A clean vanilla profile (and ingredient list!) were essential.
Key Points
- Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream was a top choice among pastry chefs we spoke with.
- They all appreciate its clean vanilla flavor and simple ingredients.
- Creamy, decadent texture was also a priority with the chefs.
Vanilla may be synonymous with “plain”—but pastry chefs know a good vanilla ice cream is anything but. The best vanilla ice creams feel creamy and decadent, equally enjoyable when paired with pie or eaten on its own. Great vanilla ice cream feels almost luxe. “Vanilla really is a testament to the ice cream maker because there’s nowhere to hide in that flavor profile,” says pastry chef Kristina Schlegel, founder of baking brand Make Bake. Thankfully, you don’t need to buy an artisan ice cream machine to get a great vanilla ice cream experience at home. In fact, four pastry chefs we spoke with all identified one grocery store brand that delivers great texture and true vanilla flavor: Häagen-Dazs.
Why Pastry Chefs Love Häagen-Dazs
The chefs we spoke with all pointed to Häagen-Dazs’ consistency, flavor, and creamy texture when asked why it was a top choice at the grocery store. For Schlegel, she uses it when making homemade ice cream sandwiches or root beer floats, because its flavor pairs well with other ingredients without overshadowing them. “Häagen-Dazs is a category leader for a reason. I feel they have nailed the clean vanilla profile,” she said.
Katherine Sprung, an NYC-based pastry chef, founder of Squish Marshmallows and winner of Food Network’s Chopped: Sweets, said that she likes the creamy, custard-y texture of Häagen-Dazs. “If you’re looking for a really rich and luxurious texture, you can look for custard style ice creams, which incorporate egg yolks,” she explains. Candice Wells, an executive pastry chef at Rosen Hotels & Resorts, echoed that same texture-and-flavor reliability as her top reason for choosing it. Mindy Crosato, owner of Decadent Creations bakery in Portland, Oregon, appreciates that Häagen-Dazs has an intense vanilla flavor profile and is both dependably creamy and widely available.
What Chefs Look For in a Vanilla Ice Cream
When picking out a vanilla ice cream, nearly every chef we interviewed said that real vanilla is crucial. Besides being listed clearly within the ingredients, Crosato said to look for tiny black flecks throughout the ice cream — a clear indicator it contains real vanilla bean. To her, artificial vanilla also has a distinct scent: “You know when you walk into an ice cream store and you smell that waffle cone smell? That’s the artificial vanilla,” Crosato said. “It’s a commercially made flavor… it dominates your palate in a way that natural foods don’t.”
Many ice cream producers also add gums or stabilizers to preserve the ice cream texture during temperature swings while in transit or in the grocery store. Schlegel recommends checking the ingredient list, and avoiding ice creams that contain stabilizers such as guar gum.
Ice cream style is another factor. Custard-style ice creams, including Häagen-Dazs, use egg yolks, giving them a richer, denser texture and a slightly yellow tinge. Philadelphia-style ice creams, such as Jeni’s, skip the eggs but can still be creamy. French-style ice cream, such as Van Leeuwen, takes the custard approach even further, using a higher ratio of egg yolks, resulting in an especially decadent bite.
Finally, chefs pay attention to overrun — the amount of air incorporated into an ice cream during freezing, which most people never think about since it’s a processing technique, rather than an ingredient that’s listed on the label. Higher overrun creates a lighter, fluffier product, like a soft serve. Lower overrun produces a denser ice cream, like gelato. Sprung noted one practical way to spot it without tasting: a lower-overrun pint will feel heavier than a higher-overrun one of the same size, since it contains less air.
Other Favorite Vanilla Ice Creams
Häagen-Dazs wasn’t the only store-bought vanilla ice cream our chefs appreciate. Crosato is a big fan of the organic vanilla bean ice cream from Straus Family Creamery, a California brand that has recently expanded to more stores nationally. Several chefs we spoke with said that Breyers Natural Vanilla is a good, budget-friendly option, too. Tillamook, Ben & Jerry’s, Jeni’s, and Van Leeuwen were also favorites.
Our Expert Take
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream was a favorite of four pastry chefs we spoke to, thanks to its clean vanilla flavor, decadent, custardy base, natural ingredients, and widespread availability. Real vanilla bean, rather than artificial vanilla flavor, is a must for pastry chefs, as is a creamy mouthfeel. Chefs also keep an eye out for gums in the ingredient list. While they are helpful for maintaining a store-bought ice cream’s texture during transit, chefs generally prefer ice creams with fewer ingredients.