15 Popular Gelato Brands, Ranked

Let's talk about a real problem afflicting many Americans right now: there simply aren't enough options for frozen gelato readily available. We've got ice cream galore, but where's our real Italian treat? 

When you get into the nitty-gritty of it, the differences between gelato and ice cream may be subtle, but they add up to a huge difference. In general, ice cream must contain at least 10% butterfat, and most brands actually hover up to 15 percent! As for butterfat in gelato, it clocks in under ice cream. Also, ice cream is made with more cream, while gelato is made with more milk. This means that ice cream is typically kept at colder temperatures for optimal offerings, while gelato is served between 10–20 degrees Fahrenheit.

For this reason, ice cream is available for purchase in grocery stores far more widely than gelato. It's really difficult to create something that can be classified as gelato that has a proper gelato-y consistency right out of the freezer, which is typically much colder than is good for the product. Luckily for all who fiend for gelato (even when ice cream is available), we're here to walk you through how to find those elusive, decent gelato pints — and even a few that are truly fantastic.

Nubocha is a non-dairy gelato brand made for the most health-conscious out there: these pints (not single servings, PINTS) each contain 250-330 calories. The gelato is gluten-free, coconut-free, soy-free, vegan/plant-based, made without added sugars, and advertised as "Cool for Keto" because of its extremely low carb count. All these ingredient exclusions beg the question — what's actually IN these pints?

According to Nubocha, it's all a mix of nuts and chocolate, which is, of course, sustainably sourced directly from farmers. You can currently order a pack of four Nubocha gelato flavors from Amazon or purchase from stores if you're in California. The flavors are called Chocolate Arriba, Italian Vanilla, Salted Caramel, and Peanut Butter.

It feels cruel to punch down on a product that fills an important gap in the existing market, but the fact that this product has so little in it means that it technically can't even be classified as gelato. Of course, if you're someone who has sworn off sugar, Nubocha gelato might still be a successful facsimile of the real thing; but we're going to pass on this product.

DeeBees was founded by Dionne Laslo-Baker, a mother of two who has her Ph.D. in Medical Science. Because of her background, Laslo-Baker was motivated to create a product-oriented around using organic fruit to create sweet, frozen treats that kids won't object to. 

True to form, these gelato pops are sweetened only with juice from organic fruit. You can buy a 20-pack on Amazon that comes in three fresh flavors: lime, mango, and pineapple. The pops are crafted with coconut milk, which gives them a smoother texture akin to the consistency of real gelato — a plus. When you receive your pops, they're still in liquid form, so you need to shake them up really well and then freeze them before they are ready for consumption.

Again, points have to come off for the fact that this is not real gelato. Additionally, there's added labor here — if you don't shake the pop, it might settle with the coconut milk not properly mixed — and the pops are pretty small, so you can find yourself reaching for more than one.

Sacred Serve crafts vegan gelato from a mindfulness perspective. The company's founder Kailey Donewald claims to have spent a decade traveling the globe learning about how to use a plant-based diet for better nutrition. 

This gelato uses organic young Thai coconut meat as its base, an added ingredient that we appreciate for taste, though not for authenticity. The fiber content in the coconut meat is purportedly the culprit for this gelato's texture. Other ingredients include low-glycemic coconut sugar, adaptogenic herbs, and medicinal mushrooms — but you would never know it from tasting the product, which is light and sweet, if not quite as creamy as it might claim.

Alas, despite the positive strides in terms of environmental impact that this brand claims to make, Sacred Serve gelato is simply not as silken as it's made out to be. It's hard to scoop, and the spices tend to be overpowering; we're sad to say it, but we are not vibing on the same frequency. 

The eCreamery is a very-online ice cream store and gelateria that actually got off the ground thanks to a little show called Shark Tank, the televised gauntlet for many foodie creatives. Though founders Abby and Becky presented their concept for custom ice cream pints to the Sharks and were shot down, the Sharks first admitted that they really liked the concept. It was the push they needed to get people interested. And boy, did it take off! Just ask former customer Sir Paul McCartney, who is rumored to have ordered two scoops of plain vanilla ice cream when he visited the eCreamery location in Omaha, per Today.

What's really cool about eCreamery (and perhaps the reason why the Sharks were foolish not to invest) is that it allows you to personalize your pint experience. On this site, you get to select the gelato pints you want and then design what goes on the label, making it a perfect gift to send to a loved one who loves ice cream. eCreamery offers two gelato flavors, cinnamon or white chocolate, which are currently not available for online ordering, but hopefully, they'll be resuscitated soon (along with a few more deliverable flavor options).

Everyone knows that Trader Joe's is a haven for shoppers across the country that don't want to break the bank. It's also a snack lover's paradise: this grocery store manufactures most of its own products and cycles different goods in and out seasonally, which makes it the perfect place to go when you have a hankering for something sweet you've never tried before.

Unfortunately for our sweet teeth and wallets, the gelato options are surprisingly lacking at TJ's. Recently, the company had a limited run of Strawberries and Cream gelato; there was also a brief moment in 2019 when Pistachio and Caramel Cookie Crunch were on offer. TJ's reintroduces and then removes these flavors every once in a while, as it is wont to do with specialty items. That means it's hard to get your hands on a pint of this stuff. When you do, these pints have that trademark discounted TJ's price tag on 'em, which is great, but the taste doesn't measure up to tried-and-true gelato brands.

