10 Popular Ben & Jerry's Flavors, Ranked

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Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream brand renowned for its chunky pints, creative flavors, and social activism, is easily my favorite ice cream brand of all time. It started its business in 1978, running out of a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, but has since become known as one of the most delicious ice cream brands in the country, perhaps even around the world. 

There are so many Ben & Jerry's flavors that it's almost impossible to keep track of them — and fans suggest thousands of new flavors every year — but some are obvious and objectively popular best-sellers. These are the flavors that I'm constantly torn between when I find myself craving a pint. I open the grocery store freezer, just to stand there staring into the swirling air, stricken by indecisiveness. Am I the reason they put that sign on the glass door demanding I make my decision before opening it and letting all the cold air out? As such, I wanted to answer the question of which of their most popular flavors is the best of the best. 

So this time, rather than continue wasting valuable freezer air in the New York summer, I simply decided to buy them all. I headed home with a heavy bag of some of the most popular Ben & Jerry's pints (along with a box of Lactaid) and my head held high. With texture, quantity of chunks, cohesiveness, and flavor of ice cream in mind, these are Ben & Jerry's most popular flavors, ranked from worst to best.

This flavor, described as a strawberry cheesecake ice cream with strawberry pieces and a thick graham cracker swirl, left me wondering: What strawberries? Those rosy pops of color I searched for in the scoop were nowhere to be found, and only appeared in tiny pieces — the opposite of Ben & Jerry's expected chunky style.

The graham cracker swirl, too, tasted nice, but it was meager. If it were in chunks, it would at least add some texture, but all I got was a light, measly swirl. The ice cream base did seem a bit thicker than a normal vanilla, and it had a hint of strawberry sweetness, but even its flavor couldn't compensate for the general lack of mix-ins in this pint.

Daily Meal had a chat with Ben & Jerry's flavor guru years ago, who revealed that when this pint was first released, it didn't sell very well because of the name (it was first called Primary Berry Graham as a nod to the presidential primaries), but sales have since increased under its new moniker. Strawberry Cheesecake is a hard flavor to say no to, but out of Ben & Jerry's most popular pints, it easily had the fewest chunks, the most disappointing texture, and the least substance. Despite its popularity, this is one I'll feel confident leaving behind in the future.

The tough part of ranking all of Ben & Jerry's most popular flavors is that they're all already tried, tested, and true. They're popular for a reason, which means I'm nitpicking to find my favorite. Cherry Garcia ranked as one of the top three flavors in seven regions in 2016 — so while there's no doubt that people love this flavor, it didn't quite stack up for me.

First, let's talk ice cream. This is supposed to be a cherry ice cream base, but if I were going off flavor alone and not reading the label, I would have guessed it was just plain vanilla. The cherry flavor is LaCroix levels of subtle, just a hint of cherry that might come more from the chunks than the actual ice cream. The chunks were undeniably delicious; the lightly candied cherry halves were sweet and chewy, and the crisp and diversely sized chocolate pieces snapped as I chewed. While there are more chunks than the last-place choice, there just weren't enough cherries in Cherry Garcia to compensate for the plain ice cream. I'm left wanting more, and there are plenty of other popular Ben & Jerry's flavors that give me more than enough.

If your chocolate craving is strong and can't be ignored, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie is likely the exact solution you need. It's chocolate on chocolate on chocolate, and features the same gooey, chewy brownie chunks found in Half Baked, but this time, they're swirled into a straight chocolate ice cream. It's rich, decadent, dark, and everything you need to satisfy your chocolate needs.

Those brownies, too, are more than just tasty chunks; they're part of the Ben & Jerry's mission to make a difference. The brownies come from a bakery in Yonkers, New York, that will hire anyone, regardless of their background, criminal record, or experience. 

It's easy to see why Chocolate Fudge Brownie is one of Ben & Jerry's most popular pints, but dare I say, it might be too much chocolate (I never thought I would utter these words). When I have a chocolate craving, there are plenty of other pints on this list that will not only satisfy my craving but also bring some crunch, saltiness, and other flavors into the mix, too. This one is just a bit one-note.

Bananas are perhaps some of the most useful fruits out there. You can make all sorts of things with bananas, but the flavor can be a bit controversial, especially if it's an artificial flavor used in candies or syrups. Personally, I love them in all their forms, and the banana-flavored ice cream (flavored with real bananas, not the artificial stuff) that makes up the Chunky Monkey base is simply fantastic. As soon as you take a bite, you know exactly what you're eating; it doesn't skimp on the banana flavor.

I also like this flavor more than the lower-ranked options because of how unique it is. It's not just a one-note, predictable pint but is instead quite interesting. That being said, the chunks still leave me wanting more. Flat fudge rectangles and pieces of walnut are delicious, and complement the banana well, but the walnuts are scarce, and the fudge is almost too rich and overwhelming for the fruity ice cream. It's missing something — banana chunks, perhaps? I might use this pint to satisfy a very specific banana craving, but this isn't one I'd purchase often.

Whereas numerous other ice cream brands have desensitized us to the joys of the milk and cookies flavor, often offering scant quantities of cookies and lifeless vanilla ice cream, Ben & Jerry's delivers chunks. This brand does not play about loading its pints up with mix-ins, and Milk & Cookies is no exception. 

