26 Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Flavors, Ranked

Started by brothers-in-law Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins in 1945, Baskin-Robbins has been an American ice cream institution for decades. The original concept was to offer customers 31 flavors, one for every day of the month. However, thanks to rotating special offerings and flavor changes over the years, this ice cream shop has sold tasty treats in more than 1,400 flavors during its existence.

From classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla to fruity options including strawberry and mango, as well as collaborations with other brands like Reese's and Oreo, Baskin-Robbins has a wide range of flavors you can choose from when you visit any one of the over 2,400 store locations in the U.S. today. In fact, there are so many flavors available that you may find making a decision to be a little overwhelming. To help out potential customers, we sampled 26 of the most commonly available and popular Baskin-Robbins flavors and ranked them from worst to best. More on our methodology is at the end of the article.

Read more: 25 Most Popular Snacks In America Ranked Worst To Best

26. Daiquiri Ice

By far one of the worst-tasting items on the menu, the daiquiri ice flavor is light blue and slightly resembles the appearance of a slushy in the form of an ice cream scoop. Though it's clearly meant to mimic the taste of frozen, fruity alcoholic drinks and the texture of crushed ice, for some reason, it's imbued with a very biting, chemical, and overall unappetizing taste.

Baskin-Robbins makes the daiquiri ice by mixing a bit of rum flavoring with lime puree. The perk of this selection is that it lacks both dairy and fat. Even though other low-ranked items on this list may be underwhelming or bland, the daiquiri ice is the one flavor that is absolutely inedible to us. That being said, there are clearly people online who enjoy this flavor, so perhaps it's a matter of different palates.

25. Cherries Jubilee

Another alcohol-inspired flavor from Baskin-Robbins is the cherries jubilee ice cream, modeled after the boozy dessert originally made for royalty with brandy and pitted sour cherries sans ice cream. Though the store's website claims this flavor is made with cherries and a small helping of rum flavor, the actual flavor is quite light on any cherry or fruity note. Additionally, cherry is one of those flavors that can be hard to replicate naturally and tends to lean towards a slightly artificial taste in ice creams and candy. Unfortunately, that's very much the case with this Baskin-Robbins flavor as well.

24. Rainbow Sherbet

Baskin-Robbins' rainbow sherbet has an array of vibrant colors that give this ice cream the appearance of candy or perhaps an amusement park treat. Though the ice cream looks very inviting, the flavor is, unfortunately, a bit of a letdown. It has a very strong artificial taste, even though, according to the Baskin-Robbins website, no artificial dyes are included, and calls to mind an overly sweet slushy.

Perhaps the problem lies in that the fruits picked for this ice cream have incredibly strong flavors, which may overly compete with each other in a confusing blend of tastes. Rainbow sherbet counts orange, raspberry, and pineapple in its mix, which creates a combination that's too sweet.

23. Nutty Coconut

Fans of coconut may rank Baskin-Robbins' nutty coconut ice cream more highly, but unless you really love this tropical flavor, you're unlikely to be very impressed. The coconut taste itself is relatively subtle (some may say bland), but for some reason, the mix of different nuts, which include almonds, pecans, and walnuts, creates a somewhat confusing combination.

One other issue is that it's hard to find the nuts distributed consistently throughout the ice cream. This means that sometimes you're biting into ice cream and barely finding a small sliver of pecan, while other times you may be cracking into almost an entire walnut in one bite.

22. Mint Chocolate Chip

Once again, how highly you rank the mint chocolate chip flavor at Baskin-Robbins will depend on your palate and, specifically, how much you enjoy the taste of mint. However, most people will find the ratio of mint to chocolate chip unbalanced. The flavor is way too overpowering in favor of the mint.

Unlike similar flavors from other brands, the mint leaves a lengthy and strong herbal aftertaste on your tongue after your last bite. In addition, the chocolate flavor is barely noticeable, perhaps because the chocolate at Baskin-Robbins tends to be on the subtle side to begin with, but also because the mint taste is so strong.

21. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

One of the many collaborations Baskin-Robbins has done over the years with internationally renowned brands is Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flavor. It mixes the original flavor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with the franchise's vanilla ice cream.

Though the flavor is good enough, for some reason, the addition of the vanilla dilutes the taste you would expect to get from Reese's product. It's a decent ice cream flavor, but there are even better Baskin-Robbins products for those who love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in dessert.

20. Lemon Custard

Even though the color of the lemon custard ice cream is blindingly yellow, the taste is surprisingly natural. When you bite into this Baskin-Robbins flavor, you will get a refreshing feeling in your mouth, followed by a sour yet slightly sweet lemon dessert taste.

However, you may find it difficult to finish the whole scoop of lemon custard ice cream, as the flavor is quite strong. Even finishing one kid's scoop proved to be a challenge because of the custard's richness. However, it may make a great complement to a more subtle flavor if you order two scoops of ice cream together.

19. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

You can almost never go wrong with ice cream mixed with cookie dough, and this chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from Baskin-Robbins is no exception. As the name suggests, there are nice little chunks of dough throughout the ice cream, as well as chocolate chips, though they are a bit smaller than you may generally find in desserts.

