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Spumoni ice cream

A molded frozen dessert of layered flavors, usually pistachio, cherry and chocolate, sometimes studded with candied fruit and nuts.

Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs. What the badge means

Spumoni is a molded dessert made of layered flavors, most often pistachio, cherry and chocolate. It is hard to find, so you will usually spot it in specialty shops or seasonal runs.

This page covers what spumoni tastes like, how to make spumoni ice cream at home, what to serve with it, how common it is in U.S. surveys and what the nutrition figures show.

What spumoni tastes like

Spumoni is a molded dessert built from layered flavors. The usual three are pistachio, cherry and chocolate, so each slice shows bands of green, pink or red, and brown. Each spoonful can carry the nutty taste of pistachio, the fruity taste of cherry and the deep taste of chocolate, depending on where you cut. Some versions add candied fruit and nuts, which give chewy and crunchy bits against the smooth ice cream. The main flavorings are pistachio, cherry and chocolate, with candied fruit and nuts as the common mix-ins. Because it is molded and layered, spumoni is usually served in slices or wedges rather than scooped from one tub of a single flavor.

Where spumoni comes from

The sources we use do not record who first made spumoni or when.

What they do show is how makers see it. In IDFA’s 2022 trends report, spumoni was among the answers member makers gave when asked for their most daring or creative flavor. That fits how it is put together: instead of one flavor in one tub, spumoni asks for three separate flavors, usually pistachio, cherry and chocolate, packed into a mold one layer at a time.

The way pieces go in follows factory practice too. The University of Guelph’s ice cream technology e-book explains that fruit and nuts are added as the ice cream leaves the freezer, while it is still about as soft as soft serve. Home cooks do the same by folding candied cherries or nuts in at the end of churning, before the layers set.

How to make spumoni at home

For spumoni at home, start with a gelato style base, which uses more milk and less cream. The Base Builder sets up that style for your machine. French custard (with egg yolks) and Philadelphia (no eggs) also work. The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.

Make the three flavors separately: pistachio, cherry and chocolate. Fold chopped candied cherries or nuts into one layer at the end of churning. In factory ice cream, pieces like fruit and nuts go in as the ice cream leaves the freezer, when it is about as soft as soft serve, which is why home cooks add them last.

Next, pack the layers into a loaf pan or bowl, one at a time, and freeze each until firm before adding the next. If you already have a spumoni recipe you like, the Recipe Scaler resizes it to your machine and converts cups to grams.

Base formula

Open the Base Builder: Gelato style (more milk, less cream)

Other styles that suit it: French custard (egg yolks) , Philadelphia (no eggs)

The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.

What to serve with spumoni

Spumoni suits simple partners that let its three layers stand out. Serve slices with amaretti cookies, whose almond crunch fits the pistachio and cherry. A small cup of espresso on the side is another good match, since its bitterness balances the sweet fruit and chocolate. Keep extra toppings light so each band of flavor still shows when you cut into the mold.

  • amaretti cookies
  • espresso

How common spumoni is

Our badge rates spumoni 2 of 5, a waxing crescent labeled "Hard to find": look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs. 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, spumoni ranked 35th of 40, with 2% picking it as one of up to five favorites and 0% naming it their single favorite. In IDFA's April 2024 survey of 2,203 U.S. adults, it ranked 37th of 40, again with 2% picking it among up to five favorites.

How it ranks in surveys and order data

SurveyResult
IDFA survey, April 20262,205 U.S. adults, online, April 7-9, 2026, margin of error +/-2 pointsRanked 35th of 40: 2% 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 points0% named it their single favorite
IDFA survey, April 20242,203 U.S. adults, online, April 16-18, 2024, margin of error +/-2 pointsRanked 37th of 40: 2% picked it as one of up to five favorites
  1. Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home.
  2. Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.
  3. Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers.
  4. Easy to find Common in most grocery freezers.
  5. Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere.

Nutrition, roughly

FoodData Central has no record for spumoni itself, so the figures shown are for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Per 100 grams, that ranges from 207 kcal (11 g fat, 21.2 g sugars) to 249 kcal (16.2 g fat, 20.6 g sugars). FDC's own 1/2 cup (66 g) portion of regular vanilla is about 137 kcal. Spumoni's mix-ins and sweeteners change these 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 spumoni itself: these are the figures for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Mix-ins and sweeteners change them.

Questions people ask

What flavors are in spumoni ice cream?

Spumoni most often layers pistachio, cherry and chocolate. Some versions also include candied fruit and nuts, folded into one of the layers. The flavors are made separately and packed into a mold, so each slice shows distinct bands.

How do I make spumoni ice cream at home?

Make pistachio, cherry and chocolate separately, ideally on a gelato style base. Fold candied cherries or nuts into one layer at the end of churning. Pack the layers into a loaf pan or bowl, freezing each until firm.

Is spumoni easy to find in stores?

Not usually. We rate it 2 of 5, hard to find, so look in specialty shops and seasonal runs. In IDFA's April 2026 survey, it ranked 35th of 40 flavors.

What should I serve with spumoni?

Amaretti cookies and espresso both suit spumoni. The crisp almond cookies go well with the pistachio and cherry layers, and the bitterness of espresso balances the sweet fruit and chocolate in each slice.

Regional and international ice cream flavors · All flavors

Plan and make it with these

Sources

  1. Ice Cream and Frozen Novelty Trends 2022 report (132 makers and scoop shops, 1,002 consumers) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  2. Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Freezing/Whipping of Ice Cream H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
  3. Ice cream preferences of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 7 to 9, 2026) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  4. Ice cream survey of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 16 to 18, 2024) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  5. Ice creams, vanilla (FDC 167575) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
  6. 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.