25 Popular Baskin-Robbins Flavors, Ranked From Worst To Best
Baskin-Robbins was created by brothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins back in 1945. Robbins was the son of a dairyman. Having a desire to utilize fresh dairy products in tasty ice cream treats, he opened up his own ice cream shop before his brother-in-law did just the same. A few years into solitary business, the brothers-in-law decided to join forces and create Baskin-Robbins.
Back then, it was uncommon to offer flavors beyond the core trio of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. However, Burt and Irv dreamed of carrying 31 ice cream flavors at all times to supply customers with a wide range of options. This variety provided customers with amazement, curiosity, and a selection that was unparalleled. The company has been a hit ever since. While Baskin-Robbins does still carry some of the original 31 flavors, since their opening date, they've created and sold more than 1400 flavors that rotate out seasonally. The scoops are available are at over 2400 store locations nationwide.
We were tasked with the difficult job of trying and ranking popular Baskin-Robbins flavors. (You're welcome!) So we sat down with a kid's size scoop of each one and put them to the test. Here are our findings.
25. Pink Bubblegum
While Baskin-Robbins sells many flavors that are aimed for children, we don't know any adults that enjoy Pink Bubblegum. This flavor, which debuted in 1970, was created as a response to the popularity of gum among teenagers that rose in the 1960s. According to Vintage Gums, at the time, the candy was considered "groovy." But after tasting Pink Bubblegum, we're shocked it's stuck around over 50 years later. The solid pink cloyingly sweet ice cream gives off major Barbie vibes, and that's not a good thing.
While the ice cream is supposed to contain candy-coated bubble gum pieces, our scoop contained nothing of the sort. We don't think even the addition of bubblegum pieces would have salvaged it. Unfortunately, it is inedible — it was so bad that we had to spit it out. Bubblegum lovers and those that are indifferent, we advise you to skip this one and leave it for the kids.
24. Cotton Candy
Another kid-forward flavor, Baskin-Robbins' Cotton Candy ice cream comes off very one-note: boring. This colorful combination of blue and pink ice creams is lacking in any textural complexity that is desperately needed. We were dying for some add-in toppings or ribbons of flavorful sauces. Instead, it is virtually tasteless.
Cotton candy was invented by a dentist, if you can believe it, and made its debut at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Two of the main reasons the sugary treat has endured for over a century are its delightfully fluffy consistency (it's like eating a cloud!) and sweet delicious flavor with notes of berry and vanilla. Unfortunately, Baskin-Robbins' Cotton Candy ice cream is stripped of both of those key attributes. The consistency is obviously completely different, but so is the taste, or rather lack there of.
Don't waste the calories on this flavor. We advise you to swap this scoop for something more exciting.
23. Nutty Coconut
Baskin-Robbins' site claims that Nutty Coconut is "a little crazy." We're still scratching our heads, trying to figure out what exactly is crazy about this straightforward and mediocre scoop. We wanted this flavor to taste like an Almond Joy candy bar, but unfortunately, we were disappointed. The coconut-flavored ice cream is packed with three types of nuts: pecans, almonds, and walnuts. And while the scoop definitely gets high marks for its impressive crunch factor, it is not even close to being sweet enough.
Nutty Coconut is in desperate need of a chocolate fudge sauce or a caramel swirl to add more depth of flavor. On its own, it lacked the sweetness that typically makes ice cream such an enjoyable treat, yet it's not even "healthy" enough to appeal to your health-inspired family members. We're not sure who could really enjoy this flavor. Our advice is to simply skip it.
22. Old Fashioned Butter Pecan
At this stage of the list, we have graduated from the ice cream flavors that taste plain bad to flavors that are perfectly fine but just lack something special. Baskin-Robbins Old Fashioned Butter Pecan tastes good, but it is very simple and we were left wanting something more.
According to The Old Timey, butter pecan ice cream dates back to the 1800s, making this flavor truly "old-fashioned." Interestingly, it was not one of the original 31 flavors at Baskin-Robbins. But it's on the menu now and features butter pecan flavored-ice cream with pieces of butter-roasted pecans, though it tastes more like plain vanilla ice cream with a few spare butter pecan pieces mixed inside. In our opinion, we wish they really packed in those butter-roasted pecans and even included a caramel swirl to up the ante a bit. This was too simple for our liking, which is why it landed towards bottom portion of the ranks.
