We Tasted 5 Peach Ice Creams, and These Are Our Favorites

Peach ice cream is synonymous with summers in the South. Whether you prefer to make homemade peach ice cream with your fresh farmers' market haul, get your fill with a seasonal Chick-fil-A milkshake, or pick up a pint at the grocery store, you can't go wrong when it comes to peach ice cream during a steaming Southern summer. Nostalgic and regional, quality peach ice cream is coveted by Southern Living editors.

Although we love to support local creameries when ice cream cravings hit, and one editor said peach ice cream "belongs in my grandmother's kitchen," we went to the supermarket for this test so that Southern Living readers in all regions of the South could purchase these flavors if they choose. We tested Halo Top Peaches & Cream, Breyers Peach, Blue Bell Creameries Peaches & Homemade Vanilla, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam, and Publix Premium Peach Ice Cream. Our testers didn't know which brands we were testing, and we pre-scooped each ice cream and hid the containers, so the taste test was totally blind. Here's what our editors thought of each brand.

Publix Premium Peach Ice Cream

Publix brand's peach ice cream held up a surprisingly complex flavor profile with strong floral notes. A nearby shopper actually recommended we try this one, saying it was "amazing," and we're glad we took her advice. Publix brand was the only ice cream that had an actual peach ice cream base rather than vanilla or cream, so when dotted with chunks of peaches, it didn't skimp on peachiness.

Halo Top Peaches & Cream

Testers loved Halo Top's smooth texture that reminded them of gelato or sorbet. At just 320 calories for an entire pint and holding onto a whopping 20 g of protein, Halo Top is always our go-to when we want to indulge and not totally blow out a week of healthy eating. That said, this flavor didn't slack on sweetness. Testers noticed bright floral notes in this pint that had a pretty peachy color.

Blue Bell Creameries Peaches & Homemade Vanilla

Southern-favorite Blue Bell boasted the most vibrant peachy pink hue that reminded our editors of sherbet. Just like most Blue Bell flavors, this one tasted nostalgic and comforting to testers who grew up in the South. Editors loved how creamy and thick scoops of Blue Bell were, and each bite was studded with peach jewels.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam

It should come as no shock that Jeni's was highly rated among our taste testers. Jeni's is always coming out with inventive new flavors, and our editors loved this twist on classic peach ice cream. Testers noted that there wasn't one bit of Jeni's that tasted artificial, and they were right! The peaches for the peach jam portion of the ice cream come from our friends at The Peach Truck, so you know the quality is unbeatable. Crumbled biscuits added a homey, buttery, unexpected surprise to this taste test, and editors couldn't get enough.

Breyers Peach

It came as a bit of a surprise that one of the less artisanal ice creams of the bunch was the favorite, but Breyers blew the rest of the competition out of the water with the most No. 1 votes. Every tester noted Breyers' creamy consistency and natural peach flavor. Soft and smooth vanilla speckled with real peaches struck a chord with our editors, who loved this brand's subtle, not overly sweet flavor.

WATCH: How To Make Fresh Peach Ice Cream

What's your favorite brand of peach ice cream? Although this test was strictly store-bought brands, if there's a Southern-based creamery we should check out, let us know in the comments! If you prefer homemade over everything, get our Fresh Peach Ice Cream Recipe here.