14 Store-Bought Ice Creams You Should Keep Out Of The Cart

Cold, creamy, and sweet, ice cream is the ultimate treat. It was first invented in China back in 200 B.C. and has come a long way from its early days as a mixture of frozen milk and rice. Now you can find a multitude of varieties at any given grocery store, from old-school ice cream flavors like chocolate and vanilla to modern creations featuring innovative ingredients. Unfortunately, there are a few ice cream products that score pretty low with buyers.

There are many reasons why certain store-bought ice creams fail to earn fans. It could be that the flavors are off or that they're too sickly sweet. Some options just don't have that rich, creamy texture that you want in a good ice cream. Others are packed with artificial ingredients that don't even qualify them as proper ice cream. Frozen dairy dessert? Yikes. No thanks.

To determine which ice creams are a waste of freezer space, we drew on some of our own experiences and scoured online reviews to see what people had to say about certain brands and flavors. We'll go into more detail about our methodology at the end of the article. For now though, these are the store-bought ice creams that you might want to pass on. 

Little Debbie is famous for its iconic snack cakes like Swiss Rolls, Oatmeal Creme Pies, and Honey Buns. With a penchant for creating sweet treats, it makes sense that the company would delve into the world of ice cream. In 2021, the brand partnered with Hudsonville to introduce a Christmas Tree Cakes ice cream. The following year, the companies released a lineup of ice creams featuring some of Little Debbie's most popular snacks. Sadly, the Little Debbie ice creams don't get great reviews. The Honey Buns ice cream in particular fails to impress consumers.

The main problem with the Honey Buns ice cream is that it's just too cloying. As one Reddit user put it, "The Honey Bun was unbearably sweet." The combination of the sweet ice cream mixed with sugary glazed donut pieces and cinnamon icing swirl is just too much for most people to handle. Moreover, many say the flavors taste artificial. According to one Reddit user, the ice cream "tasted like generic cinnamon flavoring." Another review left on the Hudsonville website said, "It reminds me of medicine." 

A good chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream offers multiple treats in one dish — cool, creamy ice cream and ample chunks of chilled cookie dough dotted with crunchy chocolate chips. When done right, it's the ultimate indulgence. When done wrong though, it can be a huge disappointment. Where many ice cream companies go wrong is skimping on the cookie dough. That's the case with Breyers Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough frozen dairy dessert.

A quick look at the reviews on Breyers' product page for this flavor shows a shocking 124 one-star reviews, which is more than all the other star ratings combined. Most people comment that the cookie dough is non-existent. One reviewer said, "This tub of ice cream doesn't have any cookie dough ... And when I say it doesn't have any, I don't mean there isn't enough. I'm saying there isn't even one morsel of it. It's just vanilla with occasional chocolate "chips." The list goes on with irate customers who feel duped by the lack of this key ingredient. We don't blame them one bit. After all, if we wanted straight-up vanilla, that's what we'd buy.

Ice creams are just a few of the hidden gems you can find in Trader Joe's freezer aisle. There are plenty of varieties to choose from including fun flavors like Speculoos Cookie Butter, ice cream sandwiches, and those addictively good Hold the Cone! Mini ice cream cones. One ice cream product that you might want to pass on though is Trader Joe's Chocolate & Vanilla Bean Swirl Gelato. According to many customers, it's unremarkable at best.

When you think of gelato, you might think of a silky frozen treat with super-concentrated flavors. That's not what you get with Trader Joe's gelato. Several reviewers say it tastes aerated and low-quality. One Reddit user said, "It tastes and has the same texture as those cheap little cups of ice cream with the wooden spoon we had as a child at birthday parties." Some allude to the long list of ingredients filled with unnatural-sounding items. It's not necessarily bad, but if you're expecting rich, creamy Italian-style gelato, you might be disappointed.

Great Value is Walmart's private-label brand that aims to provide affordable alternatives to big-name brands. While many of the products are of decent quality, there are also a few that don't quite hit the mark. Based on multiple customer reviews, the Vanilla Flavored Ice Cream Sandwiches fall into that category. If you're a fan of ice cream sandwiches, many shoppers say you'd be better off choosing a well-known brand.

In terms of flavor, the Great Value ice cream sandwiches aren't terrible. However, they do contain numerous preservatives, which may be why the ice cream barely melts. This has been noted as far back as 2014 in a Reddit thread, as well as in recent social media posts like this TikTok video. To be fair to Walmart, the company did respond to this claim in a Los Angeles Times article stating that it's because of the high cream content in the ice cream. Even if that is the case, many reviewers are put off by the texture, describing the ice cream sandwiches as "spongy" or "like cardboard."

