New Zealand's best ice cream has just been crowned for 2024

Hold onto your cones folks, because New Zealand’s best ice cream has just been revealed!

Where can you find Aotearoa’s most delicious scoop? The 2024 winners of the country’s prized Ice Cream & Gelato Awards have been revealed.

This year’s winners of the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards have been announced, and both champions hail from the City of Sails. With 19 awards on offer at a cocktail party in Auckland last night, the annual event saw frozen dessert companies throughout Aotearoa submit entries.

Acclaimed chef Geoff Scott led a panel of 20 judges in tasting more than 230 ice creams and gelatos at the end of last month. They then awarded 169 gold, silver and bronze medals to the successful makers.

The winners were celebrated at last night’s event, with frozen treats from Matakana (Charlies Gelato) to Queenstown (Patagonia Chocolates) vying for a top spot.

Two Auckland-based vendors – gelato maker Little ‘Lato and renowned maker New Zealand Natural Ice Cream – were victors of the esteemed nationwide awards.

With Little ‘Lato crowned the supreme gelato winner, Scott reflected on how surprised he was that the Vegan Mango Lassi Gelato was dairy-free.

“This gelato casts a spell over you from the very first bite! The perfumed mango and lassi flavours are magnificently displayed with a luxurious textural mouthfeel,” Scott said of the gelato, which also won the dairy-free award.

“Are we being tricked here? Is this actually vegan? This gelato really is absolute magic!”

Little ‘Lato managed to sweep five trophies overall last night.

The gelato-making star behind it all, Hannah Engelsman, landed a scholarship at Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University before returning to Aotearoa to found Little ‘Lato in 2017.

Little ‘Lato has been steadily gaining popularity since and the timing of the company’s latest accolade fits perfectly as it prepares to open a scoop shop on Ponsonby Rd – the first in the city.

New Zealand Natural’s Milk Chocolate Ice Cream was named this year’s supreme ice cream champion for its nostalgic chocolate-laden creation.

“This ice cream encapsulates the flavours and deliciousness of a childhood first milk chocolate bar experience,” Scott said.

“This chocolatey richness on the palate with an indulgent creamy texture – you can’t stop eating, it’s just fantastic!”

New Zealand Natural was founded in Christchurch in 1984, beginning as a small producer using natural colours and flavours to create its scoops, and is now headquartered in Auckland.

The ice creamery has since expanded throughout the country and become a household name for Kiwi families while opening international outlets in Australia, Fiji, Thailand and other countries.

It now sells its products in more than 30 countries, bringing some of New Zealand’s best ice cream to a global fanbase.

On top of securing the top ice cream trophy, the Milk Chocolate Ice Cream was named the DKSH & Belcolade Chocolate Ice Cream Award Champion, and the company took two other awards for its Killinchy Gold Pure Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and its Forestberry Frozen Yoghurt.

Check out the rest of the trophy-winning flavours at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards 2024 below.

Supreme Champions:

Category Champion Awards: