Butter pecan ice cream, a timeless classic, captivates many taste buds with its rich, nutty flavor profile. As delectable as it is, finding the perfect brand can make all the difference for an indulgent experience. From artisanal creators to renowned ice cream companies, the market is filled with options that promise creamy, flavorful delight in every scoop. Curious to find out which brands stand out for their unmatched quality and taste? Explore the list below to discover the top picks for the best butter pecan ice cream.
Illustration of butter pecan ice cream
Best brands of butter pecan ice cream in 2025
Häagen-Dazs
Haagen-Dazs, founded by Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in 1961, is renowned for its luxurious and creamy ice cream, particularly its Butter Pecan flavor, which combines buttery roasted pecans with a rich, velvety sweet cream base. This super-premium ice cream boasts a higher percentage of butterfat, at 16%, and minimal air content, enhancing its creamy texture. The Butter Pecan flavor, though ranked lower in some reviews, is still a classic made with high-quality ingredients, including no artificial flavorings or preservatives. Haagen-Dazs uses cream and milk from cows not treated with the growth hormone rBST, ensuring a natural and rich taste. With its simple yet effective ingredients, Haagen-Dazs remains a top choice for ice cream enthusiasts. Discover more about their Butter Pecan ice cream.
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is renowned for its rich and creamy butter pecan ice cream, featuring roasted pecans that enhance the nutty and buttery flavors. This flavor is part of their extensive lineup, which includes limited edition flavors like the Pecan Pie ice cream introduced in Fall 2023, known for its buttery ice cream, pecans, pie crust pieces, and thick caramel swirls. The brand's commitment to quality ingredients, such as egg yolks, brown sugar, and vanilla extract, contributes to the exceptional taste. Ben & Jerry's has been a favorite among ice cream enthusiasts since its inception, and their butter pecan flavor is a testament to their expertise in blending unique ingredients. With a history dating back to the late 1800s for butter pecan ice cream, Ben & Jerry's continues to innovate and delight consumers. For more information on their butter pecan ice cream, you can visit their official page.
Tillamook
Tillamook, though facing mixed reviews, is often considered a notable producer of butter pecan ice cream, with some fans appreciating its rich, buttery flavor profile. However, the flavor has an average 3.5-star rating on Walmart's website, indicating some disappointment among consumers who feel it does not align with their expectations of traditional butter pecan ice cream. Despite this, Tillamook's commitment to quality dairy products is evident, as seen in their other well-received flavors. The brand's butter pecan ice cream is part of their extensive range, which includes other popular flavors like Chocolate Peanut Butter and Marionberry Pie. While opinions are divided, Tillamook remains a significant player in the ice cream market. More details about their Butter Pecan Ice Cream can be found on their official product page.
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins, founded in 1945, is renowned as the world's largest chain of premium ice cream, with over 6,700 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. The brand is particularly famous for its 'Old Fashioned Butter Pecan' ice cream, a favorite among loyal customers. In Malaysia, Baskin-Robbins maintains a strong presence with over 100 outlets, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. The brand's systemwide sales in the United States alone reached approximately $615.3 million in 2019. Baskin-Robbins' global reach and consistent quality have solidified its position as a top choice for ice cream enthusiasts. To learn more about their offerings, you can visit the official website here.
Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill is renowned for its delicious butter pecan ice cream, which stands out for its creamy texture and generous inclusion of roasted pecan pieces. Ranked among the best store-bought options, Turkey Hill's butter pecan ice cream is appreciated for its buttery flavor and nutty finish, although it may have a slightly bitter texture and an icy consistency in some cases. Each serving of Turkey Hill's Butter Pecan ice cream contains 160 calories, 6g of total fat, and 23g of total carbohydrates, with 10% of the daily value for calcium and 4% for potassium. The brand uses milk from local cows within 75 miles of their Conestoga, PA facility, ensuring high-quality dairy products. Despite some variations in texture and flavor, Turkey Hill's butter pecan remains a popular choice among ice cream enthusiasts.
Blue Bell
Blue Bell is renowned as one of the best producers of butter pecan ice cream, particularly popular in the Southern and Midwest regions of the United States. The company, based in Texas, has garnered a significant market share, with 52% in its home state and 35% in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, within just five months of entry. Blue Bell's Buttered Pecan flavor features rich, butter pecan ice cream with lightly salted, roasted pecan halves. As of 2014, Blue Bell was the best-selling ice cream brand in the U.S., and it remains a top choice, being the most-searched national ice cream brand in 22 states according to Google Trends data.
Graeter's
Graeter's is renowned as one of the best producers of butter pecan ice cream, leveraging its 150-year legacy and the unique French pot freezer process to create exceptionally smooth and rich ice cream. Since 1870, the family-owned company has maintained its traditional methods, producing only 2.5 gallons at a time, which results in ice cream with minimal trapped air. Graeter's Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan flavor, introduced in 2019, features bourbon-glazed pecan pieces in a brown butter bourbon ice cream base, enhancing the flavor with a nutty, toasted bite. This limited edition flavor replaces the discontinued Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip and is praised for its balanced blend of booze and brown butter. With annual sales of around $30 million, Graeter's ice cream is a staple in over 4,000 grocery stores across the United States. For more information, you can explore their limited edition Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan.
Talenti
Talenti's Southern Butter Pecan Gelato stands out as a premium offering in the butter pecan ice cream category, renowned for its rich, creamy base, roasted buttery pecans, and a swirl of dulce de leche. Introduced in 2013, this gelato boasts a smooth and nutty flavor profile, with a caramel base that is both soft and flavorful. It contains 17g of total fat and 31g of sugars per 129g serving, making it an indulgent treat. The gelato is made with high-quality ingredients, including milk, cream, and egg yolks, ensuring a dense and creamy texture. With a 4.3 out of 5-star rating from numerous reviews, Talenti's Southern Butter Pecan Gelato is a favorite among gelato enthusiasts. For more details, you can explore the Southern Butter Pecan Gelato on their website.
Breyers
Breyers, once a trusted brand for its high-quality ice cream, has faced criticism for its transition to producing "Frozen Dairy Dessert" instead of traditional ice cream. Despite this, their Butter Pecan flavor, made with real butter-roasted pecans and high-quality ingredients like 100% Grade A milk and cream, remains a popular choice. However, the use of additives and stabilizers, such as corn syrup and vegetable gums, has altered the product's consistency and taste. Historically, Breyers was known for its simplicity and natural ingredients, but changes in formulation have led to a decline in customer satisfaction. The brand's shift away from its "all natural" label, particularly noticeable since the early 2000s, has been a point of contention.
Kroger's Private Selection
Kroger's Private Selection brand is highly regarded for its Southern Butter Pecan Ice Cream, praised for its rich, custard-based texture and the freshness of its pecans. This ice cream features a luxurious blend of creamy milk, cream, and golden butter, sweetened with sugar and molasses, and is studded with crunchy buttered pecans. Despite some suggestions for improvement, such as roasting the pecans and enhancing the butter flavor, it remains a top choice, scoring 82 out of 100 in reviews. The product is part of a broader ice cream category that saw significant sales growth, with dollar sales in the ice cream subcategory increasing by 13.4% in 2020. Private Selection products are known for their premium ingredients and extraordinary taste.
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