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I have this cute and innocent habit of trying new things under the completely unfounded belief that they can’t possibly be worse than what I’ve already had. So after years of walking past KFC’s ice cream tubs like they owed me money, I finally decided to put them in the spotlight.

Remember when we all collectively side-eyed KFC and called for a boycott back in 2022? Well, it seems they got the memo because they’ve been on a mission to prove they’re down and f heavy with the local brands.

Read Post; Kenyans Once Fought KFC, and They Won

Their burger buns? From DPL Festive. Fries? A collab with Simplifine. Chicken? Straight from Kenchic. And now, the ice cream in question? Dairyland.

Now, I’ll be honest—I’ve never been a Dairyland fan. Their chocolates and ice creams have always been painfully average, not low quality, but average for me.

Also Read: Dairyland’s Attempt at Mint Choc…

If Thanos snapped and wiped out Dairyland from existence, it would take me a solid 2 years to notice, and even then, only if someone brought it up in conversation.

But here’s the wrench: the Dairyland ice cream at KFC isn’t the same stuff you’ll find melting in a supermarket freezer. It’s made exclusively for KFC and even comes dressed in KFC branding.

If you squint at the tub, you’ll see it’s actually produced by Glacier Products, parent company to Dairyland and Mio ice cream brand… but for KFC. So technically, it’s still Dairyland—but Dairyland operating at KFC standards. Which means it’s not just slightly better than the supermarket version. It’s 5x, maybe even 10x better.

But before I dive into reviewing this so-called “KFC ice cream,” let’s first talk about what actually makes an ice cream worth your time, money and calorie intake….If you’re gonna gain weight anyways, it better be on something worth it, right? right?

But First….What Defines a Good Ice Cream?

Ice cream is just like pasta, it’s one of those things if you experience a better version, everything else you had before and that was okay for you at the time, will now taste like garbage, because you have spoiled yourself and know there is better, your standards are elevated.

Try Coldstone, Ben & Jerry’s, and Häagen Dazs in that order to know what real ice cream should taste like, but if you haven’t, I will fill you in. And if you have tried Java’s ice cream, I would say you are halfway there.

Good ice cream isn’t just frozen sugar— It should have rich dairy cream with a high butterfat content (because if you’re gonna cheat the diet, do it properly).

Real egg yolks for that silky smoothness, and as few fillers or stabilizers as possible—because no one craves the taste of “thickening agents.”

The result? A dense, creamy mouthfeel that melts like a dream. If your ice cream doesn’t make you question what led you to eating anything less before, it’s not good enough.

KFC Ice Cream Review

1. A little yapping first,

Walked into this KFC, the cashier hands me my receipt with a smile—like he’s just about to deliver good news. Then he drops the bomb: an 18-minute wait.

Now, I don’t know what part of “fast” in “fast food” that is, considering a decent sit-down restaurant can whip up a meal from scratch in 25 minutes.

Exercising my God-given free will, I figured I’d grab my ice cream first—because if it melts before I taste it by the time I get home, I’ll have no choice but to complain, which wouldn’t be ideal or fair to KFC. Took my frosty little puppy to the table while waiting for my to-go order.

KFC’s ice cream lineup consists of two flavors: salted caramel and vanilla. Solid choices. No strawberry, thank goodness. Strawberry ice cream is never that it, but on yogurt it’s great.

This 250g tub sets you back KSh 290. Now, compared to supermarket ice cream, that’s a premium price. And if I’m paying double or triple, I fully expect it to taste twice as good—or at least not disappoint

Since vanilla is… well, vanilla (see what I did there?), I went for salted caramel. I’ve had the salted caramel cakes at Artcaffe—people worship those—so surely, the ice cream version can’t be that bad. Right? Let’s find out.

2. Taste Test

Before cracking it open, I noticed it had a nice heft to it—dense, a little weighty for its size, which is always a promising sign. A dense ice cream is usually a good ice cream. Same logic applies to cheesecake—the denser, the better. No one wants a cheesecake that jiggles on your plate.

Popped the lid off, and for a jarred ice cream, it actually looked pretty decent. Of course, they include a spoon, and not just any spoon—one of those flat wooden ones. You know, the kind that you taste more than the actual ice cream.

