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Best ice cream tub brands in Australia

Consumers have chosen the best ice cream tub brands when it comes to taste, value for money, variety and packaging design.

Ericka Pingol
Ericka Pingol

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Best Ice Cream Tubs

Best-Rated Ice Cream Tub Brand: Golden North

If you prefer ice cream out of a tub then Golden North is your best bet. It was the best-rated brand for consistency and variety, and it received high scores for taste and value for money too.

The best ice cream tub brands in Australia

How did we choose the winners?

The 2020 Finder Retail Awards recognise brand sentiment from customer feedback on different retail product categories. Finder worked with leading data, insights and consulting company, Kantar, to conduct thousands of customer interviews around their product purchasing history and satisfaction with their purchased products.

Check out our full methodology.

Top-rated ice cream tub brand: Golden North

Golden North

  • Different flavours available such as boysenberry, vanilla, spearmint and honey
  • Comes in various sizes from 1L to 10L
  • Gluten-free options available
Aussies selected Golden North as the top-rated ice cream tub brand, scoring 8.50/10. It won over Connoisseur, Weis and Magnum, which have scores of 8.44/10, 8.41/10 and 8.37/10, respectively.

For its ice cream products, Golden North uses fresh milk and cream sourced from Aussie farmers. The brand offers a wide range of ice cream flavours, including boysenberry, vanilla, spearmint and honey.

Golden North ice cream tubs come in various sizes – from 1L to 10L. Gluten-free options are available too. You can also get ice creams that are low GI certified by the Glycemic Index Foundation.

Best ice cream tub brand for value for money: Woolworths

  • Wide range of ice cream flavours
  • Dairy-free ice cream options available
  • Low calorie options available
Consumers selected Woolworths as the best ice cream tub brand when it comes to value for money, giving the brand a score of 4.6/5. ALDI also came in highly, scoring 4.56/5, while Coles rated 4.52/5. The other runners-up were Blue Ribbon at 4.42/5 and Golden North at 4.37/5.

Woolworths makes and sells several ice cream tub flavours including chocolate, hokey pokey, vanilla and peanut butter. In addition to a range of dairy-based flavours, Woolworths also offers dairy-free ice creams in a variety of flavours.

Best-tasting ice cream tub brand: Connoisseur

Connoisseur

  • Wide range of ice cream flavour options
  • Plant-based options available
  • Some ice creams are Vegan Australia certified
  • Made from fresh Australian dairy
For taste, Aussies chose Connoisseur as the best ice cream tub brand, scoring 4.76/5. It beat Haagen-Dazs, Golden North and Cadbury, which have scores of 4.74/5, 4.73/5 and 4.72/5, respectively.

Connoisseur offers a wide selection of ice cream flavours, including mango passionfruit, vanilla caramel brownie, cookies & cream and Belgian chocolate. The brand also has plant-based options.

Connoisseur's products are made in Australia with fresh Aussie dairy and no added artificial colours. Some of its ice creams are Vegan Australia certified. Apart from tubs, Connoisseur also offers ice cream multipacks in various flavours such as coconut acai berry, vanilla brownie and Queensland mango.

Best ice cream tub brand for variety: Golden North

Golden North

  • Made of fresh milk sourced from local dairy farms
  • Free of palm oil
  • Offers ice cream multipacks
When it comes to variety, consumers chose Golden North as the best ice cream tub brand. It scored 4.57/5, while Ben & Jerry's scored 4.54/5. The other runners-up were Cadbury at 4.52/5 and Connoisseur at 4.42/5.

Golden North has been producing its ice creams in Laura, South Australia since 1923. The brand's products are made without palm oil. Golden North has a few ice cream tub lines, including Country Style, Simply Indulge and Good 'N Creamy.

Aside from ice cream tubs, Golden North offers ice cream multipacks. You can also get products for an ice creamery and soft-serve ice cream from the brand.

