If "vanilla" means "boring" to you, you should probably try some better ice cream. Toss out
whatever bland stuff is sitting in your freezer, and try some of the options at the top of
this list.
Friendly's is an East Coast restaurant chain with locations concentrated in New England.
The restaurant serves American comfort food classics, burgers, and most famously, ice
cream sundaes. They serve so many ice cream sundaes, that they created their own line
of Friendly's ice creams, which are also sold in grocery stores regionally.
There are even more flavors available in stores than on the restaurant menu. We bought a 1.5-quart
container of the Rich & Creamy Vanilla flavor, and we couldn't see what all of the fuss is
about.
The Friendly's vanilla ice cream doesn't actually contain any vanilla. The ingredients lists,
quote, "natural flavors" which probably accounts for what little flavor it actually has, but
it really just tastes like sweet cold marshmallows.
The ice cream uses stabilizers instead of eggs to keep it from melting too quickly or
becoming icy, which isn't inherently a bad thing. But in this case, the stabilizers coat
the inside of your mouth instead of comfortably melting on the tongue.
The two-thirds of a cup serving size, a common serving size across almost all brands we sampled,
weighs just 88 grams per serving, which is low and means you're buying a lot of air.
On the upside, since you're mostly buying air, there are only 180 calories per serving.
The 1.5-quart package is also one of the least expensive on the market, often costing less
than $3 which is certainly a deal — but in this case, you're getting what you pay
for.
"You know what, it's easy to fix, I can help you with that."
"What do you know about fixing ice cream machines, Higgins?"
"Uh, I went to DeVry for a year. I can fix anything with a plug."
Edy's has been around for nearly 100 years, so there's a good chance you've probably had
a few scoops of it at some point. You may know it by the Dreyer's name, the original
ice cream maker in the Dreyer-Edy duo, but since 1928, the names have been interchangeable.
The brand has pioneered some of our favorite flavors, including rocky road and cookies
& cream. So we were looking forward to giving the vanilla a try.
The texture of the ice cream is smooth and milky, and melts a little nicer in the mouth
than the Friendly's vanilla ice cream. But it was still overly fluffy and lacked that
bold vanilla flavor that we're looking for.
The Edy's vanilla ice cream weighs just 85 grams per two-thirds of a cup serving, which
is still pretty low and indicates a good deal of air. That slight difference makes a single
serving only 140 calories, but doesn't lower the price of the ice cream.
You can hardly walk into a convenience store in Pennsylvania without coming across Turkey
Hill ice cream or bottled teas. They're a local brand since 1931 that's grown into a
national company, with products sold from coast to coast.
A quart-and-a-half of Turkey Hill vanilla ice cream cost us just a little less than
the Edy's/Dryer's we'd tasted previously, and has roughly the same weight per serving
and nutritional value. But we thought the flavor was a step up from what we'd tried
so far.
The ice cream softens up pretty quickly when you remove it from the freezer, so you won't
have to wait long for a scoop when the craving hits. While the vanilla still isn't very strong,
the dairy has a nice flavor to it, even a bit toasty, which we liked.
This ice cream is ideal for serving a large crowd at a kid's birthday party, or for making
a lot of milkshakes where you're probably going to add another flavor.
But ultimately, just like the ice creams before it, if you're missing real vanilla and eggs
in the ice cream, you're basically just getting a container of sweetened, stabilized, and
frozen whipped cream.
Ah, Halo Top. The answer to our comfort food sugar cravings without sacrificing our diet
goals. Halo Top has designed a large selection of ice creams and popsicles, built specifically
with dietary needs in mind, including low-calorie, non-dairy, and keto-friendly options.
We didn't really know what to expect when tasting the vanilla bean ice cream from Halo
Top, given the very specific idea we have about what makes a good vanilla ice cream.
But we were pleasantly surprised. Part of the decision to choose Halo Top includes managing
your expectations about what it's reasonably going to taste like. We were looking for a
real vanilla taste, at least a hint of milkiness, and no fake chemical flavors.
