Best Ice Cream of the Month Clubs

Best Overall: Goldbelly

Why We Chose It: Goldbelly’s ice cream subscription includes your choice of five to six pints of ice cream (or six to 24 ice cream sandwiches) from brands around the country each month. Selections might include Nye’s, Coolhaus, Lick Honest, and Nancy’s Fancy Gelato, among many others. 

Pros
Different shipments of flavors and brands every month
Free shipping on most orders

Cons
Requires a minimum three-month commitment for $90 per month
Cannot customize brands or flavors

Goldbelly is kind of a clearinghouse for all kinds of food brands—it brings local and regional favorites to your doorstep, no matter where you live. You’ll be guaranteed a premium ice cream experience from top creameries around the country, but the catch is that you can’t choose which brands come your way. If you’re looking for some variety, reliability, and quality for the price, it’s hard to beat. 

Best for Families: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Why We Chose It: What started in 2002 as a Columbus, Ohio, Jeni's has turned into a 65-shop business with national distribution of creative, fun flavors for the whole family.

Pros
More than 40 flavors, including non-dairy ones
Certified B Corp company
Milk and cream sourced from Ohio grass-grazed cows

Cons
Three-month minimum subscription
Can’t select your flavors
Shipping is extra

Sure, you can get Jeni’s at many local grocery stores and mass merchandisers, but can you really get Jeni’s? There are so many flavors available that you probably have never seen (let alone tasted) all of them if you've only bought the brand from the grocery store. The odds are good that you and your family will find something in that box of four pints to savor and argue about. What kid wouldn’t like buttercream birthday cake ice cream, while mom or dad dig into coffee with cream and sugar. The family foodie can get behind a pint of lemon and blueberries parfait. And anyone with a sweet tooth in your house might enjoy skillet cinnamon roll pint or sweet cream biscuits and peach jam. There isn't a bad flavor in the bunch of them.

If you don’t want to continue the subscription after the three months are up and you’ve found new favorites, you can create your own shipment online, including a range of dairy-free flavors.

Four pints in a shipment will cost you $199 for three months, $389 for six months, and $759 for 12 months. Shipping is extra which starts at $13 and goes up to $50 (for Alaska and Hawaii).

Best for Gourmet Ice Cream: McConnell’s

Why We Chose It: This premium brand has been around since 1949 and produces some seriously creamy, gourmet ice cream. 

Pros
Special access to flavors when they launch
Milk from grass-fed cows
Very dense with high butterfat

Cons
High price for only 3 pints per month
Can’t customize flavors

McConnell’s knows a few things about ice cream. Its ingredients are simple and as unprocessed as possible. The milk comes from grass-grazing cows on partner family farms. And the ice cream is strikingly dense. Most brands contain around 14 percent butterfat and almost 50 percent air, but McConnell’s packs in 18 percent butterfat and only 10 percent air. The difference results in super creamy ice cream. McConnell’s is also committed to using ingredients you can pronounce and doesn't contain any gums, starches, thickeners, or stabilizers.

If you join the company’s pint of the month club, you get three different flavors which include limited editions and scoop shop exclusives. Sign up for three- ($195), six- ($389) or 12-month ($780) increments. McConnell’s prices include shipping via UPS to the lower 48 states and Hawaii. 

Best for Keto Diet: Nick’s Swedish Style Ice Cream

Why We Chose It: Nick’s ice cream is low in calories and net carbs, and doesn’t have added sugar, ideal for those following a low-sugar diet.

Pros
Low sugar ice cream
Both traditional and vegan flavors
More than two dozen flavors

Cons
Shipping is only free on subscription orders over $75

This Swedish brand makes ice cream with sweetness derived from plant-based substitutes such as stevia, erythritol, and soluble corn fiber. It’s keto-friendly and some flavors are even vegan. The flavors are rich and the taste is sweet like traditional ice cream, without the aftertaste that plant-based sugars can sometimes impart.

Although Nick’s is available in many stores, you can’t always find what you want. The price for a build-a-box subscription and delivery is comparable with what you’d pay in the store. 

If you're not sure what to choose, Nick’s makes it super easy to decide. Just opt for Nick’s bundle instead, and choose vegan, best sellers, or choklad (that’s chocolate, naturally) selections, among other options.