- I tried four different kinds of store-bought chocolate ice cream: Häagen-Dazs, Breyers, Stop & Shop, and Edy’s.
- I judged each ice cream by its texture, creaminess, and chocolate flavor.
- In the end, Häagen-Dazs came out on top with its light, creamy ice cream that oozed sophistication.
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The ideal chocolate ice cream should be creamy, perfectly scoop-able, and full of sweet, chocolate flavor.
However, some store-bought brands do chocolate ice cream better than others.
In order to find the best chocolate ice cream in the freezer aisle, I tried four commonly-found brands: Häagen-Dazs, Breyers, Stop & Shop, and Edy’s.
Here’s what I thought of each store-bought chocolate ice cream, ranked from my least favorite to my favorite.
The Breyers chocolate ice cream was my least favorite of the ones I tried.
The 16-ounce tub of Breyers chocolate ice cream cost $3.69 from Foodtown.
From the moment I opened the pint of Breyers ice cream, it looked promising.
It was a deep, rich, chocolate color and slightly softened from sitting out on the counter.
Even in the bowl, it looked delicious.
However, when I bit in, I was sorely disappointed by the flavor and texture of the ice cream.
In my opinion, as well as my roommate's, the Breyers chocolate ice cream lacked that distinct chocolate flavor — frankly, it didn't taste like anything to me.
The texture was also less than desirable - it was grainy, chalky, and didn't have the creaminess of some of the other kinds I tried.
While this ice cream definitely didn't taste bad per se, it didn't compare to the other ice cream brands I tried.
Stop & Shop's churn-style chocolate ice cream advertised that it was lower in fat and calories than comparable kinds of ice cream.
A 48-ounce tub of chocolate ice cream from Stop & Shop cost me only $3.69.
The tub of Stop & Shop ice cream had a nice churned texture.
The ice cream wasn't too runny or too hard to scoop.
As for the actual chocolate ice cream, it was a good value for how much you get.
Plus, despite being labeled as "light ice cream," it was undeniably creamy and soft.
However, while the Stop & Shop chocolate ice cream won points for texture, the flavor was lacking.
It tasted like ice with a drizzle of chocolate flavor resembling Hershey's syrup - slightly artificial and not nearly rich enough for me. So, while this ice cream was certainly edible, I'd probably pass by it next time I go down the freezer aisle.
The chocolate ice cream from Edy's was the second-best one I tried, in my opinion.
The 1.5-quart, or 48-ounce, container of Edy's chocolate ice cream cost me $5.79 at Foodtown.
Opening the tub of Edy's ice cream, I was excited to dive in.
It was creamy and perfectly scoop-able.
The Edy's chocolate ice cream could only be described as a kid's birthday party dream.
It was creamy, milky, and perfectly sweet.
The chocolate flavor was definitely there, but it didn't taste expensive or rich, necessarily.
Rather, the Edy's-brand chocolate ice cream was undeniably nostalgic. It transported me back to days of chocolate ice cream cones in the park or family birthday parties. Paired with a sugary, store-bought cake, this ice cream would be the perfect treat.
The best ice cream I tried was the chocolate ice cream from Häagen-Dazs.
A 28-ounce container of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream cost me $9.69 from my local Stop & Shop.
Häagen-Dazs' chocolate ice cream was light in color and, after sitting out on the counter for a few minutes, it retained its shape — rather than becoming a liquidy, chocolate soup like some of the other kinds I bought.
To me, this was a promising sign that the ice cream was high quality.
Häagen-Dazs' chocolate ice cream formed perfect gelato-like scoops.
The taste was also similar to gelato, funnily enough.
The chocolate ice cream from Häagen-Dazs was light and airy, with just enough sweetness.
The chocolate flavor was subtle, but the ice cream did taste distinctly "real" - there was no fake, chocolate syrup-tasting flavor to be found.
This is the type of ice cream you'd break out for a fancy dinner party or classy night in - not your kid's birthday party.
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