No matter where you are in the world, you can find ice cream in one form or another. People used to make this sweetened frozen food with flavored milk, but today you can find any type of ice cream that you can think of!
Ice cream brands make this favorite dessert of most people in different ways. Some make it with dairy, some without. It can be prepared with all the richness and fat, but many companies also produce low-calorie ice creams to fit a healthier lifestyle! You can find it in sizes varying from single-serving all the way to tubs that can serve a whole family! Ice creams are typically categorized by their quality, some may be more expensive, but the quality keeps customers coming back for more!
We’ve compiled this list of the best ice cream brands in the United States to make ice cream shopping easy for you. We researched, looked at the ingredients, tried most of the ice cream brands out there, and read customer reviews to come up with this rundown.
Things to make with ice cream
Ice cream is a versatile dessert that you can have it in tonnes of different ways! The most common way is to just eat it as it is, with a spoon or on a stick. It’s simple and fulfilling, but if you’re tired of having your ice cream in a simple way, there are ways to switch it up.
Adding syrups and toppings to your ice cream will instantly make it into a Sundae. This is one of the most popular ways to eat ice cream! Sundaes are great for families to eat together, and they add a fun twist to a regular dessert!
You can even take your favorite biscuits and add a scoop of your desired ice cream in between for an easy and effortless ice cream sandwich! This is perfect because you can have two of your favorite desserts at once. What’s more fun than that?
The 10 ice cream brands in the USA
Here’s our list of the top ice cream brands in the United States. Give these brands a shot and you’ll thank us later.
Ben and Jerry’s
Ben and Jerry’s is one of the most loved and famous ice cream brands in the US. The company is known for making socially conscious choices while manufacturing their ice creams. They use non-GMO ingredients and cruelty-free dairy and participate in Fairtrade. The company mentions all the ingredients and other essential details on their packaging. Ben and Jerry’s salted caramel ice cream is famous world over.
Ben and Jerry’s ice creams are also famous for another reason: their flavor names. The brand uses hilarious and witty names, such as “Karamel Sutra,” “Bohemian Raspberry,” and “Economic Crunch” for their products. This adds a little more fun to an already great dessert. They even have a “Flavour Graveyard,” where all the discontinued flavors are given tribute. Customers can even vote to bring back a “de-pointed” flavor. This shows how much thought they put into making sure their customers are part of the process.
Haagen Dazs
Haagen Dazs is a name synonymous with “premium luxury ice cream.” It’s always been the ice cream king you’d get for very special occasions to celebrate. It’s a total treat! Haagen Dazs ice cream can be picked out of a line-up easily because it’s very thick and rich in flavor, something not all brands can accomplish.
Their ice-cream comes in 50 different flavors, with beautiful, luxurious packaging! No matter what the occasion and the number of people you’re celebrating with, Haagen Dazs has got you covered. Whether you buy their mini-cups or the full-sized pints, the flavor is sure to wow you.
Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins is one of the most iconic and healthy ice cream brands in the world. They’re known for their “31 flavors of fun” slogan, which basically means that they have a flavor for every day of the month. They give you a choice to try out something new every day! The number 31 is also hidden in the “BR” logo, something not everyone notices on the first look.
One of the unique things about Baskin Robbins is that they make healthy ice cream cakes, which is a revolutionary change from regular birthday cakes. These cakes have huge demand all over the world.
Dairy Queen
If you’re an ice cream lover, chances are you’re already familiar with Dairy Queen. The company is famous for making classic soft-serve ice creams, ice cream cakes, and their own specialty – the blizzard. The blizzard is so thick that they’re literally served upside down.
Dairy Queen is more famous because they make some of the cheapest but high-quality ice creams. The low price makes them accessible to everyone, and their unique, high-end taste and quality prove that a tasty dessert doesn’t have to be expensive.
Halo-Top
Halo-top has been somewhat of a pioneer in the ice cream industry. They were the first to make sure their customers could still eat ice cream without having to cheat on their diets. Most low-calorie brands of ice cream tend to taste horrible, but people make-do because at least they’re healthy. Halo-top makes sure that their light ice cream is under 380 calories for the whole pint but still tastes ice cream!
After success with their low-cal ice creams, the company took it one step further by adding a dairy-free line made with coconut milk. It also came up with a keto-friendly line that only has 5g-10g carbs for the entire pint.
Graeter’s
Greater’s is virtually the only commercial ice cream brand in the US that still makes handcrafted ice cream. Their factories still use the 18th-century traditional French pot method to manufacture their products. Greater’s ice cream comes in 25 different flavors with their most popular one, the “black raspberry,” being a favorite of most Americans.
Regular ice cream is moderately runny and can easily be piped into the packaging. Greater’s ice cream is very thick and dense. For this reason, it has to be packed by hand, individually. Even then, they manage to pack over 20,000 pints every day!
Blue Bell Creameries
Blue Bell Creameries has existed for over 110 years now! What first started as a small business in Texas now rules the ice cream market. This ice cream company is famous for making products that “taste homemade.” Besides ice creams, the brand is known for its ice cream sandwiches and even mini-ice cream sandwiches.
Blue Bell Creameries is a family-owned business, still run by the family that first started the company. The brand stuck to its origination and roots ever since its inception. Even though the general serving sizes in the market get smaller by the day, Blue Bell sells their ice cream in half a gallon pints, giving its customers 33% more ice cream than anyone else! Their ice cream comes in 66 flavors with 20 staple ones available all year round and others cycling seasonally.
Breyers
Breyers ice cream has been around for over 150 years. Back when ice cream trucks were not in existence, the founder of the company, William A. Breyers, would sell homemade ice cream at his residence. He eventually started to make batches and take them out on his horse wagon – beginning the era of ice creams being sold on the streets!
Today, Breyers manufactures multiple ice cream types and flavors. These include the classic “real ice cream,” which has the traditional flavors like vanilla and chocolate, the “CarbSmart,” which is a healthier line of ice creams with some going as low as 60 calories for an ice cream bar, and the “non-dairy,” which is made with almond milk but still has the same taste as their dairy ice creams, so everyone can have ice cream regardless of their lifestyle or preferences.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a newer brand. It was founded in 2002 but has really made its mark within the past two decades. Jeni’s aims are very simple: “To make better ice cream and bring people together.”
This brand is focused on the customers and their experience with the ice cream. They’ve set up various “scoop shops” across the US, where they serve their ice creams in a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing environment to enhance the customer experience.
Jeni’s ice creams range from the classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate to unique ones like the “goat cheese with red cherries.” And with the addition of their dairy-free flavors, they literally have something for everyone!
Magnum
Originally a Belgian brand, Magnum is yet another popular ice cream in the US and across the world. The company makes one of the highest quality ice creams. Their premium, luxurious ice creams come in bars, cups, and pints. They make 22 unique flavors, such as white, milk, and even dark.
The best part about Magnum is that even their superior products are highly affordable. With a wide range of flavors and sizes, they make sure that everyone has access to their ice cream without breaking the bank.
Dairy Queen is not ice cream. It’s ice milk. Everyone that has ever worked there knows the first rule, Never call it ice cream… it’s called Dairy Queen. And I can’t believe this made it on your list.