I Tried 13 Vanilla Ice Creams & This Is The One You Should Serve With Your Holiday Pie
If ice cream flavors were movie character tropes, vanilla would be the best friend. Simple and straightforward, yet comforting in its reliable simplicity, it’s the perfect pairing for everything from pie to brownies to bananas foster. We might claim to be fans of cookies ‘n’ cream or mint chocolate chip, but deep down most of us also want to know there’s a great vanilla option close by.
Which begs the question: which vanilla ice cream actually is the best option? There are dozens of different options on the market these days, from classic stand-bys to healthy alt versions to more premium offerings– but which ones are really worthy of topping that piece of apple pie?
I blindly sampled 13 different vanilla ice creams and rated each one on a scale of 1-10 based on texture, flavor, and overall eating experience. Each sample was scooped directly from the container by Halle Burns, my amazing producer (and yes, I sipped water between each to clear my palate). After tasting all the samples, I determined my favorite for each of our three different categories, plus my overall favorite. Here are the results:
Best Classic Vanilla Ice Cream: Häagen-Daz
A great vanilla ice cream should really bring the vanilla, and Häagen-Daz did not disappoint. With a powerful vanilla flavor, a rich creamy texture, and a luscious body that didn’t melt and disappear too quickly, this brand easily out-classed all the other offerings in its category.
The defining success factor? That strong vanilla presence. As crazy as it sounds, I found myself searching for flavor in a lot of other ice creams in this category. In some, I even wondered if the token “vanilla bean” specks were there as a visual cue to make up for the blatant lack of flavor. With Häagen-Daz, on the other hand, there was no doubt.
Best Healthy Alt Vanilla Ice Cream: Oatly
Crafting a healthy alternative ice cream that’s just as delicious as any standard offering is challenging, but Oatly delivered. Featuring that signature oat base, their vanilla non-dairy “frozen dessert” was smooth and creamy with undeniable vanilla flavor. True, its texture wasn’t quite as smooth as some of the full-fat dairy offerings in the classic category, and it also had a certain oat-forward vibe that isn’t exactly part of the traditional vanilla flavor profile... but when it comes to overall eating experience, it beat out all the other options in its category by a substantial margin.
On a practical note, I definitely earmarked that pint to take home. Let that speak for itself.
Best Premium Vanilla Ice Cream: Adirondack Creamery
If you’ve ever wondered why people are so obsessed with “French” vanilla, one bite of Adirondack Creamery’s French vanilla ice cream will make you a believer. With a gorgeous golden yellow color and a warm toasty vanilla flavor to match, this ice cream handily beat out all the ice creams in its category (minus the best overall– see below!)
It’s worth mentioning that of all the premium ice creams, this ice cream seemed to melt faster than the others; this was probably the biggest reason it lost out to the best overall champion. Also, it’s definitely a prima donna vanilla ice cream: those toasty vanilla notes (which according to the brand is the product of a “special blend of vanillas from Tahiti and Madagascar”) are ready to make a statement wherever it goes. But if you’re looking for Vanilla flavor (with a capital V), this is definitely it.
Best Overall: Blue Marble
I’ve been a fan of Blue Marble for years, so I wasn’t surprised when their Just Vanilla took the blue ribbon (pun fully intended!) Featuring powerful vanilla flavor, and a texture that was so rich and smooth it was almost custardy, this golden-hued entry easily surpassed every other ice cream I tried.
Where other brands may have melted just a bit too quickly, tasted just a bit icy, or lacked that essential vanilla umph, Blue Marble delivered in every category. I was particularly impressed by its texture—super smooth, almost silky—and the way it held itself instead of melting almost immediately as some of the other samples did. I’d put it on everything from a warm brownie skillet to a piece of pecan pie– but honestly, I’d also eat it straight out of the carton standing in front of the freezer any day. Which, in my opinion, is the hallmark of a really great vanilla ice cream.
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