The 15 Most Popular Jeni's Ice Cream Flavors, Ranked Worst to First

Bobbi Dempsey

July 18, 2024 at 11:09 PM·10 min read

Although ice cream is often tied to long, lazy summer days, we'll take a cone (or a cup) pretty much any day of the year. It's fun to make your own at home using a fun appliance (maybe you got one for the holidays?), like the Ninja Creami, or trying a fun no-churn ice cream recipe.

It's also fun to wander the freezer aisle and check out all the fun ice cream flavors. One of our favorite store-bought brands is Jeni’s Ice Cream, which is known for its unique and unusual flavors—and for packing a ton of flavor into every pint. The ice cream company was founded more than 20 years ago in Columbus, Ohio, by Jeni Britton, who began experimenting with ice cream creations in her early 20s while studying art history—and went on to become a James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker.

The brand started small, but has grown and grown and can now be found in many grocery stores. The only problem? Choosing from the array of delicious-sounding options isn't easy. But don't worry, we can help you out on that front. We dug through pint after pint to bring you the 15 most popular Jeni's ice cream flavors ranked.

What Makes Jeni’s Ice Cream Special

Whatever the particular flavor(s) of a certain variety may be, Jeni's goes all in. There are no meek or wishy-washy options in the bunch. Some ice cream brands are subtle—in some cases, almost stingy—with their flavorings, to the point where many of their varieties could be described as “vanilla with a hint of [insert other flavor],” but that’s not the case with Jeni’s ice cream. All of the varieties are packed with rich, robust flavor.

This could be due in large part to the company’s focus on high-quality ingredients, like milk from family-operated dairies and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Jeni's is also serious about mix-ins. Many of the varieties contain small chunks of fruit, bits of cake, or other delicious goodies. We like the added elements, but if you're someone who prefers a creamy ice cream without a lot of stuff mixed in, you may want to read the labels carefully to pick a Jeni's variety that is more to your liking.

Where to Get Jeni’s Ice Cream

You can find Jeni’s Ice Cream at some grocery stores, and they also have Scoop Shops in some larger U.S. cities. You can also order Jeni's ice cream online. If you're a super fan, the Jeni's Pint Club, where you get four pints delivered to your home each month, might be for you. Bonus: As a Pint Club member, you may be among the first to try new flavors before they’re even available in stores.

The 15 Best Jeni’s Ice Cream Flavors Ranked

Now for the fun part: the ranking! Jeni's has dozens of flavors, including an assortment of dairy-free and gluten-free varieties. We limited our ranking to 15 of the brand’s most popular varieties.

15. Pineapple Upside Down Cake

We can think of several words beginning with the letter Z that we would use to describe this variety—like zesty, zippy and zingy. It is certainly not quiet or understated. The pineapple gives it a tart and tangy personality and then the pair of sauces (caramel and cherry) provide an extra shot of pizzazz. This will definitely appeal to those who like strong, tangy flavors, but might be a bit too intense for others who prefer understated flavors.

14. Wildberry Lavender

Lavender seems to be having a moment, as we’ve seen it popping up in all sorts of food and drink items over the past year. Not surprisingly, it’s not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea—just the name alone can be a turnoff to some people who prefer not to eat or drink anything that makes them think of flowers or soap.

Because of all of that, we were skeptical about trying this one, but were pleasantly surprised. Unlike some lavender food items, this ice cream doesn't overwhelm you with the lavender taste (or smell). The “berry” component is the stronger element, and in fact the ingredients list includes lavender oil as part of the wildberry sauce. To us, the flavor is like a blend of Creamsicle and berry smoothie. Even if you’re not a lavender fan, we’d still urge you to give this tasty variety a try.

13. Coffee with Cream & Sugar

We realize not everyone is a fan of coffee ice cream—even people who love coffee in beverage form—which may put this flavor at a disadvantage right out of the gate. But we enjoy coffee ice cream, and this is among the better versions we’ve tried. If you, too are a coffee ice cream fan, this could become your new favorite take on the classic flavor.

12. Milkiest Chocolate

You can’t go wrong with milk chocolate, and Jeni’s delivers the beloved, familiar flavor of a great Swiss chocolate with this variety. Unlike many of the brand’s other varieties, this one isn’t a blend or mixture of different components—it features just one flavor, milk chocolate. It’s delicious, of course, but it’s such an expected staple that it may get overshadowed by some of the fancier or more unusual offerings in the lineup.