21. Winter White Chocolate
Baskin-Robbins' seasonal Winter White Chocolate ice cream is highlighted by a mixture of chocolate and cherries. It's reminiscent of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but not nearly as tasty. This flavor starts with a base of white chocolate ice cream and includes chocolate-covered cherries and (supposedly) a cherry-flavored saucy swirl. With no cherry sauce in sight and a seriously lacking base flavor, we're convinced Winter White Chocolate is simply vanilla ice cream with small chocolate pieces and cherry chunks, which is not necessarily bad, but it is not great either.
If you are a fan of chocolate covered cherries, this might be your jam, but for us, we felt like this flavor combination was subpar. The complexity was there, including all of the components of a killer ice cream flavor, but unfortunately, it didn't land. Even though Winter White Chocolate is only found during the holiday season, we'd recommend skipping it.
20. Chocolate Almond
Only a few of the original 31 flavors continue to earn a spot on the Baskin-Robbins menu and Chocolate Almond is among the survivors. After sampling this old-timer, we're not so sure that it deserves to remain on the roster. With a chocolate ice cream base sprinkled with roasted almond pieces, this flavor is tasty, but overly simple. This reminded us of something older generations would love. And as it turns out, Chocolate Almond ice cream can be described as a "vintage" flavor, as it dates all the way back to 1951. However, we're convinced the younger generations need something more in their ice cream.
This flavor was screaming for add-in toppings, swirled sauces, or really anything else going on. While it was not a total flop, it was lacking something special. If you have to get a scoop, we'd recommend loading it up with peanut butter sauce and cookie dough toppings. The potential is there, but Chocolate Almond is far from perfect.
19. World Class Chocolate
World Class Chocolate contains a white chocolate mousse ice cream simply mixed with a milk chocolate mousse ice cream. This ice cream flavor is pretty dang good, but, again, it is fairly simple. If you love a classic twist cone from McDonald's, this flavor is the one for you (the white chocolate mousse ice cream comes off as more vanilla in flavor than chocolate). Not to mention, it is likely more reliable than those darn McDonald's ice cream machines that always seem to be broken. This ice cream flavor is a staple at Baskin-Robbins scoop shop which isn't surprising since it carries the "world class" title.
This is another case of us wanting just a bit more. We would have loved the addition of some crunchy or candy add-ins, but it is pretty spectacular on its own. If you get this scoop, we'd recommend utilizing the Baskin-Robbins' toppings bar to the fullest potential.
18. Peanut Butter N' Chocolate
This ice cream flavor is a classic for a reason. The peanut butter and chocolate combination is a pairing that works in perfect harmony and there is, in fact, a scientific reason why that is the case. According to Mic, the two flavors provide sensory contrast that our taste buds cannot ignore. So it's no wonder why Baskin-Robbins' Peanut Butter N' Chocolate is such a success. This flavor contains chocolate ice cream with a peanut butter swirled ribbon. Can you say "yum"?
The Ben & Jerry's flavor equivalent is Peanut Butter World, and we'd argue that their version takes the cake (or the ice cream!) over this one because due to the inclusion of chocolate cookie pieces. While Peanut Butter N' Chocolate is lacking in crunch, this flavor is pretty dang good just the same. We would love to try it topped with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to really seal the deal on the peanut butter and chocolate flavor combo.
17. German Chocolate Cake
If you are a chocolate fan, you need to try this one. Baskin-Robbins' German Chocolate Cake contains chocolate ice cream, brownie pieces, coconut flakes, and chopped walnuts. It's a slight deviation from a true German chocolate cake which is made with contains dark baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans instead of walnuts. (By the way, did you know that German chocolate cake is actually not German in origin, but American? It was invented by an American man with the last name German.)
While named after the classic coconutty chocolate cake, this ice cream flavor reminded us more of Girl Scouts' Samoas cookies (sometimes called Caramel deLites depending on the region you live in). We're big fans of these seasonal cookies, always stocking up our freezers to last the whole year, so this flavor was a big win for us. Be sure to try German Chocolate Cake if you see it in your local store. It won't disappoint.
16. Caramel Turtle Truffle
This Baskin-Robbins' flavor contains vanilla ice cream with caramel filled chocolate turtles and a caramel swirl. While the original DeMet's Turtles candy contains chocolate and caramel layered on roasted pecan halves, those allergic to nuts can rejoice — this ice cream flavor does not contain any nuts at all. But since its nut-free, can Baskin-Robbins' technically call this flavor Caramel Turtle Truffle? Apparently the answer is yes.
