on ingredient quality, the cleanest of the three big ice creams. There are no surprise gums-on-gums, no high-fructose corn syrup, no laundry list of stabilizers.
But a great ingredient list and a great grade are answering different questions, and it’s worth keeping them separate. “Is it made from real, recognizable food?” — yes, impressively so. “Is it good for you?” — no, because the two main ingredients are cream and sugar, and at super-premium density that means 10g of saturated fat and 26g of sugar a serving. The clean label makes this an excellent version of an indulgence, not a health food. That’s the honest way to read the C-: a beautifully made, real-ingredient dessert that happens to be the richest scoop on the site, eaten best in a small bowl and enjoyed for what it is.
Scope
This page covers Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam Ice Cream (14 fl oz/414 mL), UPC 074570620425, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2111803. Häagen-Dazs sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM: CREAM, SKIM MILK, SUGAR, EGG YOLKS, GROUND VANILLA BEANS, VANILLA EXTRACT. BANANA RUM SWIRL: BANANA PUREE, BROWN SUGAR, SUGAR, RUM, WATER, COCONUT OIL, DRIED BANANA FLAKES, LIME JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, SOY LECITHIN.
Where to buy
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade score is independent of affiliate relationships. More.
🔬 Compare this product side-by-side with any other →
Quick Facts
Per serving · 0.5 cup
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (0.5 cup) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 270 |
| Protein | 4g |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Saturated Fat | 10g |
| Trans Fat | 0.504g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 28g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 26g |
| Sodium | 59.8mg |
| Cholesterol | 79.8mg |
| Calcium | 99.8mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Banana Rum Jam Ice Cream (14 fl oz/414 mL) · UPC 074570620425. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ice cream healthy?
No — and super-premium ice cream like this is the richest version of the answer. Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam is built for indulgence: 270 calories, 16g of fat (10g saturated), and 26g of sugar in a half-cup, with just 4g of protein. The whole appeal of this style is that it's dense, creamy, and made with a short, real-food list (cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, banana, rum). That's a lovely dessert and an honest one. It is not health food, and you'll enjoy it most by treating it as the treat it is.
Why does Häagen-Dazs Banana Rum Jam earn a C- (59/100)?
It's the richest scoop we grade, and richness is exactly what the scorecard penalizes. The 26g of sugar scores an F and the 10g of saturated fat scores a D — both the highest of the three big ice creams here — and that combination is what makes this the lowest-graded of the trio. It claws back points on very low sodium (A+) and a clean, recognizable ingredient list (B). The C- isn't a knock on quality; it's the math of a super-premium ice cream that packs more cream and sugar per spoonful than anything else in the case.
Why does premium Häagen-Dazs grade lower than regular ice cream like Breyers?
This is the counterintuitive heart of it: premium ice cream grades lower, not higher. 'Super-premium' means more butterfat and far less whipped-in air, so every half-cup is dense — 16g of fat and 270 calories, versus 9g of fat and 170 calories in a 2/3 cup of lighter, airier Breyers. You're literally getting more cream per scoop, which is the point of the category and also why it carries the most saturated fat and sugar. The scorecard rewards the lighter churn, so the 'better' (richer, pricier) ice cream lands at the bottom of the three. Ben & Jerry's sits in between, with its sugar pushed up by brownie and fudge mix-ins.
What's a realistic serving, and how many are in the tub?
The labeled serving is 1/2 cup, and with ice cream this rich, that's a genuinely small scoop that few people stop at. A 14 fl oz (414 mL) Häagen-Dazs tub holds about 3 of those servings — so eating half the tub, an easy sitting, runs roughly 400 calories, 15g of saturated fat, and 39g of sugar. Because super-premium is so dense, the calories climb fast: the same volume of this carries far more than a lighter ice cream would. Portion is the real lever — a single 1/2 cup in a bowl is the difference between a treat and a splurge.
Is there a lighter or higher-protein ice cream I should pick instead?
Two routes. The straightforward one: take a smaller portion of this — because it's so rich, even a half-serving satisfies, and a single 1/2 cup is already the labeled amount most people exceed. The macro-friendly one: a high-protein 'light' ice cream (Halo Top / Nick's / 'light' style) typically delivers 7-10g of protein and roughly half the calories per serving by cutting the butterfat and adding protein — it won't match Häagen-Dazs for richness, but it earns a much better grade. Among the pints we cover, lighter Breyers (C+) is the better-graded full-fat option if you can do without the super-premium density.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2111803. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.