The Only 3 Häagen-Dazs Flavors That Have Been Around Since Day One

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Häagen-Dazs is an ice cream brand known for luxury, indulgence, and quality, even being named among Tasting Table's list of the best ice cream brands made with real milk and cream. Though the name sounds Danish, Häagen-Dazs was created in 1960 by Polish-Jewish immigrants, Reuben Mattus and his wife Rose, who had settled in New York. The ice cream debuted with three classic flavors that have endured over decades. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Coffee remain steadfast options in the Häagen-Dazs rotation, and for good reason.

Whereas popular ice cream brands of the time were short-changing consumers by opting to pump air into their products, Reuben and Rose Mattus had the goal of creating a higher-caliber confection. The first three flavors were eventually followed by Strawberry in 1966. Today, the selection of pints is vast and varied. Notably, in our ranking of 17 Häagen-Dazs flavors, Vanilla was came tenth in Tasting Table's estimations, with Chocolate taking seventh place, and Coffee coming in sixth.

In Tasting Table's assessment, the brand's vanilla-flavored ice cream is excellent on its own or when combined with your choice of toppings and accompaniments. It was also picked as the best vanilla ice cream you can buy at the grocery store. Chocolate was praised for its simplicity and consistently pleasing taste and texture. An interesting point about Häagen-Dazs' coffee-flavored ice cream is that the recipe is the same as when it first debuted. Positive fan feedback for these original flavors proves why the trio has stood the test of time.

In addition to being counted as Tasting Table's top choice for vanilla ice cream, this Häagen-Dazs flavor is lauded by fans for its rich taste and luscious texture. One Redditor enthuses, "This is a really good vanilla. Creamy and rich. I love that HD only used a few ingredients. This one is just cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and Madagascar vanilla. The vanilla flavor tastes great and really comes through." Others applaud Häagen-Dazs' accessible pricing for such a superior offering.

As for the chocolate flavor, some Häagen-Dazs fans allege that this product has declined in flavor and chocolate content while many others continue to champion the chocolate ice cream. According to this Redditor, "The taste and texture is perfect. Chocolate flavor is amazing, rich. High quality chocolate and ingredients." For those who want more of a pick-me-up from their pint, Häagen-Dazs' classic coffee-flavored ice cream might be the better bet. 

One reviewer on the Walmart product page mentions, "It has five simple ingredients, cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and coffee. I wish it was a bit stronger on the coffee, but I'm more than happy to trade that for the decent ingredients in it!" Another reviewer says, "If you are a coffee lover, this is the gold standard. Häagen-Dazs completely nails the flavor with a rich, robust coffee taste that isn't overly sweet or artificial at all." Between these three famed flavors, it seems any of them will make a sweet and satisfying dessert.