14 Best Grocery Store Ice Creams To Try in 2025

We’ve all been there: you’re standing in the freezer aisle, wondering how on earth you’re supposed to pick the best grocery store ice cream out of a few dozen brands. 

You could go for a budget-friendly pick, but then you risk poor texture or a weird artificial aftertaste. You could go the opposite direction and opt for a premium brand, but how do you know it’s worth the taste? And does every brand maintain consistent quality across its whole lineup of flavors? 

These are just a few of the questions that plague shoppers looking for the best grocery store ice cream. And we get it: you don’t want to waste your money on a subpar brand, no matter what the price is. 

The best grocery store ice cream is worth its price, but still, it helps to know going in what brands are reliable and the strong points of each. So, where should you start your search for the best grocery store ice cream?  

You’re in the right place to be asking that question. From vanilla to rocky road and everywhere in between, these 14 brands sell some of the best ice cream in the grocery store. 

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• The 14 Best Store-Bought Ice Creams
• What Is the Best Grocery Store Ice Cream?

The 14 Best Store-Bought Ice Creams 

1. Ben & Jerry’s  

One of the rare ice cream brands to peddle its product both in supermarkets and through its own brick-and-mortar stores, Ben & Jerry’s has earned itself a towering reputation. 

Even among the best ice cream brands in the grocery store, many start to run together, but Ben & Jerry’s is instantly recognizable. That’s partly thanks to the unmistakable design of its cartons, sure, but it’s also just different. 

From Phish Food to Cherry Garcia, its iconic flavors (all 98 of them) are unique, its ingredients top-quality and its reputation unparalleled. There’s not a single real miss on the unbelievably long roster of flavors.  

And it’s one of the most popular dessert brands across the board, one we’ve all tried at one point or another — whether at grandma’s house as a kid or after a messy break-up. So, of course, you can’t possibly leave Ben & Jerry’s off any list of the best ice cream in grocery stores. 

2. Tillamook 

For years, the Oregonian dairy brand Tillamook was mainly known as a seller of fine cheese. It’s only in the last couple of years that its ice cream has been raved about nationwide and it’s cemented its status as one of the best grocery store ice cream brands. 

With two dozen-odd Tillamook ice cream flavors covering the full range of classics as well as new as a few surprises, Tillamook is another of the best ice cream brands in grocery stores. Like Ben & Jerry’s, Tillamook gets a lot of mileage out of using quality ingredients. 

But its texture is arguably even more vital to its success: light but creamy, Tillamook ice cream is exactly as rich as you’d hope, but light enough not to sit like a rock in your stomach like some subpar scoops do. Look out especially for Tillamook’s fruit flavors – the best in the business, bar none.  

3. Van Leeuwen 

This New York City-based ice cream brand is another regional specialty that recently made it big. Originally a wildly popular brick-and-mortar store, Van Leeuwen expanded into the supermarket business to take its place as one of the best grocery store ice cream brands. 

Van Leeuwen currently offers around 19 dairy flavors, many of them rather offbeat, and the same made-on-site quality that fans of the original storefront fell in love with. There are also vegan ice cream flavors, ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches. 

The Honeycomb Van Leeuwen ice cream flavor, in particular, is often tossed around in conversations about the best grocery store ice creams.

4. Edy's (Dreyer’s)

Depending on where in the U.S. you’re located, you may know this brand as Edy’s or Dreyer's — you can identify both by the round carton with a candy-striped lid. Whatever you call it, this supermarket standby is nothing to sneeze at. 

Sure, it doesn’t have the prestige of a Van Leeuwen or a Tillamook, but it offers solid takes on all the flavors you love. This is also a top pick among the best grocery store ice cream brands if you’re looking to save money on groceries, as the brand prices its products a little lower than others. 

The brand even offers sugar-free ice cream. All of that makes it one of the best grocery store ice creams in our book.   

5. Jeni’s 

Originally Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, this brand began as a single ice cream shop dedicated to selling ice cream flavors “free of anything fake.” It then expanded into franchising and eventually earned itself a place in the ice cream aisle at grocery stores across the country. 

You’ll never see it listed among the cheapest grocery store products — it’s going to cost you a pretty penny — but the quality of the ingredients and unique flavors make Jeni’s a worthwhile splurge to many. 

