Best Vanilla Ice Cream We Found in a Taste Test

The best vanilla ice cream is creamy, rich, and actually tastes like vanilla. Real vanilla. It shouldn’t have the mild alcohol taste of vanilla extract. It shouldn’t taste like cake batter. It should taste like real vanilla beans.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t normally buy vanilla ice cream. I think it is the most boring thing you can possibly eat. Or, I should say, I thought it was the most boring thing you could eat. After this taste test, I realized that vanilla ice cream can be extremely nuanced, complex, and delicious. I love being wrong!

When it comes to a pint of vanilla ice cream, I’m looking for gentle sweetness, thick creaminess, and those sweet, sweet speckles of actual vanilla beans.  After tasting an unbelievable amount of the stuff in two separate taste tests, I’m confident this is the best vanilla ice cream you can buy at the grocery store.

Best Sugary

I’m not sure how they get away with calling this “homemade” because it literally is not, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the fact that this ice cream is stellar. This “homemade” vanilla ice cream is some of the best store bought ice cream we tried in this taste test. Not only is the scoopability factor in the exact range I’m looking for, but the flavor is also unique. Yes, it’s vanilla, but it also has marshmallowy notes. My one warning would be that this ice cream is sweet. Like, it’s really really sweet. I have no issues with that whatsoever because I’m all about sugary ice cream, but it might not be for you if you’re not into that sort of thing.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best for Vanilla Haters

I’m not sure how they get away with calling this “homemade” because it literally is not, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the fact that this ice cream is stellar. This “homemade” vanilla ice cream is some of the best store bought ice cream we tried in this taste test. Not only is the scoopability factor in the exact range I’m looking for, but the flavor is also unique. Yes, it’s vanilla, but it also has marshmallowy notes. My one warning would be that this ice cream is sweet. Like, it’s really really sweet. I have no issues with that whatsoever because I’m all about sugary ice cream, but it might not be for you if you’re not into that sort of thing.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best for Sundaes

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Ice Cream’s subtle flavor and creamy texture make it a perfect base for any dessert, particularly an ice cream sundae. I want to load up a bowl of this vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, sprinkles, and a handful of maraschino cherries. It’s tasty enough to hold its own when drenched with hot fudge and whipped cream, but it also doesn’t pull too much focus. It’s an ice cream that’s good on its own but even better when it has some friends. Also, 10/10 for texture because it is so luxuriously smooth. That’s why it’s one of the best vanilla ice cream brands at your local grocery store.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Splurge

McConnell’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is the type of ice cream you buy when you’re making your significant other a fancy anniversary dinner and want to splurge on ingredients. It’s the type of ice cream you gently scoop onto a mixed berry clafoutis you spent hours making because the recipe wasn’t as simple as your favorite food blogger suggested. This ice cream has a soft, scoopable texture, creamy mouthfeel, and natural vanilla flavor, making it some of the best vanilla bean ice cream out there.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Organic

occasionally it can feel like they are trying to pitch me a pseudo-healthy sweet treat. I’m sorry, but I am not interested in an organic, non-GMO, msg-free, whatever-other-greenwashed-word ice cream. Alden’s Organic Vanilla Bean, however, is extremely tasty. They are not trying to serve me health food ice cream. They are just providing 100% delicious vanilla flavor. And the vanilla flavor is deep. It’s one of the best vanilla bean ice cream brands we tried because it doesn’t just taste like vanilla bean. It almost has a barky, woodsy flavor from the actual vanilla bean pod itself.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

It’s incredible. Like, the most perfect and most delicious vanilla ice cream you can imagine. The texture is ideal. Vanilla beans speckle the beautiful cream-colored base. It’s sweet without being too sweet. This would be great with sprinkles and hot fudge, slapped onto a piece of warm apple pie, or eaten completely alone in a cup. Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was, by far, the best vanilla ice cream we tried in both of our taste test.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Rhett & Link’s Pick

Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Ice Cream

In their vanilla ice cream taste test, Rhett & Link agreed that Ben & Jerry’s makes their favorite vanilla ice cream. Kind of coincidental that Rhett & Link selected a company named after two men whose names are separated by an ampersand. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Rhett & Link and Ben & Jerry in a room together at the same time…

Other Products We Tried:
Ben & Jerry’s, Belmont, Great Value, Aldi, Breyers, Signature Kitchen, Tillamook Old Fashioned, Edy’s/Dreyer’s, Kroger, Private Selection, Simple Truth, Graeter’s, Trader Joe’s, Favorite Day Vanilla Bean, Tillamook French Vanilla, Tillamook Vanilla Bean, Tillamook Old Fashioned

Share your favorite vanilla ice cream with us using #SporkedTasteTest for a chance to be featured on our social pages!

ncG1vNJzZmiroKS%2FrLHDZ5qopV%2BWv7W1wqWcaJqVqMFuwsCnoKWkkWK2pLGMnKmemZ1k