This Popular Ice Cream Brand Is Our Least Favorite. Here's Why

Rain or shine, we love a cold scoop of ice cream. So much, in fact, that we took on the enjoyable challenge of ranking nearly two dozen ice cream brands so you know which creamy pints to place in your shopping cart and which ones to leave behind in the freezer section. In a surprise we did not see coming, one of the more well-known ice cream makers out there fell to the bottom of our list. While noting the ice cream's flavor and inconsistency, we had to flag this friendly-looking label, as much as it pained us to do.

Baskin-Robbins is a brand with history. It has clocked decades of experience, and over 1,400 different flavors have been stamped with its logo. Unfortunately, old isn't always gold, as we came to discover. Some of the ice cream options we sampled were simply lackluster in taste, and many of the flavors had us wondering whether we were eating natural or artificial ingredients. We're not the only ones disappointed in Baskin-Robbins. Ice cream lovers have taken to Consumer Affairs to describe poor customer service, expensive products, and inconsistencies in scoop sizes and tastes of ice cream orders. Reddit users, too, have described not only freezer burn in ice cream scoops but an overall drop in the quality of Baskin-Robbins' flavors.

Though fresh scoops of Baskin-Robbins ice cream seem to be the most promising option for sampling spoonfuls of a creamy dessert, ice creams that aren't frequently rotated in and out of cold cabinets are at risk of collecting pesky flecks of ice. Once formed within the frozen treats, the texture of the ice cream won't be as smooth on the tongue as we'd like for it to be. The eager anticipation of sampling a guest flavor could very well be impacted by this experience, and you're better off choosing an ice cream with a bit more fanfare.

That being said, with non-dairy options, ice cream cakes, and a variety of frozen treats, we appreciate that Baskin-Robbins has a wide variety to cater to a range of dietary preferences and cravings. Plus, with secret menu options for those in the know to order and try, visits to Baskin-Robbins certainly aren't at risk of becoming boring. More is not always more, but sometimes a bit of nostalgia is what you're searching for. Instead of the reliable creamy goodness of a scoop of Smitten or Gifford's, at the end of a warm summer's day, you may want to see a brand that reminds you of your childhood. And it may be easier to simply pick up the pint of your choosing and take it home to dig into when cravings strike.