Is Ben & Jerry's Halal?

We found no halal certification for Ben & Jerry's in the US. The brand's own pages describe kosher certification instead. Ben & Jerry's Canada says it is certified by KOF-K Kosher Supervision ^[1].

Kosher and halal are not the same. A kosher dairy mark tells you the product is not meant to contain meat, but kosher rules allow some things halal rules do not, such as alcohol from grapes and grain. It also says nothing about whether gelatin came from a zabiha animal. Read more in kosher vs halal.

So the honest answer for the US is that Ben & Jerry's is not certified. Some flavors may still fit your standards once you read the label, and some clearly will not.

Ben & Jerry's has made several flavors with liquor over the years. A 2025 Chowhound report names Urban Bourbon, which has a bourbon caramel swirl, and Dublin Mudslide, which returned in 2022 with a new recipe ^[2]. Older flavors such as White Russian and Tennessee Mud were made with coffee liqueur and whiskey and have since been retired ^[2].

The report says the company cut the alcohol in these flavors to trace levels, under 0.1% ^[2]. Even so, there are two different cases:

• A liquor added for taste, like bourbon in a swirl. Many Muslims and scholars avoid this even when little alcohol is left.
• Tiny carrier traces in a flavoring, such as vanilla extract. Many scholars accept these and others do not.

See is alcohol (ethanol) halal? and is vanilla extract halal? for the views. If the ingredient list names bourbon, whiskey, liqueur or rum, the flavor has an alcoholic drink in it.

Ice cream itself is milk, cream, sugar and eggs, which are halal by nature. The questions come from the add-ins:

• Marshmallow swirls and gummy pieces can contain gelatin. If the label lists gelatin without a halal mark, the source is unknown. See is gelatin halal?.
• Emulsifiers such as mono and diglycerides can come from plant or animal fat. See are mono and diglycerides halal?.
• Cookie dough, brownies and cake pieces may carry their own flavorings and fats.

The non-dairy pints skip milk and eggs, but they can still contain the same flavorings and swirls, so read those labels too.

Ben & Jerry's is sold in many countries, and recipes and certifications can differ. Halal claims about UK and Malaysian tubs circulate online, but we could not confirm them on an official Ben & Jerry's page or a certifier's public listing. Until we can, we list those markets as not confirmed.

If you buy Ben & Jerry's abroad, look for a recognized halal certifier's logo printed on the tub, such as JAKIM in Malaysia or HFA in the UK. A logo on the pack is better evidence than a website claim.

Recipes change, so check the current label each time. For other ice cream brands, compare Häagen-Dazs and Magnum.