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Vanilla gets a bad rap. It’s boring, the haters say. It’s bland. The word is even used as a synonym for a kind of drab ordinariness that’s definitely to be avoided in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/03/09/eat-the-rainbow-recipes/" target=_blank>our colorful times</a>. And so why would you opt for plain old vanilla ice cream when there’s an ever-expanding dairy case stuffed with so many zany flavors and souped-up mix-ins?

Well, because it’s about as versatile as you can get. It shines alongside <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/peach-crumble-pie/" target=_blank>pies</a> (or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/summer-fruit-crumble/" target=_blank>crumbles</a> or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/raspberry-buckle/" target=_blank>buckles</a> or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/peach-almond-slump/" target=_blank>slumps</a>) bursting with summer farmers market bounty. It’s also a perfectly great (even company-worthy) dessert on its own, topped with whatever fruit you’ve got or a drizzle of syrup or honey — or nothing at all. Dull? <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/vanilla-custard-ice-cream/" target=_blank>More like classic</a>, and for good reason.

With something as pared-down as vanilla ice cream, though, quality matters, and not all scoops are created equal. To help figure out which carton to grab from the grocery freezer, we rounded up the top-selling ice cream brands, using market data from Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm (its numbers came from grocery, drug, mass-market, convenience, military and select club, and dollar retailers, and covered the year that ended in May). Private label, or store brands, make up the top slot, so we picked several popular ones from national retail chains. Where we could, we opted for the “vanilla bean” flavor, figuring we were shooting for the most vanilla-y of each brand’s respective lineup.

In a blind test, our panel of eight grabbed their spoons and started tasting, awarding each sample a score of 1 to 10 (meaning there’s a maximum overall score of 80), taking into account the taste and texture of each. Here’s the scoop:

REY LOPEZ for The Washington Post

This was a personal heartbreaker for me: Growing up, we were Breyers People; it was accepted as gospel that the brand was superior to all others. Alas, it seems I have been living a lie all these years, as our tasters found this one to be “boring” and “sad.” Several detected a slight aftertaste that they couldn’t put a finger on, and the consistency was described as “glacial” and “icy.” (Price: $5.99 / 48 ounces at Safeway / 12 cents per ounce)

Our tasters thought this was overwhipped. “Too much air,” complained one. “Foamy,” said another. “#Staypuft, my friends,” concurred a third. “But don’t buy this stuff.” And a pop fan invoked Ariana Grande with the ultimate dismissal: “Thank u, next!” (Price: $4.99 / 48 ounces at Food Lion / 10 cents per ounce)

This relatively young brand has made big strides by positioning itself as a lower-calorie alternative that’s actually okay to consume by the pint. Texture-adding ingredients like soluble corn fiber and vegetable glycerin are meant to make up for the smaller amount of cream, but they ended up creating an oil slick on tasters’ palates. “It’s a stick of unsalted frozen butter,” one suggested. “It eats kind of fatty,” thought another. A couple of tasters dug the creaminess, but many were turned off by the fake sugar vibes (there’s erythritol and stevia leaf extract in there). One even sniffed out the impostor: “Halo Top, you’ve been made!” (Price: $5.49 / 16 ounces at Target / 34 cents per ounce)

From the archives: ‘Healthy’ ice creams promise indulgence without guilt. Do they deliver?

This sample had the opposite problem as Halo Top — tasters found it to be watery. “I want more dairy richness, TBH,” lamented one. “Not as creamy as the others,” agreed another. And the vanilla wasn’t hitting the right notes, earning it comments such as “oddly minty?” “a little bubble-gummy at the end” and “like opening a bottle of vanilla extract — too strong and a bit astringent at the end.” (Price: $4.48 / 48 ounces at Walmart / 9 cents per ounce)

Of all the contestants, this was the most polarizing. Two tasters declared it to be their very favorite of the bunch, with one praising how strongly it tasted of milk and cream and another finding it to be “marshmallow-y but in a good way.” But it got a lot of other pans, including from two people who gave it a 1, the lowest score possible. Chief among the complaints was the distinct taste. “Noticeably different taste than the others — cotton candy?” asked one. “It’s like birthday-cake ice cream,” suggested another. “Cloying,” one sniffed. Note: We sampled Turkey Hill’s Vanilla Bean flavor; the photo accompanying this story mistakenly depicts the company’s Original Vanilla variety. (Price: $6.39 / 46 ounces at Wegmans / 14 cents per ounce)