With those standards in mind, Halo Top's vanilla bean ice cream met all of our expectations.
And at roughly 280 calories per tub, there's zero guilt in eating as much as you want — where
other ice creams will run you over 200 calories for only two-thirds of a cup.
With that said, this isn't a perfect ice cream. It's milky, but not creamy. It contains egg
yolks, which contribute to the flavor, structure, and nutritional value of the ice cream, and
real chunks of vanilla bean.
It seems more like skim milk being held together with enough stabilizers to keep it from turning
into a giant milk ice cube. Even with that said, we'd take a bite of this vanilla bean
ice cream over the flavorless over-churned options. And between cookies? Uh, yes please!
We think that if there were ever an ice cream to skate the true middle ground between industrially
produced, nostalgically comforting, and good quality, it's the Breyers Natural Vanilla
ice cream. We were also thrilled to see that it's available by the pint, as well as one-and-a-half
and two quart sizes.
The pint cost less than $3 before taxes, which we thought was a great deal. And in a side-by-side
taste test with the next ice cream on our list, it was difficult to say which one was
the better option. Ultimately, the Breyers scored just a little bit lower, because it
doesn't claim to contain any actual vanilla, only natural flavor.
Strangely enough, there are flecks that resemble vanilla beans in the ice cream, so we're going
to give Breyers the benefit of the doubt and assume that the, quote, "natural flavor" means
vanilla bean, but we just can't say for sure.
What sets this ice cream above the competition is not the weight by volume or calories per
serving, which is the same as its previous competitors, but the texture of the ice cream.
It isn't stabilized with eggs, but a single vegetable gum.
It's a risky move for an ice cream maker to use only one stabilizer, but this one keeps
the ice cream smooth without getting icy, and holds the aeration of the ice cream nicely.
Additionally, the ice cream melts in your mouth without lingering too long, which is
a big plus.
"Cheers."
"How good is that?"
"You can taste it?"
"Taste it? Like my tongue made a baby with a sunrise."
You may or may not have heard of Blue Bunny, although it's the eighth best-selling ice
cream brand in the U.S., according to Statista, beating out high-end competitors like Talenti
and Tillamook. We could only find it in one of the eight grocery stores we went to in
search of ice cream, but were pleased when we did.
Owned by the Wells brand and based in Le Mars, Iowa, they’ve been making ice cream for
nearly 100 years. While Blue Bunny offers several different styles of vanilla ice cream,
we were able to pick up a container of Vanilla Bean for our taste test.
This ice cream is definitely a little bit higher quality than some of the other large
brands. You can instantly tell by looking at the serving size, which packs a slightly
higher weight per serving, and the ingredient list. It's about as simple as an ice cream
ingredient list gets, with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, natural flavors — vanilla extract
specifically — and vanilla beans.
You can't deny the convenience that Whole Foods brings to eating organically. And many
people find the 365 store brand to be comparable to some of the more expensive name brand organic
foods available.
A pint of the organic vanilla bean ice cream from Whole Foods cost us a couple of dollars
less than some of the big-name high-end pints, which we liked, but other than being organic,
most of the ingredients listed were similar to the ice creams we've tried up to this point
— with the exception of vanilla extract and organic vanilla bean which is clearly
included in the ingredients. It's even clear to see the flecks of vanilla bean seeds in
the ice cream.
While it's not egg-based, the 365 ice cream has a little more body to it than some of
the other ice creams.
This is the point in our rankings where we really start to see the quality of ice creams
take off and unique flavors emerge to set the competitors apart. Talenti is a relatively
new brand, having launched in 2003 as one of the first widely available artisanal gelato
brands in U.S. grocery stores.
Gelato is an Italian-style ice cream that uses more milk and less cream than traditional
European and American ice creams, as well as less air in the churning process. It's
known for being rich, dense, and creamy — all traits that Talenti exemplifies.