We didn't even realize this was Baskin-Robbins' version of a "healthy" ice cream with no sugar added and a reduced-fat ice cream base. While it is a good sign that we didn't notice these "healthy" swaps, those sensitive to sugar alcohols beware: per Baskin-Robbins, you may experience a laxative effect if you consume too much. If you're willing to take that risk, Caramel Turtle Truffle is a tasty choice, but we'd rather eat the real thing so we can eat a large portion without being cautious of any trouble.
15. Gold Medal Ribbon
Baskin-Robbins' Gold Medal Ribbon flavor contains chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a luscious swirl of caramel. Created in 1979, one would guess this was in honor of the Olympic Games that would follow the next year, but Baskin-Robbins' website wasn't too clear on this. What else would reward winners with gold medals?
While lacking textural complexity, this one is pretty delicious. We can see how Gold Medal Ribbon can appeal to the masses. There's really nothing wrong with this flavor. Caramel, vanilla, chocolate ... what's not to love? If you want to get strategic about your ice cream building, we would recommend starting with a scoop of Gold Medal Ribbon as your base and then loading it up with crunchy toppings such as Oreo cookies or toffee chunks. That gives you the chance to maximize the value. But this one doesn't need much to make it great.
14. Quarterback Crunch
Quarterback Crunch can usually be found in stores during fall to celebrate football season. This flavor was created by the Baskin-Robbins' owners back in 1978 after watching one of their favorite quarterbacks get sacked multiple times. Yikes! That takes the name Quarterback Crunch to a whole new level. We wonder who this poor quarterback was. Does he know he was the inspiration behind this Baskin-Robbins' flavor?
Interestingly enough, Quarterback Crunch was also the name of a Wheaties cereal that debuted during football season back in 1994. While only lasting a short time, this cereal contained football shaped wheat and corn puffs. Judging by that description, we'll stick with the ice cream version which is very similar to Gold Medal Ribbon, but contains the crunch factor we were looking for. Quarterback Crunch contains vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered rice crunchies and a caramel swirl. Give us a caramel swirl any day! This addition makes any ice cream sweeter and more delicious, and that is the case here.
13. Strawberry Cheesecake
We were pleasantly surprised by this tasty scoop. Baskin-Robbins' Strawberry Cheesecake contains cheesecake flavored ice cream with a strawberry saucy swirl and pieces of cheesecake added in. This ice cream has a very pronounced strawberry flavor with delightful bites of creamy cheesecake. Who could ask for anything more?
Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake flavor happens to be one of our favorites, and unfortunately when we compare the two, the Baskin-Robbins' version falls short. We were desperately searching for the graham cracker swirl we've come to know and love. What is it about graham cracker crusts that make them so delicious? We've been known to make graham cracker crusts to simply break off and eat. (Don't knock it 'til you try it!)
Because of this missing piece, among our ranking of Baskin-Robbins flavors, we think this one stands strongly in the middle of the ranks. It's creamy, sweet and refreshing, but lacks a little crunch.
12. Cherries Jubilee
We loved Baskin-Robbins take on Cherries Jubilee way more than we expected. While we're not typically fans of cherry flavoring, this ice cream scoop was scrumptious. Cherries Jubilee contains cherry-flavored ice cream packed with cherry chunks and "a hint of rum flavor," but don't worry, you don't need to be 21 or over to give it a try.
Rum and cherries are a classic flavor pairing, appearing in cocktail recipes and drunken soaked cherries for garnishing drinks during fresh cherry season in the summertime. Baskin-Robbins even recommends using their Cherries Jubilee in summertime recipes such as chocolate covered ice cream cherries and a cherry layered trifle.
No need to only indulge in this flavor exclusively during the summer though; Cherries Jubilee is excellent any time of year. When you compare Cherries Jubilee to the other cherry-forward Baskin-Robbins' flavor, Winter White Chocolate, there really is no competition. The Cherries Jubilee soars!
11. Skillet Cookie Crumble
Sometimes referred to as a "pizookie" (a portmanteau combining "pizza" and "cookie") skillet cookies have been popping up in restaurants around the country including BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse and Oregano's Pizza Bistro. If you have not had the chance to enjoy a skillet cookie, what are you waiting for? You can even try this skillet cookie recipe for a quick at home solution.
If you don't want to make your own, run to your nearest Baskin-Robbins location to try Skillet Cookie Crumble. Who knew you could exactly replicate the delicious flavor of a skillet cookie into an ice cream? It successfully combines molasses ice cream with chocolate chip cookie pieces and cookie dough fudge pieces for a mixture of chewy and crunchy. One bite of this flavor and you will swear you are biting into a chocolatey gooey skillet cookie.
