25 Crazy Ice Cream Flavors You Need to Taste to Believe
Sriracha
Mason’s Creamery in Cleveland, Ohio, has its own fiery ice cream garnishes (as ironic as it sounds) to offer, too. A drizzle of homemade kumquat Sriracha Sauce spices up this scoop of Sriracha Peach ice cream with homemade whip.
Photo: Courtesy of Mason’s Creamery
Durian
Anyone who’s ever had a durian may know that eating it is the easy part – getting over the odor is the real challenge. The Perfect Scoop in Las Vegas daringly turned the pungent fruit into an ice cream flavor (to join the ranks of lychee, black sesame, and red bean) and the turnout deliciously rich, creamy, and a lot sweeter than its smell.
Photo: Jason Lam/Flickr
Baklava
This Turkish dessert’s extremely sweet flavor makes it perfect for ice cream. You can find it at Sweet Action Ice Cream in Denver, which is known for its outlandish flavors like sour cream & chive, Fluffernutter, and honey jalape?o pickle.
Photo: Courtesy Sweet Action Ice Cream
Summer Corn
When it comes to go-to summer flavors, there’s lemon, passion fruit, peach, and… corn? Skip the cob and eat it off the cone at Sweet Rose Creamery in Santa Monica, Calif.
Photo: @theoffalo/Instagram
Sichuan Pepper Chocolate
What happens when you mix a popular Chinese spice with a classic ice cream flavor? When Sweet Republic in Phoenix, Ariz., combined the two, the result was tingly and sweet with a kick of citrus, thanks to the added orange zest. Republic’s flavors are constantly changing, though – probably to make room for other odd attractions like Habanero Bacon Avocado.
Photo: Sweet Republic
Basil Avocado
Ice cream that tastes like basil and avocado, served with a side of pineapple ceviche, and as an appetizer? Now that sounds all sorts of backwards; but when you look at how cutely New Orleans restaurant SoBou cones and presents them, they become so much more enticing.
Photo: @super6rl/Instagram
Lobster
One way to prove that you really make your own ice cream is to shock your fans with a flavor that’s too weird to question. That’s what Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium, with locations in Maine and Massachusetts, did with lobster ice cream. “We buy cooked lobster meat from a local lobster pound, chop it up, butter it, and fold it into the ice cream,” their website says. Yum?
Photo: @thearcadehunters/Instagram
Prosciutto
This thinly sliced ham has had its fair share of unexpected partners, like watermelon and peach, it was only a matter of time until it ended up with ice cream. Get yourself a salty scoop at San Francisco’s Humphry Slocombe, known for its creative cold flavors – like carrot and potato chip.
Photo: Frankeny Images
Bacon
Some bacon-flavored ice creams simply taste like the meat, but this one at The Ice Cream Store at Delaware’s Rehoboth Beach includes chunks of it, too. The outcome is an epic savory-sweet combo. Next-level dessert enthusiasts should try Bacon de Leche, dulce de leche ice cream with bacon, candied pecans, and caramel on top.
Photo: The Ice Cream Store
Grass
Yup, it’s true. This (literally) down-to-earth ice cream is made with real edible grass. You can find it along with an array of surprising tastes at Max and Mina’s in Queens, New York. No flavor is too crazy for this parlor; Lox, Horseradish, Pizza, and Pinot Noir are all on the menu.
Photo: @maxandminas/Instagram
Guinness
Brain freezes are a better when they’re boozy. Beer-flavored ice cream is not entirely new, but there’s something about this Irish-Italian hybrid (Guinness-gelato) from NYC’s il Laboratorio del Gelato that we can’t help craving.
Photo: @icecreamlab/Instagram
Wasabi
Here’s an unexpected mix. Luckily, there’s a whole lot of cold creaminess to counter that spicy burn. You can find this intimidating crossbreed at only a handful of ice cream shops, including Il Laboratorio del Gelato in New York City. The “lab” is home to more than 200 flavors and counting, including Guinness and fig and fresh brown turkey.
Photo: @evamueller/Instagram (Pictured with cucumber gelato.)
Balsamic Strawberry
This fruit-and-dressing flavor is native to Bi Rite Creamery, a family-owned organic bakeshop in San Francisco. Though the idea of vinegar in your ice cream is at first off-putting, balsamic strawberry is one of the shop’s best-sellers. However, you’ll only be able to buy it during the spring and summer when the fruit is in-season.
Photo: Bi Rite Creamery/Facebook
Alaska Fireweed and Honey
Fireweed is a plant found in northern forest-like regions, like Alaska, that can grow up to 6 feet tall and sprout beautiful pink blossoms. In ice cream form, it is a stack of lavender-colored scoops with a honey-infused, flowery taste. You can try this unique flavor at The Shop, in Girdwood, Alaska.
