We Tried 8 Ice Cream Sandwich Brands, and No One Saw the Old-School Winner Coming (It’s Been Iconic Since 1925!)
Few treats spark as much nostalgia like the almighty ice cream sandwich. Even now, whenever we hear the melodic siren of an ice cream truck in the distance, we’re instantly transported back to childhood — frantically searching our drawers after school, eager to wrangle up enough quarters to buy one of those delightful treats: a boxy block of creamy vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two soft chocolate wafers.
With countless options at the grocery store, we made it our mission to suss out which ones are the best (and taste just as such from childhood). In our quest for the ultimate ice cream sandwich, we tested eight popular brands — head-to-head — to determine which one delivers the perfect blend of creamy vanilla goodness and soft, chewy chocolate wafers.
The Best Ice Cream Sandwiches at-a-Glance
- Best Ice Cream Sandwich: FatBoy Premium Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Runner-Up: 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Honorable Mention: Nestle Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Best Budget Buy: Aldi Sundae Shoppe Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Worth the Splurge: Nightingale The Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches
The world of ice cream sandwiches is vast. Anything can be described as an ice cream sandwich if you put enough heart into it these days (we’re looking at you, Lotte). But for the purposes of this test, we kept it simple, examining the OG classic ice cream sandwiches — vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate wafers — available on shelves today.
We sourced a variety of name- and store-brand ice cream sandwiches based on availability and price. We also requested input from our editorial team to round out a list of eight contenders. The brands ranged in price (from $3 to $12, though most were around $6 at the time of this tasting) and quantity (from six to 12 sandwiches per box, including one that was individually sold).
As our team of eight tasters quickly discovered, almost all of the ice cream sandwiches looked nearly identical once unwrapped. Of course, there were some slight differences in the ice cream-to-wafer ratio, but their similarities had us wondering if we’d find a distinct winner. (Spoiler: We did!)
In the end, one sandwich stood out, with its creamy vanilla ice cream (where you can actually taste the vanilla flavor) nestled between two ultrasoft chocolate wafers.
Best Ice Cream Sandwich: FatBoy Premium Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
What’s So Great
- Rich, creamy, vanilla-y ice cream
- Great ice cream-to-cookie wafer balance
- “A good traditional choice”
Good to Know
- N/A
Buy: FatBoy Premium Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches, $7.14 for 6 ice cream sandwiches at Instacart
Runner-Up: 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Ice Cream Sandwiches
Just a few points behind FatBoy, the 365 by Whole Foods Market ice cream sandwiches snagged the runner-up spot. The deep chocolatey flavor beautifully rounds out the vanilla ice cream — a few of our tasters even declared this sandwich as their top choice!
Whether it’s the organic ice cream or the rich chocolate-flavored wafers (maybe with notes of dark chocolate?), more than half of us agreed that these ice cream sandwiches look, taste, and remind us of what a great ice cream sandwich should be. Vixon, our video producer, especially loves the flavors of this “classic ice cream and wafer combo” (no artificial taste here). “Soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious,” adds Ali, our associate groceries editor.
What’s So Great
- USDA-Organic certified ingredients
- “This is what I want in my freezer!”
Good to Know
- Available at Whole Foods (in-store) and Amazon (online)
Buy: 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Ice Cream Sandwiches, $5.99 for 6 ice cream sandwiches at Amazon
Honorable Mention: Nestle Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
What’s So Great
- Fudgey-like chocolate wafer
- Subtle vanilla flavor
- Tastes way more $$$
Good to Know
- Chocolate wafer is on softer side
Buy: Nestle Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches, $5.99 for 6 ice cream sandwiches at Instacart
Best Budget: Aldi Sundae Shoppe Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches
Don’t let the price tag fool you. Aldi Sundae Shoppe Vanilla ice cream sandwiches exude a decadence that punches well above its weight — and price. You get a dozen (yes, 12!) of these frozen sandwiches for just $3.15. And we can’t be too surprised, Aldi has time and time again proved that its store-brand products outperform plenty of other groceries in its category. Eh hem, Greek yogurt.
Mara, our senior groceries editor, even compared the ice cream to a “soft serve” at Carvel. Even though it didn’t place as the winner, a few of our testers declared this sandwich as their top choice. It “checks all the boxes” in terms of flavor, texture, and look, says Eric, our chief financial officer.
What’s So Great
- “Rich wafer and good texture”
- Strong vanilla flavor
- Budget buy
Good to Know
- Vanilla has soft-serve vibes
Buy: Aldi Sundae Shoppe Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches, $3.15 for 12 ice cream sandwiches at Instacart
Worth the Splurge: Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwich
What’s So Great
- Brownie-like cookie
- Decadent
- “Thick and tall”
Good to Know
- More $$$ than others
Buy: Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, The Classic, $4.39 for one individually packaged ice cream sandwich at Instacart
How We Tested Ice Cream Sandwich Brands
We recruited eight of our talented ice-cream loving staff members to randomly taste eight classic ice cream sandwiches on grocery shelves right now. Ice cream sandwiches were cut into two-bite-size squares and set out on paper plates by Ola, our culinary assistant. Each one was assigned a letter — from A through H — to conceal the brands’ identities.
Tasters were handed a prepped plate of cut-up sandwiches straight from the freezer and instructed to sample them in random order (to avoid giving any one preferential treatment, of course). We also had water on hand for palate cleansing.
Tasters rated each ice cream sandwich on a scale of one to five (1 = No, thanks; 2 = Meh; 3 = Pretty good; 4 = Really like; 5 = Yes, Please!) across four criteria — look, smell, texture, and flavor — and included any specific observations, tasting notes, and general opinions worth mentioning. They were also asked to answer, arguably, the most important question of all: Would you buy these ice cream sandwiches?
Why You Should Trust Us
To determine which ice cream sandwiches are worth keeping in your freezer, we organized a blind taste test. We recruited eight on-staff testers (including a mix of culinary professionals and self-described ice cream sandwich lovers who work at Apartment Therapy Media, our parent company) to evaluate eight different ice cream sandwiches based on texture, look, smell, eagerness to purchase again, and of course, taste. All participated voluntarily, and we greatly appreciate them for their meaningful insights. After all, spending the afternoon tasting ice cream sandwiches is a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!
During the test, our testers had no knowledge of which ice cream sandwich brands would be involved in the test and sampled each one randomly (as to not give any one particular brand an advantage). Each taster independently filled out a score sheet, to score and rank each dessert without any larger discussion or influence from the group. It was only after all evaluations were completed that we tallied the scores to reveal the winners.
Did your favorite ice cream sandwich brand make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.