14 Store-Bought Friendly's Ice Cream Flavors, Ranked

Once a thriving restaurant chain that leaned on the nostalgic aesthetic of old-school ice cream parlors, Friendly's beat bankruptcy (more than once) and continues to bring ice cream treats to people across America. Although Friendly's restaurants are limited to a handful of states, its ice cream is available in many other states. With an impressive selection of 42 flavors, not including limited-edition varieties, you're bound to find one you'll love. But where to start is the question. A selection this extensive can leave you with decision paralysis. That's why I did the hard work for you and tested 14 of the flavors to determine which were the best.

From classics like Neapolitan and mint chocolate chip to more innovative flavors like royal banana split and carnival cotton candy, I looked at two key factors: overall flavor and mix-ins. The top-ranked flavors weren't too sweet nor underwhelming, and had the perfect ratio of mix-ins.

Friendly's royal banana split was the flavor I was most intrigued by. A traditional banana split is made with a whole banana, a scoop each of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, and whipped cream, cherries, and chopped nuts. Friendly's takes this concept and packages it into a standalone ice cream flavor that, in my opinion, misses the mark.

While it does contain both strawberry and chocolate ice cream, Friendly's replaces the vanilla with a banana-flavored ice cream that unfortunately overwhelms the other flavors with its saccharine banana notes. Even though this ice cream also contains small bits of pineapple, walnuts, and fudge, it wasn't enough to save this carton from the overpowering fake banana flavor. If you love banana-flavored things, this may rank higher for you, but it's difficult to wrap my taste buds around this unique and very strong flavor, and had me putting down my spoon after just one bite.

If Friendly's royal banana split did too much flavor-wise, the chocolate almond chip didn't do enough. This chocolate ice cream with chocolate-coated almonds was simply underwhelming. Not only was the chocolate ice cream just so-so, but the almonds weren't providing anything other than the illusion of texture.

Sure, there were just enough almond pieces to give the ice cream some crunch, but that was about it. The almonds themselves were nearly flavorless and when I did get a taste of them, they were very plain, not salted, and cardboard-like. I wouldn't have guessed the almonds were coated in chocolate if I hadn't read it on the package. The only reason this flavor didn't get the lowest spot was because it was still more tolerable than the royal banana split. However, the lack of flavor solidified its place in the bottom three.

Moose Tracks is a popular ice cream flavor made by many brands, including Friendly's. Moose Tracks ice cream is vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and fudge swirls throughout, but Friendly's actually makes two versions of Moose Tracks: chocolate Moose Tracks, made with chocolate ice cream as the base, and original Moose Tracks, made with vanilla ice cream. I tried the original Moose Tracks for this ranking.

Unfortunately, Friendly's original Moose Tracks left me wanting more. I was disappointed by the lack of peanut butter cups throughout the couple of scoops I had. The flavor of the fudge was good (it is chocolate, after all), but unlike some of the other flavors of Friendly's ice cream that also contained fudge, the swirl in the original Moose Tracks was hard and not as well incorporated into the ice cream. Even though it ranked higher than the bottom two Friendly's flavors in terms of overall flavor and the number of mix-ins, I've personally had better Moose Tracks. Friendly's didn't live up to my expectations for what Moose Tracks can be.

Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorite ice cream flavors, so I was a little surprised at how low it scored in the rankings. However, it wasn't due to the reasons I initially would have expected. Mint chocolate chip is one of those flavors that tends to be either too sweet or taste more like a toothpaste than a dessert. However, Friendly's didn't have this problem at all. In fact, the mint flavor was so spot-on that if I were ranking this flavor based on that alone, it would have scored higher on this list. Its subtly sweet, creamy mint flavor was the perfect base for a 10/10 mint chocolate chip ice cream. But that's about all it did have.

What surprised me was the lack of chocolate chips. There were some bites that barely had any. If it had twice as many chocolate chips, the rankings would have looked different. Again, while the mint flavor was nearly perfect, it can't really call itself mint chocolate chip ice cream, since the second half of the flavor is practically missing.

