Modern and unusual ice cream flavors

Savory, herbal and surprising flavors, from sweet corn and black sesame to olive oil and basil.

This section holds seven flavors built on ingredients you might not expect in ice cream: corn, seeds, cheese, herbs and olive oil. Sweet corn, black sesame and goat cheese and honey are three of them.

It is for adventurous eaters who want something new, and for home makers, since most of these are rare in stores and easiest to taste by making them.

Sweet corn

Pale yellow custard that tastes like fresh summer corn
Black sesame

Toasty, nutty and charcoal gray, made from toasted sesame paste
Olive oil

Rich, fruity, peppery ice cream made with extra virgin olive oil
Goat cheese and honey

Tangy fresh goat cheese and honey in a smooth cream base
Basil

Pale green, herbal ice cream with basil's sweet, peppery scent
Brown butter

Nutty, toffee-like ice cream made with butter cooked until brown
Toasted marshmallow

Campfire flavor from browned marshmallows blended into a creamy base

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.

Savory ideas, sweet base

These flavors take an ingredient from the savory side of the kitchen, or a familiar one cooked further, and set it in a sweet cream base. Most are rare in stores. In IDFA's 2022 survey, member ice cream makers asked to name their most daring or creative flavor gave answers that included pineapple and basil, saffron and Thai coconut.

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

Classic ice cream flavors

The flavors you can find in almost any freezer case, from plain vanilla to Neapolitan.
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.

Sources

Ice Cream and Frozen Novelty Trends 2022 report (132 makers and scoop shops, 1,002 consumers) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)

Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.