If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a big ice cream fan who simply wants to enjoy it without any carrageenan added.
Carrageenan is a naturally derived ingredient commonly used in the food industry for stability, but it has also raised some concerns about its potential health effects.
You likely already know these concerns but we encourage you to read this Healthline article or other trusted sources if you need more information about its potential side effects.
Below you will find a list of popular ice cream brands that do not contain carrageenan or their products are largely free of it. You will also find a list of brands at the end of the article that you may wish to avoid because all or most of the products contain carrageenan.
Use this list as a guide to quickly find carrageenan-free ice cream or brands to avoid at grocery stores.
You should always check the ingredients for carrageenan at the store if you wish to avoid it by reviewing the products ingredients. This is true regardless of what you read here or anywhere else online. The ingredients printed on the product label will be the most accurate an up-to-date.
Alden’s
Alden’s makes organic ice cream produced from milk sourced from family farms. While the company uses stabilizers and emulsifiers like guar gum and locust bean gum, their products contain no carrageenan. Additionally, the ice cream also has no artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, GMOs, or antibiotics.
Breyers
Many flavors of Breyers are carrageenan-free. However, you should be cautious about what flavor you pick if you are avoiding carrageenan since some have it. Be sure to read the ingredients on the label before you buy.
Edy’s/Dreyer’s
You have to be careful about this brand because some products have carrageenan such as its Neapolitan or its Slow Churned Cookie Dough. However, there are plenty of flavors without carrageenan. In other words, you should review the ingredients of Edy’s or Dreyer’s careful to ensure it has no carrageenan.
Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs is one of the most popular premium ice cream brands that is made in America but with a European sounding name. Its one of the best brands for carrageenan-free ice cream but as you probably know, its not cheap.
Halo Top
Halo Top specializes in producing pints of light ice cream which have fewer calories, less sugar, and higher protein compared to a typical ice cream. Based on comments online, carrageenan was once in this ice cream but based on our review of the ingredients, none had this ingredient at the time of this article.
Jeni’s
Jeni’s was launched by Jeni Britton, a James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker, in 2002. Jeni’ s began as a single scoop shop in Columbus, Ohio and has since grown into 65 shops across the country with a presence in grocery stores as well. You can even have it delivered through online orders via the company’s website.
If you’re looking for unique flavors without carrageenan or other potential suspect ingredients, give Jeni’s a try for a high-quality treat.
Rebel
Rebel is known for its keto-friendly ice cream that contains significantly lower carbohydrates and sugars compared to traditional ice cream. It is higher in fats, lower in carbs, and uses low-carb sweeteners to achieve its sweet taste. And yes, there is no carrageenan in it.
Straus Family Creamery
Straus makes super premium organic ice cream. They don’t mess around with nonsense ingredients found in many inferior ice cream products. Its ice cream has zero preservatives, artificial ingredients, coloring, or fillers. Additionally, we verified that all 12 flavors of this ice cream were free of carrageenan at the time of this article.
Talenti
Talenti is a gelato brand made by Unilever. Gelato is Italian for ice cream that is made a bit different from American varieties. It has less air, less cream, and typically lower fat content compared to your standard ice cream. This is a good choice for carrageenan-free options across many flavors.
Tillamook
Tillamook is a premium ice cream brand made by a farmer-owner coop called Tillamook County Creamery Association. They have been making high-quality dairy product for over 100 years. All flavors of ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen custard had no carrageenan at the time of this article.
Turkey Hill
You have to be careful about this ice cream if you plan to purchase it since some varieties contain carrageenan. Look for the Simply Natural flavors that are made with simple natural ingredients without the use of carrageenan.
Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen makes artisanal French ice cream that got its start in the streets of New York in a yellow food truck. The heavy use of egg yolks in this ice cream is why it is considered French. The company prides itself on using good ingredients with carrageenan not being one of the ingredients used to make this delicious ice cream.
Ice Cream Brands With Carrageenan
These are brands that you potential may wish to avoid because all or the majority of flavors have carrageenan:
- Baskin Robbins (At Home Varieties)
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Blue Bell
- Blue Bunny
- Blue Ribbon Classics
- Favorite Day
- Great Value (Walmart Store Brand)
- Hershey’s
- Kroger Deluxe
- Magnum
- Mayfield
- Perry’s
- Signature Select (Albertsons Companies Brand)
- Umpqua