A scoop of chocolate ice cream ranks pretty high on my list of top foods. Out of all of the possible ice cream flavors, this classic is my favorite. It’s easy to find at ice cream shops and most ice cream brands at the grocery store taste pretty good. But, as a diehard fan, I wanted to find the very best.
Which store-bought chocolate ice cream delivers the biggest chocolate flavor with a creamy, rich texture? I tried six popular brands and found my winner.
How I Chose and Tested the Chocolate Ice Creams
I mentioned that it’s easy to find chocolate ice cream, but other items are often added, such as brownie pieces, fudge swirls, and chocolate chips. I did my best to avoid those varieties to keep the judging based on chocolate flavor alone. I only chose ice cream available at large chain grocery stores, and all were less than $6 per carton.
Thankfully, testing ice cream is a pretty good gig, and it was easy to enlist a handful of testers, including kids and adults. We took the ice creams out of the freezer and waited five minutes before scooping them into separate, unlabeled bowls. We allowed the ice cream to warm a bit, then we judged the flavor and texture of each. We were in search of big chocolate flavor with subtle sweetness, and a creamy, luxurious texture. Here are the results.
The Best Store-Bought Chocolate Ice Creams, Ranked
6th Place: Kemps
Sara Haas
If you like chocolate, but don’t love chocolate, then Kemps might be your winner. Testers found the light, airy texture intriguing, but the flavor too subtle. Its lack of cocoa taste even led one tester to proclaim, “This can’t be chocolate!” It wasn’t our top pick, but might be a good option for an ice cream sandwich or other frozen dessert.
5th Place: Blue Bunny
Sara Haas
Its oddly airy texture and ultra-softness had my kid tester going crazy. She loved how “fluffy” (her words) it was and asked for a second scoop. My older testers agreed the texture was fun and enjoyable, but it didn’t have the chocolate flavor they wanted. Bottom line, save this one for the kids and buy yourself the winning pint.
4th Place: Edy’s
Sara Haas
Some ice creams are stand-alone successes. To pair them with anything would just be cruel. That is not the case for Edy’s. While enjoyable, testers agreed that there wasn’t much chocolate flavor or enough creaminess when compared to the other brands we tried. One tester described it as “mild and easy to eat,” which I felt meant, “It’s OK.” We all agreed that it would be a perfect accompaniment for cake or as the base for a sundae.
3rd Place: Breyers
Sara Haas
This ice cream was one of the most deeply-colored of the bunch, so we anticipated an equally deep chocolate flavor. While we did taste chocolate, it wasn’t to the same degree as our winner. It was also creamy, but definitely not as rich and smooth as our top two brands. That said, we liked it, especially for the price, just not quite as much as our second-place finisher and winner.
2nd Place: Tillamook
Sara Haas
Tillamook does ice cream well and their chocolate flavor doesn’t disappoint. It was one of the smoothest versions we tested, with a luxurious texture that made us all want to slow down and enjoy. The chocolate was good, likely pleasing to many palates, which is why it’s easily the “everyone will like it” pick. If you need to please a crowd, this is the chocolate ice cream you should grab.
Winner: Häagen-Dazs
Sara Haas
It’s decadent, it’s delicious, it’s truly the perfect chocolate ice cream. This was the only one on the list that delivered big, bold chocolate flavor. It was creamy, rich, and each bite was “perfect,” claimed one tester. Häagen-Dazs, which also won our vanilla ice cream taste test, is the most expensive of the bunch, but we all agreed that a small scoop was enough to satisfy our chocolate ice cream cravings. If you’re after a classic scoop of chocolate ice cream, this is by far the best!
