Is it Cheaper to buy Ice Cream or make it?

I have heard that there are people that aren’t a fan of ice cream, but fortunately none of those people live in my house! We don’t splurge too much on ice cream but when I am being lazy for a dessert, ice cream is just so easy and always a winner.

We typically only buy ice cream for special occasions or when it is on a super sale, so this got me wondering if it was cheaper to just make it myself instead of buying it. Let’s breakdown the costs of homemade versus store bought ice cream!

How much does it cost to make homemade ice cream?

The recipe we are going to use for homemade is a very basic vanilla but has a ton of positive reviews. You can see the full recipe here.

Ingredients	Cost
1 3/4 cups of heavy cream	$2.25
1 1/4 cups of whole milk	$0.30
3/4 cup of sugar	$0.26
1/8 tsp of salt	$0.01
1 tbsp vanilla extract	$0.06
Total Cost: $2.88 (6 servings)	Cost per Serving: $0.48

We priced out this very basic recipe at my local Walmart and we used all Great Value brand items. The total cost per serving of homemade vanilla ice cream came out to $0.48 per serving.

What is the average price of ice cream?

To keep all things relative, we are going to price out Vanilla Ice Cream at a few different stores to get the average price per serving of store-bought ice cream.

Ice Cream	Cost & Number of Servings	Cost per Serving
Breyers Homemade Vanilla	$4.29 (Food Lion) 9 servings	$0.48
Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla	$5.99 (Meijer) 9 servings	$0.66
Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla	$7.98 (Walmart) 12 servings	$0.66
Kroger Vividly Vanilla	$2.79 (Kroger) 9 servings	$0.31
Belmont Vanilla Bean	$2.45 (Aldi) 9 servings	$0.27
Homemade Brand Vanilla	$6.49 (The Fresh Market) 12 servings	$0.54
Mayfield Homemade Vanilla	$6.97 (Publix) 9 servings	$0.77
	Average Cost per Serving:	$0.52

We shopped at 7 stores and found lots of ice cream labelled as Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. The average of these 7 brands of ice cream came out to $0.52 per serving.

Is it cheaper to make your own ice cream?

When we compare the costs per serving of homemade vanilla ice cream and the store-bought vanilla ice cream the difference was very minimal. The homemade version was $0.48 a serving versus store bought version was $0.52 a serving.

If we judge based just on store brand like Kroger ($0.31 per serving) or discount brand like Aldi ($0.27 per serving), then it is cheaper to buy ice cream then to make it.

If we judge based on name brands like Tillamook ($0.66 a serving) and Mayfield ($0.77 per serving) then, making ice cream is cheaper than buying.

So, this comparison really comes down to the type of ice cream that you typically buy.

What is the difference between homemade ice cream and store bought?

The number one difference in homemade versus store bought ice cream is going to be flavor! As with most things, the homemade version just tastes better because it is not full of preservatives.

That brings me to the number 2 difference being that you know exactly what is in your homemade ice cream. Major Name Brands like Mayfield and Tillamook tend to have a very clear and short list of ingredients.

Other brands like store brands and discount brands may have longer lists of ingredients that include artificial flavors and lots of preservatives to extend shelf life.

Is it worth making ice cream at home?

If you have an ice cream maker at home, making ice cream typically just involves warming some ingredients in a saucepan and then adding flavorings. You then pour the mixture into you maker and let it work.

You can also get a hand churn ice cream maker, where you put some sweat equity into making your ice cream. There are also ways to make ice cream in a blender.

Whichever way you choose to make ice cream, make it a family activity. Young kids especially love to add their own special addons like sprinkles, cookies, or chocolate chips.

The look on my children’s face when they make their own ice cream is priceless and a memory made for them. The store-bought ice cream may be more convenient, but it just won’t generate those wholesome family moments.

If your family typically eats a lot of ice cream, then it may be worth picking up an ice cream maker and making your own. If you don’t tend to eat ice cream very often, it may be more practical to just buy it at the store.

To get the best tasting ice cream at the store, make sure to look over the list of ingredients. The cheaper versions tend to not taste as good as the ones that use better quality ingredients.

For more price comparisons of making it yourself versus buying, check out “Is it cheaper to make or buy Rice Crispy Treats?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Potato Salad?“