With over 7,800 Baskin Robbins ice cream shops around the world, it's pretty safe to say that it's a pretty popular ice cream brand. While many of the ice cream flavors you can find at shops and grocery stores are downright delicious, not all the flavors are winners. One in particular that gets a good deal of vitriol is the Daiquiri Ice. Pale green in color and sporting a weird icy texture and slightly artificial flavor, this is one flavor that many people (ourselves included) just can't get behind.

The first thing you should know about Baskin Robbins Daiquiri Ice is that it doesn't contain any fat. It consists of rum flavoring mixed into lime puree with sugar, corn syrup, and several preservatives. Without the fat from milk or cream, you don't get that luscious creamy texture of a good ice cream. Plus, many say the flavor is bitter and chemical-tasting. Even Baskin Robbins employees admit it's pretty bad. One staff member on Reddit said, "Everyone under the sun (aside from one to two regulars at our store) hates it with a passion."

Oreo Ice Cream sounds like the perfect marriage of two crave-worthy desserts. What you would expect is creamy vanilla ice cream laced with big chunks of crunchy chocolate cookies sporting Oreo's signature sweet filling. Unfortunately, the ice cream fails to meet many people's expectations. First off, it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements to truly be called ice cream. One Reddit user said, "First taste and I knew it was fake, as in NOT real ice cream. I looked at the label and it said 'frozen dairy dessert'." FDA requirements state that ice cream must contain at least 10% milkfat, which this product simply doesn't have.

'The other issue people have with Oreo's take on "ice cream" is that the cookie content is pretty weak. Reviews on the official product page are rife with complaints about the tubs not containing a single cookie piece or sometimes just a light sprinkling of cookie bits. One reviewer said, "Excited to try this but totally shocked when I took the lid off and did not see any Oreos. Dug down and still NO OREOS." Some say you'd be better off buying vanilla ice cream and crushing your own Oreos on top.

When Halo Top hit the markets in 2012, people immediately took to the light ice creams that contain fewer calories and sugar than regular ice cream. In 2017, Business Wire reported that it was the best-selling ice cream brand in the United States. The company now has over 25 flavors. But as with all ice cream companies, there's bound to be at least one dud. For more than a few people, that would be the Halo Top Mint Chip ice cream.

One of the problems with this ice cream is that it just doesn't have the smooth consistency of ice cream made with high-fat milk products. That's actually an issue that several people have with Halo Top ice creams in general. Some say the light ice cream is just too icy and granular. The Halo Top Mint Chip also loses fans for being too full-on when it comes to the mint flavor. One Reddit user said, " I looooove mint chocolate chip ice cream, but this one just tasted like toothpaste." Another reviewer commented, "It almost was a little too minty for my liking."

Good Humor is one of those brands that evokes a flood of childhood memories for many people. Depending on how old you are, you may have chased after the ice cream truck to get your frozen dessert fix or got excited when your parents brought home a box of Good Humor ice cream treats from the grocery store. The company has been around since the 1920s, which is a testament to how much people love its products. However, not all the products receive the glowing reviews they once did.

The Strawberry Shortcake Bars are one Good Humor product that many people say has gone downhill. Ideally, the bars should have creamy strawberry and vanilla cores with a thick strawberry shortcake coating on the outside. That's not necessarily what you get though. As one reviewer on Walmart said, "Sometimes there's no cake crunch topping, sometimes it's too much. Sometimes it straight up tastes like coconut, other times you can't even tell it has any." Others comment on the size being smaller, the ice cream being inconsistent, and the flavor being off. Based on the reviews, buying the bars could be a gamble.

Ask any Texan what their favorite brand of ice cream is and there's a good chance Blue Bell will be the answer. The company was founded in Brenham, Texas, in 1907 and was originally a creamery focusing primarily on butter. Ice cream was later added to the mix, and in 1958, the company pivoted to focus primarily on frozen desserts. Today, you can find a vast array of Blue Bell ice cream flavors sold in 23 states (mostly in the South). While some flavors are beloved by many, the Pistachio Almond does not fall in that camp.

You would think that a pistachio ice cream would contain at least some pistachios, but you won't find a single one present in Blue Bell's version. Instead, the ice cream is artificially flavored and colored to mimic pistachio ice cream. It does contain chopped almonds though. One Reddit user said, "Blue Bell Pistachio Almond is a travesty. It tastes like straight-up almond extract and has zero pistachio ingredients." It may give pistachio ice cream vibes, but Blue Bell's version is far from the real deal.

