All chocolate ice cream is pretty good, right? Maybe so. But if your preferred brand is at
the bottom of this list, you may want to expand your horizons beyond "pretty good."
Ah, store brand ice cream. There are some really great store-brand chocolate ice creams out there,
worthy of scooping onto a crisp sugar cone or
piling high with sundae toppings. Kroger Deluxe Chocolate Paradise is not one of them.
Why does this affordable chocolate ice cream find itself at the tail-end of our ranking? It's
all about unnatural flavor. Cocoa doesn't show up on this ice cream's ingredients list until
five ingredients in. The first several ingredients, and predominant flavors,
are milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup. It's an intensely sweet scoop,
with an artificial underlying flavor, and very little real chocolate taste.
Kroger's ice cream uses polysorbate 80, along with a host of other ingredients, as an emulsifier.
According to Ice Cream Science, it's a highly effective emulsifier in ice cream, helping to
create a smoother texture and prevent premature melting. Still, the overuse of polysorbate 80
can lead to an off-putting flavor in your ice cream when it's been stored for a while.
You'd expect chocolate ice cream from a premium retailer like Whole Foods to rank high on the
list. The general consensus for this flavor is that it's weak and lacks that rich chocolatey
oomph we all crave from chocolate ice cream. It's a disappointing scoop, and ultimately forgettable.
Perhaps it's the organic dark chocolate base that fails to deliver. It's a combination
of cane sugar, water, cocoa powder, natural flavor, citric acid, and salt. Natural flavors,
like artificial flavors, are synthesized in a lab then industrially manufactured at a
production plant. The FDA doesn't require brands to print what's in their natural
flavors on food labels — unless they contain a common allergen — according to Bon Appétit.
Interestingly, it's only the 365 Everyday Value chocolate ice cream that earns so much ire at
Whole Foods. Their 365 by Whole Foods Market chocolate ice cream has a dedicated fan base.
One reviewer on Amazon proclaimed:
"I don't know what kind of chocolate they use, but this is one of the most delicious chocolate
ice creams I have ever had. The chocolate flavor was rich, and my kids adore it."
So, if you're craving chocolate ice cream at Whole Foods, skip the Everyday Value option,
and go for the 365 by Whole Foods Market line.
"It tastes good when days are hot. On a cone or in a dish,
this would be my only wish, vanilla, chocolate, rocky road, even with pie alamode."
A lighter option on this list, Halo Top is popular among people trying to make
healthier choices. Sadly, it comes with some sacrifice. This chocolate ice cream
just does not measure up to the classic, sugar-laden varieties.
Halo Top ice creams are known for their solid nutritional profile relative to traditional ice
cream. You can enjoy a whole pint for only 280 to 380 calories, along with a healthy protein boost.
The brand's chocolate pint clocks in at 300 calories and 19 grams of protein.
While we can't knock those stats, this ice cream is,
well, barely ice cream. It's icy, grainy, and totally lacks a robust chocolate flavor.
If you're hoping to enjoy something smooth and creamy, this won't be it.
One reviewer complained the texture is icy and watery.
The explained on Halo Top's chocolate pint website that the ice cream is:
"A sad excuse for ‘ice cream.’ It isn't creamy.
It doesn't have a ton of flavor. This is probably the blandest chocolate flavor of 'ice cream'
I've ever had. And they're super expensive for essentially frozen flavored water."
If you're hoping to enjoy a healthier chocolate dessert, there's better out there.
When we're talking about chocolate ice cream, the better varieties will boast richer
chocolate flavor. Blue Bunny has more of a milk chocolate flavor,
meaning it's heavy on the sugar and low on the actual chocolate.
When we say heavy on the sugar, we mean a scoop of this ice cream will hit you
with a saccharine punch. It's like candy. For that reason, children might love it,
but if you're looking for real chocolate flavor, we'd head further down this list.
