After biting and licking and dripping my way through ice cream bar after ice cream bar, I can tell you that there are, in fact, bad ice cream bars out there—at least, subpar ones. And I want you to have only the best ice cream bars. That’s just the kind of gal I am.
I know. I was shocked, too. Bad ice cream bars?? It’s ice cream! Ice cream’s great! And it’s on a stick! Everything is better on a stick—just ask a state fair! And it’s probably covered in chocolate! How bad can it be?! Okay, even the worst ice cream bar I tried was still pretty okay. But the fact is there are way, way, way better ice cream bars out there—there are even good low calorie ice cream bars and keto ice cream bars.
Here’s what sets the best ice cream bars apart from the okay ice cream bars: A crunchy, but not too thick, coating. Creamy, not icy ice cream. And pure, delectable flavor. I was satisfied with one bite of the just-okay ice cream bars. But the best ice cream bars were hard to put down.
Out of the 20 ice cream bars I tried, here are the best—including a chocolate ice cream bar for true chocolate lovers, an almond ice cream bar for people who love to crunch, and even an orange ice cream bar that will have childhood memories flooding back.
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- Halo Top Peanut Butter Chocolate
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Halo Top is good at peanut butter. The low cal, keto-friendly brand’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream ranked way up there in our ranking of the best Halo Top flavors. And their Peanut Butter Chocolate keto ice cream bars, while not number one, are definitely the best ice cream bars if you’re trying to keep keto. With just 3g net carbs per pop, the chocolate-covered ice cream pops have a crunchy coating that doesn’t immediately collapse when you bite into it. And the ice cream within is super creamy, not-too-sweet, and, most impressively, it doesn’t taste like fake sugar (they’re sweetened with erythritol and stevia). While the peanut butter flavor isn’t quite as pronounced as it is in Halo Top’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream, it’s just present enough.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Mickey Mouse Vanilla
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I included these nostalgic ice cream bars in our product list because I wanted to feel young again. And I did. Taking a bite of an ice cream mouse ear instantly brought me back to toddlerdom. But I was surprised to find that a Mickey ice cream bar is more than just frozen nostalgia. The chocolate coating is dark and a little bit bitter. And the vanilla ice cream is really good vanilla ice cream. These are obviously the best ice cream bars for a kid’s birthday party—but you shouldn’t wait for one to come along to buy a box. They’re honestly good. And they’re more fun to eat than any other plain vanilla bar.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Van Leeuwen Black and White Layer Cake
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I tried the Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bar in this taste test, so I can say with confidence that this similar concept from fancy ice creamery Van Leeuwen is better. The outer layer of cake crumbs is just thick enough. And it’s so rich with cocoa and a hint of salt. Bite through that and you’ll reach a layer of vanilla ice cream (which I wish was a bit thicker) and then you’ll get to the highlight: the extremely good chocolate ice cream. They took Good Humor’s idea and just executed it better. Sometimes the extra cost is worth it.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- WW Giant Chocolate Fudge
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If you weren’t aware, Weight Watchers goes by WW now. I didn’t love the name before, but I also don’t think WW is particularly enticing. That said, I guess I also don’t want a food brand just called Watchers, either. So, I guess WW is fine. Anyway, WW makes low calorie ice cream bars that are so good it really doesn’t matter what the brand name is or how meh the packaging looks. These low calorie ice cream bars (90 calories or 4 points per bar) are sizeable, super creamy, and satisfyingly chocolaty. There’s even a little bit of that chocolate bitterness. If you’ve been craving a Fudgesicle, grab one of these.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Mini Coffee Almond Toffee Crunch
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Haagen-Dazs makes some of the best coffee ice cream and it is the star of the show in these mini ice cream bars. As I so eloquently wrote in my tasting notes, “Yum yum.” These little bars are a perfect grown-up treat. They’re just the right size to satisfy a craving for something sweet. And they combine that good, good coffee ice cream with a thin layer of dark chocolate coating and crunchy, sweet toffee bits. They’re sophisticated ice cream bars.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Good Humor Creamsicle
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One bite of a Good Humor Creamsicle will send you, Ratatouille-like, into a reverie of childhood summers spent chasing down ice cream trucks. I never even had one of these as a child but I was still propelled back to simpler times. As an orange ice cream bar, it’s refreshingly different from the other bars on this list. It’s still creamy—not icy at all—and the orange flavor is gentle. But it’s bright, refreshing, and a little bit tangy. Plus, you can totally bite into one of these. The whole thing stays together and it’s somehow not too cold. Plus, at 100 calories per bar, it’s another one of the best low calorie ice cream bars—should you care about such things.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Milk Chocolate Almond
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During this taste test, I discovered that the best ice cream bars are often the simplest.This stone cold classic from Haagen-Dazs is a prime example. It’s simply a vanilla ice cream bar coated in almond-studded chocolate. The ice cream is perfect (Haagen-Dazs vanilla is pure art). The chocolate breaks off in bite-sized sheets. And the almonds are crunchy and flavorful. They actually taste like almonds! Looking for an almond ice cream bar? Don’t overthink it. This is the best ice cream bar for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate
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Like I said, sometimes simplicity wins out. If you’re looking for a chocolate ice cream bar that is a celebration of chocolate, inside and out, then Haagen-Dazs, once again, makes the best ice cream bar for you. The chocolate coating is so smooth and creamy and it melts in your mouth. The chocolate ice cream is delicious chocolate ice cream. One bite floods your mouth with chocolate—and the smallest touch of salt. *Chef’s kiss*
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Magnum Double Raspberry
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Okay, so, remember all that talk about the best ice cream bars being the simplest ice cream bars? Here’s the exception to the rule. This decadent combination of raspberry ice cream layered with frozen raspberry sauce and a coating of thick dark chocolate is anything but simple. I looked like an exaggerated extra from an ice cream bar commercial after taking a bite. My eyes rolled back into my head and I collapsed into my chair, overcome with the deliciousness of this ice cream bar. The frozen raspberry sauce shell is tart and tangy. It really tastes like fresh raspberry, and it’s a gorgeous pairing with the dark chocolate coating. The sweet raspberry ice cream is a light, gentle foil to those two bold flavors. Someone put a lot of love into these ice cream bars.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
Best Keto
Best Vanilla
Best Fancy
Best Low Calorie
Best Coffee
Best Orange
Best Almond
Best Chocolate
Best of the Best
Other ice cream bars we tried: Great Value, Magnum Cookie Duet, Kroger Chocolate Dipped Bars Vanilla, Dove Vanilla Ice cream with Dark Chocolate, Crunch Vanilla, Goodpop Fudge n’ Caramel Crunch, Enlightened Peanut Butter Chocolate, Goodpop Neapolitan, Van Leeuwen Brown Sugar Honeycomb, Good Humor Chocolate Eclair, Reese’s Peanut Butter Bar
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!