I tried all 31+ flavors of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins and ranked them from worst to best
Meredith Schneider
- I've wanted to try every flavor at Baskin-Robbins since I was 7, and I finally got the chance.
- My location had two bonus ice creams, so I tasted and ranked 33 different flavors.
- Pink bubblegum and vanilla fell toward the bottom, but I loved the strawberry-cheesecake ice cream.
Did you ever dream of walking into an ice-cream shop as a kid and asking for one of everything?
As one of the top ice-cream franchises in the US, Baskin-Robbins has been serving scoops since 1945. The chain was originally known for its 31 flavors of ice cream, but between seasonal rotations and menu updates, it's offered more than 1,000 flavors over the years.
I got to live out my 7-year-old fantasy for the ultimate taste-testing adventure: Trying every flavor at my local Baskin-Robbins.
I entered the chain at 11:02 a.m. on a Wednesday, and Ginnette was the only worker there. She single-handedly scooped, packed, and labeled all 33 flavors — the standard 31 plus two bonus flavors — in less than 32 minutes.
In the most important journalistic investigation I've ever undertaken, I ranked every flavor from worst to best.
Meredith Schneider
I was happy to see my shop was carrying a couple of limited-edition flavors in honor of the animated movie "If," including Blue's Boardwalk Bash.
The raspberry ice cream, gritty cotton-candy swirls, and Oreo pieces would probably be great separately. Together? Not so much.
Meredith Schneider
Baskin-Robbin's bubblegum-flavored ice cream has chunks of bubblegum-flavored candies swirled through it. But the candy pieces were too hard for my liking.
Also, the idea of swallowing bubble gum made this ice cream pretty unappetizing.
Meredith Schneider
The daiquiri ice flavor is a good nondairy option at the chain with lime and rum flavorings. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of lime.
I'd definitely add booze to the ice to turn it into a summer drink, but I didn't like it as a casual iced dessert.
Meredith Schneider
It's a great staple, but the plain vanilla wasn't as rich as I know it could've been.
I would be keener on French vanilla, or something swirled with flecks of natural vanilla beans.
Meredith Schneider
Regular chocolate ice cream isn't usually that dynamic of a flavor.
But Baskin-Robbins' version almost had a buttery quality. It had a little depth that made it taste homemade.
Meredith Schneider
The ice cream tasted exactly like its namesake sweet. But I missed the signature fluffy texture.
Meredith Schneider
Gold Medal Ribbon blends Baskin-Robbins' chocolate and vanilla ice creams with a ribbon of caramel.
There was a nostalgic flavor to the ice creams, and the ribbon of caramel was nice and smooth.
Pro tip: I added fresh strawberries to make it feel more like a sundae.
Meredith Schneider
The best part of the standard chocolate-chip ice cream was that the vanilla base was extra buttery.
Meredith Schneider
Nutty coconut blends coconut-flavored ice cream with a mix of almonds, pecans, and walnuts.
The coconut flavor worked harmoniously with the nuts.
But to make it better, I'd probably add chocolate or sandwich it between macadamia-nut cookies.
Meredith Schneider
Eating Baskin-Robbins' Jamoca ice cream — the chain's take on a coffee flavor — is a smooth, rich treat.
But I noticed the coffee flavor tasted slightly more bitter than the chain's cold-brew offering.
Meredith Schneider
The ice cream was supposedly chocolate-mousse flavored, but it really just tasted like basic chocolate with some chocolate flakes.
Good, but not a top pick for me.
Meredith Schneider
Baskin-Robbins' cherry-flavored ice cream with real cherry halves kicks things up a notch with a splash of rum flavoring.
Cherry isn't typically my go-to, but Baskin-Robbins' take on it was delightfully dark and flavorful.
Meredith Schneider
Black walnut is a classic, nutty ice-cream flavor, and Baskin'-Robbins offers it seasonally in its scoop shops.
The simple base had a creamy, beautiful texture. The walnuts were bitter, but the ice cream gave it a sweet finish.
Meredith Schneider
I thought the classic flavor tasted more natural here than other brands I've tried. But it was still slightly too sweet for me.
Meredith Schneider
Also available seasonally, the Reese's flavor tasted pretty similar to other brands featuring the peanut-butter candy. But the base was a little more buttery, which elevated it.
I think it's a great base flavor that could pair nicely with other offerings.
Meredith Schneider
Baskin-Robbins' strawberry ice cream was creamy. And the chunks of fruit in it, though sparse, packed flavor.
But given the name, I was expecting more berries.
