Top 5 Store-bought Ice Cream Brands from an Expert

A lot of people don’t know this about me- I’m an ice cream aficionado. I actually wrote “ice cream aficionado” at the bottom of my resume in college in an attempt to make myself ~relatable~ but, ~unique~. I just really like to eat ice cream. I also worked at an ice cream shop where I watched ice cream get made every day. Shoutout to Sundae School in Dennisport, which held my very strong ice cream loyalties for several years. 

I will go to great lengths for delicious ice cream. In fact, once it opened this summer, my roommates and I took a 4-hour road trip to my favorite ice cream spot in Wells, Maine, Scoop Deck. However, without being able to make my frequent ice cream runs to my favorite local spots, I’ve become quite the expert on store-bought ice cream in Quarantine. To me, store-bought ice cream has always been one of those things that I just buy whatever I grew up having in the freezer. Well, because I’ve been really feeling the loss of my usual fresh scoops, I accidentally set out on a journey to find the best store-bought ice cream. Allow me to let you in on my top 5 favorite brands of store-bought ice cream. 

You won’t catch me eating the same flavor of ice cream two nights in a row. I apologize in advance if the inconsistency of flavors throws off the legitimacy of my opinion, but, I must admit, I have favorite brands for my favorite flavors. 

Brigham’s Coffee Ice Cream- Even before quarantine Brigham’s coffee ice cream was a frequent flyer on my grocery list. Brigham’s is local to Massachusetts so if you can’t find it in your own grocery store, I’m sorry for the lack of Brigham’s in your life. Coffee is my favorite flavor of ice cream, but I don’t like it when the coffee flavor is overpowering. Brigham’s has found the perfect balance between a creamy and coffee flavor.

Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ice Cream- As a long time fan of TJ’s cookie butter, the ice cream version is my guilty pleasure. Is fluffy a normalized adjective used to describe ice cream? Because the scoops from a quart of this sugary, sweet, creamy goodness come out as the fluffiest, most perfect texture of ice cream. 

Ben & Jerry’s Milk and Cookies- I had to include one of my favorite socially conscious brands. I recognize that there are a lot of other amazing, more interesting Ben & Jerry’s flavors, but I just love their cookies and cream and cookie dough combination. With the cookie swirl throughout, there’s a lil’ Oreo and a lil' cookie dough in every bite. 

Tillamook Chocolate Chip- I had never heard of Oregon-based Tillamook before Quarantine, but their packaging caught my eye for some reason and boy am I glad I tried it! Tillamook’s chocolate chip is super creamy and the perfect ratio of chocolate chips to ice cream. There is nothing worse than chocolate chip ice cream that’s lacking in chocolate chips. Plus, the chips are crispy and all different shapes. I don’t know why, but I have something against those plain flat chips.

Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean- Finishing it off with plain old vanilla. Sometimes a delicious Vanilla Bean ice cream (with the black specks, of course) just hits the spot for me. Similar to Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter ice cream, Edy’s has nailed the fluffy consistency perfectly. Edy’s Vanilla Bean tastes light but is bursting with vanilla flavor. 

There ya have it! These 5 picks are my ultimate favorites, but I’d encourage you to try other flavors from these ice cream makers as well. What’s your favorite or go-to store-bought ice cream brand? Tell us in the comments below!