Mint chocolate chip ice cream
A cool peppermint ice cream studded with chocolate chips or thin shards, served white or pale green.
Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere. What the badge means
Mint chocolate chip is peppermint ice cream with chocolate chips or shards folded through it. It is a classic you can buy almost anywhere in the United States.
This page covers what it tastes like, where it comes from, how to make mint chocolate chip ice cream at home, what to serve with it, how common it is and what the nutrition figures show.
What mint chocolate chip tastes like
Mint chocolate chip tastes cool and clean, with the bright bite of peppermint up front. The chocolate adds a firm, snappy contrast to the smooth, creamy ice cream. You get the most crunch from thin shards and a chewier bite from small chips.
The color depends on the maker. Without added color the ice cream is white. With color added it is pale green, the shade most people picture for this flavor.
It is made of two main things: peppermint extract, or fresh mint steeped in the dairy, and chocolate in the form of chips or shards. It sits in the chocolate and candy section of our flavor library.
Where mint chocolate chip comes from
The sources we use do not record who first made mint chocolate chip or when.
They do say something about its color. The Guelph e-Book says an ice cream’s color should suggest its flavor, and it gives light green as the shade for mint. That may change on store shelves. IDFA says dozens of U.S. ice cream companies, which sell more than 90% of the ice cream sold nationwide, have pledged to remove certified artificial colors from retail ice cream by the end of 2027.
The flavor also has strong regional fans. Instacart’s June 2022 to May 2023 data found that Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington bought more of it than the national average. YouGov’s 2018 poll found the Northeast favoring it, at 13%.
How to make mint chocolate chip at home
For mint chocolate chip ice cream at home, start with a Philadelphia-style base, which uses no eggs. The Base Builder sets that style up for you and sizes it to your machine. A no-churn base made with condensed milk and whipped cream also works. The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges. It is not a tested recipe.
For the mint, stir peppermint extract into the cold base a few drops at a time and taste as you go. Extract is strong, so go slowly. You can also steep fresh mint leaves in the warm dairy, then strain them out before you chill the base.
Add the chocolate at the end. Fold chopped chocolate in during the last minute of churning. You can also drizzle in melted chocolate so it sets into thin shards. Factories add pieces when the ice cream is about as soft as soft serve, and that is why home cooks wait until the end. If you already have a recipe, the Recipe Scaler resizes it to your machine.
Base formula
Open the Base Builder: Philadelphia (no eggs)
Other styles that suit it: No-churn (condensed milk and whipped cream)
The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.
What to serve with mint chocolate chip
Mint chocolate chip goes well with more chocolate. Spoon hot fudge over a scoop for a sundae that tastes like a cold mint candy. Serve it next to warm brownies, or scoop it beside chocolate cookies. You can also press it between two chocolate cookies for an easy ice cream sandwich. The cool mint keeps rich chocolate desserts from feeling heavy, so it is a good pick when you are planning a dessert table.
- hot fudge
- brownies
- chocolate cookies
How common mint chocolate chip is
Mint chocolate chip carries our full moon badge, "Classic": a classic you can buy almost anywhere. The badge shows how easy it is to find, not how much people like it.
In IDFA's April 2026 survey of 2,205 U.S. adults, it ranked 10th of 40, with 18% picking it as one of up to five favorites and 6% naming it their single favorite. In IDFA's April 2024 survey of 2,203 adults, it ranked 7th of 40 at 20%. In Instacart's 2025 order data, it was No. 7 in the top 10, at about 4.7% of ice cream orders, and it was the Mid-Atlantic's standout flavor.