Meredith Schneider
Blossom's Berry Twirl was the other monthly flavor tied to the release of "If," and it surprised me.
The flavor mixed strawberry and sweet-cream ice creams with plenty of rainbow sprinkles and sugar cookie dough pieces swirled in.
It tasted like a lovely strawberry shortcake.
Meredith Schneider
The peppermint flavor was surprisingly refreshing, with a little sugary crunch in each bite from the candy pieces.
Meredith Schneider
Butter pecan is a scoop shop staple. Baskin-Robbins' version combines butter-pecan-flavored ice cream and chunks of sweet butter-roasted pecans.
The ice cream itself was buttery and really enveloped the crunch of the pecan.
I would've liked it even without the striking sweetness from the butterscotch ribbon.
Meredith Schneider
The rich coffee ice cream combines Baskin-Robbins' Jamoca flavor with roasted almonds and chocolate fudge.
The almonds had the perfect snap, and the chocolate sauce added some sweetness to balance the bitter coffee base.
I think it would be even better with a drizzle of chewy fudge.
Meredith Schneider
Baskin-Robbins' take on birthday-cake ice cream combines cake-flavored ice cream with cake pieces, sprinkles, and frosting.
The ice cream didn't really taste like cake to me, but the added chunks of yellow cake were phenomenal. They somehow stayed moist in the ice cream.
It almost tasted like one of those fully frosted animal cookies.
Meredith Schneider
Another classic ice-cream flavor, the chain's pralines 'n cream is a sweet blend of vanilla ice cream with praline chunks and a caramel swirl.
This brought me right back to the warm nights I've spent in New Orleans.
It was decadent and creamy, and there was a beautiful crunch and punch of sugar from the praline.
Meredith Schneider
I've never tasted a creamier pistachio ice cream. Plus, there were multiple almonds in every bite.
Meredith Schneider
Another surprise flavor that wasn't advertised for the season was lemon custard. The rich custardy ice-cream base had plenty of citrusy flavors and bits of lemon peel.
I could tell what it was supposed to be immediately — it was like taking a bite out of a pie.
Meredith Schneider
I traveled back in time to my rainbow-sherbet days of the 1990s. But this time, it had all the best colors.
Instead of basic fruit flavors, green apple, blue raspberry, and fruit punch make up the trio of swirled sherbets.
I was floored by the flavor — it tasted so much like fresh berries. There was a pleasant and light sour punch in my jaw toward the end of every bite.
Meredith Schneider
The low-sugar flavor combines vanilla ice cream with caramel-filled chocolate turtle candies and a swirl of caramel sauce.
It wasn't heavy and rich like some ice creams. The taste was light and fresh — almost like soft serve blended with caramel and incredibly smooth chocolate turtles.
Meredith Schneider
Chocolate and peanut butter is one of my absolute favorite flavor combinations, especially regarding ice cream, so I was ready to be picky.
But I have to admit, Baskin-Robbins' version with chocolate ice creamy and peanut-butter swirls was pretty amazing.
The peanut butter was soft, and I realized halfway through my first bite that it was chunky — which is the best kind, in my opinion.
Meredith Schneider
Mango ice cream with mango sorbet and chunks of mango might sound like an overkill.
But the creamy ice cream kind of muted the flavor of the tangy sorbet, which allowed the chunks of fruit to pop with sweetness.
Meredith Schneider
Baseball Nut came out of left field for me. I wasn't sure I'd like vanilla ice cream with raspberries and cashews.
But a little bit of this flavor goes a long way between the decadent cashews in every bite and the sweetness of the raspberries.
Meredith Schneider
Love Potion #31 tasted exactly like a Valentine's Day chocolate — raspberry truffle with notes of dark chocolate and whimsy.
The mix of raspberry and white-chocolate ice creams paired beautifully with the raspberry swirls, chocolate flakes, and raspberry-filled chocolate candies.
Meredith Schneider
The fudge was the perfect consistency, more like a soft brownie with a touch of dark chocolate.
I wanted to eat this for infinity.
Meredith Schneider
The cold-brew-flavored ice cream was so sweet that it almost tasted like caramel — it wasn't bitter like Jamoca.
Coupled with the beautiful crunch of the pieces of Oreos mixed in, I could eat this all day.
Meredith Schneider
The cheesecake ice cream has swirls of strawberry sauce and pieces of actual cheesecake. The fruity flavors, though rich from the ice cream, tasted fresh.
It brought me back to hot summer evenings at Junior's, watching the sunset while splitting a slice of ice-cold cheesecake with friends.
Although I had a few favorites, it was definitely my top pick.