Ice cream isn’t just for children—it’s for everyone! Who doesn’t love a scoop of cold, creamy deliciousness on a warm day? This frozen dessert is beloved across the U.S. and comes in an array of flavors to suit every palate. Here, we reveal America’s 20 most popular ice cream flavors, so grab a spoon and let’s tuck in!
Vanilla
Delish reports that vanilla ice cream has a long history that goes back to the Founding Fathers, stating, “Thomas Jefferson is credited as the first American to produce an ice cream recipe, which was vanilla.” Its simplicity and subtleness make it delicious alone and the perfect topping for sundaes or hot desserts like pies.
Chocolate
Chocolate is the classic go-to ice cream flavor for most children—rich, indulgent, and typically not overly sweet. All Recipes says it’s the top choice in certain states, including Florida, Maine, Delaware, and Louisiana. Although not as adaptable as vanilla as a topping, it does offer some enticing variations, like chocolate fudge.
Strawberry
Perfect for hot summer days, strawberry ice cream is refreshing and slightly tangy—particularly delicious when made with real strawberries as opposed to flavorings. Mashed claims that the flavor has a long history, too, with reports of it being served at the governor of Maryland’s home as far back as 1744!
Mint Chocolate Chip
Parade writes, “Equally strong flavors, mint and chocolate, work together to create a green ice cream with chunks of chocolate chips interspersed throughout it. It’s heavenly, so long as you like your ice cream minty!” While not universally adored, this flavor is the top pick in several northwestern states, including Pennsylvania.
Cookies and Cream
A relatively modern invention, cookies and cream ice cream was reputedly invented at South Dakota State University in 1979. It mixes a vanilla base with chunks of chocolate and dark cookies like Oreo. It soon became popular for its delicious combination of smooth creaminess, crunchy chocolate, and soft cookies.
Butter Pecan
This ice cream is a Southern classic that combines roasted pecans with a smooth, buttery ice cream base. The Guardian listed it as the third most-loved ice cream in America in 2018, but its popularity has waned a little since then. Still, its rich flavor and interesting texture make it a popular choice, particularly for adults.
Rocky Road
According to Travel+Leisure, Arizona, California, and Nevada put Rocky Road ice cream at the top of the list. Adored for its interesting texture of soft, squishy marshmallows and crunchy almonds embedded in cocoa-infused chocolate ice cream, it’s a modern flavor perfect for anyone with an especially sweet tooth!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Most people enjoy eating raw cookie dough, so adding chunks of dough to ice cream seems like a winning combination. Chocolate chip cookie dough has a creamy, rich, and dense vanilla ice cream base generously interspersed with soft, slightly salty chunks of chocolate and delectable cookie dough.
Coffee
Coffee ice cream has a rich, robust, and grown-up flavor that allows coffee lovers to combine their favorite flavors with the sweet coldness of ice cream. Strength varies, with some milder types appealing to almost everyone and others having a punchy espresso ‘kick’ that really invokes a rich roast!
Neapolitan
With vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry taking the top spots, it’s hardly surprising that Neapolitan is also popular, as it combines all three of these classic flavors in one package. Giadzy says mixing ice cream flavors dates back to the 1880s, with up to five flavors used! Nowadays, modern Neapolitan is adored for its tricolor appearance and varied tastes.
Pistachio
While it may not sound like an obvious pairing, the combination of nutty pistachios and creamy, slightly green ice cream is a very popular choice, especially amongst adults who like a touch of the exotic. The best brands add real pistachio nuts for a satisfying crunch and a more interesting texture.
Salted Caramel
Gaining popularity in the 2010s, combinations of seemingly opposing flavors (like sweet and savory) were all the rage. Salted caramel, with its perfect balance of buttery sweetness and a salty kick, has remained popular and has become a common option at ice cream parlors everywhere.
Birthday Cake
When you want to celebrate with ice cream, no flavor is better than this fun combination of cake-flavored ice cream, vanilla sponge cake chunks, candies, and sprinkles. Children love its colorful appearance and super-sweet taste, and it’s particularly popular at kids’ birthday parties.
Moose Tracks
The company that created this modern flavor (also called Moose Tracks) claims that it was the third most popular American flavor in 2019 despite being a modern creation. Their concoction of vanilla ice cream swirled with fudge and dotted with peanut butter cups isn’t exactly low-calorie, but it has proven to be a big hit.
Peppermint
Like mint chocolate chip, peppermint ice cream uses menthol flavors for a cool and refreshing taste that’s often associated with the holiday season. Its zesty, invigorating flavor is sometimes even enhanced with candy cane pieces for added festivity, and it’s also a great palate cleanser between courses!
Caramel
Although not as popular as its newest rival, salted caramel, classic caramel ice cream celebrates the pure, buttery richness of smooth caramel. Although it has a deep, complex flavor, it’s beloved by children and adults alike, particularly by those who like their ice cream sweet and flavorful.
Lemon
Unlike caramel, lemon ice cream is tart, refreshing, and tangy, with a cleansing freshness that’s especially appealing to those living in the southern states, where temperatures are highest. Often used as a palette cleanser, its lighter citrus tones are adored by anyone who hankers for a fruity, less heavy flavor profile.
Cherry
Whether it’s made with black cherries, sour cherries, or maraschino cherries, cherry ice cream typically combines the rich, bright flavor of dark fruit with the creamy sweetness of ice cream. Often hailed for being both refreshing and indulgent, it was particularly popular in the 1980s when Ben & Jerry’s first released their Cherry Garcia flavor.
Rum Raisin
With hints of booze, rum and raisin ice cream is a grown-up flavor that incorporates rum-soaked raisins into a vanilla ice cream base. Its unique and complex taste has been the only alcohol-infused ice cream flavor to gain widespread popularity, and it’s available in most ice cream parlors.
Maple Walnut
This ice cream combines the distinctive, earthy sweetness of maple syrup with the crunchy texture of walnuts, making it particularly popular in the northernmost states of the U.S., where maple syrup is produced. However, Simple Justice asserts that the flavor has fallen in popularity in recent years and is often frustratingly difficult for fans to find. CF
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