I’m not going to pretend I didn’t enjoy tasting 23 Haagen-Dazs flavors. I love Haagen-Dazs. And working at Sporked, tasting Haagen-Dazs flavors for different ice cream taste tests has only intensified my love for the brand. They make great ice cream—especially if you’re not all about the mix-ins (that’s what Ben & Jerry’s is for).
In tasting 23 Haagen-Dazs, I discovered a couple of clunkers as well as some surprise home runs. We looked for quality of ice cream (smooth, creamy, firm but not icy), vibrancy and accuracy of flavor, and overall satisfaction. Ice cream should keep you coming back for more. It shouldn’t be a one spoonful and done kind of situation. You should think about it sitting in your freezer. You should hear it call your name—especially when it’s Haagen-Dazs, which, while it isn’t the most expensive ice cream brand out there, isn’t the cheapest either. So, hopefully, this list of Haagen-Dazs flavors, ranked, will help guide you to the best pint worth your hard-earned cash.
Here are 23 Haagen-Dazs ranked from worst to best.
- Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut
-
I loved the idea of a Piña Colada-style ice cream. Done right, it would be creamy and rich, with just the right amount of zippy, zingy pineapple. Done wrong, as it is here, it tastes a bit like sunscreen. And the pineapple doesn’t do much but make the ice cream a bit icy. Try again, Haagen-Dazs!
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Rum Tres Leches
-
Here’s the problem with booze-based ice cream: It doesn’t freeze right. Even if there’s no real alcohol in the mix, it doesn’t seem to firm up like other ice cream flavors. I wasn’t a big fan of either of the boozy Haagen-Dazs flavors we tried, in part because both were softer, instantly meltier ice creams. This one has a ton of caramel but not enough ice cream to stand up to it—I think because it just immediately melts, thanks to the rum. It left me supremely unsatisfied.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond
-
Out of all the Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors we tried, this one was the most boring. It’s fine. If you gave me a bowlful, I would eat it. I might even enjoy it. But I would never recommend you run out and buy this flavor. The chocolate coating on the almonds doesn’t really taste like much and it’s a bit waxy. The almonds themselves are fine. The ice cream base is lackluster. I hate being mean about Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors. They really all mean well. But I was just hoping for a bit more pizzazz.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Coffee Chocolate Brownie
-
Spoiler alert, but Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream is one of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors. This version, though, tastes like it was made with instant coffee instead of fresh coffee. Instant coffee always tastes a little bit like bacon to me, and you get a bit of that bacony flavor here, which is most certainly not what I want in a chocolate brownie ice cream. The brownie chunks are satisfying, but the coffee flavor is overpoweringly weird.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin
-
It tastes like rum and there are raisins. So, if rum raisin ice cream is your thing, you might think this is the best flavor of Haagen-Dazs. It’s certainly not bad. That’s right, we’re already into the good Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors section of this ranking. But it’s far from the best Haagen-Dazs flavor. The rum ice cream itself is delicious (as long as you love rum). But the raisins ruin it. They taste like nothing and they’re hard. Plus, the ice cream suffers from the boozy ice cream effect. It’s too soft and melty.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs New York Strawberry Cheesecake
-
There are real hunks of strawberry and big pieces of crust in this Haagen-Dazs pint. But where’s the cheesecake flavor? I want cheesecake ice cream to taste tangy and distinctly cream-cheesy. Unfortunately, this just tastes like strawberry and crust in vanilla-ish ice cream. It’s not bad, but it’s not living up to its full potential. And it’s definitely not the best Haagen-Dazs flavor because of that.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Double Belgian Chocolate Chip
-
