I Got Same Ice Cream at Baskin

There are lots of ice-cream chains out there, but Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone Creamery are among the most popular.

Baskin-Robbins has more than 2,400 shops across the US and Cold Stone Creamery has about 1,000 locations nationwide. Both shops have tons of locations — but which has the tastiest ice cream?

To answer this question, I ordered and compared the same items from both chains — vanilla ice cream with M&M's in a cup, chocolate ice cream in a cone, and a strawberry milkshake.

The store's exterior was decked out with bright colors — the door handle was even shaped like its signature pink spoon.

Inside, there was a variety of dipped, decorated, and plain cones on display, along with candy toppings, ice-cream cakes, and other desserts. The staff was incredibly friendly, and I loved the youthful, vibrant vibe of the store.

The single scoop of chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone was $3.59, and it was a decent size.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the chocolate ice cream was on its own. The texture was really creamy and the flavor was incredibly rich.

The cup of vanilla ice cream was $3.59, and the M&M's topping was an additional $0.89. The portion was large for a single scoop, and there was a generous amount of M&M's.

The vanilla flavor wasn't as good as I'd hoped, with a bit of an old-fashioned taste to it. I usually love vanilla ice cream — especially with flecks of vanilla bean — but this one was so-so.

Baskin-Robbins lets you turn any of the store's flavors into a milkshake. There are three size options, and you can get your milkshake with or without whipped cream.

I ordered a small strawberry milkshake without whipped cream for $6.19.

I was surprised by how quickly the milkshake was made. It wasn't very thick, but still had a good body to it. The flavor — made with flecks of real strawberries — was strong, making it a very tasty and overall excellent milkshake.

Aside from its big red logo, the Cold Stone Creamery I visited wasn't quite as colorful as the Baskin-Robbins. Still, the place was pretty welcoming and had plenty of options.

I loved looking at Cold Stone's display of flavors. There was a wide range of toppings, which the employees mix into your ice cream on a frozen granite stone in front of you.

All of the employees at the store were really friendly and helpful.

I ordered a single scoop of chocolate ice cream for $6.25. I asked for it in a cone — which was an additional $1.95 — making the total over $8 for a single scoop, which I thought was pretty expensive.

Cold Stone has three scoop sizes, but minimal cone sizes. I found it a bit disappointing that my small scoop of ice cream was served in a big waffle cone because it didn't create a great balance.

The ice cream was incredibly creamy, but it didn't have a very strong chocolate flavor and I wished it packed a bit more of a punch.

I ordered a small single scoop — or a "Like It" size — of vanilla ice cream for $6.25. The single scoop comes with one free mix-in, and I chose M&M's. Customers can choose more than one mix-in for an additional price.

The ice cream was creamy and luscious with a delicious vanilla flavor, but I was surprised that the scoop of M&M's added to my cup was so small.

I love a good, balanced milkshake — but what I ordered here didn't deliver. I ordered a small strawberry milkshake for $7.

There are multiple size options, and you can choose to have your milkshake with or without whipped cream.

The milkshake was made incredibly fast — but I was left disappointed. It mostly tasted like plain milk and the texture was thin and liquidy.

Overall, I definitely see myself returning to Baskin-Robbins.

I wouldn't get the chain's vanilla ice cream again, but I loved the flavorful chocolate ice cream and how big of a helping of toppings I received when I ordered them. The milkshake was also more impressive than the one I got at Cold Stone.

I also found Baskin-Robbins had more affordable single scoops than Cold Stone Creamery.

Sure, Cold Stone has an amazing list of flavors and toppings to choose from if you're looking for a customized sundae, but Baskin-Robbins was the clear winner of this taste test for me.

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