The 3 Best Ice Cream Scoops of 2025, Tested & Reviewed

Unless you’re a fan of bent spoons, a good ice cream scoop is a must-have. Whether you’re topping a slice of pie or simply enjoying a midnight bowl of Cherry Garcia, a quality scoop will make quick and easy work of dishing up dessert. Plus, unlike an ordinary spoon, a dedicated ice cream scoop will create neat, spherical portions.

However, not all ice cream scoops perform the same; they come in a variety of styles and sizes, and some models scoop significantly better than others (it’s true!). I tried eight popular ice cream scoops, dishing up gallons of ice cream, to find the best ones.

The Winners, at a Glance

With a comfortable handle, oval bowl, and sharp edge, this scoop effortlessly glides through all types of ice cream, creating round, uniform balls. One of the best features of this classic scoop is its hollow core, which is filled with a heat-conductive fluid (food-safe mineral oil) that transfers heat directly from your hand to the bowl of the scoop, ensuring a clean release every time.

No other scoop comes close to rivaling the capacity of the Zyliss Right Scoop. While most other scoops hold under two ounces of ice cream, the Zyliss consistently creates scoops weighing over 2.5 ounces. The plastic handle is comfortable to use, and the whole scoop has a solid, hefty feel to it. The scoops aren’t as round as those produced by the Zeroll model, but they’re still consistent in shape and size.

This scoop has a comfortable handle and a wide, shallow bowl that easily carves through even the firmest of ice creams. While it’s easy to scoop a generous portion using this model, the oblong shape of the bowl means that you have to work harder to create a round portion.

The Tests

• Plain Ice Cream Test: I tested how each model performed scooping plain vanilla ice cream. For this test, I let the ice cream sit at room temperature for five minutes before scooping a portion into a bowl set on a kitchen scale. After recording the weight of the first portion, I used each scoop to create five more balls of ice cream. I observed if the ice cream balls were uniform in shape and size, noted how comfortable the scoop was to hold, and how easily it carved through the ice cream.
• Ice Cream With Mix-Ins Test: This was exactly like the first test, but I used Rocky Road ice cream, which was slightly firmer than vanilla and had mix-ins.
• Sorbet Test: I used each scoop to serve portions of raspberry sorbet. For this test, I allowed the sorbet to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before I began scooping, since sorbet tends to freeze a bit firmer than dairy-based ice creams. 
• General Use Test (Winners Only): After selecting my three favorite scoops, I used them to scoop ice cream over several days, noting how they performed with different types of ice cream and how they held up to everyday use and care.

What We Learned

Scoop Uniformity Mattered

One thing all the winners have in common is that they produce scoops that are uniform in shape and size. The winning Zeroll scoop effortlessly made neat, round balls of ice cream every time, all weighing in at just under two ounces. The Zyliss Right Scoop also created uniform servings, though they weren’t as round as the ones made by the Zeroll model. Some of the other models were much less consistent, most notably the Wilton Heavy-Duty Ice Cream Scoop, which had an almost flat scoop that was difficult to dig into the ice cream. If you’re serving a just-opened container of ice cream, the Wilton model created at least one large, perfectly domed portion, but subsequent scoops were smaller and oddly shaped. A good ice cream scoop shouldn’t require a lot of skill or effort to create attractive, uniform portions.

Handle and Bowl Design Made a Difference

A comfortable handle and well-designed bowl can make the difference between an ice cream scoop you’ll use all the time and one that will languish in a kitchen drawer. All three winning models have fairly thick, comfortable handles of moderate length (around five inches) and oval-shaped bowls that allow the ice cream to curl into neat orbs.

The OXO Good Grips ice cream scoop is a great example of a scoop that worked alright, but wasn’t particularly comfortable or enjoyable to use. While the scoop created round, uniform portions, the perfectly round shape of the bowl struggled to glide through denser types of ice cream. Plus, with a trigger on the right side, it’s not suitable for left-handed users.

Bigger Wasn’t Necessarily Better

While I love the large capacity of the Zyliss Right Scoop, bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to ice cream portions. A bigger scoop gives you a lot less control over the size of your servings. For example, the Zyliss scoop produces smooth, uniform portions, but only when filled to its full capacity; trying to create partial scoops was difficult and a bit awkward. The winning Zeroll scoop has one of the smallest capacities of all the models I tested, but it produces portions that are smooth, round, and uniform.

For Best Results, Let Your Ice Cream Soften Before Scooping

Ultimately, if your ice cream is rock-solid, even the best ice cream scoop will struggle to cut through it. Luckily, it takes only five minutes for a pint of ice cream to soften to a perfectly scoopable consistency, and 10 minutes for a dense sorbet. I know that waiting can be hard (especially when it comes to dessert), but a bit of patience will make scooping your ice cream a whole lot easier.

The Criteria: What to Look for in an Ice Cream Scoop

The best ice cream scoops can glide through even the densest of ice creams and produce consistently sized scoops, pass after pass. The ice cream should also release easily from the scoop. A comfortable handle is another key to a good scooping experience, especially when serving multiple portions. I  gave bonus points to scoops that produced smooth, spherical servings. 

Our Favorite Ice Cream Scoops

What we liked: This model creates the smoothest, roundest, and most uniform scoops of all the models I tested. It is also extremely well-designed and easy to use, with a comfortable handle and sharp-edged bowl that easily carves through dense ice creams. One of my favorite features of this scoop is that, thanks to the heat-conductive fluid inside the handle, ice cream doesn’t stick to the bowl. Plus, with its shiny chrome finish, this ice cream scoop is as attractive as it is effective. 