Related: Our Top 10 Aldi Chocolate Bars

11. Goat Cheese with Red Cherries

We weren’t quite sure what to expect from this flavor, but it was a pleasant surprise. If you’re not a big fan of goat cheese (or have simply never tried it), don’t let that stop you. This variety has a consistency and richness that reminds us of cheesecake or frozen custard—and the tart cherries give it just the right amount of kick.

10. Brown Butter Almond Brittle

Your view about this variety will depend almost entirely on how you feel about almonds. The brown butter gives the ice cream a dreamy butterscotch-meets-caramel taste, but the relatively large bits of almonds are impossible to ignore, as every scoop is packed with them. We’re just moderately fond of almonds but loved the brown butter component.

9. Lemon & Blueberries Parfait

“Tart” is the first word in the package description for this variety—and one spoonful will make it perfectly clear why that word gets top billing. It was the first adjective that immediately popped into our head when we took a bite too. There’s a good chance it will make your lips pucker, but it’s tasty enough to also make your taste buds happy. If you’re one of those people who don’t like any bits or pieces of other foods in your ice cream, this is one you should try, as the only slight variation on the creamy smoothness is the blueberry sauce that’s woven throughout.

8. Darkest Chocolate

The label for this variety says, “Packed with Fair Trade cocoa and not much else,” and indeed it does have a relatively short ingredients list. It is delicious, although obviously would likely be more appealing to you if you prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate. It has the richness of dark chocolate, without the noticeable bitterness that often accompanies it.

Related: 29 Halo Top Flavors, Ranked

7. Brambleberry Crisp

We admit that the package for this flavor stumped us for a minute because we weren’t quite sure what a brambleberry was. If you're confused too, a bramble is a thorny bush that produces fruits like blackberries. And this ice cream does indeed have a sweet and tart purple jam made from blackberries and blackcurrants. You also get bits of brown sugar oat streusel crumble, with cinnamon sprinkled in as a bonus. All together it really does take like a berry crisp with ice cream, though with more ice cream than crisp. It's a combination you’ve likely never had before in an ice cream, but we think you’ll become an instant fan.

6. Salty Caramel

Caramel is a standard flavor commonly found in most ice cream makers’ lineups, but we suspect you’ve never tried a spin on this classic flavor that tastes quite like this. The brand says it is made by caramelizing sugar in a kettle over fire, which could be the key to its distinctive taste. It’s very good, but also heavy on the salty element, which may be a bit too much for some who like their caramel a little milder.

5. Blackout Chocolate Cake

The package for this variety calls it a “chocolate ice cream quadruple threat” and that seems pretty accurate. We’re firm believers that there’s no such thing as having too much chocolate, but if there were, this would come pretty close to reaching that point. Fortunately, we’re more than fine with this combination of multiple formats of chocolate in one pint and also wish Jeni would share the recipe for that great blackout chocolate cake that stars in this treat.

4. Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam

There’s no mistaking which flavor is the star of the show here—the strong, sweet taste of fresh Georgia peaches rushes your taste buds from the first bite. Then the bits of sweet cream biscuits up the ante to a whole new level of deliciousness. It feels like flavors you’d enjoy at a summer get-together or at the breakfast table on a Sunday morning. It’s like comfort food in ice cream form.

3. Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks

Peanut butter is the dominant part of the flavor profile for this variety, and those peanuts, along with the chocolate “flecks,” give it a crunchy texture. The peanut butter and chocolate combo is a popular pairing (among many food categories) for a reason. Jeni’s is based in Ohio, and the company says this flavor is inspired by the state's popular Buckeye candies. The candies are made by dipping balls of peanut butter fudge partially in a chocolate coating, which makes them resemble the nuts from the buckeye tree. (Head's up: Don't eat the actual nuts from the buckeye tree.) But regardless of your knowledge (or lack thereof) on the buckeye candy front, if you love chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll surely love this flavor.

2. Skillet Cinnamon Roll

Cinnamon lovers, this one’s for you! If you blended a fresh, gooey cinnamon roll with ice cream to create a milkshake and then froze it, you’d probably get something very close to this. It’s scrumptious and has generous quantities of cinnamon. It’s a terrific treat all on its own but would also be perfect as a topping on warm apple pie.

1. Gooey Butter Cake

This variety has a cream cheese ice cream base accentuated with pieces of vanilla cake and butterscotch sauce, which sounds like a winning formula to us. The package describes this variety as “addictingly sweet,” so consider yourself warned—once you try it, you may not be able to stop. In the description, Jeni says this was inspired by the Gooey Butter Cake her mother used to make when she was growing up in Peoria, Illinois, and that sentimental connection gives you an idea of the amount of love and care that goes into every pint of this flavor.

Up next: Here's What Happens to Your Body if You Eat Ice Cream Every Day

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