The 2 Best Grocery Brand Chocolate Ice Creams, Per Consumer Reports

The freezers in every big-name grocery store are usually heaving with varieties of chocolate ice cream. However, some can melt too fast, have an unusually granular texture, or simply fail to deliver on chocolatey flavor. Here's where a good review from a respected source can come in handy. According to Consumer Reports, the two best grocery brand chocolate ice creams are 365 Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's Super Premium in ultra chocolate. The former was the top store-brand pick in the regular range while the latter was champ in the premium arena.

365 Whole Foods Market's ice cream was described as having a "Good, bittersweet chocolate taste, with notes of caramel." The texture was also thick, making it taste richer than the other ice creams featured in the report. Quality ingredients, such as pasteurized cream and organic cocoa powder, make an appearance in the recipe, however, it may be the presence of organic dark chocolate that gave it the edge over other contenders, like Walmart's Great Value chocolate ice cream that's flavored only with cocoa. Priced at $5.50 for 1½ quarts, 365 Whole Foods Market ice cream was described as being "very dark and pudding like" on a Reddit thread, again highlighting its rich texture.

Meanwhile Trader Joe's chocolate ice cream — priced at $5 a quart — was also celebrated for its dense and creamy texture, as well as its rich flavor that had hints of nuts and coffee (the high butterfat percentage and lower overrun in this product qualify it to be marketed as a super premium ice cream). TJ's carries several other delectable ice creams, but the ultra chocolate flavor was the one that made it onto our list of four Trader Joe's ice creams that are worth every penny because of its fudgy texture and balanced bitterness. We even described it as an "affordable luxury," and it seems many shoppers agree. For instance, one fan on Reddit said: "I just want to let you know that Super Premium Ultra Chocolate Ice Cream is the greatest chocolate ice cream I have ever tasted, and I am an ice cream snob." Meanwhile on a different thread another Redditor said the ice cream has "significantly less fillers and other mystery ingredients than the competitors do and the price is unbeatable." Indeed, as premium ice creams are higher in fat, they don't require extra ingredients, like guar gum, to stabilize and thicken them.

Our taste test of eight store bought chocolate ice creams featured brand names only and didn't include Trader Joe's or 365 Whole Foods Market but with such incredible reviews from both shoppers and Consumer Reports, an updated ranking combining the two may be in order.