PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the viability of probiotics, physicochemical and sensory properties of reduced fat synbiotic ice cream.Design/methodology/approachThe treatments were as follows: control was made by the addition of Lactobacillus salivarius NBIMCC 1589 and Lactobacillus crispatus NBIMCC 2451 (1:1). The treatments (T1, T2 and T3) were made with the addition of L. salivarius NBIMCC 1589 and L. crispatus NBIMCC 2451 (1:1) + 2% oat flour, 2% inulin and 4% oat flour + inulin (1:1). Physiochemical parameters (pH, moisture, fat, protein, fibre, ash, overrun, first dripping time and melting rate) were determined.FindingsThe ice cream with inulin and oat flour had lower moisture content, which was recorded 70.41, 69.88 and 68.82% for T1, T2 and T3, respectively. While the protein, fat and ash content of treated samples increased. The highest acidity (0.43%) was recorded in T3. The overrun increased by around 43% in T3 compared with control. The viable counts of probiotics were significantly (p = 0.05) decreased by two or three log cycles. Finally, T3 received the highest sensory score, which could be due to the combination between oat flour and inulin.Originality/valueA novel ice cream was produced using a combination of inulin and oat flour, which enhanced the viability of added probiotics. Reduced fat synbiotic ice cream was a good carrier for probiotics, which facilitates the production of healthy dairy products.