(Adulting is all about budgeting, after all).
But, which chain will give you the best bang for your buck?
Figuring this out was a tough job, but somebody had to do it!
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
I recently visited six major fast-food chains in search of the most delicious vanilla dessert around.
It’s still pretty cheap, though.
I paid just $2.51.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Very traditional soft serve swirl with ridges and a great gradual triangular shape on the cone.
The taste:This ice cream has a very strange aftertaste.
It almost tastes buttery and a little salty, which is nice until the aftertaste kicks in.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
According to theDaily Meal,it lacks the appropriate “butterfat"to qualify.
Since it did taste buttery, there’s still some of that fatty flavor due to the cream.
But, if you’re looking for a classic vanilla ice cream experience, this just isn’t it.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
This one cost me $2.19, which was tied with Burger King as the cheapest option.
The color is super bleached-out white, with no creamy undertones.
Actually, it kind of tastes like Cool Whipbut in a good way.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
It’s very fluffy and sweet, and has a super pleasing, thick texture.
This ice cream also melted super slowly, which I appreciate because I’m a slow eater.
It’s definitely good, but I’m docking points because it’s really hard to taste any vanilla.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
The Shack doesn’t offer a cone, but the dish does come with two hearty scoops.
Because it’s custard, the dessert in question is cream-colored, and more of an off-white.
Since custard has more eggs in it than ice cream, that’s presumably why.
Photo: Caitlin White, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:The custard is really coming through in the flavor!
It’s velvety and eggy with a nice vanilla level.
It’s not super creamy but it is thick.
It’s not a typical vanilla option by any means, but interesting as an alternative.
Like Chick-fil-A, the cone was chipped on the edge.
This can be the downside of soft serve, if it’s not fully frozen.
The taste:Creamy and sweetalmost exactly my platonic ideal.
Flavorwise, it was very good.
Presentation-wise, it needed a little work.
The look:Great presentation.
This ice cream is a pure white, not cream-colored.
In fact, it’s so white it’s almost blueish.
It’s… simply divine.
A small cone cost me $4.89.
The look:This cone has a beautiful, old-fashioned shape.
It’s not the swirl shape, but it still has a gorgeous twisted top.
I’m not sure if I’ve seen a cone this shape before but I immediately loved it.
The taste:It’s very creamy, but also more balanced than anything else.
I sat in the shop eating it all the way down to the cone and it never once dripped.
No melting at all!
It stayed very cold but that never numbed out the taste, which felt magical.
There’s no competition, Dairy Queen remains top of the heap of plain vanilla ice cream!