Barbie has been all the rage these days thanks to the hit "Barbie" movie that came out in 2023. The iconic doll also celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2024. To commemorate the event, Turkey Hill released two Barbie frozen dairy desserts: Frosted Cupcake and Strawberry Marshmallow. Neither got particularly good reviews. For example, The Daily Meal said both failed to bring the "Kenergy." Out of the two flavors, the Strawberry Marshmallow tends to get more negative reviews.

There's not much that people like about the Barbie Strawberry Marshmallow from Turkey Hill. People say the color is disappointing, the texture is off, and it's just way too sweet. Some also say they can't taste any marshmallow at all. On Second Scoop, a frozen treat review blog, wrote, "When you take the food science of a frozen dairy dessert that's not that good to begin with, and then add in a 'cheap' swirl, they combine to kind of ruin every bite." The bright pink packaging might catch your eye in the freezer section, but many say this is one product better left at the store.

Vanilla ice cream is the perfect go-to when you want something classic and creamy. It's great for eating on its own, throwing in milkshakes, or pairing with pies and cakes. Ideally, you want it to hit on all points including texture, flavor, and melt rate. Sadly, not all vanilla ice creams follow through. That seems to be the case with Edy's Vanilla Bean ice cream. You may also see it labeled as Dreyer's Vanilla Bean out west.

There's no doubt that Edy's/Dreyer's has legions of long-time fans. But even fans will turn on a brand if it drastically changes a favorite flavor. Many reviewers allude to the fact that the Vanilla Bean used to be delicious, but that it's taken a turn for the worse. One customer said, "For some reason you changed the recipe, turning a simple natural recipe into an over-processed, awful-tasting mess." Another reviewer said in a YouTube video that it tastes like vanilla extract and ends on a "plasticky chemical note." According to many buyers, Edy's/Dreyer's should go back to its original vanilla formula.

Named after founder Jeni Britton, who is a James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker, Jeni's Ice Cream is famous for its interesting flavors. Think Miso Butterscotch Brownie, Goat Cheese with Red Cherries, and Brown Butter Almond Brittle. For the most part, the ice creams get great reviews. One flavor that people are divided on though is the Buttercream Birthday Cake. While some say it's utterly indulgent, others say it's over-the-top sweet.

The Buttercream Birthday Cake ice cream features vanilla buttercream ice cream interspersed with pieces of yellow birthday cake and rainbow sprinkles. While it does achieve its goal of tasting just like a vanilla sheet cake, it's also a sugar bomb. Maybe we're biased because we're not fans of ultra-sweet ice creams, but this one honestly made our teeth hurt. We're not the only ones who think so either. One Reddit user said, "Love Jeni's but this one was way too sweet for me (and I have a serious sweet tooth). Most of it ended up in the bin." Another commented, "Way too sweet and way too many sprinkles." 

Ben & Jerry's is one of the most popular ice cream brands in America and for good reason. Since 1978, the company has been creating high-quality ice cream in a wide variety of flavors. And when we say a wide variety, we mean truly varied. Ben & Jerry's has more ice cream flavors than you'd think with 98 different variations to choose from. While taste is subjective, there is one flavor that many agree just doesn't meet the same standards as Ben & Jerry's other offerings.

The Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch has undergone some changes in recent years. It used to be made with Heath bars, but Ben & Jerry's states that it's now using different toffee bars that are Fairtrade Certified and made with non-GMO ingredients. While that's admirable enough, many customers say the taste just isn't the same as the old version. Some say the toffee overpowers the ice cream and that it's dry and crumbly. One Reddit user said, "I like the coffee ice cream but the massive toffee chunks just taste burnt and overwhelm the entire thing."

If you're a Kroger shopper, you're probably aware that the company makes its own line of ice cream products including tubs of ice cream, dessert bars, and ice cream sandwiches. In general, the ice cream gets decent reviews with many saying it can rival some of the top brands. Unfortunately, the Chocolatey Dipped Frozen Dairy Dessert Bars don't get top billing. One Reddit user even went so far as to call them "The worst ice cream I've ever tasted."

Customers have more than a few qualms with these frozen dairy desserts. Some say the ice cream tastes sour, the chocolate coating has a wax-like consistency, and the ice cream turns weird and foamy instead of melting as it should. Plus, numerous people are put off by the fact that it's a "frozen dairy dessert" instead of real ice cream. One Reddit user also commented, "The key for me is right there in the name. Chocolatey. That means like chocolate but not the real thing. I'll pass anything I see with fake-sounding labels."

To determine which store-bought ice creams rank lowest among the competition, we drew mostly on customer reviews, along with some of our own experiences with these flavors and brands. We considered several criteria including the flavor, texture, and quality of the ingredients in each product. These are the ice creams that scored lowest across the board for failing to meet customer expectations.