Ice Cream Study Snubs Blue Bell as Texas Favorite

Here’s what I know about Texas: Texans love their steak, BBQ, dogs, and their ice cream. When it comes to the meat, just about every Texan has their secret to a good brisket, and if you cook your steak above medium, you're ruining it. However, when it comes to ice cream, if you ask just about any Texan their favorite, they will tell you it's Blue Bell.

Of course, it's Blue Bell because Blue Bell is made right here in Texas, in Brenham.  Just how much do Texans love their Blue Bell? They take family trips to Blue Bell for the self-guided tour at the creamery.  They get to see how the ice cream is made, walk through the museum, and then enjoy a scoop of ice cream.

They buy Blue Bell charms from James Avery (another Texas-born business), and just about every ice cream shop all over Texas serves up Blue Bell.

Read More: Texas Town Named Official Ice Cream Capital

Is Blue Bell Texas’ Favorite Ice Cream?

The favorite flavor? It's a toss-up between vanilla and Neapolitan. But since Neapolitan has vanilla, we'll call vanilla the favorite.

Read More: Blue Bell Brings Back Homemade in the Shade Ice Cream

As I was checking my email this morning, I'll admit I got a good laugh, especially when the email told me that Texas' favorite ice cream was some unfamiliar brand. I laughed so hard I think my laugh shook the building. I mean, really, it's Texas, so I called bull on this particular study.

The Ice Cream Study That Shocked Texans

The study found that Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream was the fan favorite of Texas. Jeni who?

Now, don't get me wrong, I have never tried Jeni's ice cream, much less heard of Jeni's ice cream (I could be living in a bubble). It truly could be the bees' knees when it comes to ice cream, but the Texas favorite? Nah! I'm wondering if Jeni paid for this study?

Apparently, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is the favorite in 13 states, and Blue Bell didn’t show up in even one state?  Something isn't churning here.

Why the Results Don’t Add Up

The study used Google Trends to determine the most searched packaged ice cream brand in each state. Well, there you have it, just because people are searching for it, doesn't mean it's their favorite. Most people don't search for their favorites; they just go to the store and buy them. They search for things they heard about or might be interested in trying. Heck, I even added to the Google Trends search when I looked up Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.

What’s the Hype About Jeni's Ice Cream?

Jeni's was founded in Ohio by James Beard winner Jeni Britton, who wrote a book on ice cream.  Looking at the many flavors of Jeni's ice cream, they sound unique and delicious, and I look forward to trying them.

The Real Cost of Jeni’s Ice Cream in Texas

However, the only place you can purchase Jeni's Ice Cream in Texas is in the bigger cities like Dallas and Austin, and some H-E-Bs, but you can buy it on their website and have it shipped. It's $12 a pint, with a minimum of 5 pints, and at least $19 for shipping. So you'd be paying about $80 for less than 1 gallon of ice cream.

I'll just stick to my good ol' Homemade Vanilla from Blue Bell. You can get 3 pints of that for $12 or a gallon for less than $8.