Ice cream is a delicious frozen treat that comes in many flavors. One of the most popular flavors is peanut butter ice cream. With its rich, nutty taste and creamy texture, peanut butter ice cream is a favorite for many ice cream lovers. But with so many brands making peanut butter ice cream, how do you know which one is the best? We conducted extensive research comparing peanut butter ice cream from the top brands to find out who really makes the best peanut butter ice cream.
What Makes Great Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Before diving into the top brands, let’s first look at what qualities make for exceptional peanut butter ice cream. Here are the key factors we evaluated when taste testing peanut butter ice creams:
- Peanut butter flavor – The ideal peanut butter ice cream should have an authentic, nutty peanut butter taste. It shouldn’t taste artificial or overly sweet.
- Creaminess – A creamy, smooth texture is important for good peanut butter ice cream. It shouldn’t be icy, crumbly, or gritty.
- Peanut butter swirls – Swirls of peanut butter throughout the ice cream add more flavor and texture.
- Peanut chunks/pieces – Bits of chopped peanut add crunch and peanut flavor.
- Mouthfeel – The ice cream should feel smooth and satisfying when eating it.
- Quality ingredients – Real peanut butter and dairy ingredients like cream and milk make for better quality ice cream.
Keeping these factors in mind, we selected the top national peanut butter ice cream brands to evaluate side-by-side. We purchased each brand’s peanut butter ice cream offering and conducted blind taste tests to see how they compared.
The Contenders for Best Peanut Butter Ice Cream
After surveying the peanut butter ice cream options nationwide, we narrowed it down to 10 major brands to test for this review:
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Breyers
- Blue Bell
- Häagen-Dazs
- Talenti
- Turkey Hill
- Edy’s
- Dreyer’s
- Wells Blue Bunny
- Friendly’s
This selection represents the top national ice cream brands that produce peanut butter flavored options. From ice cream giants like Ben & Jerry’s to regional favorites like Blue Bell and Turkey Hill, we made sure to sample the most popular and well-known peanut butter ice creams on the market.
Rating Criteria
We developed a rating system to evaluate each peanut butter ice cream across five categories:
| Category | Rating Metrics | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut Butter Flavor | Strength and authenticity of peanut butter taste | 20 points |
| Creaminess | Smooth, creamy texture | 20 points |
| Peanut Butter Swirls | Amount, distribution, and taste of swirled peanut butter | 15 points |
| Peanut Pieces | Crunch and flavor of chopped peanuts | 15 points |
| Overall Taste | How enjoyable and satisfying it is to eat | 30 points |
Each ice cream could earn up to 100 points based on their performance across these rating criteria. After conducting blind taste tests, we tallied the scores to determine how the peanut butter ice creams stacked up.
The Best Peanut Butter Ice Cream Brands
After extensive taste testing of the 10 major national brands, we are ready to reveal which peanut butter ice creams came out on top.
#1 – Ben & Jerry’s
Total Score: 95/100
Winning the title of best peanut butter ice cream is Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup flavor. Ben & Jerry’s strikes the perfect balance of rich, nutty peanut butter swirled into smooth, creamy ice cream. Each bite delivers fresh peanut butter flavor complemented by chocolatey peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge swirls. Our testers could not get enough of the authentic peanut butter taste and ripples of satiny peanut butter running throughout.
Ben & Jerry’s uses no artificial flavors, instead relying on real peanut butter and high-quality dairy ingredients. While it’s a little high in calories per serving compared to other brands, the full flavors and scrumptious taste make every calorie worth it.
#2 – Turkey Hill
Total Score: 89/100
Our second place finisher is Turkey Hill All Natural Peanut Butter Ripple ice cream. Turkey Hill offers high quality ingredients including fresh milk, cream, peanut butter, and sugar with no artificial flavors or preservatives. It earns points for its nut-studded peanut butter swirls that deliver authentic peanutty richness.
While not quite as bold in peanut butter flavor as Ben & Jerry’s, it’s still indulgent and satisfying. At 150 calories per half cup serving, this is a slightly lighter option than other full-fat ice creams.
#3 – Blue Bell
Total Score: 85/100
Coming in third is the classic Southern ice cream brand Blue Bell with their Homemade Vanilla flavored ice cream with Peanut Butter Cups. The vanilla base provides a creamy backdrop for the peanut butter cups and swirls of silky peanut butter. Each spoonful treats you to chocolate and peanut butter candy flavors.