How it ranks in surveys and order data
| Survey | Result |
|---|---|
| IDFA survey, April 20262,205 U.S. adults, online, April 7-9, 2026, margin of error +/-2 points | Ranked 10th of 40: 18% picked it as one of up to five favorites |
| IDFA survey, April 20262,205 U.S. adults, online, April 7-9, 2026, margin of error +/-2 points | 6% named it their single favorite |
| IDFA survey, April 20242,203 U.S. adults, online, April 16-18, 2024, margin of error +/-2 points | Ranked 7th of 40: 20% picked it as one of up to five favorites |
| Instacart orders, 2025Instacart ice cream orders during 2025 | No. 7 in the top 10: about 4.7% of ice cream orders |
| Talker Research survey, 20255,000 Americans, 100 per state, June 23-30, 2025 | 12% named it their favorite |
| YouGov poll, 20221,000 U.S. adult citizens, July 13-18, 2022, 21 flavors offered | 9% named it their favorite |
| YouGov poll, 2020nearly 20,000 U.S. adults, published July 14, 2020 | 8% named it their favorite |
- 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.
Nutrition, roughly
FoodData Central has no record for mint chocolate chip itself, so these figures are for a plain vanilla base. Regular vanilla has 207 kcal per 100 grams, with 11 g fat and 21.2 g sugars. A 1/2 cup (66 g) portion has about 137 kcal. Rich vanilla has 249 kcal per 100 grams. The chocolate mix-ins and sweeteners change the numbers.
Nutrition per 100 grams
| FoodData Central record | Calories | Fat | Saturated fat | Sugars | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice creams, vanilla FDC 167575 1/2 cup (66 g): about 137 kcal, 7.3 g fat | 207 kcal | 11 g | 6.79 g | 21.2 g | 3.5 g |
| Ice creams, vanilla, rich FDC 167573 | 249 kcal | 16.2 g | 10.30 g | 20.6 g | 3.5 g |
FoodData Central has no record for mint chocolate chip itself: these are the figures for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Mix-ins and sweeteners change them.
Questions people ask
How do I make mint chocolate chip ice cream at home?
Start with a Philadelphia-style base, which has no eggs. Stir peppermint extract into the cold base a few drops at a time, or steep fresh mint in the warm dairy. Fold in chopped chocolate during the last minute of churning.
Why is some mint chocolate chip green and some white?
It depends on whether color is added. Without color, the ice cream is white. With color, it is pale green. The Guelph e-Book says ice cream color should suggest its flavor and gives light green as the shade for mint.
When should I add the chocolate chips?
Add them during the last minute of churning. At that point the ice cream is soft but thick enough to hold the pieces in place. Factories add mix-ins at a similar stage, when the ice cream is about as soft as soft serve.
How popular is mint chocolate chip ice cream?
It is a classic. In IDFA's April 2026 survey of 2,205 U.S. adults, it ranked 10th of 40, and 18% picked it as one of up to five favorites. In Instacart's 2025 data, it was No. 7 in the top 10.
More flavors to try
-
Chocolate and candy
Rocky road ice cream
Chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and almonds or walnuts
-
Chocolate and candy
Peanut butter cup ice cream
Salty-sweet peanut butter or chocolate ice cream with chopped candy cups
-
Chocolate and candy
Peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream
Vanilla with a fudge ribbon and small peanut butter cups
-
Chocolate and candy
Toffee crunch ice cream
Vanilla or caramel ice cream with buttery, brittle toffee pieces
Plan and make it with these
-
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.
Sources
- Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Colour in Ice Cream H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
- Chocolate Returns to No. 1 and Butter Pecan Surpasses Vanilla Ahead of National Ice Cream Day (July 16, 2026) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
- Ice cream survey of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 16 to 18, 2024) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
- Pint-Sized Obsessions: Instacart Maps America's Favorite Ice Cream (2025 orders, July 2026) Instacart
- Instacart's most popular ice cream flavor by state, June 2022 to May 2023 (as reported by FOX 35 Orlando, July 26, 2023) Instacart
- The most popular ice creams (July 2018) YouGov
- Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Chocolate and Cocoa H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
- Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Freezing/Whipping of Ice Cream H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
- Ice cream preferences of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 7 to 9, 2026) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
- New Mexico, New Jersey are America's top ice cream connoisseurs (5,000 adults, June 23 to 30, 2025) Talker Research
- America's favorite ice cream flavors (poll of July 13 to 18, 2022) YouGov
- Most popular ice cream flavors (July 14, 2020) YouGov
- Ice creams, vanilla (FDC 167575) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Ice creams, vanilla, rich (FDC 167573) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.