Justine Sterling
Griffin Parker
The best thing about Jeni’s ice cream flavors is that they are anything but boring. Jeni’s flavors aren’t just ice cream, they’re conversation starters. Barely any plain vanilla or chocolate or strawberry in sight. The full line of Jeni’s ice cream flavors includes pints inspired by breakfast foods, regional cakes, and even specialty coffee drinks. But what are the best Jeni’s ice cream flavors? We tasted 41 Jeni’s flavors to find out.
What we looked for in the best Jeni’s flavors:
- Texture: We want creamy, not icy.
- Balanced flavor: We looked for flavors that were not too sweet, but definitely not savory.
- Creativity: That’s what Jeni’s is all about!
Want to watch us in action? Check out this video of us doing our initial tasting. Or just keep scrolling for 41 Jeni’s ice cream flavors, ranked.
41 Jeni’s ice cream flavors, ranked
- Jeni’s Skillet Cinnamon Roll
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On paper, I was sure this would rank among the best Jeni’s flavors. But it fell flat. There’s far too much cinnamon and not enough cinnamon roll. It is reminiscent of the aroma of a craft store during the fall, as so many cinnamon flavored things are. There’s not enough of that frosting element. And, though the cinnamon roll chunks are plentiful, they are weirdly dry. One of the best Jeni’s ice cream flavors in concept, but not in practice. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Burnt Orange Dreamsicle
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I expected to love this, but I think the burnt orange caramel is bringing down the classic creamsicle flavor I wanted. It tastes like a lightly-burnt Pillsbury Orange Roll. Jeni’s nails all sorts of new and unique flavors; let’s not reinvent the wheel, gang. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s High Five Candy Bar
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This Take 5-inspired monstrosity is the definition of too much of a good thing. Full disclosure, I actually swore out loud when I first opened this pint and saw the absolute mess waiting for me inside. Peanut butter, caramel, chocolate, honey, and pretzel pieces are all fine inclusions in a pint of ice cream—but I’m not sure there’s any ice cream in here at all. A scoop of this atop a scoop of Jeni’s Honey Vanilla Bean might balance out to the right mix-ins-to-ice-cream ratio. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Honey Vanilla Bean
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This is a fine vanilla bean ice cream; you won’t find many better. But who goes into a Jeni’s scoop shop (or stares at the Jeni’s pints in a grocery store) and gets vanilla? Why even bother getting out of bed? If you like subtle flavors with no complicated inclusions, get Bay Leaf Cheesecake and thank me later. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam
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Here’s another conceptually amazing flavor. But, once again, the execution just didn’t hit for us. My main issue: It’s salty. I’m all for a balance of savory and sweet, but this ice cream came off as oddly salty to me. The biscuit chunks are also dry (I know, they’re biscuits, they should be crumbly, but they should be buttery, too). And, while there’s lots of peach jam, it doesn’t taste like real peach. I know Jeni’s is capable of capturing real fruit flavors. Two of the best Jeni’s ice cream flavors are fruity. But this one just didn’t come together. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Middle West Whiskey & Pecans
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Holy cow, this ice cream is strong. I enjoy whiskey and whiskey-adjacent flavors; if you can’t say the same, you’ll want to skip this one. I like the base whiskey-flavored ice cream, but the bland, texturally disparate pecans hurt the overall experience. I would have preferred a plain old whiskey ice cream. (Hey Jeni’s, what if we sub in dark chocolate peanut butter cups for the pecans? Thank me later.) — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Snow Cone Sorbet
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This uber-tart treat is understated. “Snow Cone” is a pretty tame flavor name for a brambleberry, watermelon, and pink lemonade sorbet. This is a solid summer treat that would easily top a sorbet ranking. It was a great palate cleanser as I worked my way through the dozens of ice cream pints I was sent for this piece. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Boston Cream Pie
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A mix of vanilla custard, chocolate fudge, and yellow cake crumbs, this flavor is perfectly fine. The vanilla ice cream is creamy, the chocolate is present, and the cake chunks are decent. But there’s just nothing remarkable about it. There are so many incredible, fun Jeni’s ice cream flavors out there. And, compared to them all, this one isn’t bad—it’s just nothing special. It speaks highly of Jeni’s flavors that a totally acceptable flavor ranks so low on our list of all the Jeni’s ice cream flavors, ranked. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Green Mint Chip
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If you’re in the market for a mint-heavy mint chocolate chip ice cream—like, really, really minty—then you should give this Jeni’s flavor a try. But, for our taste testers, it was too minty and not creamy enough. The chocolate bits strewn throughout are nice and crunchy, but they don’t taste like much. To me, this flavor just proves that Jeni should stick to the wilder flavors and not even bother with the classics. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Strawberry Buttermilk
