Empire Ice Cream

I think this ice cream relies mostly on great marketing and not so much on a great product. I get that it is a local company and sources all its ingredients locally as well but I don’t think that means you can provide a product that isn’t so great and is on the pricier side as well. I also find the ice cream too sweet.
I agree with the other reviewers that the ice cream isn’t that creamy and it is icy. But I’m actually giving 3 stars because I like ice cream that isn’t that creamy. I also like that they don’t use additives like carageenen but it is possible to have ice cream without additives that has a creamy mouth feel. For example, Straus is my go to ice cream to buy at whole foods and their ice cream is natural and creamy. If only I lived in NoCal, then they’d be considered local.
I think they need to provide better descriptions of the products on the containers. I purchased a pint of salted caramel and a pint of brownie heaven. IDK if it is just my taste buds but I think that both ice creams have the same vanilla ice cream base but that one had salted caramel mixed in and the other had bits of brownie pieces mixed in. So they actually tasted very similar because there isn’t that much caramel/​brownies mixed in. I expected the ice cream base to be salted caramel like molly moon’s. And for some reason, I was expecting the brownie heaven to have a chocolate ice cream base. Perhaps this was my mistake because I didn’t read the label carefully, hence the 3 stars instead of 1 star.
Overall, unless you are trying one of their interesting flavors (like the one with bacon which sounds interesting), I don’t recommend Empire ice cream. I prefer any of the other local ice cream places (Molly Moon’s, Parfait, Blue Bird, etc) over empire.

I don’t understand all the rave reviews. I found this ice cream to be really mediocre. The texture was the most disappointing, not the least beat creamy and actually rather gritty. Some of the flavors were creative, but avoid the white chocolate. None of us liked it at all. I would never buy this again and I’m going to continue my search for good Seattle ice cream.

Damn, these guys make some really great ice cream! I happened upon Empire Ice Cream a few years ago while shopping at Eat Local, where they are sold exclusively (they can also be found at Ballard Farmers Market).
They have a rotating lineup that changes with the season. It is amazing that their ice cream is made with only four ingredients sourced from local farms! From their current list, I have tried the following: Blackberry Swirl, Blueberry Swirl, Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Chocolate Raspberry Swirl, Cinnamon, Fresh Mint w/​Chocolate Chunks, Raspberry Swirl, Salted Caramel, Stumptown Coffee and Vanilla.
I still need to try: Apple Pie, Bacon, Eggnog, Hazelnut Praline, Pumpkin and Sweet Cream
.
They do have sorbets for those that can’t have dairy: Blackberry, Blueberry, Chocolate, Raspberry and Strawberry.
I normally purchase the half pint that runs for about $ 4.
This makes me think of the time when…

Want some? Yeah!
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ME SISTER
Sorry, all mine! Waaaah!
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ME SISTER
Just kidding! I got you one! You’re a punk-​ass bitch!
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ME SISTER
Remember — Sharing is caring!

Can I give it more than 5 stars?
I love ice cream, I eat it regularly, I have eaten it all over the world and I have got to say this is the best I’ve ever had. I can’t decide between the mint and the strawberry basil for my favorite flavor, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. I think the secret, aside from all natural local ingredients, is the cream. I’m not sure what that farmer feeds his cows, but it makes some mighty fine ice cream.
As the total icing on the cake, the owners couldn’t be sweeter. They’re always smiling and laughing while they hand out the samples. I’m always sad when winter rolls around and they leave the Ballard farmers market. Sure, I can get the ice cream at the sweet shop right up the road, but it’s not quite the same somehow.

Currently I’m eating one of their new flavors: heart attack, which is bacon bleu cheese ice cream I got from the U District farmers market. Seriously, this is one of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. They managed to make this extremely rich experience super sweet (with natural beet sugars) and punctuated by little bits of savory bacon. Mmm mmm. I love their other flavors too but this is certainly the best.

NPR did a segment on local ice cream shops during the heat wave and that is how I found out about Empire. And the ice cream they featured was called heart attack and it was made from HEAVY CREAM, BLUE CHEESE, and BACON. I had to find some. After sleeping in and not making it to the UD market I decided to track it down at the Ballard Market.
I met the owner at the Ballard Market and he was kind enough to hold on to my purchase while I continued to walk around the market and when I returned he instantly pulled out my bag and handed it to me which was nice. I also picked up some blueberry lavender and strawberry rhubarb.
All the flavors come in 8 oz tubs for $ 5 each or 3 for $ 13. There are a few non dairy sorbets also if you can’t handle the dairy.

Delicious, natural ice cream in rockin’ flavors: candied bacon, valentina cheese and caramel, fresh mint and chocolate chunks, brown sugar, pomegranate sorbet… yum, yum, yum. Stop by their booth at the Ballard Farmer’s Market, for free samples and $ 4 take-​home tubs. Highly decadent.

Three little words…
Bacon Ice Cream!
Dude, it gets no better. I’ll admit that the Valentina Cheese, Fuji apple and Caramel got my vote for the walk-​around tub while at the Ballard Market on Sunday, but the sublime and well rounded flavor of the Candied Bacon and Hazelnut captured my entire attention after dinner.
Break away from your Vanilla existence and let Empire Ice Cream rock your world.

Brown. Sugar. Ice. Cream.
Oh Yeah. it’s the BOMB! Happiness in a tub, I’m tellin’ ya!
The people at Empire Ice Cream have that whole churnin’ thing down pat! They keep it real by keeping the list of ingredients short. No preservatives, no crazy weird coloring that makes you say, ‘huh?’. Nope. not here.
They’ve taken the old fashioned standby and have put a new spin on it. Their list includes sure to be favorites like Cacao Nib with Choco-​Swirl (made with Theo Cacao Nibs) and Skagit Valley Strawberry, as well as a few that might make raise your brow– ie: Roasted Apricot.
And hey– if sorbets are more your thing, try their Tomato-​Basil (yes, Tomato Basil) or their Sweet Fennel Sorbet, which apparently has a ‘sweet-​anise flavor.’ I’m totally trying that one out next.
At $ 4 a tub, it’s definitely worth it. It’s better than anything you can buy in a store, and their list of ingredients is short. I think the Brown Sugar was all of 4 ingredients. Gotta love that!
Good people, great ice cream, and they’re Seattle based!
FYI– You can also find their stuff at the Magnolia Saturday Market and at ‘Eat Local’ on Queen Anne.