Ice cream is a beloved treat, but not all brands deliver quality. Some popular names disguise artificial flavors and fillers as gourmet delights.
They may appear premium, but their ingredient lists tell another story.
Discover 15 brands that might surprise you with their low-quality ingredients.
1. Great Value (Walmart)
This budget option from Walmart is easy to grab during a grocery run. But what’s inside often includes high fructose corn syrup, artificial vanilla, and multiple stabilizers.
The texture can be fluffy or gummy depending on the flavor, and real cream often takes a backseat to vegetable gums. It may scoop like the real thing, but the flavor depth just isn’t there.
2. Breyers
Once proudly simple, Breyers now labels many of its products as “frozen dairy dessert”—a clue that quality has slipped. Some flavors no longer qualify as true ice cream.
With added gums, corn syrup, and a thin, icy finish, it no longer delivers the creamy nostalgia it once promised. Even the vanilla tastes oddly bland.
3. Blue Bunny
Bright packaging and fun names hide a long list of processed ingredients. Artificial flavorings and stabilizers dominate the mix.
Airy texture and sweeteners give it a whipped, marshmallow-like feel, but there’s little richness underneath. It’s a treat that leans more novelty than indulgence.
4. Kroger Deluxe
This store-brand favorite boasts bold flavors, but many rely on artificial coloring and thickeners like guar gum and mono- and diglycerides.
The mouthfeel is oddly elastic, and the flavors often taste one-dimensional. A closer look reveals more chemistry than creamery.
5. Friendly’s
Once a staple of East Coast ice cream parlors, Friendly’s now cuts corners in its packaged tubs. Ingredient lists can be surprisingly long.
Expect corn syrup, artificial flavors, and a texture that melts into a puddle of sugar water. The charm wears thin after the first bite.
6. Market Pantry (Target)
Target’s ice cream line keeps prices low, but that often means fewer real ingredients. Milk solids, stabilizers, and artificial flavors lead the way.
What you save in dollars, you lose in texture and taste. Many flavors come off as flat and overly sweet.
7. Signature Select
This Safeway and Albertsons brand aims for mass appeal, but often skips over quality. Emulsifiers and added sugars are routine.
Some pints contain more air than dairy. Even chocolate varieties can taste oddly waxy or synthetic.
8. Edy’s
Known for “slow churned” varieties, Edy’s markets itself as light—but the real surprise is the amount of gums and additives used.
It’s less dense, but also less creamy, with flavors that feel dialed down. What was once nostalgic now feels overly processed.
9. Food Club
Often found in smaller regional chains, this store brand prioritizes shelf stability over authentic ingredients. Artificial vanilla and thickeners are common.
It tends to melt fast and tastes more sugary than creamy. A quick fix for cravings, but not something to savor.
10. Lucerne
Another house brand, Lucerne’s ice cream is often made with palm oil substitutes and skim milk instead of whole cream.
The result is a thinner, lighter texture that lacks richness. It’s cold, sweet, and simple—but rarely satisfying.
11. Best Choice
This discount label delivers on price, but the ingredient list reveals a heavy hand with corn syrup and food starches.
You may find artificial flavors taking center stage while dairy fades into the background. The texture is more soft-serve than scoop shop.
12. Giant Eagle
This regional brand keeps costs down by stretching dairy with gums and flavoring agents. The vanilla often tastes sharp or overly sweet.
Chocolate flavors can feel watered down or overly bitter. It’s a functional dessert—but not one to linger over.
13. Albertsons Store Brand
The generic look hides a formula filled with preservatives and stabilizers. Some tubs barely list cream near the top.
What you get is texture without depth, sweetness without nuance. It satisfies in a rush but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
14. Essential Everyday
A house brand with a name that promises simplicity, but many flavors are padded with artificial coloring and emulsifiers.
The consistency feels whipped and lacks body. Even childhood favorites like cookies and cream can taste hollow.
15. Big Dipper
Sold in giant tubs at warehouse stores, Big Dipper leans on quantity over quality. There’s plenty of it—but not much to love.
With artificial flavors and airy texture, it melts too fast and leaves a chemical aftertaste. Sometimes bigger isn’t better.