VANILLA ICE CREAMS — CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated December 2023 and April 2024

When I was in second grade, we made ice cream in school one day >> we each took turns turning the hand crank and I was amazed at how simple it was to make! Yummy!

Today, manufactured ice creams range from those which are Closest To Homemade — using the same ingredients we would use at home to make ice cream — to those which are Far From Homemade™ >> good old-fashioned ice cream has been subjected to extensive technology over the past few decades so now we have items which aren’t technically ice cream.

The good news is there are a few brands whose ice cream is still indeed right on with Homemade, yay!

According to the International Dairy Foods Association Ice Cream Survey, Vanilla is the #1 Favorite Ice Cream Flavor in the U.S. so we'll look at Vanilla. (Source: Dairy Foods Association Web site 2023)

The basic recipe for homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is as follows >> we’ll use this as a reference as we look at the ingredients in manufactured ice creams so they’re easy to compare.

WHAT THE EGG YOLKS DO: According to Food Scientist Maggie Seng Sadowsky, owner of 8 Track Foods, “Egg yolks were traditionally used in ice cream because they can function as a natural emulsifier and maintain the structure and stability and reduce the formation of ice crystallization. Currently, it is recommended to use pasteurized eggs to reduce risk of salmonella."

UNILEVER’S BREYERS HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM: Since the Ingredient Inspector is about finding products which are Closest To Homemade, let’s begin by looking at Breyers Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. (Source for ingredients: Unilever Breyers Web site 4/24)

This Unilever's Breyers Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream above has no Vanilla on the ingredient list and has nine ingredients Not In Kitchen (circled in red).

We would not be using these ingredients to make Vanilla Ice Cream at home like corn syrup, whey, carob bean gum, tara gum, guar gum, monoglycerides and diglycerides, commercial natural flavor and annatto coloring.

Here’s a snapshot of four Breyers Vanilla products:

FROZEN DAIRY DESSERT NOMENCLATURE: Some ‘Frozen Dairy-Based Treats’ cannot technically be called 'ice cream' because they don’t meet the legal Standard of Identity for real ice cream and must be called Frozen Dairy Dessert — such as Breyers Extra Creamy Vanilla — below left.

Seen below, UNILEVER-OWNED BEN & JERRY'S: Ben & Jerry's is no longer owned by two guys in Vermont; Ben & Jerry’s is owned by a global corporation, Unilever.

Let's take a look below at which ingredients are Not In Kitchen in Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream.

BEN & JERRY'S VANILLA ICE CREAM HAS FOUR INGREDIENTS NOT IN KITCHEN: There are two inclusions of Water in Ben & Jerry’s >> Water as an ingredient in the Liquid Sugar and as a separate ingredient. There are two Thickening Agents: Guar Gum — a thickening agent from locust beans — and Carrageenan << this is a substance extracted from red and purple seaweed to which many people have significant allergic reactions. (Source for ingredients: Unilever Ben & Jerry's Web site 12/23)

FRONERI-OWNED HAAGEN-DAZS: According to Statista 2023, Häagen-Dazs is the number three branded ice cream in the U.S. This Vanilla Ice Cream has five ingredients and nothing Not In Kitchen. It is right on with homemade and so is on the Closest To Homemade chart. (Source: Froneri Häagen-Dazs Web site 12/23)

ON THEIR WEB SITE, FRONERI HAS GROUPED ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER FOR HAAGEN-DAZS VANILLA CHOCOLATE CHIP SO WE CAN NO LONGER SEE THAT IT IS MADE WITH CHEAPER INGREDIENTS VS. PLAIN VANILLA: Since the Ingredient Inspector has pointed out the disparity in the Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice creams since 2018, Froneri has chosen to make it impossible to discern which exact ingredients are in the ice cream component.

Atkins also did this with their bars after the Ingredient Inspector was able to note the instances of items like Artificial Sweeteners in the bar and in the coating >> Atkins used to separate out the ingredients but now they group them all together so ingredients like Sucralose appear only once instead of twice.

AMAZON WHOLE FOODS VANILLA ICE CREAMS CONTAIN GUMS AND DRY MILK >> we would not use Nonfat Dry Milk, Locust Bean Gum or Guar Gum at home to make ice cream and we would not add Organic Annatto Extract for coloring. (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 4/24) These ice creams do contain real Vanilla Extract and the Organic Vanilla Bean variety also contains Organic Vanilla Bean.

Seen below right, Peak Rock Capital Turkey Hill Simply Natural Vanilla Ice Cream is Closest To Homemade. Three Turkey Hill Vanilla Ice creams are shown below >> the first two — Original Vanilla and Vanilla Bean — are both banned at Whole Foods for containing Artificial Flavors. (Sources: Peak Rock Capital Turkey Hill Web site 12/23 Amazon Whole Foods Web site 12/23)

As a reminder, ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount >> there is the most amount of the ingredient listed first and the least amount of the ingredient listed last.

Here’s a snapshot of the Vanilla offerings from Ferrero-owned Blue Bunny >> only one of them is real Ice Cream:

Breyers was once all about purity:

REDUCED FAT + FAT-FREE ICE CREAM PRODUCTS: These products tend to have more ingredients Not In Kitchen <<  ingredients we would never use to make ice cream at home.

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE: The Closest To Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream brands have nothing Not In Kitchen >> they have no Gums, Thickening Agents, Chemical Preservatives, Corn Syrups, Flavors or Colors, and they contain Real Vanilla as an ingredient >> Non-GMO Project Verified Straus Family Creamery Organic Vanilla Bean; Turkey Hill Simply Natural Homemade Vanilla and Simply Natural Vanilla Bean; Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Vanilla Bean; NYC-based Morgenstern’s; Häagen-Dazs Vanilla.

LOOK FOR LOCAL: Many local dairies make awesome small batch Closest To Homemade ice creams >> consider checking in your area for real options which also support your local farmers.

In the world of Vanilla Ice Cream:

AVOID: Light or Slow-Churned or Reduced Fat/No Fat Items, artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, tapioca starch, modified corn starch, carrageenan, gums, lactic acid, artificial and natural flavors, mono and diglycerides, soybean oil, canola oil, soy lecithin, potassium sorbate, sodium citrate.

SEEK: Grass-fed organic heavy dairy, organic cane sugar or honey, pasture-raised eggs, organic vanilla extract or vanilla beans.

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Nether money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

See what’s in other Ice Cream flavors and discover some which are Closest To Homemade:

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And we leave you with a stroll down ice cream memory lane . . .