I Tried 6 Store-Bought Vanilla Frostings and This One Tops Them All

I live with an 11–year–old who loves canned vanilla frosting. If she had it her way, she would eat scoops of it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s a good chance she’d also eat it for every snack. I can’t get behind that, but I do understand the joy of peeling off the foil liner on a new can of frosting. Something about the glossy, white whipped contents inside makes you feel like you should absolutely grab a spoon and get to work. And work is what we did. To find the best vanilla frosting of the bunch we tested six cans of store-bought frosting, and here are the results.

How We tested

To remove any bias, all frostings were transferred from the can to a bowl. Each bowl had its own spoon so there wouldn’t be any transfer of contents between brands. Frostings were served at room temperature and testers were encouraged to cleanse their palates with water between tastings.

What We Judged

Flavor was the most important factor for judging, but I also had testers share their thoughts on mouthfeel and texture of the vanilla frosting. I also wanted to know if the frosting left any aftertaste, so I included a question about that. With the judging criteria in place, my testers were ready for work.

The results provided here are subjective. Just because my testers didn’t like something, doesn’t mean it can’t be your favorite. These are simply our opinions, so take them with a grain of salt (or sugar in this case).

Store-Bought Vanilla Frosting Taste Test Results

6th Place: Aldi's Baker's Corner Rich & Creamy Vanilla

This was the thinnest of all the frostings we tested. It didn’t feel rich and luxurious, but it was smooth. It wasn’t overly sweet, which was good, but it had an off-putting artificial vanilla flavor that one tester called, “disturbing.” It also left an unpleasant waxy mouthfeel after eating, which required a big swish of water to remove. We won’t be buying this one again.

5th Place: Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Vanilla

The texture was smooth and creamy, but the taste was what put this frosting in fifth place. It was far too sugary which made it feel one-note and therefore, boring. Testers couldn’t identify any vanilla, but maybe that was because they were consumed with the cloying sweetness of it. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t a favorite among testers either.

4th Place: Miss Jones Organic Vanilla

If texture played a bigger role in judging, this frosting might have landed in last place. Instead of smooth and creamy, this one is weirdly fluffy, lumpy, and grainy. One tester said it felt “starchy” and provided an accompanying scrunchy nose of obvious displeasure. The taste was okay for most testers who could discern vanilla, and liked that it wasn’t overly sweet, but it left a weird taste in our mouths afterwards that no one enjoyed.

3rd Place: Walmart's Great Value Vanilla

Walmart’s frosting tastes eerily similar to our number two on this list, Pillbury. So much so that testers asked if they were the same! It was smooth and creamy, but also very sweet. It had that same waxy mouthfeel as Aldi, but testers didn’t seem to mind it as much with this frosting.

2nd Place: Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Vanilla

If Walmart had a long-lost vanilla frosting cousin, Pillsbury would be it. Results were similar and testers liked it. It had a nice smooth texture and good consistency. It was sweet and tasted like vanilla, but like Walmart and Aldi, left a bit of that waxy mouthfeel after eating.

1st Place Winner: Duncan Hines Creamy Vanilla

Testers loved this frosting! It was thick and creamy and tasted more like traditional frosting than any of the others. It didn’t feel overly sweet and had the least amount of what we’ll call “waxy-fat-mouthfeel.” The vanilla flavor is subtle, but it’s there and this one didn’t leave any weird “feels” or tastes in our mouths after enjoying it. This is the frosting I’ll grab when I don't feel like making my own.