We Tested 7 Store-Brand Vanilla Ice Creams: The Winner Was Clear

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Vanilla ice cream is the unsung hero of the dessert world. It’s the essential canvas for sundaes, the perfect partner for a slice of pie, and a comforting classic all on its own. While Portland’s scoop shops rightly earn acclaim, sometimes you just need a reliable pint waiting in your freezer. But with every grocery store offering its own house brand, which one is actually worth your money?

Following our definitive grocery store doughnut showdown, I reassembled my panel of experts to find the answer. We gathered seven store-brand vanilla ice creams from Portland’s major chains to determine which offered the best combination of taste, texture, and value. The ground rules were simple: a blind taste test where flavor and texture were judged first, with the crucial value score added only after the brands and prices were revealed.

We chose seven of the most prominent grocery store brands in and around Portland, creating a lineup of budget staples, organic options, and premium private-label selections.

To ensure total impartiality, my wife, Monique, scooped each of the seven ice creams into identical, numbered cups. We tasted each sample blind, taking detailed notes. After scoring taste and texture, we revealed the brands and their prices (calculated down to the ounce) before scoring for value. Each ice cream could earn a maximum of 45 points from the panel.

Our scores varied, but they ultimately pointed to one undisputed champion and a few shocking failures.

Costco didn’t win; it dominated. This was the only ice cream designated "super premium," a title earned by having a high-fat content, high quality ingredients and very little air whipped in. The result was a rich, dense, and velvety texture that was immediately obvious to all of us.

"This is what ice cream should feel like," I noted. "It’s dense, not airy, and coats the spoon perfectly." 

Gabrielle agreed, adding, “The creaminess is just fantastic. It melts smoothly and doesn't leave any strange film in your mouth.”

The flavor was just as impressive. Ricardo praised its “wonderful, custardy egg flavor, like a true French vanilla,” which he found far more authentic than the others. Combined with its rock-bottom price, its value was undeniable. 

"The combination of the price and the fact that it's actually good is a huge part of value," I said. "I would buy a gallon at a time."

(Fun fact: Gabrielle, a super fan, identified it from taste alone.)

Trader Joe’s landed solidly in second, though it proved to be the most divisive of the top contenders. Gabrielle found it had a "very pleasant, sweet vanilla flavor," calling it a solid, everyday ice cream. I, however, picked up on a lingering, almost plastic-like note on the finish.

Its main weakness was a texture that began to crystallize as it warmed. “You can feel the ice crystals starting to form,” Ricardo said, which docked its score for him. Still, at just 15 cents an ounce, its reasonable price kept it well ahead of the middle of the pack.

New Seasons’ entry, made by Lopez Island Creamery, was the most expensive on our list by a wide margin. The quality was apparent; you could see the vanilla bean specks, and the flavor was clean and natural.

“It has a nice, homemade quality to its texture — not as dense as Costco's, but still creamy,” Ricardo observed.

Ultimately, the price was its undoing. “For nearly 40 cents an ounce, I expect to be blown away,” I noted. “This is good, but it's not 'twice as expensive as Trader Joe's' good.” Gabrielle agreed: “The value is a three, because it's just way too expensive for me.”

The only organic contender was too subtle for most. I found it tasted like "chilled milk" — thin and lacking richness. Gabrielle was similarly underwhelmed: “I kept waiting for the flavor to show up, but it never really did. It’s not bad, it’s just incredibly forgettable.” Ricardo was the lone dissenter, praising its “mellow, clean flavor” as elegant and not overly sweet.

The "Double Vanilla" name proved to be a warning. The flavor was overpowering and aggressively artificial. "It hit me with a very strong alcohol-like flavor right away," Gabrielle said. "The kind of vanilla you’d expect in a cheap candle." Ricardo summed it up perfectly: “Canned cake frosting. That’s it.” A real disappointment for the Private Selection brand, which is usually solid.

After WinCo’s surprise win in our doughnut test, we had high hopes. They were quickly dashed. Despite being the cheapest by far at just seven cents an ounce, the quality wasn't there. "I felt like I was eating frozen air," I said. "It has absolutely no density." Gabrielle found the texture "slimy," and the panel unanimously agreed it was a tub of slightly sweet, frozen air.

Continuing its losing streak, Safeway secured the bottom spot. The flavor was universally rejected. I detected an "old milk" flavor, while Gabrielle noted a "weird, metallic tang." The texture was equally panned as foamy and sour. In Ricardo's words: "It tastes like an alien who had never tried ice cream tried to make it based on a vague description. Just... no.”

Have a favorite store-brand pint we missed? Let me know in the comments.

Happy saving!
Bryan,
Founder/Publisher,
Stumptown Savings