Honestly, butter pecan was harder to judge because its ranking depends more on personal taste rather than brand execution. Regardless, there were some important considerations that put this flavor in the bottom five. This butterscotch toffee-flavored ice cream comes loaded with roasted and salted pecan pieces, which, in my opinion, were the star of the show. Not only were the pieces abundant throughout, but they were also quite large and contributed to a nice overall texture in every bite.

The thing that lost me though was the taste of the ice cream itself. While the butterscotch flavor was certainly pronounced, it was too much when combined with the toffee. After a few bites, my taste buds felt overwhelmed by the sweetness level of the butterscotch and the toffee. It had a better balance of texture and flavor than the lower-ranked ice creams, but it was still too sweet to rank any higher.

To be blunt, I am shocked that Friendly's carnival cotton candy ice cream didn't rank at the very bottom. Any cotton candy ice cream I've had in the past was way too sweet to eat more than a spoonful or two. Since cotton candy is essentially just liquid sugar spun into fluffy threads, it makes sense that the flavor of cotton candy ice cream can be overly sweet. Combine the pure sugar rush with its alluring bright blue color, and it's no surprise it's a popular flavor among kids. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised with Friendly's version. At first glance, the pastel colors made it feel more approachable. After tasting my first spoonful, I immediately went back for a second because I couldn't quite believe what my tongue was tasting. The flavor gave off just enough of that nostalgic cotton candy taste without causing me to come back for another dopamine hit of sugar. The biggest reason this flavor didn't rank higher was the fact that I still got tired of it quicker than other flavors. Yes, the flavor was more balanced than other Friendly's ice creams (and other cotton candy ice creams), but it was still more sugar-forward than the higher-ranking flavors on this list.

Black raspberry ranked very middle-of-the-road for me. I tend to go for fruit-forward ice creams rather than chocolate- or peanut butter-based flavors, but it was lacking that something extra to help it rank higher. The ice cream itself was creamy and had a very pronounced, sweet raspberry flavor that wasn't too tart or fake-tasting. However, since it didn't have any mix-ins, I felt like it fell flat as a standalone flavor.

Friendly's also has a black cherry chocolate chunk ice cream — cherry ice cream with black cherries and chocolate chunks — so I think adding some chunks may have done wonders for black raspberry. I ranked it higher than the carnival cotton candy because it wasn't as sugary and was light enough to eat more of without tiring of the flavor. But since it didn't have any chocolate chunks, I think this flavor would do best as an accompanying scoop to another flavor, like chocolate, rather than by itself.

This simple ice cream flavor isn't anything fancy — vanilla ice cream with swirls of fudge — yet it is just the right combination that keeps you coming back for more. I noticed that the fudge in Friendly's fudge swirl was thicker and significantly creamier than the swirl inside its original Moose Tracks ice cream. It was clear which carton contained better fudge.

I also found the vanilla ice cream in the fudge swirl to have a more pronounced vanilla flavor than the base used in the original Moose Tracks. Friendly's has multiple versions of vanilla — homemade vanilla, French vanilla, vanilla, and vanilla bean — so the two flavors may just use a different ice cream base. But that being said, fudge swirl hits right at the middle of the rankings for its creamy consistency, generous fudge swirls, and an elevated chocolate-vanilla combo that is classic without being overwhelming.

Homemade vanilla is one of Friendly's four vanilla variants. I chose to sample this iteration because the packaging claims it's Friendly's original recipe — and I wasn't disappointed. Normally, I wouldn't expect to rank a plain vanilla ice cream this high, but the taste took me by surprise (and caused me to come back for a second bowl).

Vanilla ice cream tends to go one of two ways: either lack flavor or taste too artificial. However, Friendly's homemade vanilla had a warm and mellow vanilla flavor. Instead of the flavor being drowned out by mix-ins, the vanilla was able to shine without anything else getting in the way, making it perfect for eating by itself or alongside other desserts, like pies or crumbles. While the simplicity of vanilla isn't enough to win one of the top spots, its excellent execution was the very thing that made it rank higher than any of the previous flavors on this list.

