Best ice cream: Häagen-Dazs and Yeo Valley vs the supermarket own brands

When the sun comes out, so does the ice cream. But which vanilla tub deserves a place in your freezer – Häagen-Dazs or a cheaper supermarket own brand?

To find out which is best, we gathered 63 ice cream fans at our test lab to try 10 different luxury vanilla ice creams. We pitted seven supermarket own labels against the brands Häagen-Dazs, Jude’s and Yeo Valley.

We tracked down a delicious Best Buy that’s also Great Value.

Read on to find out which ice creams make the tastiest treats and how they stack up when it comes to sugar and fat content.

Best vanilla ice cream

Aldi was the top choice for our tasters. And as it's one of the cheapest on test at less than £3, it also wins our Great Value award. 

Only a tad behind were Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Yeo Valley tied with these two and is the best of the three brands.

Best Buy & Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream – 77%

£2.69 for 480ml (56p per 100ml)

A delicious crowd-pleasing ice cream that’s also the joint cheapest on test.

Most thought the strength of flavour and sweetness were just right.

Texture was a high point too, with nearly three quarters finding it had the perfect creaminess.

Available from Aldi (in-store only).

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Vanilla Ice Cream – 76%

£3.50 for 480ml (73p per 100ml)

Sainsbury's tied in second place alongside Waitrose. It had a good flavour and a well-balanced sweetness.

Although over half of our tasters were satisfied with the texture, it didn't quite match up to our top-scoring tub on creaminess.

Available from Sainsbury’s.

Waitrose No.1 Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream – 76%

£4.50 for 500ml (90p per 100ml)

A well-liked all-rounder with looks, flavour and creaminess all winning approval from two-thirds of our tasters.

This ice cream's sweetness was also about right for most, and three-quarters were fans of its texture.

Available from Waitrose.

Yeo Valley Organic Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream – 76%

£4.75 for 500ml (95p per 100ml)

Yeo Valley was easily the most favoured brand, and was only 1 percentage point below our Best Buy.

Our tasters liked the colour and texture. Two-thirds said its sweetness was spot on. 

And while its texture was rated well overall, some thought it lacked creaminess.

Available from Ocado and Waitrose.

Note: M&S Collection West Country Madagascan Vanilla Luxury Ice Cream also scored very well in our tests, but M&S has since informed us the recipe has been reformulated. We are unable to recommend it as the version we tested is no longer available. 

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How other ice creams compare

• Morrisons The Best Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream – 75%. Two-thirds of our tasters were fans of this ice cream’s flavour, sweetness, texture and creaminess. A good all-rounder at a great price. £3 for 480ml (63p per 100ml). Available from Morrisons.
• Tesco Finest Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream – 75%. Creamy with a good texture. A stronger flavour and a little extra sweetness would’ve further boosted this ice cream’s popularity. £3.50 for 480ml (73p per 100ml). Available from Tesco.
• Lidl Deluxe Vanilla Ice Cream – 72%. A light-coloured ice cream with a pleasant creamy texture. A good budget option. £2.69 for 480ml (56p per 100ml). Available from Lidl (in-store only).
• Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream – 67%. Opinions were mixed on the big brand’s flavour, and it lost marks on texture, too. £5.75 for 460ml (£1.25 per 100ml). Available from Amazon, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Jude’s Vanilla Clotted Cream Ice Cream – 63%. A bit on the bland side, and only half were enthusiastic about this ice cream’s sweetness and creaminess. £5 for 460ml (£1.25 per 100ml). Available Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Best cheap supermarket food and drink – find out which cheaper own labels have beaten the big brands in our blind taste tests

Full results from our vanilla ice cream taste test

How we tested ice cream

All the ice creams were blind-tasted and rated by a panel of 63 people in June 2026 at our specialist test lab.

We recruited a panel of people who buy and eat ice cream, and who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age range, gender split and more). 

The taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. They tasted the ice cream in a fully randomised order to avoid bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture of each ice cream brand and told us what they liked and disliked.

The overall score was based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% appearance
• 15% texture
• 15% aroma

These weightings are based on the attributes people ranked as most important when tasting ice cream. All our results are checked and analysed by our in-house statistical team.

Find out more about our editorial independence policy and see behind the scenes of our taste tests to understand more about how we work

Is ice cream healthy?

Ice cream doesn’t have much going for it health-wise and is generally regarded as a treat. It consists mostly of milk and cream, along with sugar and eggs. 

You’ll also see flavourings, stabilisers and emulsifiers among the ingredients.

Which? nutrition expert Shefalee Loth said: 'Ice cream is something to consume in moderation. It's high in saturated fat, and too much of this in the diet is a risk factor for raised cholesterol and heart disease. Sugar, meanwhile, can contribute to weight gain and tooth decay. Diets high in added sugars are also associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.'

If you can't resist ice cream, go for a small serving. Lidl states 50g as a portion size. This abstemious amount supplies 5.5g of saturated fat and 10g of sugar. Häagen-Dazs, meanwhile, suggests two scoops, totalling a generous 87g. This contains 9.9g of saturated fat (about half the daily recommended maximum for women) and 17g of sugar.

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Vegan ice cream

There's a wide range of dairy-free, plant-based ice cream available. If you’re lactose intolerant or following a dairy-free or vegan diet, they make a good alternative.

Plant-based ice cream generally contains coconut oil, soya or pea protein, plus stabilisers and emulsifiers. While it’s usually lower in fat than standard dairy ice cream, it tends to come with a similarly hefty dose of sugar.

You’ll find a selection of plant-based ice creams at supermarkets, including tubs of Swedish Glace, vegan classic or almond Magnums and vegan Cornetto. 

Jude’s does a vegan version of its vanilla dairy ice cream, as well as other flavours. Well-known brand Ben & Jerry’s also has some non-dairy options, such as chocolate fudge brownie.

Price and availability correct as of 26 June 2026