Best Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (Updated with Vegan, Lactose Free, and More!)

The best cookies and cream ice cream should be creamy and chocolatey—and it should be cookie-y. It’s tough to do, apparently, but cookies and cream ice cream shouldn’t just taste like little bits of chocolate in vanilla ice cream. It should taste like little bits of chocolate cookie in vanilla creme ice cream. 

You might think that cookies and cream ice cream is basic, but after you try more than 20 different kinds of cookies and cream ice cream, you realize there are nuances. We tasted not only a bunch of regular cookies and cream ice cream, but for this updated ranking of the best cookies and cream ice cream, we also tasted vegan cookies and cream ice cream, lactose free cookies and cream ice cream, mint cookies and cream ice cream, and we even found an incredible cookies and cream ice cream sandwich. 

Best Non-Dairy

Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy “Milk” & Cookies

Target

Made with sunflower butter, this vegan cookies and cream ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s is light and fluffy and, amazingly, it doesn’t taste like sunflower seeds. It’s impressively creamy for a dairy-free ice cream. But like other B&J’s pints, this one is all about the mix-ins rather than the base ice cream. The cookie pieces are tasty and plentiful. If you’re done with dairy, this is the best cookies and cream ice cream to buy. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best Mint Cookies & Cream

Oreo Mint with Oreo Cookie Pieces

Ralphs

What’s the difference between mint cookies and cream ice cream and mint chip ice cream? The cookie, pieces, of course. (Other than that it’s basically the same.) Oreo’s mint cookies and cream ice cream essentially tastes like Thin Mint ice cream. It’s not the creamiest, most luxurious ice cream, but it’s satisfying especially if you like fluffy ice cream. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Lactose Free

Lactaid Cookies & Cream

Ralphs

I included this lactose free cookies and cream ice cream in our taste test as a formality. But it really impressed me. The cookies are soft and richly chocolaty. The base ice cream is creamy and, while it does lean vanilla more than “cream,” it has a good vanilla flavor. If you’re lactose intolerant, this is definitely the best cookies and cream ice cream to buy. But even if you can handle lactose, I think you’ll be pretty pleased. Even if it’s not the sexiest packaging or brand. But do you really need your cookies and cream ice cream to be sexy? Maybe that’s something you should bring up at therapy. — Justine Sterling 

Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Splurge

Häagen-Dazs Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Target

Before I started at Sporked, I wasn’t sure if Häagen-Dazs ice cream was worth the money. Because it’s a little pricier than some other brands, I didn’t buy it and told myself it was overhyped. Now, I must reckon with the fact that I was very wrong. Everything Häagen-Dazs makes is great. This was some of the best cookies and cream ice cream we tried during our taste test. It’s super creamy and just feels expensive. My only complaint is that it needs more mix-ins, but that’s just a personal preference. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Budget

Great Value Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Walmart

If you regularly read our articles, you shouldn’t be surprised to find this Walmart brand in our ranking. Great Value almost always makes the list. The quality for the price is truly great. Great Value cookies and cream ice cream has huge pieces of chocolate sandwich cookies, and the texture of the base is nice and smooth. If you want a sweet treat but your paycheck hasn’t hit your account yet this month, head to Walmart to buy the best cookies and cream ice cream you can get on a budget. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Ice Cream Sandwich

FatBoy Cookies ‘n Cream Sandwiches

Instacart

Cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches between cookies? Pretty meta, man! The most impressive part about these cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches is that the ice cream actually tastes like cookies and cream ice cream. You can truly tell it’s not just vanilla. The chocolate cookies are dark and super chocolaty. The ice cream is light but not too fluffy—it’s not just frozen whipped cream. This is a decadent ice cream sandwich. Enjoy it. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Mix-Ins

Ben & Jerry’s Topped Dirt Cake Frozen Dessert

Target

This Ben & Jerry’s cookies and cream ice cream is a different take on the concept. It consists of vanilla pudding ice cream with chocolate sandwich cookies, chocolate cookie swirls, a milk chocolate ganache top layer, and chocolate cookie crumbs. This ice cream is the furthest possible thing from subtle and that’s why I love it. This is dessert punching you in the face. It’s super sweet, wildly messy, and unbelievably decadent. You’d probably have to go to the hospital if you ate an entire pint, but there’s no other way I’d rather die. This is the best cookies and cream ice cream for the job. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Organic

Alden’s Organic Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Instacart

Buying Alden’s ice cream feels like buying ice cream from a farm. It gives off a small-batch, local vibe. The base is very rich and has that milk flavor I’m looking for in the best cookies and cream ice cream. Compared to some of the others we tried, it isn’t too sweet. I know it sounds strange to describe an ice cream as mild, but this one is mild in such a pleasant way. To me, this is the perfect after-dinner ice cream when you want something just a little sweet. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Dreyer’s / Edy’s Cookies ‘N Cream Ice Cream

Vons

For some reason, I never think to buy Dreyer’s ice cream. The carton looks so plain compared to some of the other, flashier brands on the market. This is a great example of how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, though. Dreyer’s Cookies ‘N Cream ice cream is better than any other cookies and cream ice cream we tried. It’s creamy, there are plenty of cookie chunks, and it’s affordable! What’s not to like? If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, look for Edy’s. It’s the same brand. Either way, you’re getting the best cookies and cream ice cream brand. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Vons

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other cookies and cream ice cream we tried: Nick’s Cookies and Kram, Gelato Boy Salty Cookies + Cream Gelato, Gelato Boy Dairy Free + Vegan Cookies + Cream Gelato, Favorite Day Mint Cookies ‘n Cream, Oreo Mint Sandwiches, Oreo Cones, Signature Select Cookies ‘n Cream Sandwiches, Kroger, Breyers, Breyers Non-Dairy, Turkey Hill, Baskin Robbins, Tillamook, Private Selection, Oreo, Signature Select, Planet Oat Cookies & Creme, Fairlife Cookies & Cream, Van Leeuwen, Blue Bunny, Favorite Day