Have you ever wondered if anything could possibly make ice cream gross? Or maybe you want to know where you could buy the strangest flavors of ice cream. Well, then, this post is the place for you to be!
In no particular order, here are the top twenty weirdest ice cream flavors in the world:
#1 – Garlic Ice Cream
Garlic is great on lots of foods, but ice cream? I think I’ll pass. Thomas J Cossette, in Connecticut, USA, invented garlic ice cream. You can buy it at Garlic World, a store in Gilroy, California, or at The Stinking Rose, a restaurant in San Francisco. You can also find it given out for free at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
I’ll stick to garlic on my elote.
#2 – Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Ice Cream
This internet-famous snack can be seen on many different foods, including macaroni & cheese and hot dogs.
But ice cream?
Marble Slab, an ice cream chain located in Texas, has partnered up with Frito Lay to create this intriguing, if not gag-worthy, concoction. You can also find it at Loblolly, a creamy in Little Rock, Arkansas.
#3 – “Cold Sweat” Ice Cream
Have you ever had to sign a waiver to eat ice cream? Ever wanted to?
At Sunni Sky’s ice cream parlor, you can buy “Cold Sweat,” an ice cream made out of habaneros, pecan peppers, and tai chilis, just to name a few. The hot ice cream is so spicy that you have to fill out a waiver before eating it!
#4 – Dill Pickle Ice Cream
Dill pickles belong in sandwiches, not ice cream, in my opinion. But pickle fans and strange food combination lovers will agree that this ice cream is actually kind of good.
Made by Van Leeuwen ice cream, you can buy it for just $6 at most Walmart stores.
#5 – Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Another strange concoction made by Van Leeuwen. It’s bright yellow-orange and honestly looks like a tub of cheese. And that’s pretty disgusting unless you like fake cheese in your sugary ice cream.
I’ll stick to keeping the cheese in my macaroni, thank you very much.
#6 – Ambergris
Otherwise known as whale poo, it floats in the ocean for years or even decades before it “becomes” ambergris, a grayish object that smells earthy, sweet, musky, and marine. Before vanilla became more widely known, ambergris was used to flavor candies, pastries, and, yes, even some of the first ice creams.
But don’t panic, you’re not going to find whale poop in the ingredients list on your tub of ice cream. It’s illegal to collect it in the US, and extremely rare to find.
#7 – Old Bay
Yes, I said Old Bay, the seasoning that you put on your fish. I think someone must have been drunk in the kitchen again.
This ice cream is said to be sweet, savory, and a little spicy. You can order it from the Smith Island baking company, located in Crisfield, Maryland. Maryland is where Old Bay spice was originally invented, and the residents have been obsessed with it ever since, so much so that no one is sure who dumped the spice on their ice cream first.
#8 – Horse Meat Ice Cream
Japan is known for having some strange ice creams, but raw horse meat? I want to hear the story behind this one.
At the Cup Ice Museum in Ice Cream City located in Tokyo, Japan, you can get Basashi Ice cream, otherwise known as horse meat ice cream. It starts with a vanilla ice cream base and literally has raw horse meat mixed in.
It’s honestly something I would consider eating while watching My Little Pony, just for the experience.
#9 – Foie Gras Ice Cream
The strange French delicacy is back in…ice cream?
Made from duck liver, Foie gras is an acquired taste, unless you’re French and you’ve grown up with it.
This expensive cold treat used to be sold at Humphrey Slocombe, an ice cream shop in California, as an ice cream sandwich with ginger cookies. The ice cream was discontinued after California food laws changed and Foie gras was banned.
But even before and even after the Foie gras was banned, the owners of Humphrey Slocombe, Jake Godby, and Sean Vahey, were harassed by activists for selling the ice cream. Some even threatened Godby that they would force-feed him until he died. Despite the drama caused by this dish, it’s probably a good thing it got discontinued, as it supposedly tastes meaty and savory.
However, if you are still craving liver in your ice cream, you can get Foie gras peanut cocoa caramel flavor from Oddfellows, an ice cream shop in Brooklyn, New York. You can also buy it from Philippe Faur, a French ice cream company.
#10 – Wasabi
This sounds like it would go well with some sushi. Is it good as ice cream? Apparently, the cream in it neutralizes the spicy wasabi flavor, though some still say it clears their sinuses. You can get this flavor at Daio Wasabi Farm in Japan or Il Laboratorio del Gelato.
As Mater once said, “Do not eat the free pistachio ice cream! It has turned!”
#11 – Crawdads
Those of you who aren’t associated with southern cuisine are probably thinking, “Um, creek cockroaches?” But I promise, crawdads are just like eating shrimp or lobster, not weird at all!
But as much as I like crawdads, it’s not my dream flavor for ice cream.
At Houston’s Red Circle Ice Cream, you can get this for a limited time. The ice cream contains real crawdads, cream, garlic, butter, and Cajun seasoning. It’s said to have a strong crawdad flavor and yet still tastes like ice cream, but I’m skeptical.
I don’t think these crawdads will sing.
