12 Culver's Custard Flavors, Ranked

Most ice cream shops leave all their flavors out on the table — or, on the menu, rather. They give you all your delicious options up front, and often even display them so you can press your face up against the glass while making the tough decision between a rainbow of colorful choices. It's a time-honored process, but the Midwestern chain Culver's does things a little differently.

It holds its frozen custard flavors a little closer to its chest. You can always count on vanilla and chocolate versions of its fresh, slow-churned recipe, and you can dress them up with any combination of its more than 30 toppings and mix-ins to create a custom Concrete Mixer. However, the real magic of Culver's frozen custard menu lies in its Flavor of the Day. Rather than offering all its specialty flavors at once, the chain features just one at a time from its catalog of rotating recipes. It's a bold strategy, but one that keeps guests on their toes and always coming back to see what's next. You might be treated to a cocoa-blasted Chocolate Volcano scoop one day and a fruity Double Strawberry cone the next. You never quite know what you're going to get, and that's the fun.

As a custard lover, I had to get in on the action. Twelve Flavors of the Day and countless Culver's runs later, I've ranked them from least to most favorite based on the quality of the custard, the taste of the toppings, and, most importantly, how well everything came together.

Typically, on the topic of ice cream (or custard in Culver's case), the consensus is the more toppings, the better. Most sweet tooths want to get their money's worth with a jam-packed cone or cup. However, this Turtle Cheesecake flavor proves that it's entirely possible to have too much of a good thing.

Let's start with a quick roll call of all the add-ins. There are little cheesecake squares, toasted pecans, and chopped-up bits of Dove chocolate. Then, it's all finished off with a swirl of old-fashioned salted caramel — a central part of any turtle treat. And I don't want to take anything away from Culver's here. Each of these components is good on its own. There's a wonderful tanginess to the cheesecake pieces, and they nail the texture, too. The pecans are crunchy and toasty, while the Dove chocolate has that signature melt-in-your-mouth creaminess to it. 

But when you put it all together, it's a richness overload. There was hardly any vanilla custard at all in my cup — aka no relief from the whirlwind of indulgence. It's trying to be the ultimate marriage of sweet and salty. But instead, it ends up being a sugary behemoth that I could barely finish off.

The Chocolate Volcano flavor feels like someone dumped the entire contents of a Halloween bucket into a scoop of chocolate custard. It's trick-or-treat in a cup: Oreo cookie pieces on top of chopped Dove chocolate on top of mini M&M's. And as if that wasn't enough, there are also ribbons of chocolate syrup throughout.

It might appeal to die-hard chocolate lovers, yet to most people, it probably sounds a little overwhelming. I was definitely in the latter group at first, but surprisingly, it didn't taste nearly as strange as I was expecting. Somehow, the toppings feel less aggressive than the ones in the Turtle Cheesecake scoop. At the very least, there's more custard to work with here, and all the candies play surprisingly well together. The chocolatey shards offer a pleasant crunch, the Oreo pieces taste fresh, and I'm a sucker for mini M&M's — they just taste better; don't fight me on this.

Now, would I ever be inclined to order this flavor again? Probably not. And that's why it's stuck back here with the Turtle Cheesecake explosion. But that doesn't negate the fact that there's a certain childlike charm about it.

Culver's makes a complete 180 with its Butter Pecan scoop. This one takes a "less is more approach" when it comes to custard and recreates a classic flavor that you're bound to find at nearly every ice cream shop worth its salt — especially if you're from the South.

The simplicity is refreshing after the last two over-packed picks. All you have to focus on is a butter pecan custard dotted with real pecan pieces. It's good, but honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed. It was less buttery than expected, and instead hit notes closer to maple or butterscotch. There was something slightly off about it compared to other butter pecan ice creams I've tried. I also found that the custard itself wasn't as thick and creamy here as it usually is. The consistency was more elastic, which I didn't prefer.

Of course, the crunchy pecan pieces were their usual tasty selves and available in the perfect amount. No complaints there. I wish they had been backed by a custard base that was more velvety with deeper flavors.

A Heath Bar is one of those candies that's never fully grabbed my attention. In an aisle full of chocolate, I would never reach for it first, and even when it's mixed into Culver's custard, I still think it's merely okay.

Like the butter pecan scoop, this Flavor of the Day sticks to the basics. It's the chain's chocolate custard with Heath Bar crumbles mixed in. That's all. No chocolate syrup swirls or surprise garnishes: One custard and one candy. For die-hard Heath lovers, it probably sounds like a dream, but it may come across as a bit boring to anyone else. The chocolate custard is good and just as creamy as the vanilla, which already puts this flavor above the butter pecan for me. 

