I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream – especially in the summer! With so many brands to choose from, it can be hard to know which ones are actually worth your money. As an ice cream enthusiast, I decided to do some digging to find out if the popular Turkey Hill brand lives up to the hype.
An Overview of Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill is an American ice cream company that’s been around since 1931 They’re based in Pennsylvania and distribute their products across the Eastern and Midwestern United States Turkey Hill offers a wide variety of flavors beyond just the basics like chocolate and vanilla, Some of their most popular flavors include
- Mint Chocolate Chip
- Cookies & Cream
- Salted Caramel
- Natural Vanilla Bean
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
Turkey Hill touts their ice cream as being “all-natural” and free from artificial growth hormones. They use fresh milk and cream from cows not treated with the synthetic hormone rBST.
How Turkey Hill Stacks Up To Other Brands
In my research, I came across two notable rankings of popular ice cream brands that provide some useful insights into how Turkey Hill compares:
Ranking From Mashed
- Turkey Hill came in 5th place out of 12 brands
- It scored 6/10 stars
- The positives: “Every element was solid, from the cookies to the overall flavor to the texture.”
- The review said it was the first brand in their tasting that was “tasty”
Ranking From BuzzFeed
- Turkey Hill ranked 4th out of 8 brands
- It received 6.5/10 stars
- Called it “genuinely pleasant” with a “superb cookie-to-ice cream ratio”
- Said the ice cream was “certainly the creamiest” up to that point
So in both reviews Turkey Hill placed solidly in the middle of the pack – better than some bargain brands but not as premium as Haagen-Dazs or Tillamook. The creaminess and texture were called out as particular positives.
My Own Take on Turkey Hill
To form my own opinion, I picked up a pint of Turkey Hill’s popular Salted Caramel flavor. Here were my thoughts:
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Creaminess – Excellent! Scooped easily right out of the freezer with no iciness. Soft, smooth, creamy texture.
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Flavor – The caramel tasted buttery and rich without being cloyingly sweet. You get noticeable hits of sea salt that balance it out.
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Price – Around $3-4 per pint, very fair pricing for the quality. Significant cheaper than premium brands.
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Packaging – Classic carton with bright colors. Lid adheres tightly and protect the ice cream well.
Overall: 8/10
I was impressed! For a supermarket brand, Turkey Hill tastes like a premium ice cream. The delicious flavors and creamy texture make it a great choice.
When Is Turkey Hill Your Best Bet?
After considering the reviews and doing my own taste test, here is when I would recommend Turkey Hill ice cream:
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You want good quality at a fair price – It’s a big step up from budget ice creams but cheaper than most artisanal brands. The excellent texture and flavors make it a good value.
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You prefer traditional flavors done well – Turkey Hill does classics like chocolate, caramel, and mint chip extremely well. The flavors taste natural and authentic.
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You don’t want too much “stuff” mixed in – Turkey Hill tends to let the ice cream itself shine rather than overload with candy pieces, cookies, etc.
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You need a variety of dietary options – Turkey Hill has several no sugar added and lactose-free choices. Their quality still shines through.
Any Downsides To Know?
No ice cream is perfect, so here are a few potential cons to keep in mind:
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Contains common allergens like milk, wheat, soy, eggs. Always check labels if you have food restrictions.
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Flavors can be hit or miss. Some exotic options don’t execute as well as the classics.
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Melts faster than premium ice creams, so best consumed soon after purchase.
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Only available in the Eastern/Midwestern US. Western shoppers will have to look elsewhere.
The Verdict? Turkey Hill Is A Great Go-To Ice Cream
After comparing expert opinions, trying it myself, and analyzing when it makes sense to choose Turkey Hill, I can confidently say it’s a great quality ice cream at a reasonable price point. The natural flavors and creamy texture give it broad appeal. Ice cream snobs may insist only artisanal brands will do, but Turkey Hill holds its own against many premium competitors while keeping costs down. For my money, it’s a dependable supermarket brand that rarely disappoints. Just stick to the classic flavors and enjoy!
Alden’s Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
FOR ⅔ CUP: 200 calories, 12 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat), 40 mg of sodium, 21 grams of carbs (0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar), 3 grams of protein
This 1.5-quart container of vanilla bean ice cream from Aldens Organic is a lighter dessert with fewer calories, less fat, and slightly less sugar than the more premium ice creams I sampled. It comes from Oregon, and the ingredients are all organic except for the xanthan gum, a texture-enhancer often used in ice creams.
