KUSA - Consumer Reports went shopping for the best butter pecan ice cream, and the winner was Haagen-Dazs - but not by a wide margin.
The Haagen-Dazs was pricey, at $3.91 for just 14-ounces. While it was terrific tasting, it is loaded with fat and calories. One serving has 300 calories, 22 grams of fat and 17 grams of sugar.
A very close second was the least expensive ice cream in the test: the Great Value Butter Pecan from Walmart. The 1.5-quart container was $2.77 and rated very high on the "yum" scale.
Testers said it was very flavorful. It's only fault is that it was a little bit icy. It also had almost half the fat and calories of the Haagen-Dazs, with only 160 calories per serving, 10 grams of fat and 33 grams of sugar.
Blue Bunny was third at $3.50 for a 1.75 quart container. It was hurt in the competition because testers say while it had great vanilla and custard notes, it was sparse on nuts. It comes in at 150-calories per serving, with 9 grams of fat and 13 grams of sugar.
The last place finisher was Turkey Hill Butter Pecan. It sells for $3.99 for a 1.5 quart container. Turkey Hill has wonderful butterscotch notes with a touch of vanilla, salt and custard. However, it lost points for its pecans, which were a little bitter, and has a slightly icy texture as well.
Kroger's ice creams drew honorable mention for both price and quality, but generally could not compete with the big name brands in this category.