Don't let Noosa fool you — this gelato brand is actually frozen yogurt. Noosa is originally and primarily a yogurt brand based in Colorado and is available in supermarkets everywhere. In 2022, Noosa's frozen yogurt gelato expanded production to put out a gelato offshoot, releasing just four flavors: Strawberries and Cream, Chocolate Fudge, Sea Salt Caramel, and Vanilla Bean.

All of Noosa's yogurt is made using whole milk and wildflower honey, with the addition of fresh fruit for some flavors. The resulting yogurt is then repurposed to create its gelato. Despite the fact that Noosa is actually a yogurt product instead of a proper gelato, it's still really delicious. The flavors are crisp, and the fruit shines through in the Strawberries and Cream flavor. As it turns out, that hint of wildflower honey is a defining taste in the gelato since that's where it gets its sweetness. 

Of course, Noosa's "gelato" is still far from classic gelato — the yogurt base has a different texture from a classically fluffy and silky gelato and is more prone to crystalizing in the freezer. Still, for what it is, this is a pretty satisfying product.

Tuscanini is a brand with a glossy Italian finish, designed to give Americans a chance to get to know Italy from home. This brand is definitely leveraging its Made in Italy label. The main things available for sale at Tuscanini are gelato and canned tuna, which comes from Calabria. 

This gelateria has just eight flavors available, and they're pretty basic: vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, and strawberry banana are the dairy gelato options, and then there are also non-dairy versions of the vanilla and chocolate, as well as sorbet in lemon and strawberry flavors. While there might not be many flavors, Tuscanini really invests in each one, sourcing fresh ingredients from all over Italy — the lemon flavor is crafted using lemon zest from Sicily, while the strawberries are sourced on the Amalfi coast, and the chocolate hails from way up the boot of Italy in Modena.

Tuscanini gelato is available on Mercato — though it's not nationwide — and also in select grocery stores. Each pint is $7.99 at the time of publication — not too shabby, considering the fact that the ingredients are imported from all over Italy. The gelato itself tastes great, but the limited, uninspired flavor selection knocks Tuscanini down a few pegs.

Any New York native can attest to the distinctiveness of the Ferrara storefront, with its neon script, massive Hollywood-style sign blinking out the letters in its name, and the two charming ice cream cones sticking out of the storefront like antlers. This gaudy presentation has been Ferrara's signature since it first opened in 1892. 

According to Ferrara, the cafe was originally intended as a meeting place for opera lovers looking to hang out after watching Verdi or Puccini; the fifth generation of the family still owns and operates this iconic cafe today. Quality goes into each scoop, and there are a lot of flavors to be found in this long-lasting company.

Soon, it'll be possible to order a gelato sampler from Ferrara on Goldbelly. This sampler will come with four pints in set flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and salt with caramel, all of which are sold in the real store and are incredibly satisfying. With the Goldbelly pack, you'll also receive a set of four cups and mini spoons, along with some Ferrara napkins, to replicate an authentic Ferrara experience. Unfortunately, the shipping stage might leave a sour taste in your mouth. This sampler is listed at $69.95 at the time of publication — a pretty steep price for just four pints, especially because you can't pick your flavors.

Fiorello's was founded in Marin, California, a wealthy suburb right outside of San Francisco. The man behind the vision is Fiorello Anthony Bonviso, founder and owner since 1982, who found himself in the gelateria business because he wanted to chart a new path for airless ice cream.

This is yet another gelato place that prides itself on restricting churning in order to make sure not that much air gets into the final product. In fact, Fiorello's is so confident in this claim that it provides a handy diagram to show off how other economy ice cream brands have about 50% air and 8-ounce ingredients in pints, while Fiorello's has 0% air and a full 18-ounce of ingredients. The company even challenges that doubtful consumers should weigh its pints if they are still unsure.

All this confidence is, in fact, merited; Fiorello's "airless" gelato is heavenly. There are 60 flavors on offer for $8.99 per pint at the time of publication. Most of the flavors are pretty standard — you've got your cookies and cream, chocolate, and espresso — but Fiorello's also offers some fun new flavor combos like Kahlua Dutch Almond and Caramel Balsamic. The only bummer is that these gelati aren't more widely available — they can primarily be found in supermarkets in the Bay Area.

Sweet Magnolia was founded by Hugh Balthrop, a former University of the District of Columbia student who fell in love with a woman named Erica from Mississippi, where the shop is now based. It's a gelato love story, folks. And it's not full of hot air.

In an interview with the local Clarksdale paper, Balthrop shared that his gelato is special because it is about 8% butterfat, saying, "Our gelato has lower fat, lower sugar and less air pumped into it ... Because it has less air than traditional ice cream, it makes it a little denser and the flavor more intense."