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The flavor and texture of this Jeni’s ice cream flavor is exactly what you’d expect and nothing more. It’s certainly good, but it isn’t the best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever had. Jeni’s must have made this for the folks who don’t have an adventurous bone in their body. Would it have been that hard to include a few actual strawberry bits? — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pudding
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My fellow taste testers wished the innate flavor of the coconut cream Jeni’s used as a dairy substitute didn’t drown out the banana in this banana cream pudding-inspired dessert. As a coconut enjoyer myself, I had no complaints with this coconutty banana treat. I will admit it could easily pass as Pina Colada ice cream if you didn’t read the label—is that really a bad thing? — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Double Dough
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This is definitely the best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream I’ve ever had. The brown sugar custard brings a new depth of flavor to a historically consistent and common ice cream flavor. The cookie dough bites are much softer than you’d expect for a frozen treat, to boot. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Watermelon Taffy
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This candiesque ice cream is described as being “ethereally light and extraordinarily creamy.” They ain’t kidding, y’all. This was easily the softest flavor of Jeni’s ice cream. I feel like this tart, fruity flavor would have worked even better as a sorbet. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Salty Caramel
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This flavor fascinates me. It’s a really sophisticated flavor that walks the line between sweet and salty. As my colleague Jordan Myrick noted, it tastes like the top of a creme brulee. It’s caramelized and a little burnt and a little salty. Personally, I couldn’t eat a lot of it, but I think it’d be an incredible garnish on a slice of apple pie. It’s not one of the best Jeni’s flavors but it’s definitely one of the most interesting. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Brown Butter Almond Brittle
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I really like how brown buttery the ice cream base is in this flavor. But that’s not enough to carry it into the top ten best Jeni’s ice cream flavors. Unfortunately, it loses points when we get to the brittle component. It’s just not brittle. It’s not crunchy. And it doesn’t taste like it’s coated in any sort of caramel. Great base, meh mix-ins. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s Darkest Chocolate
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This one is a real matter of preference. It’s advertised as having a “pleasingly dry finish,” and it definitely is dry. It leans hard into the bitter dark chocolate end of the chocolate ice cream spectrum. And it ranked pretty high in our best chocolate ice cream ranking because it is so, extremely dark chocolaty. But, for me, that lack of sweetness robs it of depth. Sugar, like salt, helps enhance flavor. Without enough of it, this chocolate ice cream didn’t have the decadent punch I look for. But if you’re a diehard dark chocolate fan, you’ll probably enjoy it. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Truffle
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Jeni’s makes great dairy-free ice cream. This one is made with coconut milk, and you do taste it a bit—but, honestly, that’s a good thing. That touch of coconut adds some interesting flavor to what might have been a bit boring without it. Aside from that coconut flavor, you’d never know this was a dairy-free ice cream. It’s just as creamy and rich as the other Jeni’s flavors on this list. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / DoorDash
- Jeni’s Caramel Apple Crumble
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This is a perfect example of how good Jeni’s ice cream can be: a super-quality ice cream base absolutely loaded with swirls and bits. The apple ice cream clashes with the dark caramel and brown sugar oat crumble in only the best ways. I went the extra mile and used this to top a slice of fresh apple pie. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Cookies in Cream
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Why can’t every cookies and cream ice cream be like this? I swear half of this pint is just cookies; the other half is a simple “vanilla-scented” ice cream. It tastes like real cookies in real cream. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Lemon Bar
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Jeni’s Dairy-Free line is a real mixed bag. Unlike the Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pudding, Jeni’s use of their coconut cream dairy substitute isn’t so strong that it covers up the lemon. Speaking of, the lemon curd swirled throughout this pint tastes damn fresh. The lactose-intolerant should be proud of this one. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns
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Hallelujah, we’ve found the most decadent dairy-free option from Jeni’s. The caramel swirl absolutely melts in your mouth alongside the rich coconut cream. I know all ice cream melts in your mouth, but this melts in your mouth. (This is also the best Jeni’s ice cream flavor to include pecans by a country mile.) — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Blackout Chocolate Cake
