I Tried And Ranked Rocky Road Ice Cream From 4 Brands

If you love chocolate ice cream but you're looking for something a bit more exciting than the plain version of the frozen treat, look no further than rocky road. This chocolate-based ice cream flavor features both marshmallows and almonds for a unique texture and approachable flavor profile. 

In a good rocky road, you get a decent amount of crunch from those nuts, along with a soft, pillowy sweetness from the inclusion of marshmallows, all suspended in rich chocolate ice cream. This flavor may not be for everyone — including those with nut allergies or who have an aversion to marshmallows, for example — but for those who love it, rocky road is hard to beat.

I decided to try four different brands of rocky road ice cream and taste test them, ranking them from worst to best. Keep in mind that, while most of these products are actually ice cream in the technical sense (meaning that they contain at least 10% milkfat and meet a few other specifications), there's one that's classed as a frozen dairy dessert. However, for the purpose of this article, I'll refer to all of these varieties as ice cream. I ranked these varieties according to overall flavor, distribution of add-ins, and texture, with creamier and more well-balanced versions rising to the fore. But whether you prefer marshmallowmaxxing or you're going for more of an almond-forward profile, this ranking should help you decide which brand to try next.

When you're trying to watch your carb intake, you may assume that you have to cut out any ice cream-like treats from your diet completely. However, that may not always be the case when there are products out there like Breyers Carb Smart Rocky Road Frozen Dairy Dessert. What I liked about this treat is the fact that it was super creamy and that it had nice, gooey ribbons of marshmallow fluff (which has a surprisingly interesting history) distributed throughout. Of course, you also get a nice crunch from the chocolate-covered almonds, but unfortunately, there aren't enough of them to really make a difference in the overall texture of the treat.

My main problem with this variety of rocky road ice cream is the obvious use of sugar alternatives. In this case, that unnatural "sweetness" seems to come from maltitol syrup. That sort-of sweet flavor is really, really prominent to the point that it makes the flavor of the dessert unbalanced. Maybe if it were just sweet due to actual sugar, I wouldn't mind this brand so much. As it stands, though, this was definitely my least favorite rocky road ice cream I tried in the lineup.

On the hunt for an affordable, accessible rocky road ice cream? Then head to your local supermarket to pick up some Signature Select Rocky Road Ice Cream. Like a lot of Signature Select's products, this ice cream isn't really anything groundbreaking. It has a decently flavorful chocolate ice cream base that's creamy enough but unfortunately still has a touch of iciness. You also get that signature almond crunch along with a unique textural puffiness from the presence of marshmallows. That being said, I found that the mix-ins here were pretty few and far between. This stuff tastes like a few almonds and marshmallows accidentally made their way into an otherwise basic chocolate ice cream rather than a more intentional choice.

If you're eating this stuff by itself and aren't comparing it to other brands, it's fine. It certainly tastes like rocky road, even though it may not be the best-quality option out there. But if you are a true rocky road connoisseur, then you want to make sure you're picking up the best option out there. Unless your choices are very limited, you're probably better off seeking this ice cream flavor from another brand's lineup.

If you have Häagen-Dazs' Rocky Road Ice Cream at your local supermarket, you're in luck — this is one of the better rocky road ice creams I tried. What really made this one stand out from the other options in this lineup is its nuttiness. Out of all of these ice creams, I found that this Häagen-Dazs ice cream selection had the most nuts of them all. In fact, I got some almond in every bite, making this a delicious crunchy option. In a time when it seems like so many other food companies are cutting costs and reducing the use of more expensive ingredients, it's nice that Häagen-Dazs still seems to be leaning into quality by including so many nuts.

However, as someone who is somewhat ambivalent about almonds, I admittedly feel like this treat would've been better with fewer of them. I do realize that I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, though, so if you're all for the nuts, this ice cream is sure to please.

Despite the overabundance of nuts I found in this ice cream, I still think it's an excellent pick. There are just enough marshmallows to switch up the texture a bit and make things more interesting, and the chocolate ice cream itself functions as a tasty base for this frozen treat.

Tillamook is generally known for having excellent ice cream flavors, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the brand's Rocky Road Ice Cream is snagging the top spot here. There's not anything wild or unexpected about this brand's take on the classic chocolate-based ice cream flavor. It's just that Tillamook seems to focus on quality and balance. The ice cream itself is super creamy with a pronounced — but still rather subtle — chocolate flavor. That subtlety in the base of the dessert allows the other, somewhat nondescript ingredients to shine. There were enough nuts in the mix, but I found that they didn't overwhelm the ice cream as much as they did in the Häagen-Dazs selection. There were more marshmallows in this tub, but they seemed to function mainly as a source of texture, not necessarily adding a lot of extra sweetness to the equation.

If you're looking for a quality rocky road ice cream that isn't trying to do anything too groundbreaking but rather seeks to highlight a classic ice cream flavor in a really delicious way, Tillamook certainly has you covered. Who knew that this love-it-or-hate-it flavor could be so elevated?

For this article, I sought out all of the rocky road ice creams I could find at several local stores. I then taste-tested each one, directly out of the refrigerator. The most important criterion I considered for this ranking is flavor. A good-quality chocolate ice cream base and judicious use of mix-ins were main considerations, but I also took sweetness into account when relevant. Additionally, I paid attention to the overall texture of these ice creams, preferring varieties that I deemed well-balanced, i.e., a good almond-to-marshmallow ratio. The best-ranked ice creams on this list also lean very creamy on the palate.