The Handel's Ice Cream Flavor We'd Never Try Again

Choosing an ice cream flavor is a joyful decision, but it can also be a bit overwhelming, especially in a place like Handel's. The old-school ice cream parlor whips up over 100 ice cream and frozen yogurt options, nearly 50 of which are available at any given time. Luckily, we're here to help you narrow down your choice and avoid the small tragedy of ending up with a less-than-great scoop — because life's too short for bad ice cream.

We ranked 13 of Handel's most popular flavors from worst to best, and Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk came in last place. While they enjoyed the texture of the cheesecake chunks, the overly artificial strawberry flavor ruined this ice cream for our taste tester. "It tastes, for example, the same way a strawberry scratch 'n sniff sticker smells," wrote our reviewer, adding, "It seemed to hang around on my palate for the rest of the day — and not in a good way." While Handel's claims to make its "homemade" ice cream with the freshest, highest-quality ingredients at its more than 175 stores across 20 states, this perhaps isn't so surprising, as the chain has faced accusations of being less than forthcoming about its use of artificial dyes and additives.

Handel's describes its Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk ice cream as "Cheesecake ice cream with strawberry ripple and cheesecake chunks" (per Handel's website). It's worth noting that the description of the chain's plain Strawberry flavor states that it's made using real strawberries. This suggests that the Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk perhaps does not include real fruit, given the notable absence of this claim from its description. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing exactly what gives the ice cream the stubborn artificial taste noted by our reviewer, as Handel's doesn't reveal the ingredients lists of its ice creams.

Handel's boasts that its homemade ice cream is prepared fresh daily with the best ingredients, but it's also worth noting that the scoop shop has gotten into hot water for allegedly being unclear about what exactly goes into its over 100 flavors. A 2025 class action lawsuit filed in California accused the Ohio-based chain of misleading marketing regarding its use of synthetic dyes, preservatives, and additives; however, these accusations have not been proven in court. If all of this has you craving a stellar scoop of strawberry ice cream without the artificial aftertaste, here's our favorite strawberry ice cream brand.