1. 7. (tie) Blue Bell Natural Vanilla Bean

More texture woes doomed this brand, with some people calling out a “chalky,” “gritty” consistency. “Like an Oreo filling,” noted one. Many found the flavor fainter than they prefer, despite the presence of bean flecks. “No taste — it’s like whipped cream before you add the sugar and vanilla,” in the words of one. (Price: $8.32 / 64 ounces at Walmart / 13 cents per ounce)

1. 7. (tie) Great Value Vanilla Bean (Walmart)

Oh hey, another brand that tasters thought needed to turn up the vanilla dial more than a few notches. No fewer than five tasters used the word “subtle” to describe its wan, whisper-not-a-shout flavor. One noted that it “held up” and didn’t melt as fast as the other samples, which could be a plus for warm-weather alfresco dining, and a few liked the velvety mouthfeel. (Price: $2.67 / 48 ounces at Walmart / 6 cents per ounce)

In a sea of white, the daffodil hue made this sample stand out. Our panel agreed that it had a more custard-like or French vanilla energy than its more bean-forward brethren, with a few saying the yellow color was off-putting. They praised the buttery, creamy character and Goldilocks level of sugar (“sweet but not too sweet”). But a couple of tasters dinged it for (again) excessive subtlety. “I’d put it on a flavorful cobbler or crumble, maybe,” said one. (Price: $5.99 / 48 ounces at Whole Foods / 12 cents per ounce)

Who makes the best cookies-and-cream ice cream in the U.S.? We scooped up 15 top brands to find out.

A knock against this one was that it seemed to melt more quickly than the others (a scan of the ingredients confirmed that there are no stabilizers in the mix), and so it seemed thin. One taster detected more ice crystals than in others, too. But on the plus side, they liked the preponderance of vanilla flecks (“very beany!”). (Price: $5.99 / 14 ounces at Target / 43 cents per ounce)

Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post

Tasters pegged this butter-yellow sample as a French vanilla, and many liked its straightforward appeal that hit some nostalgia buttons. “It’s what I think of as vanilla,” said one. “Tastes like a Midwestern Fourth of July parade.” A couple thought the flavor was more an imitation than the real deal and one wondered if it had been the victim of freezer burn, but this comment seemed to sum up the consensus: “acceptable in a middle-of-the road kind of way.” (Price: $4.49/ 32 ounces at Trader Joe’s / 14 cents per ounce)

Several tasters agreed that this ice cream was more airy than rich, and a couple wished it packed more of a flavor punch. But it inched toward the top of the list by generally not offending anyone. “Could be a crowd pleaser,” mused one. “Would be an easy milkshake foundation,” suggested another. (Price: $7.29 / 48 ounces at Safeway / 15 cents per ounce)

1. 2. Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla (Costco)

Finally, a scoop that got multiple thumbs up on both the taste and texture fronts. The panelists could have been describing luxury bedding with the adjectives they trotted out, like “luscious” and “satiny.” And despite bearing no visible evidence of vanilla bean, unlike many of its competitors, this sample offered a depth of flavor that tasters appreciated. A few found the vanilla to have some complexity, with one saying it reminded them of rum and another caramel, though a couple found it a touch too sweet. (Price: $18.65 / 2 64-ounce tubs at Costco / 15 cents per ounce)

The Vermont brand might be best known for its outré flavors (I’m a lifelong Chunky Monkey devotee), but it turns out we shouldn’t be sleeping on its quieter offerings. Tasters found that it checked all the right boxes, earning comments like “sweet but not saccharine. Just the right amount of vanilla” and “nicely balanced.” It moved one taster to wax philosophical, dubbing it “a Platonic vanilla,” while another catalogued a more visceral reaction: “The sweet dissolves into vanilla and makes me smile.” (Price: $6.99 / 16 ounces at Giant / 44 cents per ounce)

Of course, if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, we’ve got recipes and tips to help you churn your own batch of homemade vanilla. Check out Post recipes editor Ann Maloney’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/24/vanilla-ice-cream-recipe/" target=_blank>Vanilla Ice Cream</a> recipe, and my colleague Becky Krystal’s guide: “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/voraciously/how-to-make-ice-cream/" target=_blank>How to create the ice cream of your dreams.</a>”

University of Virginia, B.A. in English

Emily Heil is a reporter covering national food news and trends. Previously, she co-authored the Reliable Source column for The Post. 

Emily Heil

What's the best vanilla ice cream? We tried 13 popular brands.

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Vanilla ice cream for taste-test column in Voraciously

for The Washington Post

food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

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(Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

[Review] Here's the scoop on the best vanilla ice cream brands

Cece Pascual

Cece Pascual/The Washington Post; Photo by Peggy Cormary for The Washington  Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Voraciously Vanilla Ice Cream Taste Test

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