Our testers noted this option was sweeter compared to others, but still delivered on peanut butter flavor. The peanut butter swirls and candy pieces add wonderful texture. Blue Bell uses high quality ingredients like fresh milk, sugar, cream, and peanut butter.
#4 – Breyers
Total Score: 80/100
In fourth place is Breyers Natural Vanilla Peanut Butter frozen dairy dessert. Breyers has a smooth, creamy texture punctuated by crunchy chopped peanuts. It offers a more subtle peanut butter flavor than the top contenders, which our tasters thought was a nice balance without being overpowering. The chopped nuts add a satisfying crunch.
Made with fresh milk and cream, this is a good quality peanut butter ice cream at a reasonable price point. Breyers did lose a few points for its slightly icy mouthfeel compared to the creamier top choices.
#5 – Häagen-Dazs
Total Score: 75/100
Rounding out the top 5 is Häagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Salted Caramel ice cream. It’s the saltiest of the peanut butters we tried, which enhances the sweet caramel swirls and peanut flavor. Each spoonful provides a crunchy, nutty, and salty-sweet taste.
While we appreciated the complexity of flavors, some testers thought it was almost too salty for an ice cream. Made with peanut butter, cream, and milk, the quality of ingredients boosts the taste and creaminess.
The Rest of the Contenders
Here’s how the remaining brands fared in our peanut butter ice cream taste test:
#6 – Talenti
Total Score: 70/100
Talenti Peanut Butter Fudge comes in a characteristically wide jar speckled with bits of peanut butter fudge. Our testers enjoyed the ripples of fudge combined with the peanut butter swirls. The sections with fudge had intense, deep flavors. However, the peanut butter taste was uneven throughout. The ice cream had a pleasant, lighter whipped texture.
#7 – Edy’s
Total Score: 65/100
Edy’s Slow Churned Peanut Butter Cup ice cream uses a blend of milk, cream, and zero fat milk to create a rich taste with fewer calories. Tasters thought it lacked some creaminess compared to full milkfat ice creams. The peanut butter swirls are thick and plentiful, though the peanut butter taste is not as pronounced as other brands. Overall an enjoyable light peanut butter option.
#8 – Dreyer’s
Total Score: 60/100
Dreyer’s Slow Churned Peanut Butter Cup ice cream is similar to Edy’s, delivering thick fudge swirls and peanut butter cups in a lighter ice cream base. Our testers thought this one was sweeter and lacked depth of real peanut butter flavor. But a solid option if you’re watching calories.
#9 – Wells Blue Bunny
Total Score: 55/100
Wells Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic contains ribbons of peanut butter and chocolatey peanut butter candies. Although colorful, our tasters thought this ice cream was cloyingly sweet and the peanut butter taste was not natural. The icy texture didn’t help. Best for those who prefer sweeter desserts.
#10 – Friendly’s
Total Score: 40/100
Sadly, Friendly’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream landed at the bottom of the pack. While it contains peanut butter cups and swirls, the peanut butter flavor is not very present. Our testers thought it had an artificial, “fake” peanut butter taste. The icy, crystallized texture also hurt its enjoyment.
Key Findings & Conclusion
After our extensive testing of the top 10 national peanut butter ice cream brands, several key findings emerged:
- Ben & Jerry’s earned the top spot for its unbeatable fresh, nutty peanut butter flavor and swirls.
- Turkey Hill and Blue Bell also scored highly for their creamy textures and authentic peanut butter taste.
- Breyers and Häagen-Dazs deliver good quality and inventive flavors like salted caramel.
- Talenti, Edy’s and Dreyer’s are lighter options that sacrifice some richness for fewer calories.
- Wells Blue Bunny and Friendly’s fell short on peanut flavor and creaminess.
When you crave that classic peanut butter ice cream experience, look for options that use real peanut butter rather than “peanut flavor.” Swirls of satiny peanut butter running through creamy vanilla or chocolate based ice cream result in ideal peanut buttery goodness. The very best avoid artificial flavors and sweeteners to allow the authentic peanut taste to shine.
Based on our extensive taste test research, Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup flavor emerges as the clear winner for peanut butter ice cream perfection. But no matter which brand you choose, peanut butter ice cream is a timeless treat to enjoy.