The Madagascan Vanilla Bean Gelato is on the sweeter side, but the vanilla flavor is obvious
and welcoming. Interestingly, this gelato does not include eggs, but the texture doesn't
suffer because of it. It also weighs a hefty 129 grams per two-thirds of a cup serving,
which will run you 260 calories. While we're here for the flavor, we'll admit that this
treat may be pushing it for some people.
You undoubtedly already know Ben & Jerry's, but most likely for one of the iconic flavor
combinations the Vermont-based company produces. Cherry Garcia and Half Baked are just two
of the dozens of unique flavors Ben & Jerry's makes, but they also make vanilla.
All of the fanfare and spectacle is stripped away for this ice cream, with just one delicate
flavor to make or break it. On the spectrum of vanilla intensity, we'd consider this vanilla
ice cream to be clean and crisp with moderate intensity.
For once, it seems like Ben & Jerry's isn't trying to overwhelm us with a particular flavor.
The ice cream is milky with a nice custard flavor, but doesn't melt immediately in the
mouth. Instead, it coats the mouth a little bit, which we can only attribute to the addition
of stabilizers .
It's certainly better than most of the cheaper ice creams we tasted.
Since 2008, Van Leeuwen has rapidly expanded from an ice cream truck driving around NYC
to a company that now ships and sells ice cream nationwide — with ice cream shops
on both coasts and many places in between.
You may have even heard about the new Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream they're creating.
Van Leeuwen also has a wide selection of non-dairy and vegan ice creams available.
So we were curious how the Van Leeuwen vanilla ice cream would set itself apart from the
competition, and we had our answer from the very first taste. The ice cream is billed
as, quote, "French Ice Cream", and on the side of the container, they explain what that
means. The container reads:
"Eggs. Plenty of 'em. Turns out, when you use twice as many egg yolks as standard ice
cream you have to call it French Ice Cream."
It's rich. It's thick.
It's indulgent. As a matter of fact, a two-thirds of a cup serving will run you a whopping 290
calories. Instead of Madagascan vanilla beans, Van Leeuwen also claims to use Tahitian vanilla
beans which many vanilla enthusiasts consider a better bean for cold and frozen desserts
since it's got a more delicate and floral flavor profile which can be lost in warm and
more complex desserts, according to Nielsen Massey.
Technically Stonyfield Organic doesn't make ice cream, it makes frozen yogurts. But we're
including the vanilla for a few reasons. It's widely available in many grocery stores across
the country, it's still classically dairy-based, and it's one of the few frozen yogurt brands
easily accessible in pints instead of going to a froyo shop. And it tastes great.
As a matter of fact, it tastes so good that you'll be tempted to set up a frozen yogurt
dessert bar in your own kitchen with as many toppings as you can lay your hands on without
the shock of how much your cup weighs when you get to the checkout like you would in
a froyo shop. It's also got a lovely texture and taste, which isn't really a surprise when
you look at the ingredients. It's got the same lineup of ingredients that other ice
creams have, but organic.
One of our testers even said that it reminded them of eating frozen yogurt at TCBY growing
up and wanted to cover the whole thing with rainbow sprinkles — gummy bears and worms
totally optional!
We also like that this frozen yogurt has the weight per two-thirds of a cup serving of
higher-quality ice cream but the low 170 calories per serving of ice cream with more air in
it. With all of that said, we realize that frozen yogurt isn't for everyone, and you
may be looking for more neutral ice cream without the taste of those yogurt cultures.
"Now if you need an extra shirt or anything they're gonna be in there, because these seem
to shrink."
"Uh-huh."
"You know what girl, I can't get enough of this stuff."
While Häagen-Dazs is considered a premium ice cream brand, it's not exclusive or hard
to find. It can be found everywhere from gas stations and corner stores to grocery stores
and specialty food shops. And it's popular for a reason. The vanilla ice cream has an
incredibly straightforward ingredient list, including cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks, and
vanilla extract. It doesn't get more essential than that.