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Okay, ice cream. We get it. You’re chocolatey. Ever heard the expression that something is a “hat on a hat” in comedy? Well, this ice cream is a hat on a hat in terms of sheer chocolate content. It’s so chocolaty. It’s a bit too much. It’s so extremely decadent. That said, it has great texture from the cake chunks and chocolate bits. If you have a bumper sticker proudly declaring that there’s a chocoholic on board, then this is the best Jeni’s ice cream flavor for you. But the rest of us might need to pair it with some basic vanilla ice cream, just to have a little break. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Jeni’s Milkiest Chocolate
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Despite being one of the simplest Jeni’s flavors, I actually tried this one last to see if it would hold up after a gauntlet of unique, nonsense-filled pints. I’m happy to report that this is great quality chocolate ice cream straight out of the pint with no frills. (I’m hoping to try it in a Mudslide soon.) — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Frosé Sorbet
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Wine? Wine!? Wine! This is the most wine-tasting non-wine product I’ve ever had in my entire life. The pear, strawberry, and watermelon flavors really bring the Sangria feeling to this frozen wine-flavored sorbet. (Are we sure this isn’t alcoholic?) The description recommends making a sparkling wine float with this sorbet; I’m extremely tempted to do so. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake
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This is a dead-on recreation of the pineapple upside-down cake you’d fight for the last slice of at the family reunion. I wish Jeni’s included a little more cherry, but the pineapple ice cream, caramel swirl, and cake chunks are doing a great job of making me forget what we were even talking about. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Brambleberry Crisp
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Growing up, there were berry farms in our county that would make and sell blackberry and blueberry ice cream in the summer. I loved it. I miss it now that most of those berry farms have been turned into things like goat yoga destinations or biodynamic wineries. Luckily, I can just buy a pint of Jeni’s Brambleberry Crisp. The ice cream is sweet. The jam ribbon is slightly tangy. It has a homemade vibe. My only quibble: The big chunks of oaty crisp are delightfully sweet-salty-crunchy, but they are few and far between. Too often, you just get little bits of chewy oats. More big, crunchy chunks, please! — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s Gooey Butter Cake
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Cream cheese frosting is the best kind of frosting (I won’t listen to any arguments to the contrary, thank you very much). And the base ice cream in this Jeni’s flavor really tastes like cream cheese frosting—which is to say, it tastes great. The cake chunks are BIG and moist. It’s the best Jeni’s ice cream flavor if you’re looking for something akin to a vanilla ice cream, but way better. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s Savannah Buttermint
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This is the most accurate ice cream ever made that could do without. The white chocolate shreds do an amazing job of emulating the texture of having just eaten a pillowy dinner mint or three. This isn’t anywhere close to my favorite flavor, but on the scale of accuracy and quality, it’s very impressive. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Flakes
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Why isn’t there more peanut butter ice cream? There’s plenty of chocolate peanut butter ice cream, but Jeni’s proves that peanut butter ice cream—peanut butter ice cream base with chocolate mix-ins—is a classic, overlooked flavor. It’s so impossibly creamy, punctuated by crunchy chocolate flecks. The peanut butter ice cream base is just salty and sweet enough. Sure, the chocolate flakes could add more flavor, but the star of the show is that peanut butter ice cream. It’s the best Jeni’s ice cream flavor for peanut butter lovers. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s Bay Leaf Cheesecake
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This ice cream is elegant. Seriously, this should be served at weddings in place of that boring old cake. The cheesecake flavor is subtle, and the herbal tinge shines as a result. Your most posh friend would go back for seconds of this one. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Coffee with Cream & Sugar
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This Jeni’s ice cream is divine. The side of the pint says it is one of Jeni’s most labor-intensive flavors due to them actually brewing Intelligentsia coffee in the cream. I’ll co-sign that labor being 100% worth it; I’ll be getting a scoop of this the next time I visit a Jeni’s shop. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Jeni’s Maple Soaked Pancakes
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You know, I’m not the biggest fan of the 1-10 rating system. I think some people skip all this written nuance just to hunt down the “best” option on the list. Every flavor here is someone’s favorite; flavor is subjective because every tongue is different. None of what I just said applies to this, though. Everyone will love this. This Jeni’s ice cream, rich in maple flavor and super-soft flaky pancake bits, is universally outstanding. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Wildberry Lavender
