Ice cream is one of the most popular desserts of all time and comes in countless flavors. Wondering what the top favorite ice cream flavors are? Here are the top ten most popular flavors of ice cream in America, ranked.
#1 - Vanilla
Whether you think vanilla is bland or versatile, it can be found just about everywhere and is the most popular flavor worldwide.
#2 - Chocolate
This can include other forms of chocolate ice cream, like chocolate chunk, chocolate fudge, mudslide, etc. This flavor was invented before vanilla and was first published in Antonio’s Latini’s “The Modern Steward.”
#3 - Strawberry
As long as it’s not the fake strawberry flavor, this one makes sense. Strawberry is one of the most fragrant and popular scents and flavorings of all time, plus its red-pink hue makes it instant eye candy. First Lady Dolley Madison served this flavor at President Madison’s second Inaugural Ball in 1813.
#4 - Cookies & Cream
A genius must have invented this ice cream flavor! “Milk’s favorite cookie” mixed with pasteurized, homogenized, enriched, mixed, and frozen milk? Amazing.
The original cookies and cream flavor was allegedly invented by dairy plant manager Shirley Seas and dairy science students Joe Leedom and Joe Van Treeck at South Dakota State University in 1979.
#5 - Mint Chocolate Chip
Marilyn Ricketts invented mint ice cream in 1973 and entered it into an ice cream dessert competition for Princess Anne’s wedding.
Many people love mint flavor, so it’s understandable how this flavor made the list.
#6 - Cookie Dough
This is one of the best ice cream flavors ever. Cookie dough chunks in cream? YES!
Cookie dough ice cream was invented by the one (er–two?) and only Ben and Jerry’s all the way back in 1984. This was inspired by an anonymous suggestion from a fan.
#7 - Chocolate Chip
While I guess this one makes sense, I just haven’t ever met anyone who was like, “You know what ice cream needs? Hard chunks of chocolate. Not fudge mind you, but rock-hard chocolate chips.”
I guess if you’re obsessed with chocolate chips, this is the flavor for you.
#8 - Neopolitan
Take the top three flavors of all time, and put ‘em together. The only question is, what the heck does “Neopolitan” mean?
Oh, wait.
Let me look it up…
Okay, so “neopolitan” means you are from the city of Naples, Italy. The ice cream was allegedly invented there.
So now you know.
#9 - Rocky Road
While the actual origin of rocky road ice cream is murky, Dreyer’s Ice Cream (also known as Edy’s) claims to have invented it in 1929. On the company’s website, they explain that things were rough in 1929, and “Dreyer’s wanted to help. So we created a flavor with a name everybody could relate to: Rocky Road.”
This flavor of ice cream was one of the first to include “mix-ins,” such as chocolates and nuts.
All I have to say is that nuts have no place in ice cream unless it’s peanut butter.
#10 - Salted Caramel
Okay, this is really a flavor I can get behind. Salted caramel goodness combined with cold, creamy milky deliciousness.
Salted caramel was invented in the 1970’s, but it did not become popular until the early 2000’s. It was eventually incorporated into ice cream.