Love chocolate ice cream but wish it had more texture? Here’s some chocolate ice cream with texture. The chocolate ice cream itself isn’t as good as Haagen-Dazs’ classic chocolate ice cream—it’s missing some depth and nuance. But there are lots and lots of tiny, crunchy chocolate chips. For me, those chips aren’t quite tiny enough—or they’re too small. They’re just the right size to get in the way of enjoying the ice cream. It seems nitpicky, I know. But when there’s a really good Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream available (it’s one of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors), you can afford to be picky.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road
-
I’m not a rocky road ice cream kind of person because I’m not from the 1930s. But the base chocolate ice cream is good. The almonds add crunch (though not a lot of flavor). And the marshmallow is there, I suppose, though it doesn’t bring a lot to the party. It’s totally acceptable if you’re a rocky road fan, but that doesn’t earn it a spot in the top ten best Haagen-Dazs flavors. Maybe if they adhered to the classic rocky road formula and went with walnuts instead of almonds, that might have bumped it up a spot or two.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Cookies & Cream
-
Yes, we included this pint in our ranking of the best cookies and cream ice cream. And it is a pretty good cookies and cream ice cream. But there are better Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors. Personally, I think the base ice cream isn’t as good as it could be. It’s just not very flavorful. But the mix-ins help elevate it. There are big chunks of cookie, which have a deeply dark chocolate flavor.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Bourbon Praline Pecan
-
This is the best Haagen-Dazs flavor if you’re looking for a boozy ice cream. It is heavy on the bourbon flavor. And, as a bourbon fan, that’s A-OK with me. It’s sweet and creamy with notes of charred oak. There is some boozy heat. Don’t worry, though, even though this pint is made with real bourbon, the ice cream is less than 0.5% ABV. The crunchy praline pecans add good texture. But, really, this is all about my dream of bourbon ice cream coming true. Sadly, it’s another melty booze-based ice cream. And, for that, it gets dinged.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche
-
Do you love caramel? Like, do you looooooove caramel? This is the best flavor of Haagen-Dazs for you to enjoy in your caramel shrine. This is like a caramel sauce sundae in a pint—but it’s practically more caramel than ice cream. And it’s really good caramel. It’s buttery and sweet, with a bit of that slightly burnt flavor. This sh*t is decadent as hell.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Butter Pecan
-
I’m not sure there are people who buy ice cream for the nuts, but if there are, then this is the one of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors for them to buy. The brown buttery ice cream is good. But the real stars are the big hunks of toasty, buttery pecans, which have a lovely roasted flavor.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Caramel Pecan
-
While the Dulce de Leche is for caramel obsessives, this is the best Haagen-Dazs flavor for caramel appreciators. The ripple of caramel sauce tastes like a fancy salted caramel candy. And it easily blends with the vanilla ice cream—it’s not too thick or sticky. The little chunks of pecan add a great crunch that kept me coming back for bite after bite.
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
-
We ranked this pint as one of the best cookie dough ice creams. And, after tasting it again for this ranking, I can confirm it deserves to be there. The ice cream itself is wonderful. But the cookie dough chunks are incredible. The dough is a little salty and soft (I can’t stand hard cookie dough balls), and the chocolate chips add a good, dark bitterness. Haagen-Dazs is a master of the classics and this is proof.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Caramel Cone
-
Haagen-Dazs isn’t a brand for mix-in lovers, as we’ve discussed. But this is one of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors with mix-ins that they make. The ice cream itself tastes like brown butter caramel—it’s a little salty and so buttery. The chocolate-covered cone bites taste like good quality dark chocolate. But they don’t quite taste enough like ice cream cone. And they’re definitely not as crunchy as I want them to be. Still, it’s a really good ice cream with decent mix-ins.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Vanilla
-
While classic vanilla isn’t actually the best Haagen-Dazs flavor in the vanilla category, it’s an extremely good vanilla ice cream. It’s light and creamy and it finishes with this touch of bitterness on the end that makes it taste sophisticated and delightful. If you think vanilla is boring, then you clearly have not tasted Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Haagen-Dazs Chocolate