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This flavor is dangerously appealing. Is it leftover Froot Loops milk? Is it a perfect blend of lavender, citrus, and berry? Whatever it is, my taste-testers were fighting over the right to finish the pint. I’m surprised there isn’t a dairy-free version of this super-fruity, super-floral treat. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Cold Brew with Coconut Cream
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We put this Jeni’s flavor way up at the top of our best coffee ice cream ranking. And it’s definitely the best Jeni’s ice cream flavor for coffee ice cream lovers—but, beyond that, it’s one of the best Jeni’s ice cream flavors, period. A few Sporked taste testers aren’t coffee drinkers, but even they loved the contrast of the coffee granita with the creamy coconut ice cream. This is a new, original take on a classic ice cream flavor. It’s a big swing, but it pays off. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / DoorDash
- Jeni’s Buttercream Birthday Cake
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This is a kid’s ice cream dream come true—it’s a frozen birthday party. It’s wildly sweet, but it should be. It’s funfetti ice cream, for gosh sakes. The cake chunks are like cake cookie dough. And there are so many crunchy, rainbow sprinkles. Even as someone who doesn’t love super sweet stuff, I can appreciate how amazing this ice cream is. It’s a real birthday cake ice cream fantasy. It captures not only the flavor but the textural and aesthetic experience of a kid’s birthday party. And that’s why it’s one of the best Jeni’s flavors around. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s Dairy-Free Texas Sheet Cake
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I simply cannot believe this is a dairy-free ice cream. Sure, after I found out, I could taste a touch of the coconut flavor in the mix from the coconut milk. But until someone pointed it out to me, I didn’t get a whiff of dairy-free anything. The chocolate ice cream is rich and dark, and the chocolate cake chunks taste like really good grocery store sheet cake. This is the best Jeni’s ice cream if you’re looking for chocolate ice cream or vegan ice cream. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / DoorDash
- Jeni’s Cream Puff
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This pastry-flake-laden custard is absolutely heavenly. I never would have guessed that a flavor that is basically vanilla ice cream would score this high. Just a few days ago, I had a bona fide traditional cream puff from the shop that inspired this flavor, and this absolutely lives up to the concept. I don’t want any other vanilla ice cream for the rest of my days. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Miso Butterscotch Brownie
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This is a perfect example of the elevated, unique flavors Jeni’s is known for: a bougie butterscotch and miso(!?) ice cream embellished with giant chunks of dark chocolate fudge brownies. This is Jeni’s at their best; nobody else could do this. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s OPAQUE
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Jeni’s Powdered Jelly Donut is better than the best jelly donut I’ve ever had. Perfect, simple vanilla custard swirled with strong raspberry jelly and entire swaths of brown sugar donut crumbles. This is one of two flavors in this ranking so good, I forgot I was writing about it at all. This ice cream made me forget my employment. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
- Jeni’s Lemon & Blueberries Parfait
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There was no question about this being the best of all the best Jeni’s ice cream flavors. The lemon ice cream is like lemon gelato. It’s zesty and creamy, with a twinge of just-sour-enough buttermilk flavor. And the swirl of blueberry adds some fruity tang that tastes like fresh blueberries. It is absolutely perfect. After tasting 16 Jeni’s ice cream flavors, you would think I’d be done with ice cream. But it was tough to stop “tasting” this pint (I was just eating it, I won’t lie). In fact, I took it home so I didn’t have to stop enjoying it. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Jeni’s OPAQUE
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Folks, you can read my full love letter to this recent limited-edition flavor here. The short version is that the black-cocoa-laden OPAQUE isn’t just the best Jeni’s ice cream or the best chocolate ice cream; OPAQUE is the best ice cream. 10 is not a high enough number for this ambrosia; I am actively appealing to the Sporked judicial department for OPAQUE to receive the first-ever honorary 11. — Griffin Parker
Credit: Liv Averett / Jeni’s
Cinnamon Roll
Burnt Orange Dreamsicle
High Five Candy Bar
Honey Vanilla Bean
Biscuits & Peach Jam
Middle West Whiskey & Pecans
Snow Cone Sorbet
Boston Cream Pie
Green Mint Chip
Strawberry Buttermilk
Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pudding
Double Dough
Watermelon Taffy
Salty Caramel
Almond Brittle
Darkest Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Truffle
Caramel Apple Crumble
Cookies in Cream
Dairy-Free Lemon Bar
Dairy-Free Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns
Blackout Chocolate Cake
Milkiest Chocolate
Frosé Sorbet
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Brambleberry Crisp
Gooey Butter Cake
Savannah Buttermint
Peanut Butter Chocolate
Bay Leaf Cheesecake
Coffee with Cream & Sugar
Maple Soaked Pancakes
Wildberry Lavender
Cold Brew Coconut Cream
Buttercream Birthday Cake
Texas Sheet Cake
Cream Puff
Miso Butterscotch Brownie
OPAQUE
Lemon & Blueberries
OPAQUE
Jessica Block
Jordan Myrick