Though it’s one of the best grocery store ice creams, it’s not available in every store, so check Jeni's website for local sellers. If you’re lucky enough to find them, flavors like Brambleberry Crisp and Gooey Butter Cake are some of the best grocery store ice creams in the business.  

6. Talenti  

Okay, so this is a gelato brand, not an ice cream one — but that counts, right? Talenti’s clear containers of rich Italian gelato have been all the rage in recent years, and for good reason. 

It brings something a little bit unique to the grocery store ice cream scene, and all while maintaining the quality it takes to make one of the best grocery store ice creams. 

It’s not as rich or heavy as a typical American ice cream. But Talenti delivers when you want something that goes down smoother and feels a touch more refined. 

7. Trader Joe’s 

As is true of most Trader Joe’s snacks, the popular chain’s ice cream is always a good choice. Trader Joe’s ice cream flavor options are a little limited, sure, but they’re always excellent: the ingredients are fairly high-quality, the price is good and TJ’s nearly always nails the flavor it’s going for. 

Though this is one of the best grocery store ice creams, you won’t find it outside of Trader Joe’s. If you can find them, the Coffee Bean Blast, dulce de leche and ube flavors are some of the best grocery store ice cream flavors, offering something a little different. The store’s other ice cream treats — from mini cones to sandwiches — are consistently excellent.  

8. Häagen-Dazs

One of the gold standards in the ice cream business, Häagen-Dazs has been known for making some of the best grocery store ice cream in the industry for years, so are you really surprised that it merits a place on this list? 

You won’t find a single flavor in its lineup that isn’t worth trying, and it’s especially good at the classics. Some of the best vanilla and chocolate grocery store ice creams come from this longtime purveyor of ridiculously rich pints. 

9. Straus Family Creamery

Straus does its absolute best to project a wholesome, farm-to-carton image, and it’s working — but only because the product is delicious to begin with. 

Though not as widely available as some other brands on this list of the best ice cream brands in grocery stores, Straus Organic ice cream is made with premium dairy and sticks to classic flavors for a high-quality, refined scoop. 

It’s definitely up there with the best grocery store ice creams in taste and quality, even if it’s not quite there yet in reach. 

10. Favorite Day

Right about now, you may be asking: really? How is Target’s Brand X one of the best grocery store ice creams on the market? But you’d do well not to count this reliable brand out of the running too quickly. 

Favorite Day may not be winning any flashy awards, but as far as budget brands go, it’s delicious, accessible and scratches the ice cream itch just as well as anything else. The consistent quality and variety this brand has to offer make it one of the best grocery store ice cream brands.  

11. Whole Foods 360 

Similarly to Favorite Day, Whole Foods 360 is an in-house brand sold by a specific supermarket chain — in this case, Whole Foods. It’s an equally reliable choice that almost every shopper will enjoy, and with a wide range of flavors available, it’s one of the best grocery store ice creams to grab in a pinch. 

While it may not offer much that is distinct from other brands, a high-quality ice cream doesn’t have to do anything innovative to be one of the best grocery store ice creams out there.   

12. Halo Top 

This low-calorie ice cream brand has received a whole list of health-related accolades. It’s first and foremost a low-calorie ice cream, created to allow dieters to indulge in a creamy treat without busting their calorie budgets. 

But it produces some of the best high-protein ice cream, too. Those seeking the healthiest ice cream will no doubt find Halo Top to be one of the best grocery store ice cream options. 

Does it taste just like the real thing? Admittedly, not quite. But it makes a pretty impressive attempt, and for the health-conscious, Halo Top is one of the best grocery store ice creams on the market.  

13. Turkey Hill 

Turkey Hill is most famous for its Moose Tracks flavor, beloved by millions and imitated by just about every other major ice cream brand. That alone would make it a worthy addition to a list of the best grocery store ice creams. But there’s more to this brand than that one flavor. 

Turkey Hill sells a huge variety of flavors and maintains an incredibly high standard of quality across its menu, so you can pick up any pint or quart and be assured that you’re getting one of the best grocery store ice cream experiences.  

