Classic ice cream flavors
The flavors you can find in almost any freezer case, from plain vanilla to Neapolitan.
These are the flavors most people grew up with and still order without thinking. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry sit here, along with a few close relatives built on the same bases.
This section is for anyone who wants to know what sets a classic apart, and for home makers looking for a dependable first batch. Each card shows how easy the flavor is to find in stores.
6 classics flavors
-
Vanilla
The cream-colored classic that many other flavors start from
-
French vanilla
Rich, cream-yellow vanilla ice cream made on an egg yolk custard
-
Chocolate
Smooth cocoa ice cream, sweet with a little bitterness and roast
-
Strawberry
Pink, sweet-tart classic with soft bits of ripe berry
-
Neapolitan
Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry in three even bands
-
Chocolate chip
Vanilla ice cream with firm chips of chocolate that snap
What the moon badges mean
- Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home.
- Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.
- Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers.
- Easy to find Common in most grocery freezers.
- Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere.
What the classics share
Several of these build on a vanilla base. The University of Guelph's Ice Cream Technology e-Book calls vanilla the most popular ice cream flavor in North America and notes that vanilla also brings out other flavors, chocolate among them. When two or more flavors share one container, as in Neapolitan, U.S. federal labeling rules (21 CFR 135.110) apply to each flavor separately.
Make and serve them with these
-
Base Builder and Batch Scaler
Ice cream base recipe sized to your machine
Pick a style and your machine, and get a base formula in grams and cups with fat, sugar and solids checked.
-
Recipe Scaler and Converter
Ice cream recipe converter: cups to grams
Scale an ice cream recipe by a factor, a batch volume or your machine, and see every line in grams and cups.
-
Scoop size chart
Ice cream scoop sizes and the disher number chart
The number stamped on an ice cream scoop tells you how many level scoopfuls fill one quart, so a #8 holds 4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup) and a #16 holds 2.
Other flavor sections
-
6 flavors
Chocolate and candy ice cream flavors
Mix-in flavors loaded with chips, fudge, marshmallows and candy pieces, from mint chocolate chip to s'mores.
-
10 flavors
Fruit ice cream flavors
Peach, cherry, berry, citrus and tropical flavors, from soft summer fruit to bright, tart lemon.
-
6 flavors
Nut and caramel ice cream flavors
Toasted nuts, cooked caramel and maple, in buttery, salty-sweet flavors like butter pecan and pistachio.
-
4 flavors
Coffee and tea ice cream flavors
Roasted coffee, mocha, green tea and spiced chai, for scoops that taste a little grown-up.
-
8 flavors
Bakery and dessert ice cream flavors
Cookies, cake, brownies and pie folded into ice cream, from cookies and cream to key lime pie.
-
4 flavors
Spice and floral ice cream flavors
Warm spices, cool mint and gentle florals, from cinnamon and pumpkin to honey lavender.
-
15 flavors
Regional and international ice cream flavors
Flavors tied to a place or a tradition, from spumoni and dulce de leche to kulfi and dondurma.
-
7 flavors
Modern and unusual ice cream flavors
Savory, herbal and surprising flavors, from sweet corn and black sesame to olive oil and basil.
Sources
- Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Vanilla H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
- 21 CFR 135.110, Ice cream and frozen custard Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.