Could you imagine Skillet Cookie Crumble turned into an ice cream cake? We know what we're requesting for our next birthday. Forget the gifts, we want the dessert.
10. Pistachio Almond
Pistachio ice cream has been around since the 1940s (via WiseGeek), making it one of the flavors that older generations love. While pistachio ice cream can be very polarizing, this flavor takes the cake because of two very minor additions: almond extract and almond pieces. These additions add complexity to this otherwise boring flavor. Nut lovers are sure to go nuts over this one!
The almond pieces provide a bit of texture without going over the top. Additionally, almond extract, which doesn't actually have the same flavor profile as almonds (via OliveNation), is one of our favorite secret weapons in the kitchen. Almond extract in cakes and cookies is a flavor that we just plain adore, so it should be no surprise that we also love it in ice cream. But a little goes a long way, so almond extract lovers be wary not to get too heavy-handed in the kitchen. Thankfully, Baskin-Robbins' nails it with just the right amount in their Pistachio Almond.
9. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are arguably the best candy ever. Case in point: Reese's created a giant 3.25 pound peanut butter cup for Thanksgiving that sold out within hours (via USA Today). Regular, mini, Reese's Pieces, even stuffed with potato chips, this peanut butter and chocolate combination always wins! Of course, that includes being paired with ice cream.
Baskin-Robbins Reese's Peanut Butter Cup starts with vanilla ice cream and packs it with crushed pieces of the flavor's namesake candy. And while simple, there is nothing wrong with this incredible flavor combo. It's a classic for a reason, right? Upon our first bite, we were pleasantly reminded of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup version of the Dairy Queen Blizzard. The only thing that is not raising this flavor to the top of the ranks is the lack of innovation. We know it. We love it. But we already know we love it.
8. Jamoca Almond Fudge
Jamoca is the name of the Baskin-Robbins' coffee flavored ice cream that is in regular rotation at Baskin-Robbins scoop shops. This loaded version takes things up a notch by adding roasted almonds and a chocolate fudge swirl. Jamoca Almond Fudge makes it into the top 10 of our ranking because it combines a crunchy element, a ribbon of sauce, and a damn good base flavor. You will not be disappointed with this one! Trust us ... or plenty of other fans. The flavor is so popular that it even inspired a cookie, which also happens to be gluten-free and vegan. We know what we're baking this weekend.
And if you're wondering if your ice cream contains caffeine, it does! The classic Jamoca flavor is loaded with about 20 milligrams of caffeine per container, compared to a mug of classic brewed coffee, which comes in at about 100 milligrams of caffeine.
7. Rainbow Sherbet
As one of the only kid-targeted flavors we can get behind, Rainbow Sherbet is a combination of pineapple, raspberry, and orange sherbet flavors. While the combined Rainbow Sherbet flavor was not one of the original 31, the individual sherbet flavors were all on the menu back in the founding days of Baskin-Robbins. We'd argue they hit their stride when they found each other and are better together. This scoop is bright, zingy and a welcome reprieve after all the heavy chocolate-forward flavors.
But what is sherbet and is it different from sorbet? The answer: yes! Sherbet is made from fruit, water and dairy, while sorbet is dairy-free. The dairy provides an added creaminess as opposed to sorbet's typically icy nature.
Baskin-Robbins released a list of the top 10 ice cream flavors that customers believe make them the happiest. Rainbow sherbet comes in at number 10 on this list and that makes perfect sense. Just look at a scoop puts a smile on our face.
6. Pralines N' Cream
Pralines are a signature candy of New Orleans and their introduction to the South (via the French) dates all the way back to the 17th century. While they originated as sugar covered almonds, the nut were quickly replaced by pecans and then later combined with milk and cream.
When it comes to Pralines N' Cream, it turns out that Baskin-Robbins invented the ice cream flavor. It was inspired by some pralines enjoyed by Irv Robbins and his wife Irma during a trip to New Orleans. When the couple returned home, they decided to mix these delicious pralines with vanilla ice cream and caramel. Once they tasted it, they knew they had a hit.
Pralines N' Cream has been one of the top selling ice cream flavors for Baskin-Robbins since then. This flavor contains vanilla ice cream with praline coated pecans and a caramel swirl. Honestly, this is what you want Butter Pecan to taste like, but this one is the superior option.
