MyTastr

Best chocolate ice cream, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Carey Polis, Niko Triantafillou, Zasha Gazder, Justine Sterling and 4 more. Recommendations come from simplyrecipes.com, sporked.com, chowhound.com and epicurious.com.

Freezer · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Jeni’s Darkest Chocolate

    Chosen by
    Near-unanimous: “Jeni’s might be the darkest, richest chocolate ice cream that you can get from a grocery store” (Triantafillou). Also The Kitchn’s unanimous pick (Stacey Mei Yan Fong, Terrence Gutiérrez).
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: simplyrecipes.com ↗
  2. 2

    Straus Organic Dutch Chocolate

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    Sporked’s best chocolate ice cream, 10/10, winning two separate taste tests outright: smooth, almost fluffy, and deeply chocolatey, “like childhood” (Sterling). Chowhound’s 14-brand tasting put it 3rd, ahead of Häagen-Dazs and Jeni’s: “If there is one ice cream to truly fan girl over, it is Straus… full of that rich chocolate flavor.” Organic Northern California dairy with Dutch cocoa, cream, sugar and egg yolks; a premium pint that is easiest to find in the West.
    Where to buy · strausfamilycreamery.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: sporked.com ↗
  3. 3

    Van Leeuwen Chocolate

    Chosen by
    “The fudgiest”: so rich and dark it’s “practically like eating frozen fudge”; Boone praised its “clean and classic dark chocolate flavor.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: epicurious.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best chocolate ice cream, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Jeni’s Darkest Chocolate, chosen by Niko Triantafillou; Zasha Gazder (pastry chef); Carey Polis. Near-unanimous: “Jeni’s might be the darkest, richest chocolate ice cream that you can get from a grocery store” (Triantafillou). Also The Kitchn’s unanimous pick (Stacey Mei Yan Fong, Terrence Gutiérrez). Source: simplyrecipes.com ↗
What are the other top picks for chocolate ice cream?
No. 2 is Straus Organic Dutch Chocolate, chosen by Justine Sterling (Sporked editor-in-chief); Gwynedd Stuart (Sporked); Sarah Moore (Chowhound). No. 3 is Van Leeuwen Chocolate, chosen by Rhoda Boone (Epicurious food director); Joe Sevier. Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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