Ice Cream Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Ice Cream. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best Ice Cream, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for Ice Cream. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and Ice Cream prices.

Where to Buy

Fast Answers

Full Story

All Reviews

Ice Cream Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Ice Cream Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	The Scoop on Vanilla Ice Cream -- Updated Editors of Cook's Illustrated May 2006		Cook's Illustrated staff members test 18 supermarket vanilla ice creams. Ten are French-style (with egg yolks) and eight are regular (without egg yolks). Two vanilla ice creams earn "highly recommended" status in this taste test: Turkey Hill All Natural Flavor Vanilla Bean and Edy's Dreamery Vanilla, which earns top scores for its texture and flavor. Häagen-Dazs Vanilla and Vanilla Bean rate just below the cut, downgraded for their high fat content and sweetness.
2. Cook's Country >> Details/Subscribe	Chocolate Ice Cream Editors of Cook's Country June 2005		Cook's Country is a sister magazine of Cook's Illustrated. In this test, staff members conduct a blind taste test of seven best-selling brands to see if premium ice creams in small containers tasted better than supermarket brands in half-gallon tubs. The top picks in this chocolate ice cream taste test are Ben & Jerry's, for its "intense but not overly aggressive" chocolate taste (and despite its high fat content), and Edy's Grand, which is especially recommended for kids because of its fluffy texture and "milk chocolate" flavor. Häagen-Dazs rates near the bottom for its "boring" flavor.

Ice Cream Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Ice Cream Ratings Comments on Reviews

3. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Tasting Lab: Light Vanilla Ice Cream Editors of Cook's Illustrated Sept. 2007		Editors at Cook's Illustrated test four of the new "slow-churned" or "double-churned" light ice creams, but are not impressed. Turkey Hill, which has 2.5 grams of fat per half-cup serving, is liked the least. Breyers and Edy's/Dreyer’s score a little higher. Tasters liked Häagen-Dazs, but it has seven grams of fat per serving, which is as much as some brands of regular ice cream.
4. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Ice Cream Editors of Consumer Reports July 2002		In its last exhaustive review of ice cream -- now over five years old -- Consumer Reports' panel tasted 34 nationally available varieties of chocolate and vanilla. A ratings chart is included, so readers can compare scores at a glance. However, the age of this report is a disappointment, and formulas may have changed.
5. Good Housekeeping.com	Taste Test: Light Ice Cream Editors of Good Housekeeping July 2007		The Good Housekeeping Institute asks 19 volunteers to taste 15 different varieties of low-fat vanilla ice cream, both sugar added and no sugar. Breyers Double Churned Light Creamy Vanilla is the top finisher. In the no-sugar-added category, testers didn't really like any brand, but voted Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Reduced Fat Vanilla as better than others. We'd rate this article higher if Good Housekeeping listed the "dense," "gummy," and "way too sweet" ice creams that didn't make the cut.