Bulk pint orders from Sweet Magnolia will soon be available for purchase on Goldbelly, just like Ferrara Cafe, and just like Ferrara Cafe, the price will be steep. If you choose to order a four-pack of pints, you have your pick of the litter between classic flavors and Southern-inspired tastes that are specific to Sweet Magnolia. Pick up a Delta Butter Pecan, Whiskey and Pecans, or Ms. Mary's Poundcake for the surprising Italian-Southern USA fusion you never knew you needed.

Gelato Fiasco is a gelateria headquartered in Brunswick, Maine, with a lot of Maine pride. It was founded by two college buds, Joshua Davis and Bruno Tropeano, who felt that there was a dearth of respectable gelato available in Maine. They chose the name "Gelato Fiasco" to ward off the types of customers they didn't want, under the assumption that only pure food lovers with a sense of adventure would enter their store. The business has developed a cult following for its eccentrically flavorful pints, like Wild Maine Blueberry Crisp, the mascarpone-based Pistachio Caramel, and Ripe Mango. 

You can order bulk shipments of the Gelato Fiasco website, where 13 flavors are listed at publication. This is one of those gelateria with a sense of humor: try the Gelato Fiasco Sunken Treasure, made with a brown butter base, bourbon truffles, and pretzel "booty," or the Doughing Me, Doughing You, made with mix-ins of chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and brownie cookies. You could even go for A Big 'Ole Peanut Butter Pint, which is ... exactly what it sounds like.

Nancy's Fancy is an LA-based gelateria founded by Nancy Silverton, the famous chef-slash-baker-turned-author who may very well be thanked for the wide availability of good bread these days. The James-Beard-acclaimed Silverton wouldn't attach her name to any product, of course; with culinary degrees, highbrow restaurants, and an Outstanding Pastry Chef award under her belt, she doesn't need to.

Nancy's Fancy has 15 flavors on offer. One highlight of this flavor list is the existence of updated takes on classic flavors, like a bourbon vanilla bean gelato or the Whiskey Cake and Cream. Some excellent sorbets are also available, like the Meyer Lemon Torrone and a mixed berry flavor. For a premium, you can purchase a pack of Nancy's Fancy Gelato on Goldbelly. This is the most pricey gelato on the list by far. It may be expensive, but you'll feel the investment was worth it at first taste: Many of these tiny pints are packed with sugary flavor and counteract any potential sweetness overload with a dash of salt.

We absolutely love Dolcezza, a DC-based chain that has been serving both gelato and coffee in Georgetown since 2004. This brand's small-batch, hand-made gelateria is family-operated, and the ingredients are sourced as locally as possible: Dolcezza has relationships with several small farmers that provide dairy, veggies, maple syrup, and berries, when seasonally appropriate.

This brand boasts high-quality gelato cheaper than other entries on this list while still being artisanal. These pints are also much more widely available in many grocery stores. Hit up Dolcezza for its dark chocolate gelato, often designated as the top seller in stores (for a reason), or the Dulce De Leche & Cookies, which gestures toward Dolcezza's Argentinian roots. Also, this gelateria gets the fruit flavors right: The mascarpone with berries flavor is a smash hit, and we really miss the lemon basil variety that the shop used to sell many moons ago. The only thing keeping this brand from winning it all is the gelato's consistency, which just isn't as rich as our other two contenders for the top. 

You were probably scrolling, looking for Talenti, weren't you? Well, if you didn't already know, Talenti has almost cornered the market on supermarket gelato. It's available everywhere you look; it has seemingly hundreds of flavors, and it has recently released popsicle-esque gelato and sorbet bars to tempt you even further into decadence.

In an interview with CNBC, Talenti founder Josh Hochschuler explained that right after he graduated from college, he hightailed it to Buenos Aires without a return ticket and spent five years living there and developing an appreciation for good gelato. He came back to the US, opened up a shop, and named it after Bernardo Buontalenti, who is credited with having invented gelato. Since then, it has spread like wildfire.

Today, Talenti has seemingly innumerable flavors. It's famous for its texture: the fluffiness that gelato should have is incredibly difficult to replicate in a pint that needs to coexist with the rest of the stuff in your freezer, but Talenti has mastered the science. This gelato is reliably delicious and a real contender for first place, but sometimes, you've got to go with the underdog.

Gelato Boy has a cute name and an even cuter origin story: co-founders Giulia and Bryce Licht owe their marriage to a love of gelato. Bryce had moved to Italy from Colorado to study abroad, and Giulia, a Venetian native, was working behind the counter at a gelateria nearby. They started a relationship, moved to Colorado together, got married, and birthed Gelato Boy.

There are over twenty flavors available on the Gelato Boy website, ranging from basics like vanilla bean or strawberry to funky fresh new tastes like the Salty Cookies + Cream flavor or the pale purple Lavender Poppy. With a minimum of 4 pints, this business ships anywhere in the U.S. and is also available in some select grocery stores.

This gelato takes home the crown because it is absolutely luscious. The base is always smooth and creamy, the flavor profiles are complex, and the wide range of flavors is perfectly suited to sate any appetite. It may be a bit more expensive than some competitors, but it's fairly priced, given the quality. Whatever you do, don't miss out on the oozing Gooey Butter Cake + Caramel pint.