Best ice cream tub brand for consistency: Golden North

Golden North

  • Low-fat options available
  • Some ice creams are nut-free
  • No artificial colouring
Consumers chose Golden North as the best ice cream tub brand for consistency, scoring 4.70/5. It beat Magnum and Cadbury, which both rated 4.66/5, and Weis and Bulla, which scored 4.65/5 and 4.60/5, respectively.

Golden North still uses the same traditional ice cream making method it used in 1923. The brand's products are ethically produced and made from fresh ingredients.

Golden North's Good 'N Creamy line offers ice cream tubs that are gluten-free. The line has a variety of flavours such as wild berries, vanilla and lemoncello. The brand offers low-fat ice creams as well. You can also get tubs that are nut-free and have no artificial colouring.

Methodology

The 2020 Finder Retail Awards recognise brand sentiment from customer feedback on different retail product categories. Finder worked with leading data, insights and consulting company, Kantar, to conduct thousands of customer interviews around their product purchasing history and satisfaction with their purchased products.

Disclaimer: Please refer to our methodology for more information on how we scored and judged Finder Retail Awards candidates. While we endeavour to assess the majority of product providers in the market, this is not always possible and it may be that not every brand in the market was included for judging.

Best-rated ice cream tub brand award breakdown

Overall rating Value for money Taste Variety Consistency
ALDI 4.02 4.56 4.22 3.54 4.18
Ben & Jerry's 4.52 3.82 4.58 4.54 4.42
Blue Ribbon 4.52 4.42 4.54 4.25 4.58
Bulla 4.54 4.32 4.58 4.4 4.6
Cadbury 4.44 4.22 4.72 4.52 4.66
Coles 4.2 4.52 4.26 4 4.42
Connoisseur 4.7 3.82 4.76 4.42 4.56
Golden North 4.63 4.37 4.73 4.57 4.7
Haagen-Dazs 4.64 3.71 4.74 4.19 4.57
Magnum 4.64 3.98 4.68 4.34 4.66
Peters 4.33 4.14 4.49 4.25 4.39
Sara Lee 4.44 3.96 4.58 4.3 4.56
Weis 4.65 4.25 4.45 4.2 4.65
Woolworths 4.26 4.6 4.34 4.04 4.44
Other 4.49 3.95 4.65 3.93 4.51
Data: Finder Retail Brand Survey, 2020, Kantar. Metric out of 5 stars unless indicated. Methodology and more info. Kantar logo

What to look for when buying ice cream?

Consider the following tips when choosing the best ice cream to purchase:

  • Check the ingredients list to see if there are ingredients you can't tolerate. It is better to be sure that the ice cream you're buying doesn't have anything in it that can trigger your allergies. If you're lactose-intolerant, you may want to pick plant-based ice creams, which are also suitable for vegans.
  • When buying at a store, try to press on top of the ice cream's container. If the lid is depressed, the ice cream may have been thawed and has lost some of its freshness.
  • Read the label to see if the ice cream has artificial flavours or colours. Be on the lookout for chemical thickening agents and other additives. You would want to avoid these and choose a product that has healthier ingredients.
  • Select low-sugar and low-calorie ice cream as a healthier option. Some brands offer ice creams that are low in sugar and calorie in a wide range of flavours, too.

How to store ice cream

Most ice cream brands indicate their product's "best before" date on the container. The date pertains to the day when the ice cream may start losing its deliciousness and flavour. The "best before" date is different from the product's shelf life. The latter indicates the length of time the product is still safe to eat.

Storing it properly can help retain the ice cream's tastiness. Make sure to store your favourite dessert in the freezer at below 0°C. If the ice cream starts turning hard, it means your freezer is too warm. You may also want to keep your ice cream in an airtight container to keep moisture and other contaminants at bay, helping the product stay fresh for longer.

Instead of putting your tub of ice cream at the freezer door, store it at the back. The freezer door is prone to temperature changes, resulting in an unpleasant ice cream texture. Storing it at the back, where it is the coolest, will help keep the product's texture smooth.

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