Digging into this ice cream was a bit of a workout—exactly what you’d expect from something frozen solid and dense. But after some determined spoon-wielding, victory was mine.

First taste? It reminded me of cookie dough—not the Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream, but actual, unbaked cookie dough. You know, the kind you flatten before throwing in the oven.

Not exactly the softest thing in the world. That rough, slightly gritty but pleasing texture? Yeah, that’s what’s happening here.

A few bites in, and I uncovered the real issue: this ice cream is good, but it’s not creamy. Like, at all. And last time I checked, the word cream is literally in ice cream.

This, however, has the creaminess of pudding. And I don’t mean that in a good way. Everything else? Solid 10/10.

It’s not loaded with sugar like supermarket ice creams, which is a plus. It’s dense, it’s substantial—it doesn’t feel like flavored whipped cream. This is real-deal ice cream… except for the absence of creaminess.

And yes, I know I keep yapping on the lack of creaminess, but it’s seriously bothering me. This is, without a doubt, the least creamy “nice” ice cream I’ve ever had. At this point, I don’t know if it’s a bug or a feature

You know what dessert is sweet but not creamy? Frozen yogurt. And guess what? This tastes like a denser version of that stuff they serve at Planet Yogurt. And frozen yogurt, unlike ice cream, is not universally loved. Personally? I hate it.

Alright, setting the creaminess crisis aside for a moment—the ice cream itself is actually pretty solid. There are some nuts tossed in and a nice caramel drizzle, especially around the edges and grooves.

The peanuts? Roasted to perfection, adding a subtle nutty flavor. The caramel? Brings in some sweetness without being overbearing.

And for my regular readers, you know I hate caramel—but here, it’s done just right. Not enough to trigger my disgust, so even if you share my caramel dislike, you’ll survive.

Same goes for the nuts—out of the 50 or so spoonfuls I had, maybe three had nuts in them. Just enough to remind you they exist without making it a crunchy invasion like a Snickers bar. If this had even a bit more creaminess, it would be an elite ice cream.

That said, is it better than most supermarket ice creams in the same price range? Absolutely. The closest-priced competitor would be Java House ice cream, so let’s put these two head-to-head and see who wins.

KFC vs Java Salted Caramel Ice Cream

I’ll keep this short and sweet—pun absolutely intended. Java House ice cream is too sweet.

Like, aggressively sweet. Now, I know I have a bit of a sugar sensitivity (which honestly just makes me feel like a responsible adult), but even setting that aside, Java’s ice cream is still on the sugar-heavy side.

That being said, it’s not a bad ice cream—just not for me.

Now, onto texture. Java House ice cream isn’t as dynamic as KFC’s, and it just doesn’t have the same personality. KFC’s ice cream keeps things interesting—one bite is nutty, the next has caramel, and you never really know what’s coming.

Java’s Salted Caramel, on the other hand, tastes exactly the same with every single scoop. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but let’s be honest—we love an ice cream that keeps us guessing. It makes you keep scooping, just to see what’s next.

And another thing—Java House being less dense melts fast. You start eating it, and before you’re even halfway through, the last quarter has already turned into a sad, gooey puddle.

Meanwhile, KFC’s ice cream holds its icy composure right down to the last scoop. That alone gives it an edge.

The only win for Java? It’s definitely creamier than KFC’s. But overall, KFC’s ice cream still takes this round. Not a perfect victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Final Thoughts

KFC’s ice cream is a concrete 7.5/10—good density, not overly sweet, and keeps things interesting with its mix of nuts and caramel. But that lack of creaminess? Yeah, that’s a downer.

Java House ice cream comes in at 7/10—creamier, but way too sweet and melts faster than it should.

Now, if we’re talking premium ice cream, Ben & Jerry’s is a strong 9.5/10. They just get ice cream—perfect balance of creaminess, mix-ins, and flavor variety.

Cold Stone? Easy 10/10. Their ice cream is luxurious, with excellent creaminess, richness, velvety texture, and mix-ins that make every bite worth it. Also, Coldstone ice creams are freshly made daily, so none of these jarred ones can hold a candle to it

Häagen-Dazs sits comfortably at 8.5/10—classic, high-quality, but sometimes plays it a little too safe.

So, KFC ice cream? A decent contender in its price range, but let’s not pretend it’s competing with the big boys mentioned.

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