#12 – Oysters
Okay, who’s been eating seafood and thinking “You know what this would be good with? Ice cream.”
At least it’s not duck liver.
Allegedly, this was First Lady Dolley Madison’s favorite flavor, and I’m a bit skeptical of her taste. According to a 1990’s recipe from The Virginia Housewife, it was basically frozen oyster soup, and so some have speculated that it wasn’t actually ice cream, but a chilled soup.
In any case, if you want some sort of briny ice cream in today’s world, you’ll either have to make it yourself or head over to Okayama Japan.
The oyster ice cream at Gomi No Shi (City of Five Flavors) in Okayama looks pretty good, though. Since it looks like it’s just a regular vanilla soft serve with fried oysters, I think it would be a pretty good snack. After all, it would be almost the same as dipping your chicken nuggets or fries in a milkshake.
Maybe this would be good with the Old Bay ice cream.
#13 – Beef Tongue
Does anyone else have an uncle who tries to make everyone try cow tongue? Just me? Well, in any case, if it’s too weird to put in a taco, I don’t think I’ll want it anywhere near my ice cream.
Cow tongue ice cream can be found in (drumroll please…)
Japan!
(And possibly Arkansas, if my uncle ever discovers that this is a thing.)
I’m considering renaming Japan as “The Home of Amazing Sushi and Strange Ice Cream Flavors.” This ice cream is vanilla with chunks of cow tongue.
Suffice it to say, I won’t be trying this one.
#14 – Nachos
That’s right. Olives, tomatoes, queso, and all – Rococo Ice Cream is selling a nacho ice cream flavor.
That’s all I have to say on this one.
#15 – Cicada
Yep, cicada. Chocolate-covered cicada in your ice cream.
It’s said to taste like almonds, and the base of the ice cream is brown sugar and butter. The cicadas are boiled and then covered in brown sugar and chocolate. Cicada wings were added to give the ice cream an extra crunch.
This ice cream was invented because in 2011 in Colombia, Missouri, it was mating season for the local cicadas. This happens every thirteen years, and the local ice cream parlor, Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream, decided to take advantage of it. They sold out the day before they were going to debut the flavor, and it was an instant hit.
Despite this, Sparky’s has never made another batch of the flavor. Sparky’s announced that it was going to make the ice cream again in 2024, but the ice cream flavor has yet to hit its shelves again.
If your bug-munching dreams are crushed, don’t worry! There are plenty of recipes online.
#16 – Ranch
Yet again, another interesting Van Leeuwen flavor. I’m not sure what they’re trying to prove, but they keep creating these weird flavors.
This ice cream hit the shelves in Walmart on March 20, 2023. This was a collaboration with Hidden Valley Ranch, and it was a limited-time-only flavor.
(Thank goodness.)
If you want to find this flavor now, you’ll have to make it yourself.
#17 – Hot Dog
Gag. Out of all of them (except the whale poo one), this bugs me the most.
It was originally sold in The Social Brooklyn, an ice cream shop in Brooklyn, NY. It was caramelized pieces of Nathan’s hot dogs, and then for the base ice cream, they buttered and toasted potato hot dog buns and then blended them into a sweet cream base. This was for a limited time only, and it is unclear whether or not the flavor will ever be sold again.
Next time you want to try some cold creamy dogs, you’ll have to search the web for a recipe.
#18 – Curry
Yes, curry. It’s already creamy and delicious, and someone decided to freeze it. It’s unclear who first made this erroneous decision.
Not only are there many recipes for it, but you can also order it online at Go Ice Cream. You could also take a flight to Japan, where most of the ice creams on this list can be found.
It’s said to taste sweet, though with a definite curry flavor.
#19 – Squid Ink Ice Cream
You read that right. It’s not squid ice cream (although that would fit the theme of seafood ice creams) – it’s squid INK ice cream.
Using squid ink in foods is not new, as it is used to make black risotto and other pasta dishes.
It’s not clear who started making this ice cream first, but there are a variety of places you can go to get it. In the USA, you can go to St. George, Utah, and get squid ink gelato at Onyx Cafe. As always, you can also go to Ice Cream City, inside Namja town in Tokyo, Japan. Or try going to Gangneung, South Korea’s Jumunjin Fish Market.
It is also sold online at Noona’s Ice Cream for a limited time only. There are even squid ink ice cream cones sold online at Swiss Chalet Fine Foods!
In Marseille, France, Vanille Noire is sold at an ice cream shop of the same name. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, it is rumored to contain squid ink.
Squid ink ice cream is hard to describe. Some say it is more like chocolate than vanilla, others say it tastes like caramel, and more still say that it tastes like vanilla but with a briny, fishy taste.
#20 – Sesame Gelato with Miso Caramel, Cookies, and Ramen
There are too many flavors at war here. This specific flavor used to be sold at Black Dog Ice Cream, however, it is no longer on the menu. Humphrey Slocombe used to sell a similar flavor, but they also took it off the menu. You can buy miso churro ice cream sandwiches from Nightengale Ice Cream. There are, as always, lots of recipes online as well.
