I Tried 20 Popular Talenti Flavors—and My Favorite Wasn’t What I Expected

Meghann Foye

Sun, June 15, 2025 at 5:30 PM UTC

8 min read

Oh, ice cream . Hand me a cone of vanilla or chocolate on a hot summer day and I'm in heaven. But what's even better, in my opinion? Gelato , the Italian-style ice cream that's extra rich and creamy thanks to a slower churn and lower air content.

Typically found in gelaterias (gelato cafes) in Italy or sprinkled about trendy U.S. cities, it used to require a special to get a scoop of nocciola or tiramasu. That is, until Talenti entered the picture.

Using slow-cooking methods in small batches, the super-popular gelato and sorbet brand now makes dozens of flavors, including classic gelato, dairy-free sorbetto and even layered pints with ribbons of sauce and chunks of cookies or candy—so your cone-on-the-Amalfi-coast dreams can be as close as a trip to the grocery store.

And what time like summertime to get in as much gelato as possible? To do just that, I got my hands on 20 (!) pints of Talenti's most popular flavors and tasted my way through them. At the end, I ranked them from least to most favorite and found what I think is the best Talenti flavorof them all. Read on to see if you agree.

Why You Should Trust Me

As an avid ice cream lover from a young age, I can safely say I've probably had at least a lick or two every week of my life. (I'm one of those ice cream-after-dinner people.) And as an ice cream scooper in high school, I regularly got to taste my way through the flavors and observe which ones were fan favorites.

In adulthood, I've written extensively about food and travel, reviewing restaurants as a freelance writer for many publications. Here, as a Lifestyle Director at Parade , I most recently reviewed and ranked the entire Icelandic Provisions skyr line.

For the Talenti taste test, I asked for the 20 most popular flavors from the rotating selection and evaluated ingredients, flavor, consistency, sweetness and lingering taste. I tried all flavors blind, and once finished, picked each one up, Marie Kondo-style, asking myself which ones sparked enough joy to hold on to for second helpings—always the best indicator.

The result? A list of my favorites, ranked from worst to best. As an enthusiastic chocolate, peanut butter and hazelnut gelato fan, the winner was a shock. But now it's in my permanent nighttime, post-dinner rotation—at least for this summer.

20 Popular Talenti Flavors Ranked From Least to Most Favorite

I tasted my way through gelato, sorbet, sorbetto and layered pints. Here's my final ranking.

20. Caribbean Coconut

This one has a pleasing, creamy, middle-of-the road flavor with real coconut flakes that reminded me of the inside of a Mounds bar. It even has that same tangy coconut flavor. Add hot fudge and suddenly you've got a tropical party.

19. Dairy-Free Double Cookie Crunch

The name doesn't do this flavor justice—it tastes more like high-end cookies 'n cream, where the cream part plays the starring role. But it wasn't bad—I don't even miss the chunks. This flavor was giving me 90s-era Viennetta vibes, which I found nostalgic.

18. Belgian Chocolate

You'll only find subtle, creamy cocoa flavor here. This isn't for those needing a serious chocolate moment, but it would be a cool, understated sidekick for cake. It would also be a good choice for sandwiching with cookies for a DIY ice cream sandwich.

17. Pacific Coast Pistachio

Punctuated with real pistachios and a sweet, toasty flavor, it's for the adult in the room who's over the Dubai chocolate trend and just wants a classic, nutty cone to enjoy in the summer sunshine.

16. Vanilla Fudge Cookie

The fudge here tastes more like chocolate cake, the vanilla is a bit underwhelming and the cookie pieces are a bit dry. But major points for having not just one, but two layers of cookie and one all the way at the bottom—like the Yoplait yogurt of gelato.

15. Strawberry Shortcake

This jammy take on the classic berry dessert had a bit too many crust-like pieces swirled throughout for me. If you're chasing that Breyer's nostalgic strawberry flavor, this isn't it, but it's a fun curveball if you want to try something you've never had before.

