The Hands-Down Best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Brand Hails From The Midwest

Pale green in color and studded with little dark flecks of chocolate, mint chocolate chip ice cream is a classic combination of flavors, textures, and colors that has long been dished out as a delightful summertime and after-dinner treat. This minty scoop can, however, be a divisive one, with some cone-lickers claiming that it tastes like toothpaste. As a result, perhaps more than with other flavors, picking the right pint is paramount when it comes to sweet treats of this particular persuasion. Fortunately, we've done the legwork for you, ranking mint chocolate chip ice cream brands, and there is one clear winner: Graeter's Mint Chip.

What separates this Cincinnati-based ice cream maker's product from the rest comes down to a few important factors. For starters, Graeter's uses just the right amount of pure peppermint oil, giving it an authentic mint flavor without becoming overwhelming — or inviting comparison to dental hygiene products. To pair with the perfect application of mint, of course, this ice cream also needs a good dose of chocolate, and that it certainly has. In Graeter's Mint Chip ice cream, the chocolate is given plenty of respect. Instead of the tiny flecks or thin ribbons you might see in some brands' products, this ice cream is loaded with big hunks of dark chocolate. When your ice cream flavor is built on two components, you'd better do both right. Finally, like all Graeter's ice creams, the Mint Chip is made with the brand's French pot ice cream process, making it exceptionally dense, but delightfully smooth and creamy as well.

The praise for Graeter's Mint Chip ice cream is not limited to just the Tasting Table team. Across the internet, there are plenty of voices lifting up this particular scoop. One Redditor posted a photo holding a pint of Mint Chip with a caption reading in part, "First time trying Graeter's and this is the best ice cream I've ever had." In other corners, you can spot Graeter's fans hopping in to correct others who mistakenly think that they've found the best mint chocolate chip ice cream. Though, as with any food sampled by a large enough group of people, there are some dissenting voices out there.

For some, the signature qualities that put Graeter's Mint Chip at the top of our list just don't strike the same chord. The precise application of pure peppermint oil was a treat for us, but others find this flavor to be slightly medicinal, or just a touch off. Surprisingly, the chocolate too, can be divisive. The chocolate chunks are made to stay soft despite both temperature and size, but some folks aren't fond of the texture required to achieve these goals. For others, the issue is simply that the distribution of chocolate can be inconsistent, with occasional pints coming up short.

Despite the profusion of products at the grocery store these days, not a single one has ever pleased the whole crowd. If you're a fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream, though, Graeter's is a brand worth hunting down. And if it doesn't quite fit your fancy, well, it's only fifth on our ranking of Graeter's ice cream flavors, so there are plenty of other delightful options to choose from.