When It Comes To Buying Ice Cream, Walmart Is Way Better Than Aldi

When the craving strikes for some cold, sweet ice cream satisfaction, sometimes you barely have time to get your shoes on, let alone try to make an informed decision about the best source for your frozen dessert. It's a good idea to know ahead of time where your creamy treat is coming from so you can stock up easily whenever possible — and that means taking a close look at your local grocery stores and what they can offer in an ice cream crisis.

In general, deciding where to shop can be a little overwhelming, which is why we did the legwork and took a deep dive into a great debate: Aldi versus Walmart, and which store is better for grocery shopping. And while both Aldi and Walmart stock a selection of ice cream and related products, there's a clear choice for the one that will deliver. Walmart, with its vast selection, superior store-brand offerings, and more wallet-friendly price tags, comes out on top when it comes to your cones (not to mention cups, bars, and pops).

So what gives Walmart the edge over Aldi when it comes to being a favored retailer of frozen desserts? For one thing, range. True ice cream lovers know that this category can be vast, with a diverse selection of brands, flavors, and novelties. Walmart stocks everything from pints to tubs, bars to sandwiches, and cups to pops, as well as dairy-free options, frozen yogurt, and sorbets in both store- and name-brand varieties. From Ben & Jerry's to Breyers, So Delicious to Häagen-Dazs, and Blue Bell to Blue Bunny (plus many more), its got your name-recognition boxes checked.

Aldi, on the other hand, mainly offers pints and cartons, along with a handful of novelties, and most of these are from its store brand, Sundae Shoppe. Especially if your household has a hard time deciding on a single favorite brand, flavor, or format, this is a less-than-ideal scenario. If you do your ice cream shopping at Walmart, everyone is more likely to get exactly what they're looking for, and you won't have to worry about visiting multiple stores for a diversity of options.

Another factor to consider is the proprietary brands each retailer offers. It's true that Specially Selected Vanilla Super Premium Ice Cream is a private-label Aldi ice cream that shoppers love for its short ingredient list, and the store's Sundae Shoppe Strawberries and Cream Rose Cones were one of our sweet August finds for the end of summer.

That said, when we sampled some variants, we did find that some offerings from the standard Sundae Shoppe lineup weren't quite up to snuff in the richness category. Perhaps even more troubling for chunk and swirl lovers is the fact that the brand's mix-in game was weaker than we would have liked.

Walmart's Great Value ice cream didn't just pack more flavor per scoop, but there were many more options to choose from. The Walmart website boasts 45 selections under its Great Value brand, from classics like Cookies & Cream to more unique offerings like Unicorn Sparkle Ice Cream (cake-flavored ice cream with candy confetti pieces and purple frosting swirls), and even Root Beer and Vanilla Float. Walmart also has a slight edge in the price category, with a 48-ounce carton on offer for $2.78 versus Aldi's Sundae Shoppe available in the same size for $3.05 (though prices may vary by location). With this research in hand, it's clear to us that Walmart wins the great ice cream debate. Now, we'll leave it up to you to pick the flavor.