雪糕是一种冷冻的甜品，通常以牛奶或奶油等乳制品为原料，并加入水果或其他成分和香料混合制成。大多数的口味含糖，但也有一部分是使用其他的甜味剂。某些时候在天然成分之外，制造过程中也会加入人工香料或食用色素。混合后的原料会在降温中同时缓慢搅拌，以混入空气并防止冰晶产生。成品会呈现表面平滑的半凝固状态，并可塑型或用勺子挖取。

工业制成的冰淇淋一般是将混合好的冰淇淋液体注入置于冰盐混合物的模具中，冰盐混合物在过冷融化的过程中，将吸收大量热，可令冰淇淋快速冷冻。根据《美国联邦食品法》规定，冰淇淋中的乳脂成份至少为重量的百分之十。

Ice cream (derived from earlier iced cream or cream ice) is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It is usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. It is typically sweetened with sucrose, corn syrup, cane sugar, beet sugar, and/or other sweeteners. Typically, flavourings and colourings are added in addition to stabilizers. The mixture is stirred to incorporate air spaces and cooled below the freezing point of water to prevent detectable ice crystals from forming. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is solid at very low temperatures (<35 °F / 2 °C). It becomes more malleable as its temperature increases.