The University of Connecticut is infamously known as the Basketball Capital of the World, but UConn is also running the game in a completely different way: Ice cream.
The Dairy Bar uses fresh milk from the cows that reside on Horse Barn Hill to create the infamous ice cream that us Huskies know and love.
I reserve ice cream from the Dairy Bar as my cheat meal almost every week because I’m so obsessed with it. If you’re anything like me you know it’s a real #struggle to decide which flavor to get when you finally get to the register to order. Not to worry; I (along with some volunteers) tried every single flavor to provide you with the top 9.
Photo courtesy of dining.uconn.edu
#9. Red Raspberry Sorbet
We had to include this flavor in our ranking because this sorbet kicked a**. This is the only dairy-free flavor at the Dairy Bar and they knocked it out of the park.
It is fruity and sweet, yet subtle. Red raspberry sorbet is the definition of summer-in-a-cup and a must try whether you’re on a dairy-free diet or not.
#8. Black Raspberry
This was another shocker for us. Black raspberry isn’t typically my go-to flavor, but I loved this version. The ice cream was smooth and wasn’t overpowering. I can picture it being delicious topped with some chocolate sprinkles.
#7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
The combination of chocolate and peanut butter gives me life and this ice cream flavor did just that. The chocolate flavor was rich and creamy while the ribbon of peanut butter throughout the scoop was salty and delicious.
#6. Maple Walnut
The employees of the Dairy Bar referred to this as the “Official flavor of all old people,” but when I tried it I understood why all of the grannies and gramps of UConn loved it so much.
The maple flavor was sweet, but the walnuts balanced it to create the perfect combination. If enjoying maple walnut ice cream makes me an old soul then I’ll take it.
#5. Oreo
Cookies and cream is a pretty popular flavor at the Dairy Bar and I can see why. The vanilla ice cream to Oreo crumble (yes, real Oreos) ratio was on point.
The employees let us know that this is also the Dairy Bar’s lowest calorie ice cream which is awesome (not that my diet counts while eating ice cream anyways…)
#4. Coffee Espresso
We tried the original coffee flavor and weren’t too impressed, but after trying at least 10 other flavors we were handed a spoonful of coffee espresso and our minds were blown.
This ice cream is their regular coffee ice cream with a kick… it is filled with chocolate covered espresso candies that add a surprising zing to the ice cream. This may be the perfect ice cream to eat for breakfast if that’s your type of thing.
#3. Banana Chocolate Chip
Banana is my absolute favorite flavor in the world so it would make sense as to why banana chocolate chip is the flavor that I order each and every time that I go to the Dairy Bar. I tried my best to be impartial, but I was so relived to hear that all of the other taste-testers loved it as much as I do.
The banana ice cream is sweet, milky, and light and the chocolate chips complement it so well.
#2. Husky Tracks
According to the employees, Husky tracks, chocolate, and vanilla, are the most scooped flavors at the Dairy Bar (they even have their own freezer). Husky tracks is a combination of vanilla ice cream, (giant) Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup chunks, and a swirl of fudge. This takes the chocolate/peanut butter combination and turns it up a few (amazing) notches.
#1. Salted Caramel Crunch
The name says it all… this flavor will provide your taste buds with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and crunchy. The reaction on the faces of the taste testers was a clear indication that this was the best flavor at the Dairy Bar. Simply put, you MUST to try this.
Photo courtsey of @linderdy
You are guaranteed to have delicious ice cream when you go to the Dairy Bar at UConn, but these 9 topped all others. Be on the lookout for seasonal flavors like Pumpkin (fall) and the Senior Scoop (spring) that changes each year based on votes from the senior class.
A big thank you to Emily, the Dairy Bar employee, who was extremely friendly and patient while we tasted and took notes on each and every flavor.