The vanilla ice cream is thick and peppered with ground chocolate cookies, chocolate chips, and pieces of chocolate chip cookies. It's mushy, which isn't a very attractive word, but does aptly describe how each bite feels; it's almost like you left the cookies to soak in a glass of milk. While this pint may not have the crunch or creativity of higher-ranked flavors, it truly delivers on the Milk & Cookies name, giving you exactly what you expect and hope for based on the way it's described.

Half Baked was reportedly Ben & Jerry's top flavor in 2024, and I'd guess it still ranks pretty high up there today. It features a swirl of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with decadent brownie cubes and delightfully large balls of chocolate chip cookie dough — if you're a fan of that on its own, you can make Ben & Jerry's cookie dough at home pretty easily. I felt myself searching for those chunks before realizing that the whole pint was gone. Its flavors trigger nostalgic memories of licking cookie dough-coated spoons, coupled with cold, smooth ice cream.

Half Baked is a crowd pleaser, and it's definitely a pint you can't go wrong with, but compared to some of Ben & Jerry's other flavors, it's a bit dull. This brand really goes all out on its combos, and I find that the pints I come back to again and again are ones that are unique and give me flavors and textures I can't find anywhere else. Thus, while Half Baked remains one of the top choices, there are still a few others I'll be reaching for first.

It's only appropriate that the band that started in the same city Ben & Jerry's did would have an ice cream flavor named after it. Phish Food features rich chocolate ice cream striped with marshmallow and caramel swirls and fish-shaped fudge pieces swimming throughout.

When I mentioned craving an ice cream that could both satisfy a chocolate craving and offer something else, this is exactly what I meant. It's rich and decadent, but the marshmallow provides a sort of palate relief from all that chocolate. The texture is smooth and creamy, and while it's still quite sweet, it does cut through the richness of the fudge.

Now that we've reached the top four Ben & Jerry's flavors, choosing between them feels like picking a favorite child. But choose I must, and I believe the one thing Phish Food lacks is more texture. The fudge fish are rich and delicious, but there's no crunch or chew in this pint, something that the top three all do very well.

The memory of going to an ice cream shop as a kid is laced with the smell of waffle cones cooking. If it was an average day, I'd order a cup or sugar cone, but a waffle cone was a treat on a special day.  The chocolate-covered waffle cone was saved for truly significant days that demanded an all-out order. Perhaps that's why Americone Dream just feels so decadent. It takes the clunky awkwardness of chewing on a chocolate-covered cone and breaks it down into small, manageable pieces.

The chocolate-covered waffle cone pieces, which are strategically enrobed in chocolate so they don't turn mushy, are loaded into a pint of vanilla ice cream, which might feel basic if not for the swirls of soft caramel sauce. The proportions are perfect; it's not too rich or too scarce, and each bite has a chewy texture.

The nostalgia of this flavor combo may have something to do with it being in the top three, but it couldn't compete with my top two. The following two flavors simply do what Ben & Jerry's does best: Stuff plenty of texture and flavor into one small container.

Where Half Baked is a bit basic (but still delicious) The Tonight Dough really takes things up a notch. Caramel and chocolate ice creams swirled together lay the foundation for chocolate cookie swirls, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter cookie dough. The combination of flavors checks a lot of boxes for someone with a sweet tooth.

My favorite thing about this flavor is the peanut butter cookie dough. Surprisingly, it's one of the two popular Ben & Jerry's flavors on this list to contain peanut butter in some form. That hint of saltiness goes a long way in making this combination of doughs and ice cream flavors a little more unique and indulgent. But while I love everything about The Tonight Dough, there is one flavor that truly goes all out on texture, combining everything into one pint and leaving no crumbs.

Texture plays a huge role in what we eat, and it's what's made Ben & Jerry's such a successful brand. Its pints aren't just known for how the ice cream tastes, but for how many chocolate, nut, fruit, or cookie pieces are loaded into each bite. That's what made Everything But The... my favorite popular flavor of Ben & Jerry's — it exercises no restraint in loading up on accoutrements.

A swirl of chocolate and vanilla ice creams is studded with peanut butter cups, fudge-covered toffee pieces, white chocolate chunks, and fudge-covered almonds. For all the richness and sweetness, there are also pops of salt and crunchy nuts to keep you intrigued.

The combination of flavors and textures in this pint makes it impossible to put down. It wasn't easy to decide between so many popular flavors (all of which I love), but Everything But The... is true to the Ben & Jerry's standard, and also one I keep coming back to again and again.

First, to find which Ben & Jerry's flavors were considered the most popular, I turned to a list published by the company in 2024 laying out its best-selling flavors, along with several Reddit posts where the general public chimed in with their most beloved pints.

My main criteria for ranking these pints were the texture, flavor, and quantity of the mix-ins. Ben & Jerry's is not known for selling spectacular plain ice cream; it's more often associated with creative flavors, plenty of mix-ins, and chunky textures. Pints with the most textural diversity and creativity were ones I ranked highly. The flavor of the ice cream did also play a small role in the ranking, especially if it was flavored with something other than plain vanilla or chocolate.