The one reason this ice cream isn't ranked higher is because the base vanilla ice cream flavor is somewhat bland. However, the overall combination of the chips and dough is sweet, refreshing, and comforting, just as a good ice cream should be.

18. Vanilla

Though usually considered a relatively boring flavor, vanilla has its perks. It's typically a nice and refreshing dessert that sometimes has a fair amount of that delicately sweet vanilla bean flavor. The Baskin-Robbins' version of vanilla ice cream is relatively subtle but functions as a beautifully creamy palate cleanser. Perhaps that creaminess comes from the fact that this vanilla ice cream is made with just fresh cream and real vanilla. That being said, some ice cream connoisseurs may find it too bland.

17. Chocolate Chip

Ice cream stores can offer different things under the umbrella of "chocolate chip" flavors. Sometimes they use a vanilla base, and sometimes, they use a chocolate base with chips instead. At Baskin-Robbins, the chocolate chip flavor has a vanilla base with relatively small-sized chocolate chips sprinkled throughout the ice cream. Since the vanilla ice cream at this franchise is a little lacking in flavor to begin with, you shouldn't be expecting any particularly strong taste or chips that will crunch in your mouth because of their tiny size. The resulting ice cream is a little bland.

16. Chocolate

Chocolate ice cream is one of the most popular and beloved desserts in the country. It's hard to go entirely wrong with this flavor, and Baskin-Robbins does a good job of infusing its ice cream with chocolate flavoring while keeping the taste relatively light. Though this may not be enough to satisfy the real chocolate aficionados preferring to richly indulge in their favorite treat, it's likely to appeal to most ice cream eaters out there. However, the flavor can be a little bit chalky rather than rich and creamy, making it rank a little lower than other chocolate flavors on this list.

15. Rocky Road

Scoop your way through the Baskin-Robbins rocky road ice cream to discover the fun little surprises hidden within the chocolate ice cream base, including mini marshmallows and almonds. This pretty straightforward rocky road ice cream is well made and delicious, though the marshmallows and almonds are definitely on the very small side and sometimes sparsely dispersed throughout the dessert. Occasionally, you may feel as though you're just biting into a chocolate ice cream because of that. Overall, the flavor is pretty good.

14. Peanut Butter 'N Chocolate

Of the two peanut butter and chocolate combinations available in stores, the original peanut butter 'n chocolate flavor from Baskin-Robbins definitely outranks Reese's. This flavor consists of chocolate ice cream with a thick ribbon of peanut butter coursing through it. It's one of the better selections available at this franchise and generally popular among customers. The only thing that keeps it from a higher ranking is the way that the peanut butter ribbon leaves a slightly dry texture in your mouth.

13. Oreo Cookies 'N Cream

This ice cream has actual Oreo cookies broken up and spread throughout a vanilla ice cream base, recreating the classic cream and chocolate combination of the famous cookies in a frozen dessert. Oreo cookies 'n cream is one of Baskin-Robbins' most popular flavors, which is no surprise considering how often the ice cream is featured in Baskin-Robbins' seasonal treats and desserts. These include items like the Oreo Mega Stuf Cone and the Oreo Mega Stuf Cappuccino Blast. The ice cream's popularity isn't shocking since it's definitely one of the most delicious items on the menu.

12. Very Berry Strawberry

Fans of strawberries will undoubtedly gravitate towards the very berry strawberry ice cream flavor at Baskin-Robbins. The pink color interspersed with red bites of actual strawberries is both visually appealing and an indication that this ice cream was created with real fruits. The flavor is fresh and sweet, providing a great alternative to the more indulgent ice cream flavors; however, perhaps due to the naturally sugary strawberries mixed into the ice cream, this dessert can actually be a little overly sweet at times.

11. Gold Medal Ribbon

Perhaps it's not surprising that an ice cream named Gold Medal Ribbon would rank so highly on this list. Baskin-Robbins first introduced the flavor in 1979 and brought it back decades later to customers after it realized it had kept one of its "fan favorite" flavors off the shelves for too long. The ice cream contains a mix of the store's chocolate and vanilla ice cream, as well as a sweet and sugary caramel ribbon to include an extra burst of flavor. Because these particular vanilla and chocolate ice creams aren't too strongly flavored or indulgent on their own, the balance actually works quite well.

10. Jamoca Almond Fudge

The Baskin-Robbins Jamoca flavor is essentially coffee-flavored ice cream. It's quite delicious on its own, with a strong coffee taste, but the addition of toasted almonds and a swirl of chocolate thrown into the mix certainly adds some intriguing notes to the ice cream base. However, the overall taste can actually be a little overwhelming. However, this is still a great ice cream to order at Baskin-Robbins, especially if you appreciate richer, more indulgent flavors. It is widely reported that Jamoca almond fudge was one of Baskin-Robbins co-founder Irvine Robbins' favorite flavors when he was alive.