14. Madagascar Vanilla Bean

This flavor tastes like the Madagascar vanilla you'd bake with, but in pint form. It's perfect for adding as a complement to a cake or especially a warm slice of pie. I had a few spoonfuls, but wasn't tempted to go back for more.

13. Summer Strawberry Dairy-Free Sorbetto

This flavor was good but not great. The flavor lacks the wild, juicy brightness of its name. Is it good sorbet? 100 percent. Is it the best strawberry sorbet I've ever had or one that makes me want to buy another pint? Unfortunately no.

12. Raspberry Cheesecake

This was a tangy, creamy, "Junior's"-cheesecake-style base with a jammy Bonne-Maman-ish raspberry swirl and graham cracker crust crumble throughout. So good! This one can easily stand on its own in a cup or cone. It would also be a fun flavor to use for making an ice cream cake .

11. Vanilla Caramel Swirl

Like yin and yang, this pint has the perfect balance between the rich, creamy vanilla base and the darker, slightly burnt caramel swirl. It wasn't too sweet, which can sometimes happen with a caramel swirl. This flavor is good for fans of simplicity, but who also love the occasional surprise lava flow of caramel.

10. Caramel Cookie Crunch

This one's got nice burnt sugar flavor, a smooth sea salt finish and delicious chocolate cookie chunks to boot. It's intensely sweet, but deeply satisfying. Add it atop a brownie and you've got summer happiness in a bowl.

9. Coffee Chocolate Chip

With its creamy coffee flavor and delicate chocolate flecks, this one tastes like your ideal morning iced coffee turned into dessert. In fact, I found myself looking forward to it even more. It's a weekday night luxury and would be a great candidate for an affogato .

8. Salted Caramel Truffle

Over the top in the best way possible, this flavor has a caramel lava flow, pops of chocolate truffles and ribbons of fudge. It's perfect for those who believe more is more, AKA the maximalists among us.

7. Sea Salt Caramel

Simple and excellent, Talenti is in its element with this one. The flavor is a bit burnt and buttery, just like all good caramel. And it's great on its own and even better with espresso.

6. Mint Fudge Cookie

If your go-to flavor is mint chip, this one's for you. It takes the fan-favorite flavor and moves it in a fresh direction. It's got a punch of grown-up mint, rich fudge and Thin Mint-style cookie pieces. It's a perfect sundae in a pint.

5. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

So balanced and nostalgic, this pint has bright, juicy raspberry flavor and just-right chocolate flecks. It solves that summer conundrum of having to pick out the big chunks of chocolate before the cone melts in your hand. Talenti has made my new benchmark for this flavor combo.

4. Roman Raspberry Dairy-Free Sorbetto

If Summer Strawberry was a bit of a disappointment, Roman Raspberry is its redemption. Intensely vibrant and bright, it's raspberry picked at the just-ripe phase. Tart, clean and ideal with a dark chocolate dessert or on its own in a waffle cone.

3. Cold Brew Coffee Dairy-Free Sorbetto

This one had the same strong, mellow flavor of your favorite cold brew, with just the right sweetness. It's the sorbet you didn't know you needed until the first spoonful—now I hoard it.

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

With its smooth, roasty peanut flavor, just a touch of cocoa and small-sized chunks, this isn't your average supermarket chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. This perfectly adult execution of this classic flavor combo is for PB purists only. Think of it as a Euro-style version of the American classic—delicious, a little restrained and 100% dialed in.

1. Zesty Lemon Dairy-Free Sorbetto

My winner was bright, zippy and totally unexpected because it contains no chocolate, peanut butter or coffee. Who am I?!?! This flavor landed in the top spot because it tastes like the quintessential lemon sorbetto straight from the Amalfi coast. It's refreshing and unforgettable and is my official summer of 2025 flavor. Trust me, you will fall in amore .

I Tried 20 Popular Talenti Flavors—and My Favorite Wasn't What I Expected first appeared on Parade on Jun 15, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.