Don’t underestimate the power of a good ice cream scoop. Sure, it might not carry the same weight as a chef’s knife or spatula in everyday cooking, but it has the ability to elevate your most treasured kitchen experiences (yes, I’m talking about dessert).

A good, high quality scoop can mean the difference between quickly and easily gliding through a fresh (or freezer-burned) pint, and straining your hand muscles trying to get something merely resembling a round scoop. Luckily, we did all that heavy lifting for you, testing 10 of the most popular ice cream scoops to see which one came out on top.

After hours of scooping (and snacking), we can proudly recommend the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop (available at Amazon for $15.95) as our top pick for its unmatched performance, and the Zeroll 1020 Original (available at Amazon) as a best upgrade pick for a slightly pricier option that’s reminiscent of classic ice cream parlors.

Here are the best ice cream scoops we tested, ranked in order:

1. OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop
2. Zeroll 1020 Original
3. Spring Chef Ice Cream Scoop with Soft Handle
4. Sumo Ice Cream Scoop
5. YasTant Ice Cream Scoop
6. Balci Ice Cream Scoop
7. Gorilla Grip Original Ice Cream Scooper
8. Farberware Professional Ice Cream Scoop
9. KitchenAid Gourmet Ice Cream Scoop
10. OXO Good Grips Classic Swipe Ice Cream Scoop

How We Tested Ice Cream Scoops

The Tester

Hi, I’m Monica, Reviewed’s kitchen staff writer, and a big ice cream fan. Whether it’s in the form of gelato, sorbet, or dairy-free alternatives—I haven’t met an ice cream variety I didn’t like.

Usually, my ice cream eating routine involves an intimate experience between myself, a spoon, and a pint. But there are definitely occasions—when hosting, usually—that call for having a good scoop on deck. And nothing is more pleasing to me than filling up a bowl or cone with perfectly round, spherical scoops that make the ice cream experience even better.

The Tests

I performed a few different tests over the course of several days to really get a feel for each one of these scoops. First, I dug each of them into a fresh pint straight out of the freezer, placing each scoop into a bowl to see how easy they came off of the scoop. I then eyeball-measured scoop sizes and shapes that were released to see how they compared to each other.

I followed the same protocol with sorbet, cookie dough, and some freezer-burned ice cream I had sitting in the back of my fridge. Finally, I used each scoop at the bottom corners of the pints to see how well they worked in getting every last inch of ice cream without letting any go to waste.

While conducting these tests, I also took into consideration how the handles of each scoop felt after long use, whether they got cold while scooping, and whether they worked just as well if my hand was wet during use. Once I finished scooping, I washed them all according to package instructions to see whether any discoloration or chipping occurred after a few washes.

What You Should Know About Buying Ice Cream Scoops

Lever Or No Lever?

There are a lot of variables to consider including size, material, price, and whether or not it has a lever. In our experience, that decision really depends on which scoop we’re talking about.

In some cases, the inclusion of a lever can take a scoop from good to great, aiding the dispensing process and assuring that scoops get dropped in the optimal shape without getting broken along the way. It’s especially useful when working with something like cookie dough, which is prone to stick to a scoop even more than ice cream.

But these benefits are only true if a lever is made well and actually does assist in the scooping process. During testing, we noticed certain levers getting stuck often as we pressed them, which had me believe they might have been better without that added feature.

We recommend looking into the mechanism behind the lever in a scoop. Those with a spring incorporated tend to be more user-friendly than those without, which require you to manually move the lever back and forth, and oftentimes get stuck. On the other hand, opting for a lever-less scoop with an appropriately curved head means you might not even need a lever to get your balls of ice cream easily dispensed.

What’s The Best Temperature To Scoop Ice Cream?

We know it can feel impossible to wait for that instant satisfaction when your ice cream craving hits, but experts say you shouldn’t try to scoop immediately after pulling a pint out of the freezer.

That’s because most freezers are set around 0°F, and ice cream’s high butterfat content makes it way too hard to scoop at that temperature. (Even our top scoop picks took some elbow grease to scoop at this temp.) Plus, flavor is also impacted based on temperature; that mocha chip and cookie dough just won’t taste the same when they’re still fully frozen.

It’s recommended that you let your pint get up to between five and 10 degrees Fahrenheit before you start the scooping process (or whenever you notice it’s starting to soften when you touch it). To make this waiting game even longer, experts also advise letting this temperature come down slowly in the fridge (for about 15 minutes). That’s because letting it sit on your countertop means it’s more likely to melt unevenly, especially around the edges. Trust us—the results are so worth the wait.

Pro Tips For Scooping

In addition to making sure your pint is at the right temperature for scooping, there are a few other tricks to get the most out of your ice cream experience.

If you’re a regular at ice cream shops, it’s likely that you’ve seen some places keep their scoops in a tub of water in between uses. And yes, part of this reason is to clean any residual ice cream off before the next use—but it also helps warm the head to make gliding through tubs easier.

Plus, this trick makes releasing the ice cream much easier, as it’s less likely to get stuck on the scoop when transferring to a cup or cone. So it might not be a bad idea to give yours a little rinse beforehand.

When it comes to the actual scooping, try to keep your pint leveled and flat (to avoid future patches of freezer burn). Then, aim to scoop in a clockwise motion around the circle of the pint until a spherical shape of ice cream appears, rather than digging into it like you would a bowl of mac and cheese, for example. It might even be best to twirl the pint as you scoop to make the process less strenuous.

Other Ice Cream Scoops We Tested

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