9. Triple Mango

Mangoes are tropical fresh fruit with a taste that is simultaneously sweet, floral, and refreshing. Baskin-Robbins triple mango ice cream captures the flavors of a fresh mango quite well without somehow tasting artificial or overwhelming. Mangos themselves can be quite pungent, and depending on how you feel about the fruit, your thoughts on this particular flavor may be affected. After all, the reason this product is called triple mango is because the ice cream includes mango ice cream, mango sorbet, chunks of real mango, and a mango ribbon. In other words, make sure you really love mango before ordering.

8. Chocolate Fudge

In our opinion, this is one of the best chocolate flavors on the Baskin-Robbins menu. Chocolate fudge is darker colored than most of the other chocolate options, probably caused by how it's made up of chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate. This also lends the ice cream a richer and more indulgent chocolate flavor, much as you might expect from some thick, delicious, classic chocolate fudge. However, the ice cream manages to create a great balance, so unlike some other decadent flavors, you can eat multiple scoops of chocolate fudge and feel absolutely fine.

7. Cotton Candy

Cotton candy seems like a novelty flavor, and the bright pink and blues of the ice cream will probably only attract more adventurous ice cream eaters. However, Baskin-Robbins somehow managed to very accurately capture the nostalgic, comforting flavor of cotton candy without having the ice cream veer towards being too sugary or sweet, as cotton candy tend to be sometimes. Take a chance on this dessert next time you're in a Baskin-Robbins store, and you may be pleasantly surprised at your reaction.

6. Mom's Makin' Cookies

Nothing is better than homemade cookies from mom's kitchen, and Baskin-Robbins seeks to recreate that comforting and tasty experience with a flavor appropriately titled Mom's Makin' Cookies. This is a relatively new addition to the franchise's catalog, as Baskin-Robbins originally released it in 2014 in honor of Mother's Day. The base of Mom's Makin' Cookies is brown sugar ice cream. In addition, you will find small chocolate chips, a cookie dough swirl, and actual small chunks of chocolate chip cookies within the ice cream as well. The idea is to approximate the flavor of freshly baked cookies, and after our taste test, we agree that it achieves this goal pretty well.

5. World Class Chocolate

Once again, it seems Baskin-Robbins tips its customers off as to which of its flavors may be better via their name. So naturally, World Class chocolate ranks near the top of our list. Offering a slightly richer chocolate taste than the general chocolate ice cream sold at the franchise, World Class chocolate also has a positively surprising feel in your mouth. It calls to mind more vintage ice cream flavors, reminiscent of a grocery store chocolate ice cream with a more textured and chunky consistency.

4. Strawberry Cheesecake

The mixture of sweet, fruity flavors and savory, rich cheese notes found in a classic strawberry cheesecake works wonders on the palate. So Baskin-Robbins had the brilliant idea to combine these two elements into a frozen dessert, coming up with its strawberry cheesecake ice cream in the process. The ice cream base is cheesecake flavored, and there are swirls of strawberry and real bits of small pieces of cheesecake included as well. It's ranked slightly higher than very berry strawberry because the savory notes of the cheesecake balance out the sugary sweetness of the strawberries, creating a dessert that tastes more complete.

3. Jamoca

Despite its seemingly simple appearance, the Jamoca ice cream at Baskin-Robbins truly packs an intensely strong punch of flavor without being overpowering. This is the franchise's take on coffee ice cream, and trust us -- you will definitely feel alert and happier after a scoop of this dessert. Creamy and rich, Jamoca has been around since the early days of the ice cream company and is actually trademarked by Baskin-Robbins (though it was originally just known as the coffee flavor on the menu). It tastes as delicious as the smell of roasting coffee beans.

2. Pralines 'N Cream

With a mixture of delicious flavors, including praline-coated pecans and caramel swirls in a vanilla base ice cream, pralines 'n cream is easily one of the best flavors available at Baskin-Robbins. The nutty and creamy flavor of the praline perfectly complements both the nut pieces in the dessert and the vanilla ice cream, with the caramel providing a nice sweet note as well. The resulting flavor is well-balanced and deeply satisfying. That's not just our opinion; when pralines 'n cream was introduced as a temporary flavor in 1970, customers were outraged when it ran out and demanded more. As a result, it got placed on Baskin-Robbins' permanent flavor menu.

1. Old Fashioned Butter Pecan

You may agree or disagree depending on your preferences, but we thought that the old fashioned butter pecan ice cream at Baskin-Robbins was the surprise winner when it came to rankings. This selection really doubles down on its flavor by including actual butter-roasted pecans in a butter pecan ice cream base. The taste is reminiscent of a mouthwatering butterscotch candy, with the nuttiness of the pecans complementing the flavor and the creamy ice cream, adding a refreshing feel to the dessert. Though you may think this ice cream sounds a little vintage (it is, after all, called old fashioned), it's best described as a timeless classic, in our opinion.

Methodology

In order to sample the various Baskin-Robbins flavors, we got a kid's scoop of each ice cream at a local store in Los Angeles so we could leave room on our palates and in our stomachs for all the different flavors. I have been an ice cream aficionado for many years and had three fellow lifelong ice cream fans present for the taste test as well, so we could see if there was a consensus on flavors or if people wildly differed on what they liked. Seven samples were selected at a time, with a short break in between for water and general palate cleansing, so previous flavors weren't affecting the taste of new ice creams.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.