What we didn’t like: I couldn’t find much not to love about this classic ice cream scoop, but many online reviews take issue with the fact that this product is not dishwasher-safe. High temperatures and harsh detergents can damage this scoop’s shiny finish and may also impact the heat-conductive fluid inside the handle. Luckily, with its one-piece design, this scoop is a cinch to clean by hand. 

Key Specs

• Handle length: 4.8 inches
• Overall length: 7.25 inches
• Head dimensions: 3 x 1.8 inches
• Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Measured capacity: 1.7 ounces
• Materials: Aluminum alloy
• Dishwasher-safe: No

What we liked: This scoop has a larger capacity than any of the other models I tested—a little over five ounces. With its comfortable, ergonomic handle and large, elongated bowl, this scoop smoothly glides through any type of ice cream, producing generous portions every time. 

What we didn’t like: The large capacity of this scoop may not be for everyone—some might prefer smaller portions. This model also doesn’t create perfectly round scoops; they’re consistent in size and shape, but aren’t as neat and spherical as the scoops produced by the Zeroll model. 

Key Specs

• Handle length: 5 inches
• Overall length: 7.75 inches
• Head dimensions: 2.5 X 1.75 inches
• Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Measured capacity: 2.5 ounces
• Materials: Aluminum, plastic
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes

What we liked: This model has a wider, shallower bowl than my other winners, which helps when digging into dense, premium ice creams. It also scooped generous and consistent portions. The bowl has a grooved texture that keeps ice cream from sticking. I also liked the ergonomic, soft handle, which was very comfortable when scooping multiple portions at a time. And while my other winners had aluminum bowls, the bowl of this scoop is made from zinc alloy, which, thanks to its corrosion-resistant properties, should hold up well over time. 

What we didn’t like: Due to the shallower shape of the bowl, it took a bit of extra work to create round, evenly shaped scoops with this model. The Gorilla Grip scoop is also a bit top-heavy, which doesn’t affect its performance but can feel a bit awkward at first. 

Key Specs

• Handle length: 5.25 inches
• Overall length: 7.5 inches
• Head dimensions: 2.6 X 1.8 inches
• Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Measured capacity: 2 ounces
• Materials: Zinc alloy, plastic
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes

The Competition

• Sumo Ice Cream Scoop: This shovel-shaped scoop was one of our favorites in previous testing, but it’s frequently out of stock.
• KitchenAid Gourmet Ice Cream Scoop: This scoop has a comfortable handle that is slightly longer than most of the other models I tested. While the handle provides great leverage, the scoop is more egg-shaped than spherical and serves up small portions.
• OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop: This scoop is very sturdy and well-made, but it’s almost too heavy to use comfortably. Ice cream also sticks to the bowl, making it hard to create a clean scoop. 
• Wilton Heavy-Duty Ice Cream Scoop: I love the unique design of this scoop. It has a wide bowl that’s somewhere between a classic scoop and an ice cream spade (the kind that’s used for gelato). The long handle creates great leverage, but I found it hard to create consistently sized portions. Plus, you have to put in extra effort if you want a round scoop.
• OXO Good Grips Classic Ice Cream Scoop: If you’re in the market for a scoop that produces perfectly round, uniform portions, this is the one for you. The major issue with this scoop is that it’s not as comfortable to use as other models I tested, and it doesn’t work for left-handers because the trigger is located on the right side. Also, it’s worth noting that after the first couple scoops, ice cream tends to get stuck to the inside of the bowl, though I found this was easily remedied by a quick rinse under hot water between scoops.  
• Joseph Joseph Elevate Ice Cream Scoop: This scoop was similar to the Zyliss Right Scoop but doesn’t feel quite as sturdy, nor does it dish up quite as generous portions. It features a unique trigger that presses ice cream out of the bowl, rather than sweeping it out (like the OXO Good Grips model). I found the release trigger was more effective with certain types of ice cream than others: Firmer ice creams released easily, while softer, stretchier varieties got stuck. 

FAQs

What is the standard size for an ice cream scoop?

Most of the scoops I tested have a capacity of around two ounces, though the Zyliss Right Scoop can produce up to three-ounce portions.

How do you clean an ice cream scoop?

Always follow the care directions on the packaging. Most ice cream scoops can go in the dishwasher, but certain scoops that are made from aluminum, like the winning Zeroll model, can be damaged by high temperatures and should be hand-washed instead. 

How do you get a perfect scoop of ice cream?

It generally takes several passes to get a “perfect” orb-shaped ice cream scoop. To do this, insert the bowl of the scoop into the ice cream and pull toward yourself. Repeat this action two or three times until the scoop is full. 

How do you make ice cream easier to scoop?

Letting ice cream sit at room temperature for about five minutes is a simple and effective way to make scooping easier. Premium brands of ice cream, like Häagen-Dazs, tend to be denser and may require a few additional minutes to soften. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Zola Gregory is a writer and recipe developer for Serious Eats and other publications.
• She is also a former pastry chef and lifelong ice cream enthusiast. 
• For this review, she tested how eight ice cream scoops performed with different types of ice cream: plain ice cream, ice cream with mix-ins, and sorbet. She evaluated the performance and ease of use of each scoop. 
• We first reviewed ice cream scoops in 2018.