Lets just start by saying, all ice cream is good. Expensive ice cream is good, medium-priced ice cream is good, even that cheap generic stuff your grandma used to buy is good, if only in a nostalgic sort of way. And really, if you have to choose between so-so ice cream and no ice cream at all, youll take the so-so ice cream because the alternative is just too horrible to ponder.
Having said all of that, not all ice cream is created equal. Sometimes, you cant even make your choices based on price. Just because one ice cream brand that used to sell in 1.75 quart containers for $6.99 thought you wouldnt notice that they made their containers smaller but didnt change the price (you know who you are) doesnt necessarily mean their quality is any better than the ice cream thats still being sold in a larger container.
So weve taken the liberty of ranking popular ice cream brands in order from worst to best. It was a hard, thankless job, but someone had to do it. Just a note, we did not include any of the reduced fat or dairy-free brands on this list, because even though there are some great options available, we didnt think it would be a fair comparison. Also, no bars or sandwiches, just pots and tubs. Enjoy!
When you were a kid, there was nothing like stopping into a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor on a hot summer day and getting yourself a double scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone, and then accidentally eating a bit of paper because you couldnt get all of the cone wrapper off before the ice cream melted. But how much of those delicious memories are just nostalgia, and how much has to do with the actual flavor of the ice cream?
Theres no doubt that Baskin Robbins ice cream is a wonderful treat, but it loses something when you buy it in a tub in the freezer aisle instead of in a cold ice cream parlor on a 106 degree day. We ranked Baskin Robbins “at Home” ice cream low because without the nostalgia, it just cant stand up to ice cream brands that were designed for grocery store purchase and at-home consumption. Baskin Robbins vanilla is especially disappointing (weird texture, weird aftertaste), and really, if youre going to get any flavor right, it should definitely be the vanilla.
This should not dissuade you from visiting a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor the next time youre on your way home from a sweaty summer activity though. Baskin Robbins is still a winner when it comes to a fast frozen treat in a cone.
Blue Bunny makes an ice cream with a light texture thats creamy and tastes good, if not astonishingly good. A quick glance at their vanilla ice cream ingredients reveals why — vanilla isnt even on the list at all, in any form, unless its in there with all the “1% or less of Natural Flavors,” which by the way lands way behind “high fructose corn syrup.” Other ice creams have similar ingredients, to be sure, but Blue Bunny stands out because it tastes as artificial as the ingredients suggest it is.
Blue Bunny comes in 56 different flavors — at least, thats what their website says, though a quick read through reveals that there are multiple iterations of the same flavors (Bunny Tracks, Sweet Freedom Bunny Tracks, Loaded Sundae Bunny Tracks) and they seem to be counting each one as a separate flavor. “Sweet Freedom” is this brands sugar free offering, so we dont really think that counts as a separate flavor, exactly. And lets just pause for a moment to consider the “Bunny Tracks” concept (are those chocolate covered peanuts, or …?) because … eeh. Still, theres something to be said for picking a few flavors and doing those well, though for Blue Bunny its more picking a few flavors and doing them mostly okay.
Umpqua Dairy is an Oregon-based ice cream maker thats been around since 1931, but you probably didnt start seeing their ice cream in the freezer aisle until relatively recently. The bright red tubs are eye-catching, not just because of the color and the not-especially woke logo, but also because Umpqua is one of the few “premium” brands thats still being sold in 1.75 oz containers (for now, were not optimistic). Umpqua also has a lower price point than some of the more premium brands, which makes sense because it doesnt quite measure up in terms of quality. Umpqua is just not quite as creamy as we like our ice cream, and not quite as fluffy, and it has a hint of that dreaded graininess that kind of takes some of the delight out of a bowl of ice cream. The chocolate add-ins are a little sub-par, too, which is a major strike against it. You dont want a chalky texture in ice cream (or in chocolate, either), and Umpquas chocolate is unfortunately chalky.
Umpqua has 30 flavors that run the gamut from basic vanilla to “Beaver Tracks,” you know, just in case “Moose Tracks” wasnt Pacific Northwest enough for you. And to be fair, at least one flavor was impressive enough to score a “best of the best” prize at the World Dairy Expo (whatever that is), so if youre new to Umpqua you might want to start with the Butter Toffee Crunch.
Breyers ice cream has been around for more than a half a century, so with that many years of ice cream-making experience it seems like theres just no way this brand could make a bad flavor. If you, like millions of other people, grew up eating Breyers, theres a huge nostalgia factor attached to the flavor. You probably get a small flashback with every bite — your feet in the pool, ice cream running down your arm while you try to eat it faster than it can melt — collective memories that you share with maybe 95 percent of the people you know.
Breyers claims to have “more than 40 flavors,” which probably means they swap new flavors in and old flavors out often enough that they dont want to be locked into an actual number, but you can be pretty sure that youll always be able to find old mainstays like Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough at your favorite grocery store.
According to Food News, Breyers vanilla ice cream sells better than any other brand in North America, but is that because it is better than other brands or is it more because everyone just kind of thinks its better? We feel like its pretty middle-of-the-road — this brand does tend to lean a little too sweet to be a top contender, but maybe thats why we all liked it so much as kids.
