Updated on Jun. 13, 2024
Seven brands and plenty of brain freezes later, our Test Kitchen found the best chocolate ice cream brands to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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Making an ice cream sundae at home? We know that chocoholics are skipping that pint of vanilla and going right for the best chocolate ice cream to fill their dishes.
When you get to the bottom of your next tub, though, you might just want to think twice about what brand you’re adding to your shopping list next time. Is it really the best option for your sweet tooth? What if you want something a bit deeper, something with more dark chocolate flavor? What if there’s something better than your go-to brand?
To make sure you’re getting the right ice cream to satisfy your cravings, our Test Kitchen made a few grocery runs and conducted a delicious test.
Our Test Kitchen team snagged the seven most popular brands of chocolate ice cream out there and put them head-to-head in a test. Our testers tasted each brand blindly and judged them with these qualities in mind:
After diving into pint after pint of ice cream, our Test Kitchen crew named their favorite brands. We’re confident our picks will suit any chocolate fanatic’s taste.
What makes ice cream such a decadent treat is that ultra-creamy texture. And achieving that smoothness can be a challenge (especially when making homemade ice cream)—but not for Kemps Old Fashioned chocolate ice cream.
This ice cream was smooth, smooth, smooth. It had the creamiest mouthfeel of any sample and the lush texture was perfect—not too airy and not too dense. Kemps really satisfied our testers in terms of texture and flavor. As it melted on our tongues, we got a great sweet, milk chocolate flavor that reminded us of treats from our local ice cream shop.
And this recipe made Kemps easy to scoop. Our go-to ice cream scoops glided right through without any trouble—a real feat.
For an exceptionally indulgent scoop, grab a tub of Breyers chocolate ice cream.
This brand above all others delivered a perfectly rich and decadent dark chocolate flavor reminiscent of our favorite dark chocolate brands. Scooping into this sample, our testers noted the intense chocolate flavor and the right amount of sweetness. This brand really let the dark chocolate shine.
But Breyers was more than just great flavor. Testers compared the velvety texture to homemade chocolate ice cream. Is there any better comparison than that?
If you prefer a sweeter variety of chocolate, opt for Blue Bunny chocolate ice cream. This brand was full of tasty milk chocolate flavor.
Testers described this ice cream as being rich, dense and creamy—precisely what a great scoop of ice cream should be. As for the chocolate taste, it was the perfect level of sweet milk chocolate and so satisfying that several testers admitted that they could put a pretty sizeable dent in this tub of ice cream.
Our Test Kitchen also thinks that the milder flavor of Blue Bunny is ideal for serving on top of desserts like this fudgy peanut butter cake. So next time you want to serve pie a la mode, try Blue Bunny chocolate instead of your go-to vanilla.
We get it: You don’t always want a half-gallon of ice cream filling up your freezer. For a smaller dose of indulgence, our Test Kitchen recommends a pint of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream.
This ice cream was exceptionally creamy and light—almost like frozen custard. And the chocolate flavor was delicious without being overly sweet or bitter. Walking this line can be a challenge, but Häagen-Dazs does it well.
If you want your ice cream a touch sweeter, load on the sprinkles and caramel sauce. For a more bitter chocolate flavor, add some dark chocolate curls.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few scoops of ice cream right out of the tub covered in a few ice cream toppings. In fact, this might just be the best way to enjoy your favorite ice cream flavor.
But you can branch out a bit with your favorite pint. A couple of scoops of chocolate ice cream is all you need to make some pretty tasty sweets, like in a homemade ice cream sandwich, ice cream cake or milkshake.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter ShakesThese rich chocolate peanut butter milkshakes will make you feel as if you're sitting in a 1950s soda fountain. Make it modern with an over-the-top garnish like skewered doughnut holes, chocolate-dipped cookies or fluffernutter sandwich squares. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Ice Cream TacosIce Cream Tacos look just like the real thing—but they're stuffed with chocolate ice cream and topped with cherries and coconut instead of tomatoes and lettuce. These are as much fun to make as to eat. —Karen Oney, Fort Worth, Texas
Old-Fashioned Ice Cream SodasI keep the ingredients for these ice cream sodas on hand so I can enjoy a treat anytime I want. You can easily make more when feeding a crowd.
—Anna Erickson, Terrebonne, Oregon
Macaroon Ice Cream TorteMy family loves frozen treats. With chocolate four ways, this one is so beautiful, people think it came from an ice cream shop. —Barbara Carlucci, Orange Park, Florida
Chilly Coffee PunchFor a twist on the usual fruit punch, try a flavored coffee with ice cream, brought together just before serving. — Judy Wilson, Sun City West, Arizona
Chocolate EggnogI love Christmas so much that I decorate in October. I don't care for eggnog, but it's such a tradition at Christmastime that I created an eggnog that even I like! —Debbie Holcombe, Brunswick, Georgia
Ladyfinger Ice Cream CakeNo one will believe you didn’t fuss when you bring out this show-stopping cake. On a hot summer day, it will melt all resistance to dessert—one cool, creamy slice at a time. —Barbara McCalley, Allison Park, Pennsylvania 
All-American Banana SplitIn 1904, the first banana split recipe was made here in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, by David Strickler, an apprentice pharmacist at a local drug store. We still use his original formula when we make banana splits in our restaurants. —Melissa Blystone, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Mint-Chocolate BombeThis is a refreshing dessert you can keep in the freezer and take out anytime. It's gorgeous, and never fails to impress! —Mary Kisinger, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Ice Cream TorteWhat’s not to love about peanut butter, chocolate, ice cream and Oreo cookies? This fancy peanut butter cup ice cream is a cinch to put together. Peanut butter ice cream cake is great to have on hand for unexpected guests this summer! —Dana Southwick, Manton, California
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