The look: This light and fluffy ice cream contains the tiniest specs of vanilla beans. It develops the telltale ridges of an airier ice cream and scoops into nice round balls with ease.
The taste: This ice cream has a natural vanilla flavor thats neither overwhelming nor a background player. Its nice and flavorful but would be amplified by hot fudge or a slice of pie. This is a great standard lighter ice cream choice if you dont want to go the super-premium route.
PER SERVING (⅔ cup): 80 cal, 6 g fat (3. It has 18 grams of carbs (7 grams of fiber and 0 grams of sugar), 3 grams of protein, and 150 mg of sodium.
I did not expect whats billed as Swedish-style light ice cream—with a fraction of the calories and fat as most of the other ice creams in this test—to mimic the classics so closely. This is a great choice to satisfy an ice cream craving without as much fat and an astounding 0 grams of added sugars, plus 7 grams of fiber. Of course, this is also the most complicated ingredient list of the desserts I sampled, as it contains a “diary protein blend” of milk and whey proteins, allulose, erythritol, and coconut oil.
The look: This ice cream takes a little longer than the others to soften up, but once it does, it’s very light and soft, making it very easy to scoop. Be careful, or you could end up with the whole pint in your bowl! There are few vanilla beans visible.
The taste: I was surprised by how well-balanced and natural-tasting this ice cream was. I don’t like sugar substitutes, but this one didn’t have that chemical aftertaste that erythritol and stevia often do (each serving has a very small amount of stevia). After being mixed just right, this dessert had the perfect soft ice cream texture. It had a nice flavor and was just sweet enough.
Tillamook Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
210 calories, 13 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat), 55 mg of sodium, 23 grams of carbs (0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar), and 4 grams of protein per serving (⅔ cup).
Tillamook makes some of my favorite cheeses, particularly sharp cheddar, so I had high hopes for this family-sized container of old-fashioned vanilla ice cream. According to the label, its made with a “special blend of the very best vanilla.”
The look: Theres nothing remarkable about how this ice cream looks. It has the classic off-white hue you expect from “old-fashioned” vanilla and no vanilla bean speckles. The texture is somewhere between dense and airy. It’s not the richest ice cream I’ve tried, and it’s not so airy that it’s mostly air.
The taste: I loved the scoopable, not-too-dense texture of this ice cream from Tillamook. Its made with egg yolks, which give it a natural custardy texture and flavor. A little more vanilla flavor would have been nice, but this would go well with other ice creams or sundae toppings in general.
Is Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream healthy?
FAQ
Is Turkey Hill considered good ice cream?
What is the #1 ice cream in the world?
Is Turkey Hill ice cream Good?
As far as flavor goes, Turkey Hill is good, but not especially wowing or anything. It’s definitely a notch above your typical store-brand ice cream but it’s also a notch below many of the other brands in terms of decadence and flavor.
Does Turkey Hill have Vanilla Ice Cream?
Turkey Hill may not have the best vanilla ice cream that you’ll find on your grocery store freezer shelf. But its creamy, soft texture is easy to scoop and super affordable. This makes it a great choice for birthday parties and other events. However, don’t buy this brand expecting to enjoy ice cream made with actual vanilla bean.
Does Turkey Hill have Cookies ‘n Cream?
Like most brands, Turkey Hill also has its own Cookies ‘n Cream flavor. It hasn’t received the same complaints about cookie content and instead, is considered to be one of the brand’s best flavors, with a winning duo of vanilla ice cream and chocolate wafer crumble. Looking for an ice cream parlor-style treat?
What ice cream flavors does Turkey Hill offer?
The brand has released a number of new tubs, each of which features three of Turkey Hill’s various ice cream flavors. The American Dream Trio’politan™ blends three fruity flavors: blueberry, vanilla with a strawberry swirl, and strawberry ice cream with chocolate chips.
Is Turkey Hill a real ice cream brand?
Few of the world’s most popular ice cream brands today feature a name that hints at the products they sell, and Turkey Hill is no exception. More than just an odd name for an ice cream brand, Turkey Hill is named after a real-life location in Pennsylvania.
When did Turkey Hill ice cream start?
The company’s owners started producing ice cream in the 1950s with vanilla, chocolate and fresh-fruit flavors, like Peach. In the 1970s, Turkey Hill drivers started to advertise more flavors, such as Egg Nog and Southern Pecan Pie. The seasonal flavors became extremely popular, so the company began making them year-round.