Turkey Hill is a “premium” ice cream that, despite the name, does not contain any turkey (or hills). There are 39 “premium” flavors available as of this writing, but the brand does also have a smaller line of “all natural” ice creams, plus some novelties and “no sugar added” varieties. Many of the premium flavors are the old mainstays you can find in pretty much any line of grocery-store ice creams — cookies n cream, French vanilla, banana split, choco mint chip (the “choco” part evidently makes it different) — though they do have uniquely titled flavors like “Caramel, Chocolate & Vanilla Triopolitan” which is basically just Neapolitan with caramel instead of strawberry. But hey, kudos to Turkey Hill for recognizing that almost no one likes strawberry ice cream anymore.
As far as flavor goes, Turkey Hill is good, but not especially wowing or anything. Its definitely a notch above your typical store-brand ice cream but its also a notch below many of the other brands in terms of decadence and flavor. Turkey Hills version of cookies n cream is a solid choice if you want to give this brand a go, or you might want to try the vanilla just based on the fact that it was the subject of a 2019 lawsuit (via Patch) that basically just accused it of being underwhelming.
While other ice cream brands pick a name and stick with it, even if it is something as weird as “Turkey Hill,” Edys/Dreyers has spent the better part of the last century being confusing with its Dreyers brand for the west coast, and its Edys brand for everywhere else. This confusion dates all the way back to the brands founding, when Joseph Edy and William Dreyer formed a partnership. The ice cream started with the name Edys, then became Dryers when Edy left the company. It now uses both names in different locations to pay tribute to both founders, according to the company.
Edys/Dreyers makes a good, middle of the road ice cream. Its soft and easy-to-scoop and even though we said we werent going to comment on the lower-fat ice creams, it seems unfair not to mention that Edys/Dreyers “Slow Churned” ice creams are pretty danged good if you want to cut down on the guilt. Unlike the ice cream that one of its names rhymes with (Breyers, in case you didnt immediately catch on), Edys/Dreyers ice creams dont tend to taste overly sweet, though they can lean a bit artificial depending on which flavor youre talking about (vanilla is not Edys finest offering). Edys does do a great chocolate, though, so if thats where your ice cream fancy lies, you can pick almost any chocolaty Edys and not come away disappointed.
Magnum is best known for their bars, which are so good and rich that you might actually feel sick after youve finished eating just one of the full-sized versions (fortunately there are also “mini” bars, in case you dont love that after-dessert feeling). But Magnum also does Ben & Jerrys-style small containers, though if you think youll be skipping that rich chocolate exterior if you go with a pot, then think again. Every pot of magnum ice cream is topped with the same Belgian chocolate that youll find on the bars, only because theyre in a tub and not on a stick, you probably wont end up with most of it down the front of your shirt.
Magnum tubs come in 11 flavors which basically amount to chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate, though they do also have a few other choices like double red velvet and double raspberry, so its not like theyre vehemently opposed to everything not-chocolate.
If youre expecting a different experience when you buy a Magnum tub instead of a bar, well, you might be a bit disappointed because its the same super rich ice cream and the same super rich chocolate, just cleaner. The major difference is that you are instructed to wait 10 minutes after taking it out of the freezer before actually tucking into it, although its unclear if the Magnum ice cream police will descend upon you if you break the rules.
You may have heard that Häagen-Dazs actually comes from a Jewish inventor in New York. It has a name that sounds quite Danish for a reason though — it was a tribute the country that stood by his people during World War II. As for the umlaut (those dots above the A), that was just to make the name stand out. This brand has hung around at the top of US favorites for an awful long time, so it looks like founder Reuben Mattus might have actually been on to something.
It helps that Häagen-Dazs actually does make a good ice cream. They have the ubiquitous generic flavors, but they also have a suite of original flavors like Vanilla Blackberry Chocolate Trio Crisoy Layers, Rum Tres Leches, and Honey Salted Caramel Almond, and their ice creams are really smartly named because after you read all those words youre like, “Wow, how could that not be amazing?”
No matter which one of the “more than 50” flavors youre eating, Häagen-Dazs ice cream is pretty consistently creamy with a light texture. In fact, Häagen-Dazs ice creams almost skirt the line between being decadent and maybe a little overwhelming, and potentially nauseating if you overeat them, so its probably a bonus that Häagen-Dazs comes in 14-oz containers (which were, until recently, 16-oz containers. Et tu, Häagen-Dazs?)
As a diehard ice cream lover, I’ve tried my fair share of brands over the years. But there’s one that always takes me back to childhood – Turkey Hill With their fun flavors, bright packaging, and Pennsylvania Dutch Country origins, Turkey Hill feels nostalgic, familiar, and just plain good.
But is it really all that?
In this article, I’ll take an in-depth look at Turkey Hill ice cream to answer the burning question – is Turkey Hill ice cream actually good? From their ingredients and texture to how experts and consumers rate the brand, I’ll uncover everything you need to know before grabbing a tub of this iconic ice cream.
