We Tried 10 Popular Chocolate Ice Cream Brands — And the Winner Is the One We’ll Be Scooping Forever

Few things are as satisfying as that first bite of a rich, creamy chocolate ice cream (especially on a hot summer day). But with so many pints lining the grocery aisle these days, it’s not always easy to know which one is truly worth making room in the freezer for. Unless, of course, you gather a group of chocolate ice cream lovers to taste them all… Which is what we did. 

We rounded up as many store-bought chocolate ice creams as we could find, and recruited folks in our office to put every pint to the test. It was a delicious, tedious assignment — but someone had to do it!

For this test, we focused on plain chocolate ice cream (this means no brownie or chocolate bits). Then we narrowed the brands down based on availability, popularity, and affordability. They ranged in price from $4 all the way up to $12, although most were around $6 at the time of this tasting. 

After an afternoon of sampling and tallying the scores, we can confidently say this is the one pint we’ll be scooping from forever. 

We recruited six colleagues in our office to taste test 10 different chocolate ice cream brands. Our team of experts (including devoted ice cream fans) ranked the brands across four criteria: looks (we eat with our eyes first), smell, flavor, and texture. To keep things fair, no one knew which brands were included until after the scores were tallied.

Jeni’s Ice Cream Milkiest Chocolate was the clear favorite among our testers. Mara, our director of groceries and shopping, ranked it as her top pick, giving it a perfect five-star rating. She described it as “deeply chocolaty, creamy, rich, old-school, and so good,” adding that it even looks creamy to the eye.

Alex, our assistant editor, was equally impressed by the texture, calling it “dense but still creamy and very, very smooth,” with a rich Dutch chocolate flavor that stood out from the rest. Ali didn’t hold back either, declaring, “Give me an entire bowl of this!”

• Creamy
• Chocolaty 
• “Very smooth”
  

• $$$, but worth it

Buy: Jeni’s Ice Cream Milkiest Chocolate, $13.49 for 16 ounces at Instacart

Edy’s Chocolate Ice Cream won over our panel with its classic chocolate flavor and light, scoopable texture. Alex praised it for being “light, fluffy, and airy,” adding that its chocolate flavor tasted “classic” and almost nostalgic. Marisa, our director of research and consumer insights, agreed on the nostalgic appeal, saying it reminded her of a Fudgsicle. She also noted that it’s easy to scoop, making it an especially approachable freezer staple.

Not everyone loved the texture in the same way, though. Mara said it had an almost frozen yogurt-like consistency that wasn’t quite her favorite. 

• Nostalgic 
• Light and “fluffy”

• A bit too airy, to some

Buy: Edy’s Chocolate Ice Cream, $2.72 for 16.9 ounces at Amazon

Turkey Hill Premium Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream impressed the group with its balanced chocolate flavor and soft, airy texture. Marisa called it her “ideal chocolate ice cream,” and it was one of the standout favorites in the lineup.

Rachelle, our principal marketing manager, described the texture as “foamier, almost like a marshmallow.” It has a lighter feel than some of the richer, denser options. While that softer texture appealed to some tasters, others felt it was a bit too mild for their tastes.

• “Ideal chocolate ice cream.”
• Soft

• A bit too soft, to some

Buy: Turkey Hill Premium Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream, $6.19 for 33.8 ounces at Amazon

Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream earned high marks for its exceptionally light, creamy texture that still delivers a satisfying chocolate experience. Celia described it as “super light and creamy,” adding that it has an almost mousse-like consistency with a nostalgic quality.

Mara was even more enthusiastic, calling it “a chocolate swimming pool”: a fitting description for an ice cream that’s extra smooth and nice. 

• Light and creamy
• Nostalgic

• Some wished for more flavor

Buy: Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream, $6.29 for 14 ounces at Instacart

Breyer’s Chocolate Ice Cream earned praise for its creamy, nostalgic flavor that reminded several tasters of classic frozen treats. Alex said it “tastes almost like chocolate syrup.” Others (like Alex and Mara) found it just as comforting. One tester compared it to a Wendy’s Frosty, calling it creamy and satisfying in a way that feels familiar and approachable.

That said, not everyone was looking for such a mellow chocolate profile. Rachelle felt it simply didn’t deliver enough chocolate flavor; she was hoping for a richer, more intense cocoa taste. Even so, it’s still a plenty delicious pint. 

• Comforting
• Tastes like a Wendy’s Frosty

• Not enough chocolate, for some

Buy: Breyer’s Chocolate Ice Cream, $6.39 for 42 ounces at Instacart 

We recruited six volunteers who work in our office to randomly taste 10 different chocolate ice cream brands. Ahead of the tasting Ali, our associate groceries editor, got a bit creative and made ice buckets and put each of the pints in them (after covering the labels with tape). She assigned each brand a letter — A through J — to conceal their identities ahead of the taste test.

Tasters were encouraged to sample the chocolate ice cream in random order (to avoid giving any particular brand an advantage) before writing down their thoughts. Our team then rated each one on a scale of one to five (1 = No, thanks; 2 = Meh; 3 = Pretty good; 4 = Really like; 5 = Yes, Please!) across four criteria — look, smell, texture, and flavor — and included any specific observations, tasting notes, and general opinions worth mentioning. They were also asked to answer, arguably, the most important question of all: Would you buy this chocolate ice cream?

Did your favorite chocolate ice cream brand make the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: We Tried 10 Popular Chocolate Ice Cream Brands — And the Winner Is the One We’ll Be Eating Forever