It's fair to say you, like us, probably grew up enjoying Breyers chocolate ice cream here
and there. It's a perfectly acceptable scoop, but it's just that, acceptable.
Breyers does boast a relatively simple ingredients list, with ingredients like milk, cream, sugar,
Dutched cocoa, whey, and tara gum. It is infused with natural flavor.
That's not to say Breyers is bad because it has natural flavors;
it just tastes a bit more artificial than some of the top-ranking ice creams on this list.
Some people also complain about Breyers chocolate ice cream texture,
saying it doesn't freeze correctly and isn't a solid ice cream.
One reviewer explained on the Breyers chocolate ice cream website:
"I used to LOVE this ice cream and the hard frozen texture but the last 3 containers I
have bought do not freeze. The texture is more like a whipped cream texture."
Depending on where you live, you'll know this chocolate ice cream by the Edy's or Dreyer's name,
which have been interchangeable since 1928. Whatever the name, it's a mediocre chocolate
ice cream. It's the chocolate ice cream most likely to be served at kid's birthday parties
and family gatherings, and we get it. It's sweet and creamy enough to qualify as ice cream.
It's affordable. It's available on every grocery store freezer aisle.
Nobody is going to be mad that they were served a scoop of Edy's/Dreyer's chocolate ice cream
alongside a sugary slice of birthday cake. They're just not likely to be very excited.
Why? Edy's/Dreyer's chocolate ice cream is overly sweet, with a passably creamy texture and very
little complex chocolate flavor or characteristic bitterness. It might be a favorite among people
with straightforward tastes, like kids and adults who enjoy milk chocolate over dark chocolate.
While the Edy's/Dreyer's chocolate ice cream website pulls mostly positive
reviews, one reviewer did complain that the ice cream tastes artificial.
They said:
"It lacks the rich heaviness of real, whole-milk ice cream. The additives used for thickening
melt into froth, and there is way too much sugar and not enough cocoa."
This chocolate ice cream is strictly middle of the road, with a pleasantly sweet flavor, but not much
richness. It is nice that it's a straightforward flavor with minimal ingredients — if you're
looking for that. As an "all natural" offering, you'll find easy-to-pronounce
ingredients like cream, sugar, cocoa, honey, unsweetened Belgian chocolate, and more.
The problem with this ice cream lies in that it's reasonably tasty, but not good
enough to usurp our top five contenders. One reviewer at MassLive called the treat:
"Soft and creamy, although not as rich as some of the gourmet,
high-end ice cream pints I've sampled."
She rates it favorably, but does note that a more dense formula would be better. So,
if you happen to purchase Turkey Hill All Natural Belgian Style Chocolate,
will you be a sad camper? Probably not. But you won't be super impressed, either.
If you love the robust, slightly bitter flavor of dark chocolate,
Trader Joe's ultra chocolate ice cream might be the one for you.
It's the closest you can get to eating a dark chocolate bar in ice cream form.
With so many unique creations on the freezer aisle of Trader Joe's,
it's easy to look past the classic offerings. This chocolate ice cream is worth a buy, though,
if you're at Trader Joe's and craving something simple and chocolatey. One reviewer at Freezer
Meal Frenzy calls it, quote, "astonishingly flavorful," with a rich, fudge-like profile.
Trader Joe's recommends serving an indulgent scoop in a sweet sugar cone for textural contrast.
If you'd like to jazz up your scoop, at Trader Joe's look for the latest fun chocolate bar to
crumble on top for extra richness, or pick up a carton of their shelf-stable whipping cream.
Yeah, this chocolate ice cream goes incredibly well with some freshly-made whipped cream.
Häagen-Dazs offers the perfect little pint of chocolate ice cream when you're
looking to indulge, with ice cream that's creamy and rich. That's because it's one of
the few major ice cream brands to not use stabilizers like guar gum or xanthan gum.