The flavor is rich and creamy, with a beautiful milky flavor that doesn't taste watered-down
or overly sweetened. The only downside is that the two-thirds of a cup serving size
will run you about 320 calories according to the nutrition label. Keep in mind that
this is a premium ice cream that hasn't been pumped full of air, so two-thirds of a cup
weighs in at 129 grams, which is about 50 percent more actual product than some of the
ice creams at the bottom of this list.
We like that this ice cream is so easy to find, reliably made with high-quality ingredients,
and even an average price among higher-end pints. The vanilla flavor is clearly there,
but delicate and balanced for people who don't want to be bombarded with the sweet perfume
of a lot of vanilla. It's at this point in our rankings that the ice creams are starting
to ramp up, both in vanilla flavor and quality of the ice cream.
If you're in the market for an ice cream produced with authentic ingredients at high standards
that's still light as a cloud on the tongue, and packed with a smooth vanilla flavor, Tillamook
Old Fashioned Vanilla ice cream is going to take you where you want to go.
You don't have to sacrifice quality for the overly-aerated milk marshmallow-style ice
cream from some of the other industrial producers. But just know that it's going to come with
a little bit of a price tag, as Tillamook sometimes costs a little more than its competitors.
Tillamook ice cream is also primarily sold in 48-ounce tubs, so you're going to be committing
to a larger container than a 16-ounce pint. But we don't think you're going to regret
having a little more of this ice cream around.
Blue Bell is arguably one of the best ice creams made in the U.S. today, although you
have to live or travel through one of the only 22 states it's available in to try it.
There are a few different vanilla ice cream flavors in the Blue Bell lineup, but the uncontested
favorite is the Homemade Vanilla. Reminiscent of hand-cranked ice cream that your grandparents
probably made in their backyard, the homemade vanilla ice cream is milky and crisp, with
a moderate vanilla flavor and heaps of nostalgia.
The ice cream company is based in Brenham, Texas, and handles everything from the ice
cream production to direct delivery to stores, which is why you won't be able to find it
in New York or California. With that said, you can order the ice cream online if you're
interested in bulk buying. While we adore this vanilla ice cream, it loses points for
not being as widely available as other brands.
You may not be familiar with McConnell's ice cream, but when you do come across it, we
recommend giving it a taste. The ice cream makers have been churning ice cream in Santa
Barbara, California for 70 years, and now ship ice cream all over the U.S. to grocery
stores and homes alike. Without ever having tasted McConnell's ice cream before, we picked
up a pint of the Vanilla Bean ice cream.
The vanilla flavor is nice and bold in this ice cream. The texture is smooth and creamy
without being overly fluffy, although it was a little on the sweeter side for our tastes.
So we tossed a few scoops of the vanilla ice cream into a blender with some milk and made
a vanilla milkshake, which came out perfect.
If you're in the market for bold vanilla ice cream, look no further than Graeter's Madagascar
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. With the very first bite we were blown away by how much vanilla
they packed into this pint. Even Bobby Flay is a fan.
One of the oldest ice cream producers on this list, Graeter's has been making ice cream
since 1870 and has remained a family business ever since.
There's so much vanilla in this ice cream that it might actually be too much for some
people. And that's alright because there are lot of great ice creams to choose from on
this list. But for a real vanilla lover who relishes in the sweet, floral, and deeply
fragrant notes of high-quality vanilla, it doesn't get better than Graeter's.
The ice cream itself is noticeably sweet, accented by the heavy vanilla, but also soft
and creamy. According to the website, the ice cream is still handcrafted in small batch
2-and-a-half-gallon French pots, a method that most producers don't use since ice cream
can't be made in large volumes quickly. This ice cream is a little more difficult to find,
but we were able to lay our hands on it at Whole Foods, and it's also available to order
through Graeter's website.
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