Ice Cream Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Ice Cream Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. Real Simple	The Best Vanilla Ice Cream Editors of Real Simple Nov. 2006		In this short article, Real Simple offers its top six vanilla ice cream picks. Ben & Jerry's is called best "old-fashioned," with tasters saying it can stand up to anything; Stonyfield Organic rates as best organic, and Breyers Light and Breyers No Sugar Added are chosen as best in those categories. No mention is made of how the testers made their choices, which damages this report's credibility
7. EatingWell.com >> Details/Subscribe	Taste Test: Light Vanilla Ice Cream Editors of Eating Well magazine Not Dated		Eating Well has six panelists -- including a caterer and a food scientist -- sample a half dozen nationally available reduced-fat vanilla ice creams. Rated at the top is Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Lite, which, with seven grams of fat per serving, is "only light in comparison to Ben & Jerry's ultra-rich, super-premium vanilla." Edy's Grand Light is the runner-up, but Breyers Natural is described as "overpoweringly sweet" and Healthy Choice as "very artificial." Atkins Endulge Super Premium is likened to Kaopectate.
8. The New York Times	Creamy, Healthier Ice Cream? What's the Catch? Julia Moskin July 26, 2006		In this article, Moskin discusses the latest trend in low-fat ice cream: slow churning, which reportedly improves texture and makes low-fat ice cream similar in feel to real ice cream. Then she discloses the result of an informal taste test by The New York Times Dining staff of five ice-cream bars made with slow-churned fillings; the best of the lot is Breyers Double Light Slow Churned.
9. Local10.com	Which Ice Cream Packs Flavor, Least Fat? J. Scott Wilson Aug. 20, 2007		J. Scott Wilson asks a panel of four tasters to try five vanilla and six "chunky" ice creams. Breyers is the clear winner in the vanilla category, described as "absolutely sublime," with a "near-perfect" mouth feel and "exquisitely balanced" vanilla flavor. Breyers also takes top spot in the chunky category with its Brownie Mud Pie.
10. Kitchen Addiction	Ice Cream Tasting: Vanilla "Rachel" Sept. 17, 2007		This food blogger conducts a blind taste test of nine store-bought vanilla ice creams with seven friends. The top finisher is Ben & Jerry's Fair Trade, described as dense, delicious and full-flavored, followed by Julie's Organic Vanilla and Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean. Breyers Natural Vanilla finishes dead last; the panel says it's even worse than Dreyer's Slow-Churned Vanilla Bean, which had an aftertaste of "extract and cardboard."
11. Boston.com	Taste Kitchen: Low-Fat Ice Cream Devra First Not Dated		The staff of Boston.com samples a variety of low-fat vanilla ice creams, naming Breyers Light the winner for being "closest to full-fat taste" and having a "fresh, true vanilla flavor without any strange afternotes." Runners-up are Häagen-Dazs and Edy's, while Hood and Healthy Choice are both panned.
12. Oakland Tribune	Beware of the Dark Side of "Light" Ice Cream Jenny Slafkosky July 4, 2007		Jenny Slafkosky asks an informal panel to compare six brands of reduced-fat chocolate ice cream. In some cases, Slafkosky substituted chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, or the chocolate section of vanilla-chocolate-strawberry, when plain chocolate wasn't available. Häagen-Dazs Extra-Rich Light is the top finisher, even though it has more calories than the competition. The other brands don't do nearly as well; least favorite of all was Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy Ice Cream, which has good texture but lacks flavor.
13. Health	Taste Test: Light Ice Creams Allison Avery Not Dated		It's not clear how many people participated in this taste test, or if the seven low-fat desserts reviewed here (including ice cream, yogurt and gelato) were tasted only by Allison Avery. Of the national brands, Edy's Slow Churned Light Strawberry earns a grade of A plus, closely followed by Breyers Double Churn Light Cookies & Cream.
14. The Detroit News	Taste Panel: Chocolate Ice Cream Judith Harris Solomon July 21, 2005		Judith Solomon asks a four-person panel to taste one local and six store-bought chocolate ice creams. The top finisher is Kroger's Private Selection, for its "big, big, rich flavor;" Häagen-Dazs also does well, described "very traditional with a nice texture" and "perfect chocolate taste."
15. YorkBlog.com	Chocolate Ice Cream: The Best to Chill Your Summer Jennifer Vogelsong June 6, 2007		Jennifer Vogelsong has a panel of teens try out five national brands of chocolate ice cream. The top finishers are Dreyer's/Edy's and Blue Bunny, which still garner fair-to-lukewarm reviews (the selection didn't include popular brands like Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's).
16. Every Day with Rachael Ray >> Details/Subscribe	Big Bite: Ice Cream Jane Black June-July 2006		Jane Black presents her top picks for chocolate and vanilla ice creams, without explaining how she arrived at them. The top pick for chocolate is a regional brand, Berkshire, only available in stores in the northeast. The top vanilla pick is Häagen-Dazs; says Black, "Our vanilla taste test yielded some duds. Some were sickeningly sweet, others synthetic tasting. But Häagen-Dazs got it right."
17. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel	A Taste Test, Lickety-Split Anne Schamberg May 26, 2001		Schamberg recruits a panel of eight testers to sample 17 store-bought vanilla ice creams. The top three finishers are Breyers Natural, Häagen-Dazs and Stonyfield Farm Organic; Ben & Jerry's World's Best does poorly, described as "tangy" and "not sweet enough." However, the age of this review keeps it from ranking more highly.
18. Dayton Daily News	Ice Cream Taste Test: Who's Got the Best Chocolate, Vanilla Around? Editors of Dayton Daily News Aug. 17, 2007		This Ohio newspaper asks 15 panelists, ranging in age from seven to 85, to sample 20 chocolate and vanilla ice creams. Ben & Jerry's is far and away the favorite vanilla ice cream (thanks to its creaminess and flecks of vanilla beans), but chocolate is a closer race. Friendly's is the top pick, followed by United Dairy Farmers and, once again, Ben & Jerry's.

Ice Cream Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Ice Cream Ratings Comments on Reviews

19. Chowhound.com	Ice Cream Taste Test Report Contributors to Chowhound.com Sept. 3, 2001		A long thread follows "Cloudy's" informal report on her vanilla ice cream taste test, in which her boyfriend picks Häagen-Dazs Vanilla over three other supermarket brands. Many posters agree with that choice, but a fair number speak up for Breyers Natural; some say it's superior to Dreyer's/Edy's.