A Brief History of Turkey Hill
Let’s start with a quick history lesson. Turkey Hill Dairy was founded in 1931 by Armor Frey in the small Pennsylvania Dutch community of Ronks. They started by producing milk, butter, and eggs before expanding into ice cream a few years later.
The company grew steadily over the decades, expanding distribution throughout the Northeast. In 1985, Turkey Hill opened their first ice cream parlor and visitors’ center, letting fans immerse themselves in the brand. Today, Turkey Hill Dairy is still family-owned and operated, producing ice cream, milk, and other beverages at their plant in Conestoga, PA.
Turkey Hill’s Lineup of Flavors and Products
When you walk down the ice cream aisle, that familiar Turkey Hill logo beckons with its promise of delicious, fun flavors. Turkey Hill produces around 80-90 flavors per year, giving you plenty of options to choose from.
Some of their most popular flavors include:
- Traditional picks like Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip
- Inventive combinations like Tri-politan with Caramel, Chocolate and Vanilla
- Seasonal limited editions like Pumpkin Pie and Eggnog
Beyond ice cream, Turkey Hill also produces frozen yogurt, sherbet, ice cream sandwiches, and ice cream cakes. So you can get your Turkey Hill fix in almost any form.
They also have specialty lines:
- All Natural Ice Cream – Made with simpler, more natural ingredients
- Light Ice Cream – Lower in fat and calories
- No Sugar Added – For diet-conscious ice cream lovers
So people with dietary needs or preferences can still enjoy these iconic flavors.
Ingredients – The Scoop on What’s Inside
Ice cream wouldn’t be ice cream without some indulgent ingredients like cream, milk, and sugar. But should health-conscious buyers be wary of what goes into Turkey Hill’s recipes?
Turkey Hill does use real milk and cream in their ice creams, which is a major plus. But a glance at the ingredient list reveals some additives as well:
- Corn syrup and sugar are used to sweeten many flavors
- Emulsifiers and stabilizers like guar gum and cellulose gel are added for texture
- Natural and artificial flavors boost certain flavors
Compared to brands marketed as “all natural,” Turkey Hill’s ingredient list is more processed. But it’s on par with many standard ice creams. Buyers who strictly avoid additives may want to opt for Turkey Hill’s All Natural line instead.
Texture and Taste – Smooth, Creamy Indulgence
Texture and taste are where Turkey Hill really shines. Their ice cream is known for being ultra smooth, creamy, and easy to scoop, even when frozen solid. This makes it very enjoyable to eat.
The flavors are generally vibrant and indulgent, from the quintessential sweet creaminess of Vanilla to more decadent options like Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
Some drawbacks:
- Some flavors use artificial colors that lend an unnatural hue
- In cheaper varieties, the texture can become icy or grainy if improperly stored
- Not as dense and rich as ultra-premium brands
But for the price, Turkey Hill offers a deliciously smooth treat with nostalgic, satisfying flavors. The taste and texture are hard to beat.
How Does Turkey Hill Stack Up? Expert Reviews and Consumer Opinions
Ice cream preferences are subjective, so I looked at expert reviews and consumer feedback to gauge how Turkey Hill really compares.
Expert Opinions
- In taste tests, reviewers praise the creamy texture but find some flavors too sweet or artificial tasting.
- Ranked 8th out of 12 major ice cream brands by Mashed.com. Decent quality but not gourmet.
- Seen as a good value for everyday enjoyment, but lacking richness for a true premium brand.
Consumer Feedback
- Fans highlight the nostalgic, familiar flavors and affordable price point.
- But some note the ice cream could be richer and more natural.
- Flavors like chocolate and cookies ‘n cream remain popular choices.
The verdict seems to be that Turkey Hill is a dependable, enjoyable ice cream for the price, but doesn’t offer artisanal richness or ingredients. For many ice cream lovers, it occupies a comfy spot between cheap store brands and gourmet options.
The Final Scoop – Is Turkey Hill Ice Cream Really “Good”?
After investigating ingredients, tasting, and reviews, is Turkey Hill objectively “good” ice cream?
The short answer – it depends on your tastes and priorities!
The pros:
- Ultra-smooth, creamy texture
- Timeless flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and cookies ‘n cream
- Very affordable for the quality
- Does the basics well for casual everyday enjoyment
The cons:
- Not as rich and creamy as true premium brands
- Some flavors use artificial colors and flavors
- Ingredient list includes additives like corn syrup
For buyers focused on all-natural ingredients or extremely rich ice cream, Turkey Hill may not satisfy. But if you want an affordable indulgence with classic flavors and smooth texture, Turkey Hill is a totally solid option.
At the end of the day, choosing “good” ice cream comes down to your own preferences. But with its nostalgic flavors and creamy texture, Turkey Hill remains a beloved brand for everyday ice cream lovers.
So next time you’re craving a cold, creamy treat, don’t hesitate to grab a tub of Turkey Hill and enjoy! Just look out for sales when stocking up.
Top 10 Turkey Hill Ice Cream Flavors
FAQ
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