-
This is the platonic ideal of plain chocolate ice cream. It tastes like rich, real cocoa—creamy and chocolatey. If you’re a true chocolate ice cream lover, it’s hard to go wrong. In my opinion, this is the best flavor of Haagen-Dazs to use in a milkshake. It has this chocolatey twang that gives a classic chocolate milkshake an edge. It’s dangerous that I’m even thinking about it right now. Excuse me, I have to go throw my blender away before I make and drink an entire pitcher of milkshakes made with this Haagen-Dazs flavor.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Pistachio
-
Pistachio ice cream is kind of like the anchovy pizza of the ice cream world—it’s often used as a punchline and is an obvious old person choice. But it’s actually one of the world’s best ice cream flavors. And way more people are into it than you might think. We all, secretly, love pistachio ice cream. And Haagen-Dazs makes a great one. I love the salty chunks of real pistachios in the mix. Even the ice cream itself is a bit salty. I actually wish there was a touch more sweetness to contrast the salty nuts, but that’s what chocolate sauce is for.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Coffee
-
Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream is one of the best coffee ice creams. That’s because it follows the assignment. It tastes like fresh-brewed coffee with a little bit of cream and sugar. That’s all you really need in a good coffee ice cream. No need to get cute with mix-ins or extra ingredients. Stick with the basics and do them well, and you too could be one of the best flavors of Haagen-Dazs.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Matcha
-
Man, I love this Haagen-Dazs flavor. If this ranking was just about my personal tastes, if it was a ranking of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors for Justine’s freezer, this might be number one. It’s creamy and smooth with a pronounced matcha flavor. It’s bitter at the finish but just sweet enough to keep you coming back for another bite. It’s like the best matcha latte from the best coffee shop, frozen in a pint.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter
-
Made with deep, dark chocolate ice cream run through with a salty-sweet peanut butter ribbon, this is one of the best Haagen-Dazs flavors for both peanut butter and chocolate lovers. (In fact, Rhett & Link deemed it to be the best peanut butter ice cream, period.) The peanut butter ribbon tastes like actual peanut butter rather than Reese’s style peanut butter. And that really gives it an edge. It takes this from novelty ice cream territory into a sophisticated dessert strata. My only tip is to eat this while it’s cold. The second the ice cream starts to melt, the texture is totally off, because the peanut butter remains firm while the ice cream turns to soup.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Strawberry
-
This is a perfect strawberry ice cream to me (it’s way up there in our ranking of the best strawberry ice cream). It has delicious, big chunks of actual frozen strawberry, which somehow aren’t too hard or icy. So you can actually chew through them without totally wrecking your teeth. The ice cream itself is sweet and subtle and creamy. This tastes like real, genuine strawberry—straight from the field, not a lab.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean
-
I know, I know. Out of all the Haagen-Dazs flavors, we picked vanilla bean as the best Haagen-Dazs flavor? I’m sorry, but yes. It cannot be denied. It is a perfect vanilla ice cream (the best vanilla ice cream, according to our ranking). It has a rounder and deeper and richer vanilla flavor than the classic vanilla. Speckled with bits of vanilla bean, this Haagen-Dazs flavor tastes like something you’d get at a bistro in Paris along with your tiny cup of espresso. It tastes expensive and luxe and artisanal. But you can probably find it in the freezer at your local 7-Eleven. Vanilla Bean is the best flavor of Haagen-Dazs, whether you’re looking for something to eat solo or a scoop to accompany pie or cake. Give it a taste and just try to argue with me.
Credit: Merc / Target
Pineapple Coconut
Rum Tres Leches
Vanilla Swiss Almond
Coffee Chocolate Brownie
Rum Raisin
Strawberry Cheesecake
Double Chocolate Chip
Rocky Road
Cookies & Cream
Bourbon Praline Pecan
Dulce de Leche
Butter Pecan
Vanilla Caramel Pecan
Cookie Dough
Caramel Cone
Vanilla
Chocolate
Pistachio
Coffee
Matcha
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Strawberry
Vanilla Bean
Social Media