They use only eggs to stabilize their ice cream, creating a slow-melting ice cream with a silky
mouthfeel. You can rest assured that a pint of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream won't melt the
moment your spoon makes contact. Eggs also help to create a custard-like body in the ice cream,
and they prolong its shelf life by inhibiting thawing and refreezing, according to Serious Eats.
Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream only features five straightforward ingredients: cream, skim milk,
cane sugar, cocoa, and egg yolks.
You may associate Ben & Jerry's with all sorts of inventive flavors,
but it turns out, they do a simple chocolate ice cream really well. Still,
their Chocolate Therapy pint does feature a few bells and whistles; it's a medley
of classic chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, and chocolate pudding ice cream.
"Okay, I think I know what would help right now."
"What?"
"Frozen chocolatta gelato!'
As the name suggests, indulging in this seriously rich little pint of ice cream might just be
as good as a therapy session. At least, it'll do in a pinch. We love how the dark
chocolate flavor shines, with soft bits of chocolate cookie and pudding-based ice cream.
We're not the only ones who love it. Some liken eating it to a sublime experience.
One reviewer on the Ben & Jerry's website wrote:
"I go through three to four pints of this a week and find myself moaning while eating
it. It's a spiritual experience for me. My favorite part of the day is the chemical
release in my brain I get from this ice cream. I could write poetry about chocolate therapy."
Not convinced? Ben & Jerry's offers the most detailed breakdown of just how their pints of
ice cream come to be. If you're someone who likes knowing everything about what
you eat — like how Ben & Jerry's sources their dairy, or just how they get those
delicious chunks evenly dispersed in their ice cream — we encourage you to check 'em out.
Blue Bell ice cream has a cult-like following in its home state of Texas,
and people love the smooth flavor of their classic Dutch chocolate. Your familiarity
with Blue Bell will depend on where you live — it's only available in 22 states,
with its main fan base (and headquarters) found in Texas.
The brand, which started in 1907, is named for the native Texas bluebell wildflower.
What we're saying is, it's an iconic Texas brand, through and through.
Their Dutch chocolate ice cream is so beloved, it's been sent to space.
According to USA Today, cups of Blue Bell chocolate and vanilla
ice cream were sent to astronauts at the International Space Station in 2006 to:
"Help out [the crew's] happiness quotient."
A space shuttle had previously dropped off a freezer to the International Space Station to
store research samples, but this also allowed ice cream to be enjoyed at the station for the first
time ever. Blue Bell's chocolate and vanilla ice cream made the trek in an insulated bag. It was
a massive upgrade to the typical food served in space, precooked and eaten from a pouch.
We love that Blue Bell's Dutch chocolate ice cream is made with rich imported chocolate.
You can enjoy Blue Bell Dutch chocolate ice cream in a full
half-gallon, or a pint if you're feeling virtuous.
Tillamook chocolate ice cream takes the top spot on this list.
This simple recipe is richly flavored with cocoa,
but it's the high cream content that puts this grocery store ice cream brand at the top.
If you've ever thought ice cream from this Pacific Northwest dairy co-op tastes
extra creamy, you're not wrong. Tillamook ice cream is made with extra cream and less
air than the industry standard for ice cream, creating a velvety mouthfeel that can't be beaten.
"Well, I need more than chocolate. And for that matter I need more than vanilla.
I believe that we need freedom and choice when it comes to our ice cream.”
Plus, Tillamook is committed to producing the high-quality
milk at the base of their incredibly rich chocolate ice cream. They're a cooperative
made up of about 80 farmer-owners who care for their land and cows,
so you reap delicious ice cream, and cheese! Tillamook has great cheese in return.
Tillamook's chocolate ice cream keeps it simple, with an ingredient profile that includes cream,
milk, sugar, cocoa, and a handful of other easy-to-pronounce additions.
One of those additions? Pasteurized egg yolks. This smart infusion makes for a custard-like
base — remember, this ice cream is really creamy. Tillamook chocolate ice cream is
classic ice cream, with classic, high-quality ingredients. We couldn't ask for more.
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