5. Oreo N' Cold Brew
We were not sure that we were going to like this flavor, but you could say we were pleasantly surprised. Oreo N' Cold Brew contains cold brew-flavored ice cream mixed with chunks of Oreo cookies — think coffee ice cream with all the crunch and sweetness of Cookies N' Cream. Yes please!
Credit is due to the ice cream's two signature ingredients. Oreo cookies, of course, need no introduction. The beloved chocolate cookie sandwich with a creamy middle is the eighth most popular snack in the U.S., and of for good reason. As for cold brew, it takes several hours to brew as opposed to drip coffee which is brewed in a matter of minutes due to the high temperature. The result is a smoother taste with less bitterness.
This ice cream flavor originally debuted as a monthly flavor for March 2021, but we still found it in our local Baskin-Robbins this November. If you love cold brew or coffee-flavored ice cream, make sure to stock up on Oreo N' Cold Brew when you see this in stores.
4. Icing on the Cake
We're not typically a fans of cake batter, Funfetti, or birthday cake flavored ice creams, but holy cow this one completely changed our minds. Icing on the Cake features cake batter ice cream with big chunks of frosting flecks, candy confetti ribbon, and pieces of yellow cake. Could it get any better than this? We'll answer that one for you... no! (Well, aside from the three exceptions below.)
We think what really pushes this flavor over the edge is the inclusion of frosting flecks instead of traditional sprinkles. Most sprinkles are made of sugar and artificial colors, while frosting is actually made of sugar, cream, and butter ... plus artificial colors. The addition of dairy here makes these frosting flecks extra tasty and truly reminiscent of frosting on cake. No need to wait for your birthday to try this flavor. Run, don't walk, to get a scoop of this tasty ice cream. Cake batter lovers, you must try this one.
3. Caramel Macchiato
We've finally made it to the top three Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors and lo and behold, we have another flavor that is perfectly suited for all coffee lovers. Caramel Macchiato contains coffee ice cream, swirled caramel sauce, and espresso flakes. While Baskin-Robbins has many coffee-inspired ice cream flavors — Jamoca, Jamoca Almond Fudge, and Oreo N' Cold Brew — this one is our personal favorite!
The language of coffee drinks needs a breakdown for this scoop. "Macchiato" is Italian for "spotted" but what exactly is the beverage? Aren't macchiatos the same as lattes? Not quite. Macchiatos are steamed milk drinks topped with espresso, whereas lattes are espresso drinks topped with steamed milk. Starbucks originally created the caramel macchiato back in 1996. Debuting as a limited edition cup, it is now permanently on the menu due to its' wild customer fanfare. If you are a true fan of the Starbucks version, you'll love a scoop of Baskin-Robbins' Caramel Macchiato. You cannot beat this ice cream flavor, especially with those crispy sweet chunks of espresso!
2. Mom's Makin' Cookies
One of the best Baskin-Robbins' ice cream flavors by far, Mom's Makin' Cookies delivers all of the elements we look for in a good ice cream: sweetness, multiple types of crunch, and a swirl of sauce. This one contains a brown sugar-flavored ice cream (We're already sold!), chocolate chips, chocolate chip cookie pieces, and cookie dough batter. It's the complete package!
Launched in honor of Mother's Day, Mom's Makin' Cookies originally hit the shelves in 2014. It's name is an homage to the homemade chocolate chip cookies that are the best in the world because they come courtesy of mom. Chocolate chip cookies have been around for over 80 years, but chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream didn't come onto the scene until 1984. We'd argue that the Mom's Makin' Cookies ice cream flavor is essentially a highly elevated chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream — better in ways we didn't know we needed.
1. Snickerdoodle Chai
We finally reached the number one spot and it's dedicated to an usual flavor pairing that absolutely blew us away. Snickerdoodle Chai contains vanilla chai-flavored ice cream with snickerdoodle cookie dough pieces and cinnamon streusel. Snickerdoodle cookies, which became popular back in 1891, are cinnamon cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. While originally shaped in bar shapes, they were transformed into the round cookie shape we all know and love sometime in the 1930s.
"Chai" is a Hindi word for "tea." While in India, "chai" simply refers to any type of tea, in the United States, chai tea is usually a blend of black tea, milk, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. It is a common type of tea served around the holiday season and it's no surprise it would pair well with snickerdoodles. This spice-forward ice cream is reminiscent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the best way possible. Hints of caramel, cinnamon, and chai blend perfectly together to create the ultimate fall (or really, anytime) treat.