Photo: @alaskatam74/Instagram
Purple Yam, a.k.a. “Ube”
Speaking of purple ice creams, here’s a foreign favorite. Ube (pronounced OOO-beh) is a popular sticky sweet in the Philippines that’s also become one of the country’s top frozen dessert flavors. In the U.S. you’ll most likely end your meal with it at a Filipino restaurant, but you can enjoy it cone-or-cup style at Dave’s Ice Cream in Pearl City, Hawaii. Several shops in Los Angeles offer the flavor too.
Photo: @celinas_5/Instagram
Chocolate Chipotle Orange
What happens when you mix sweet ice cream, peppery chipotle, and zesty orange? A decadent and tangy mixture with a kick. This combo hails from Glace Ice Cream, which has a brick-and-mortar in Kansas City, Mo., and Leawood, Kansas.
Photo: @foodie_lover_/Instagram (Pictured with strawberry balsamic)
Green Tea Oreo
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in NYC’s Manhattan mixes “Milk’s favorite cookie” with a classic, wake-you-up tea. Other interesting flavors at the Factory include Sweet Ginger and Soy Sauce.
White Chocolate Habanero
Jordan’s Ice Creamery in New Hampshire introduced this “hot” frozen dessert in March. The tubful of pinkish ice cream topped with white chocolate chips surely looks innocent, but considering it’s flavored with one of the hottest kinds of peppers, it may taste otherwise.
Kimchi & Rice
This is a rare merger of flavors including hot pickled Korean vegetables and jasmine rice. For the month of June, Salt & Straw in Portland, Ore., made chocolate-covered kimchi and kimchi caramel sauce sweet enough for dessert to dress up this new ice cream.
Photo: Courtesy of Salt & Straw
Bone Marrow & Bourbon Smoked Cherries
How could an artisan ice cream shop as adventurous as Salt & Straw top something like Kimchi & Rice? Why with bone marrow and smoked cherries, of course. Roasted bone marrow adds texture and smokiness to the cream, while cured and distilled cherries give it a sweet dimension. Look out for this flavor’s return to the shops September and see how you like it yourself.
Photo: Courtesy of Salt & Straw
Garlic
This pungent dessert got its exposure from being on the menu at a fittingly named restaurant, The Stinking Rose (topped with a caramel mole sauce) and at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Southern California. Despite its wide exposure, the cream actually comes from a small brand called Marianne’s Ice Cream, which supplies to both the restaurant and festival.
Photo: @lisbeth_tran/Instagram
Miso Cherry
Here’s another salty-sweet pairing, with the traditional Japanese seasoning and a fruit topping. Made in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, OddFellows Ice Cream is not unlike the hipsters that live in the same neighborhood, with an offbeat, yet unforgettable, menu. The flavors change daily, but Miso Cherry – strange as it sounds – is one worth waiting out for. Other eye-catching offerings are Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Foie Gras, which we’ve tried.
Photo: @oddfellowsnyc/Instagram (Pictured with Grapefruit Jalape?o ice cream, top)
Fireball
You know what would help that burning shot of fireball go down easier? Some ice cream. This frozen treat is a blend of sweet cream, actual Fireball cinnamon whiskey, and some extra ground cinnamon, as if there wasn’t enough of a kick already. Find this spiked dessert at Amy’s Ice Creams, when it’s on rotation at its San Antonio, Austin, and Houston locations in Texas. It’s also been spotted at The Revolution Ice Cream Co. in Brandon, Fl.
Photo: @heymrjon/Instagram
Cereal Milk
Don’t deny it – you love slurping up the last of your milk after you eat your cereal don’t you? Perfectly topped with tiny cornflakes, this unexpectedly delicious ice cream is available at momofuku milk bar, founded by Christina Tosi. If you can’t get enough of it, (and we’re sure you won’t) they’ve shared the recipe online so you can make it at home.
Photo: @milkbarstore/Instagram
Burrata Soft Serve
If there’s anything Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel knows how to do, it’s to perfectly combine an unlikely duo. For one of his latest creations, it’s cheese and ice cream. But fear not – this isn’t some sharp cheddar cone. Burrata, an Italian cheese, is like a sweeter and creamier mozzarella in soft-serve form, topped with caramel balsamic sauce and micro basil garnishes. Ansel even called it a “new alternative to vanilla” in an Instagram post. Plus, the cone isn’t your go-to waffle or sugar kind, but a homemade one reminiscent of “a thick pancake cookie,” Yahoo Food photo editor Samantha Bolton observes.
Dessert time is no time to be shy, especially when that dessert is ice cream. We live in a world with J-shaped cones and unimaginable flavor combinations ranging from Miso Cherry to Basil Avocado. When it comes to the world’s best guilty pleasure, the possibilities are endless.
Here are some of the strangest (yet most tempting) ice cream flavors out there. If you’re still #TeamVanilla, now’s the time to step out of your (Magic Hard) shell.
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