Another classic flavor, Forbidden Chocolate, turns everything you've thought about chocolate ice cream on its head. I don't know exactly what makes this flavor different from Friendly's classic chocolate, but I do know that it nearly made me a chocolate ice cream convert. Chocolate ice creams often has a strong flavor, yet at the same time lacks depth. But I was hooked as soon as I tasted Forbidden Chocolate.

It had a deeper, obviously more complex flavor than traditional chocolate ice cream. It was smooth and rich, like a French silk or chocolate mousse pie. My taste buds usually get overwhelmed by the intensity of chocolate ice cream, but Forbidden Chocolate was able to achieve the perfect balance with the right ratio of cream to chocolate. By highlighting the complexity of the chocolate flavor, Forbidden Chocolate earned itself a slight edge over homemade vanilla.

Friendly's Neapolitan combines three classic flavors into one container. Each of the ice cream flavors is done extremely well, leaving you with the perfect combination when you can't decide which one you want. The chocolate is rich and smooth, the vanilla tastes like it may be Friendly's homemade vanilla, and the strawberry ice cream is bright and tastes more like real strawberries than artificial strawberry flavoring.

Neapolitan brings together the best of the chocolates and the vanillas, elevating it by pairing it with strawberry. While I'd love to rank it higher, the amount and quality of mix-ins in the higher-ranked flavors push this one just outside the top three. However, Neapolitan remains a classic for a reason, as it satisfying various taste preferences and is the perfect base for many other traditional ice cream desserts, like sundaes and banana splits.

The Super Stuffed brookie dough is, no doubt, an explosion of flavors. Between the chunks of brownies, cookie dough pieces, and fudge swirls surrounded by vanilla ice cream, it's not surprising that this flavor clocked in at number three. I am surprised, though, that it didn't rank number one. Before my taste test, I was certain it would claim the number one spot, but unfortunately, I found the fudge swirls overwhelmed the brownie and cookie dough flavors.

The ratio of mix-ins wasn't even; there were slightly too many fudge swirls and not enough brownie and cookie dough bites. While the flavor of each mix-in was top-notch and the fudge was rich, it still left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the Super Stuffed brookie dough didn't live up to its "super stuffed" claim, meaning it couldn't claim the title of best Friendly's flavor. 

A delicious and creamy vanilla ice cream loaded with giant cookie dough chunks and chocolate chips? Count me in. The only reason Friendly's chocolate chip cookie dough didn't claim the top spot was because my top pick had more cookie pieces in it. But that doesn't mean the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream lacked mix-ins.

In fact, I found it to be more mix-in-heavy than the rest of the flavors I tried. Friendly's also has a Super Stuffed chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that, I would guess, is packed with even more cookie dough pieces and chocolate chips. I can't quite imagine how it could top the number of mix-ins in the traditional cookie dough flavor, but as far as I'm concerned, you aren't missing out, as this ice cream has more than enough to satisfy. 

Cookies and cream is, hands down, the best Friendly's ice cream flavor I tried, largely due to the number of cookie pieces. Not only were there lots of cookie chunks evenly distributed throughout, but smaller cookie crumbs were incorporated to the point where every spoonful had some.

I also loved the quality of the cookies themselves. Instead of being hard and crunchy as some cookies and cream ice creams can be, the cookies in the Friendly's cookies and cream were somehow still on the softer and chewier side, despite being frozen. The quality of the vanilla ice cream also stood out, making me think it was likely made with Friendly's homemade vanilla. Its creamy, mellow, and sweet vanilla taste acts as the perfect "cream" component of the flavor. Friendly's definitely did right by this popular flavor, striking a near-perfect balance between the taste, texture, and quantity of mix-ins. It's a fantastic choice for any ice cream lover.

The "best" ice cream flavor can be subjective, so I had to establish criteria to judge these flavors. I first selected flavors to sample based on what was available locally.

Once I had my list, I ranked them based on two key factors: overall flavor (was it too bland or too sweet?) and mix-ins (did it have the right ratio, and what was the quality and flavor of each mix-in?). Ice cream flavors don't always live up to their descriptions, so I wanted to see whether the actual taste aligned with the label.