The chocolate flavor isn't overly rich, though, and tastes more like a chocolate Frosty from Wendy's, with that same mild chocolate flavor. It feels just like a copycat recipe of the iconic treat. Then there are the Heath pieces, which really have three parts to them: the milk chocolate shell, English toffee, and almond bits. You get a nice crunch from the pieces, as promised, but I found the flavor to be more malty and salty rather than buttery and nutty. It's a decent flavor, but nothing I'd rush back to Culver's for.

We're crunching again, and this cup is a bit better. I could be a bit biased, since I'm a big fan of all things peanut butter, but I think this flavor has more going for it. The crunch comes from Butterfinger pieces, which bring that crispy peanut-like flavor cloaked in milk chocolate. Then there are swirls of peanut butter, which were my personal favorite part. It's almost like a peanut sauce running through the custard that adds that extra shot of saltiness. The whole thing is definitely rich, but I thought it was well-topped without going overboard.

My only qualm is that I didn't love the choice of dark chocolate as the base. It does have a stronger cocoa flavor than the regular chocolate custard, but I think it's the kind of flavor that deserves to stand on its own with more minimal toppings. Classic chocolate or, better yet, vanilla custard would have worked better with this combo. With vanilla, it would be more like a Butterfinger Blizzard, which was one of my dad's and my favorites when I was growing up.

It was strange to indulge in a caramel pecan treat at Culver's without the addition of some kind of chocolate. That three-part combo is known as turtle, and it's not only another Flavor of the Day at the chain but also takes a spot as a permanent sundae on the menu. The sundae is quite delicious — I know from personal experience. Strip away the chocolate component, and it's slightly less intriguing and certainly less indulgent. It also felt like there was less caramel sauce added to the vanilla custard here than I wanted.

However, that doesn't mean this isn't a good flavor on its own. It's great for anyone looking for something a bit simpler and understated. And I even like it better than the earlier butter pecan. Something about the ribbons of caramel swirled into vanilla worked better than the butter pecan base. Then you have just as many of those toasty pecan bits to add a bit of texture and flair. Overall, it landed smack dab in the middle of the rankings. It's not offensive by any means, but it's also not the crème de la crème that Culver's offers.

I worried the Oreo Cookie Cheesecake flavor would suffer from the same trying-too-hard issues as the Turtle Cheesecake. But after seeing that this one cuts the topping count in half, featuring just Oreo cookie pieces and mini cheesecake bites, I was back on board.

It captures that Oreo cheesecake magic — better yet, it reminded me of the chocolate chip cheesecakes with an Oreo crust that my mom makes for us every Christmas. So, as you can imagine, this one had nostalgia on its side for me, but it's also just a well-thought-out flavor. There's a good ratio of vanilla custard, Oreos, and creamy cheesecake bites. I also love the graham cracker crust, so you get the full cheesecake experience, not just the sweet tang. It's decadent, yet not overly so. And it still feels like a cup of custard with toppings rather than the other way around.

There were a few other flavors I found to be more unique and charming as far as fast food frozen desserts go. But if you're a fan of cheesecake or America's favorite sandwich cookie, this is one you don't want to miss.

I was wary of this one for two reasons. One, any custard flavor with the word explosion in it sounds threatening. I was scared of just how many toppings I would be inundated with. And two, any kind of mint ice cream often straddles the line between a refreshingly tasty dessert and something resembling toothpaste. We've all experienced the latter, and know it's not pleasant.

Luckily, I was wrong to be worried. The Mint Explosion scoop strikes a nice balance among its ingredients, and the custard flavor is more crème de menthe than Colgate. It could stand by itself, or maybe with just a few mini chocolate chips thrown in. But its real trio of garnishes makes it even better. Oreo cookies are joined by bits of Andes mints — you know the kind they give you at the end of an Olive Garden meal? Then, the pièce de résistance is a drizzle of what Culver's calls "novelty chocolate." This isn't just chocolate sauce. It's like the Hershey's shell you can buy at the store, that hardens when it comes in contact with cold custard and delivers a satisfying crackle. It's a memorable combination that I liked. But if you want something more toned down but still minty, the chain also offers an Andes Mint Avalanche or Mint Cookie Flavor of the Day.

When you're looking for something chocolatey, you might as well go big or go home. This flavor is going big. The dark chocolate custard is back, yet this time it's surrounded by mix-ins that elevate it rather than distract from it — like the peanut butter and Butterfinger pieces did in the Dark Chocolate PB Crunch. As the name would imply, chocolate cake is involved, joining a layer of novelty chocolate for a chocolate triple threat. It's extra rich, and the custard is wonderfully dense. And it feels indulgent to take another spoonful — everything you would want from a cocoa-filled dessert.