14. Blue Bell

When a company lasts over a century in business, you can be pretty sure it’s doing something right. Blue Bell has been churning out some of the best grocery store ice cream on sale since 1907. Okay, so grocery stores as we know them today didn’t even exist until long after the company was founded, but you get the point.  

From classic vanilla to the unique wedding cake-inspired Bride’s Cake, Blue Bell is a reliable choice for rich, high-quality ice cream with a slight artisanal skew. There’s nothing fussy or pretentious about it, but when it comes to the ingredients, only the best will do. 

And isn’t that what makes the best grocery store ice cream? If Blue Bell is available in your local grocery store and you’ve never tried it, we highly recommend giving it a chance.  

What Is the Best Grocery Store Ice Cream? 

The best grocery store ice cream will vary for everyone based on their taste preferences, dietary needs and budget. However, Ben & Jerry's often comes out on top when looking for the best ice cream available at the grocery store. The products are unique, while still offering a few classic flavors, and the ingredients used are high-quality. You can also get an array of non-dairy varieties in flavors no other vegan ice cream brand is doing.

Häagen-Dazs is another great pick, prioritizing high-quality ingredients and putting out both classic and more elevated flavors. For those after an all-American brand, Blue Bell offers USA-made ice cream with excellent ingredients.

Anyone looking for healthy ice cream will likely favor Halo Top, which offers ice cream with fewer calories and less sugar than many other brands. Lastly, if you're on a budget, own-brand grocery store ice cream, such as products by Trader Joe's, Target and Whole Foods, will probably be what you turn to.

What Is the Best Grocery Store Vanilla Ice Cream? 

You could write an entire ranking post about the best grocery store vanilla ice cream brands alone. Many have, so we’ll leave those rankings to other experts. But there’s a good reason for the great vanilla debate to get so much press: its mild flavor makes nuance and texture all-important, and not every one of the best grocery store ice cream brands nails it. So, who do you turn to if it’s a solid pint of vanilla you’re after? 

Many say that Ben & Jerry’s is unbeatable on the vanilla front. Its use of natural ingredients and dense, creamy texture make it a fan favorite, an impressive feat for a brand that’s better known for its innovative flavors full of mix-ins than its basics. 

In this instance, the higher premium you pay for better quality is absolutely worth it. Others swear by Häagen-Dazs, claiming it’s the only brand that gets the French vanilla flavor just right. It’s a similar case where a pricier brand actually does deliver a better-quality product. 

Both are widely available options that sell some of the best grocery store ice cream nationwide, so if you need to pick up a pint of vanilla, these two accessible but top-tier brands should do the trick.   

What Is the Best Grocery Store Chocolate Ice Cream? 

Once again, Häagen-Dazs is a winner. If you want a rich, creamy, uber-chocolatey brand that will remind you of eating a chocolate cone on a summer day when you were a kid, this is the best grocery store ice cream you’re going to find. It has that tried-and-true chocolate flavor that you’re looking for when you drop $8 on a pint of ice cream.

Tillamook is another great option. Unsurprisingly for a brand that produces some of the best grocery store ice cream, no matter what the flavor, Tillamook’s chocolate ice cream is a standout on the supermarket scene. It’s lighter and airier than the Häagen-Dazs option, but no less creamy or indulgent.

You’ve got options when it comes to buying the best grocery store ice cream. Not only are companies forever putting out new flavors, but as specialty brands push their way onto supermarket shelves, access to a wider range of brands is expanding, too. Walk into the freezer aisle and you’ll be greeted with more brands of ice cream than you’ll know what to do with. 

There may well be an up-and-coming regional brand in your area that deserves a shout-out, and it may well be available nationwide and ranking on lists of the best ice cream in the grocery store not too far from now. We’re pulling for Hawaii-based brand Roselani, ourselves. 

The ice cream market is ever-growing, so there’s no doubt going to be upheaval in these rankings of the best grocery store ice cream in the coming years. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that Tillamook’s ice cream line was hard to find outside of its native Oregon.

So these are our picks for the 14 best grocery store ice creams — but only for now. Are the classics here to stay, or will they be usurped by newcomers in the next couple of years? How long will they hold out before new upstarts make a splash worthy of your precious ice cream money? Only time will tell. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.