The Best Store-Bought Strawberry Ice Cream Brand Is To Die For

Unlike date nut and tutti frutti, old-school ice cream flavors that have nearly vanished, strawberry is an old stand-by that might not be quite as popular as chocolate or vanilla but still manages to hit the spot. Food Republic recently did a taste test and ranked 13 store-bought strawberry ice cream brands, and the winner was no surprise if you know anything at all about good dairy — it was Tillamook's Oregon Strawberry.

Our taste tester wrote, "It's decadent yet light, creamy yet overrun with chunks of strawberry, and well, to put it plainly, it's downright perfect." I would have to agree, having picked up a 1.5-quart carton recently and finished it off within a few days. It was sweet without being overpoweringly so, and somehow Tillamook has managed to make a nationally available ice cream taste fresh — like it was just churned, using newly picked strawberries (the titular Oregon strawberries are indeed picked at their peak ripeness and are renowned for their sweetness).

This ice cream is extremely delicious, and every time I finished a bowl of it (which I could have licked clean, but restrained myself), I was left looking forward to the next day's dessert. Tillamook's Oregon Strawberry ice cream is truly a premium experience, unlike some of the posers who didn't rank nearly as high on our taste test, like Kroger Deluxe.

If you enjoy Tillamook Oregon Strawberry ice cream scooped into a bowl or topping a cone, that's a totally classic way to eat it. But if you were to use it to enhance other desserts, well you'd have something very special indeed. Case in point? Chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches typically feature vanilla ice cream, but if you were to use Tillamook's strawberry flavor instead, not only would the sweet fruitiness complement whatever type of chocolate chips are contained in the cookies, they'd also be a cute pink color (making them a perfect dessert for birthday parties, or wedding and baby showers).

There are also plenty of chocolate and vanilla ice cream cakes out there, but you can really wow your family or guests with a strawberry version (see pro tips for crafting a perfect ice cream cake here), garnished with fresh strawberries. Tillamook's Oregon Strawberry flavor is also perfectly suited for making homemade strawberry crunch ice cream bars, a DIY version of the classic ice cream truck favorite. Picture it: Real strawberry pieces and the creaminess that Tillamook imbues into its ice cream, under a layer of crunchy golden Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries. Texture (and flavor) heaven!