Serious Eats wanted to find the best ice cream in the supermarket. For our taste test, we used vanilla because it's a clean classic without any gimics to hide behind. None of this candied bacon ice cream or ramen ice cream -- just vanilla. Plus, vanilla is the best for summer pie season. We tried six national ice cream brands and judged on a 1-5 scale for texture, richness, and vanilla-ness. 
HÄAGEN-DAZS: 4.5
Traditional Taste: Yes, definitely that straight-forward vanilla flavor.
Texture: Very nice mouthfeel.
Vanilla-ness:
Tasted like real vanilla, not the fake stuff.
This was a unanimous crowd favorite. It had all the trademarks of a
good vanilla ice cream: Silky, smooth, and major potential as an apple
pie buddy, and unlike some of the others, it actually tasted like
vanilla. Keep up the good work, Mr. Dazs.
BEN & JERRY'S: 4.2
Traditional Taste: This
one did the classic flavor right.
Texture: Smooth and not airy.
Vanilla-ness: No visible vanilla beans, but you can sure taste them.
Though we're used to the more psychedelic flavors from the tie-dyed Vermont ice creamery (Cherry Garcia, Half-Baked, Brownie Batter), this one did the classic flavor right. They didn't get caught up in the extra noise (no offense to the cookie dough balls of the world)—just a true vanilla that purists will like.
BLUE BUNNY: 3
Traditional taste: Not especially. It tasted fake.
Texture: Creamy, and not too icy.
Vanilla-ness: More like "vanilla" than vanilla.
This one tasted like someone killed a bunch of vanilla wafers for the flavor. You know that boxed-cookie vanilla flavor? The alcoholic aftertaste was a little disconcerting, but also kind of pleasing.
BREYERS: 2.4
Traditional taste: Yes. Many people grew up on this, and it remains an
iconic grocery-store flavor of ice cream.
Texture: Super airy, as if they pumped
it with a bike tire inflator.
Vanilla-ness: Visible black bean specks gives
this one "the look," but doesn't deliver.
Once you get past the appearance of vanilla-bean particles, it's just an airy white mountain that lacks butterfatty oomph.
HORIZON: 2.25
Traditional taste: Nothing traditional tasting here.
Texture: Creamy, but
seems like it could easily get icy in the freezer.
Vanilla-ness: Eh, tasted more like straight milk.
The organic milk company knows how to make milk, but maybe they should stick to liquids. Is there such thing as milk-flavored ice cream? This one had very little vanilla happening. But you can almost hear the moooo-ing cows graze on pesticide-free grass, which is a benefit for some.
EDY'S: 2.25
Traditional taste: Yes, but compared to all the others, it wasn't exciting.
Granted, we are ice cream snobs.
Texture: Like
halfway defrosted cool whip.
Vanilla-ness: Lacking.
Richness? Ha. And once again, the faux vanilla specks didn't translate to actual vanilla flavor. (Note: it's still rather edible, but when up against stiff competition, it was the big loser.)
We'd love to know your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream, nationally or locally...
And to make your own vanilla ice cream, try this recipe.
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