The only reason this flavor doesn't crack my top three is that I was hoping for more of a Portillo's Chocolate Cake Shake (the best thing on the Portillo's menu, might I add), and it's not quite that. The cake pieces are a bit fudgier and more brownie-like than the moist devil's food cake I had envisioned. And while I love the crunch of the novelty chocolate, it was strangely concentrated at the bottom of my cup. The whole point of this addition is to create that chocolate shell on top of the custard so you can hack through it with your spoon. Instead, I had to dig for it. What a drag.

If you're craving something with peanut butter, Caramel Peanut Buttercup is the way to go. Those same ribbons of salty peanut butter that I couldn't get enough of in the Dark Chocolate PB Crunch flavor are back and better than ever, because this time they're swirled into vanilla custard instead of dark chocolate. I would be fully satisfied if Culver's had stopped right there. But then it also squeezes in caramel sauce and more of that novelty chocolate as well.

In bites altogether, it really reminded me of my childhood, when I used to coat my bowls of ice cream in that Reese's Shell Topping from the store and wait patiently for it to solidify. That salty-sweet combo of peanut butter and chocolate is one of the best there is, and it's only made better by the addition of caramel. Who knew?

This is definitely a sauce-heavy flavor. Culver's really went for it in that department. So, if I had one teeny-tiny suggestion, it would be to add a few bits of real Reese's Cups into the mix — or maybe even some Reese's Pieces? Either one would bring more texture and pizzazz to all that saucy goodness.

After trying this flavor, the name just makes sense. I knew those irresistible cookie dough morsels would show up at some point in Culver's Flavor of the Day lineup. But I was surprised that out of the current options, they were featured only featured twice: here and in a Caramel Fudge Cookie Dough cup (which I'm sure is also delicious).

What makes this flavor special is that it's the only one I tried that actually combines both vanilla and chocolate custard. It reminds me of a Dairy Queen swirl cone that always feels like the best of both worlds. The cookie dough nuggets themselves are top-notch with a buttery taste and chewy texture, and there was no shortage of them. Then, the flavor is finished off with caramel sauce and hot fudge. The fudge tends to sink to the bottom, so make sure to dredge it up, but alongside the caramel, it adds an extra dose of gooey sweetness. It's the perfect sundae. And even though there's one other Culver's flavors that feel a bit more elevated, this one is a definite crowdpleaser.

And finally, this flavor takes the cake – cheesecake, that is. I actually didn't know how much I was going to like Raspberry Cheesecake. From the Turtle Cheesecake mess that was entirely too much to the Oreo cheesecake offering, which was fun but not exactly exciting, I wasn't sure how this one would turn out. I also don't always get along with artificial fruit syrups, so I certainly had my doubts. But as soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew I was about to eat my words (and the entire scoop) in record time.

There were real raspberries sitting on top of my vanilla custard. They were intact and everything, with the sweetest, juiciest flavor. They weren't quite fresh, but they were pretty darn close. The juices that I assume they had been sitting in were also ladled over the custard, ensuring that bright flavor never ran out. And it turns out that raspberries are the perfect match for cheesecake bites. The rich, cream cheese-like flavor is beautifully balanced by the lighter, fruitier taste. Rather than doubling down on richness like the other cheesecake flavors did, this one offers a welcome contrast. There aren't so many toppings that the vanilla custard gets lost in the mix.

This was a surprising winner, to say the least. It's also the kind of flavor I'll be checking Culver's website for, eagerly awaiting its return to the Flavor of the Day calendar. And when that day comes, you can bet I'm ordering a double scoop.

Scooping up all 12 of these flavors was a labor of love that took about a week to try. Luckily, there are several Culver's locations surrounding me here in Columbus, Ohio, and they often feature different Flavors of the Day between stores. I stopped in and tried every option I could, and by the end of it all, ranked them from my least favorite to the ones I was most excited to try again.

I based my rankings on a few factors, starting with the custard itself. Sometimes it was the chain's classic vanilla or chocolate, and other times it was a little fancier, with flavors like mint or dark chocolate. No matter what, I looked for that signature dense custard consistency and a rich and sweet taste. Toppings were up next, from sauces and candies to real fruit. I wanted plenty of them, but not so many that the custard-to-topping ratio was overwhelmingly skewed. They also needed to taste great on their own and complement both each other and the frozen dessert underneath. A little texture was always appreciated, whether that meant crunch from nuts or extra creaminess from cheesecake bites. Ultimately, I gravitated toward scoops that were high-quality but also fairly unique — something that felt like the perfect representation of Culver's and its Midwestern roots.