14 Ice Cream Parlors With The Most Unusual Flavors In The US
Ice cream is about as classic a dessert as you can get. Whether you enjoy your cold treat served on a stick, in a cup, or piled high on a fresh waffle cone, it's one of the most popular desserts in the country for a reason. But despite the seemingly unanimous love, favorite flavors are a little harder to pin down. The most popular ice cream flavors in the U.S. vary widely and go beyond the basics. Still, most parlors you visit will have the usual selection of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and so on.
These are staples that satisfy little Susie, Grandpa John, and everyone in between. However, in recent years, ice cream options have increasingly gone further down the experimental route. This development follows a broader trend of consumers seeking out more exciting flavor combinations and brands rising to meet the demand. That's how you end up with products like Kraft Mac and Cheese Ice Cream.
While many of these intriguing items fly on and off shelves as limited-time offers, there are parlors out there dedicated to scooping fun flavors year-round. These ice cream shops have some of the most unusual flavors in the U.S., from scoops that taste like cheese puffs with a spicy kick to roasted beets accented with mint. These may even be the classics of the future.
The Creole Creamery
Guy Fieri once stopped in to The Creole Creamery on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" to check out some of the over 400 flavors that have been concocted inside. The menu is extensive, with plenty of recurring and seasonal options to choose from. But you won't find 10 variations of chocolate fudge brownie taking up space here. Each scoop at this ice cream shop is wholly unique.
On the regular menu, you'll find a savory Louisiana staple that gets new life as a frozen dessert: Creole cream cheese. This isn't quite the same as the cream cheese you might slather on your bagel. This is a creamy, tangy cheese that dates back over 130 years, and though it may seem unusual, its similarities to ricotta and yogurt make it work surprisingly well. That being said, the rotating seasonal flavors at The Creole Creamery are where the real magic happens.
Ice cream options like white chocolate truffled popcorn, strawberry jalapeño cheesecake, and pine forest combine sweet and savory flavors that excite the palate. And if you were worried the sorbets and sherbets paled in comparison, don't be. These flavors take advantage of fruits and combos you can't get everywhere else. Think prickly pear, green apple with celery, and another local favorite, Creole tomato.
Multiple locations
OddFellows
This shop certainly lives up to its name, with a quirky origin story to back it up. In an effort to satisfy his wife's pregnancy cravings, Mohan Kumar enlisted the help of his friend and chef to concoct an ice cream flavor that was perfectly weird. One flavor spiraled into the present day, where over 500 options have been dreamed up and scooped out for patrons — pregnant or not — across the U.S., and even in South Korea. The shop has stuck to its origins throughout it all, pushing out wacky choices no matter the season.
Some past options have married the heat of wasabi with the sweet bite of chocolate chips. Others have taken on combinations like olive oil with jelly or cheddar apple. Cheddar cheese may be a divisive apple pie topping, but if you're a fan of charcuterie boards, you'd probably enjoy this flavor in ice cream form. If you're a dairy-free customer looking for a sweet treat, OddFellows also has you covered with creamy vegan frozen treats made with coconut and cashew bases. Now no one has to be the odd fellow out.
Multiple locations
Malai
Walking into Malai, it's immediately apparent that this is not your average American-style ice cream parlor. This shop takes the flavors of India and infuses them into sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treats unlike any other. Founder Pooja Bavishi drew inspiration from the flavors she grew up with, from spices like cardamom and saffron to established cultural desserts.
The menu features a rotating array of carefully crafted scoops, including a couple of soft serve options and vegan varieties. Some flavors have familiar bases with unique twists. Take, for example, Malai's answer to mint chocolate chip, which is elevated with cocoa nibs and hints of tulsi, otherwise known as holy basil. Or look to the maple soft serve with a touch of fenugreek. Then there are even more unique ice creams. Carrot halwa packs the taste of a classic Indian dessert into every spoonful, featuring carrots cooked in ghee and cardamom. Chocolate coconut burfi is a non-dairy delight that swirls chewy coconut fudge through a chocolate sorbet base.
Multiple locations
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw is one of the biggest names on this list. Over 50 scoop shops sit throughout the U.S., serving up some of the most unique flavors you can find, especially from a more mainstream brand. From the beginning, Salt & Straw set out to push ice cream to its limits, which meant experimenting with new ingredients and collaborating with local artisans at each new location. It's no wonder the ever-changing menu has grown insurmountable.
As part of a past series, Salt & Straw put out a mealworm ice cream for Halloween that actually tasted great. The flavor was dubbed Creepy Crawly Critters and was created in collaboration with an edible bug farm called Don Bugito. It started off with a matcha base — which some might already find out of their comfort zone — and added in chocolate crickets and candied mealworms for a mind-boggling flavor bomb.
Another notable seasonal concoction came in the form of herby bread bites, ground turkey crumbles, and cranberry sauce spread throughout a signature creamy base. But if you missed these intriguing creations, don't worry. Salt & Straw is always reinventing the flavor wheel. In the meantime, try out a scoop of pear and blue cheese or Arbequina olive oil to prep your palate for new adventures.
Multiple locations
Wild Scoops
Venture out into the last frontier of frozen desserts at Wild Scoops, an Alaskan microcreamery that takes adventure seriously. This shop prides itself on using local ingredients that spotlight the beauty of Alaska, so every bite feels like an authentic experience. Since the ice cream is crafted in small batches, Wild Scoops has the freedom to explore new combinations and rotate its menu regularly.
One flavor Wild Scoops has offered that captures the state's wide open wilderness is spruce tip ice cream. Just as it sounds, the base is infused with locally sourced spruce tips that impart both floral and citrus notes. In a similar vein, Wild Scoops has taken birch syrup — made from the sap of local birch trees — and combined it with toasted almonds and a sweet cream base. Get any flavor in a cone topped with torched marshmallow fluff for a handheld take on baked Alaska (which actually wasn't created in The Last Frontier).
If you want to participate in more continuous frozen treat exploration, Wild Scoops also offers an ice cream club. Two pints featuring new flavors go out to club members each month, letting customers bring the fun straight home. Past options have included Paddington Bear, a honey wheat-bread base with orange marmalade, and Tundra Tamale, a corn base with cayenne fudge sauce.
Multiple locations
Lick Honest Ice Creams
One lick of these ice creams and you'll never reach for a pint of plain old vanilla again. Lick Honest Ice Creams found its roots in Austin, Texas, where patrons still stop in for fresh scoops to this day. Now, with nine locations in the state, the goal remains the same. The parlor is committed to churning out high-quality desserts without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Local ingredients and partnerships are also at the forefront of the mission.
The state of Texas shines through in many of Lick Honest Ice Creams' permanent flavors. Goat cheese, thyme, and honey is a sophisticated pairing of sweet and herby. Local thyme adds an earthy note that cuts the sweet, creamy combo of honey and goat cheese, both from Texan-based brands. Then there's roasted beet and fresh garden mint, where sweet, Texas-grown beets meet a refreshing minty kick. You'll even find Texas sheet cake flavor — one of the state's must-try foods. Outside of the regulars, patrons can sample seasonal and rotating options like refreshing cilantro lime or dewberry corn cobbler. Lick Honest Ice Creams makes the inclusions by hand, churning out everything from rainbow shortbread to champagne marshmallows to take each scoop to the next level.
Multiple locations
Sugar Hill Creamery
Sugar Hill Creamery's name takes inspiration from the Sugar Hill neighborhood, which was a prominent area for Black culture and creativity during the Harlem Renaissance. Much like that historic neighborhood, Sugar Hill Creamery is focused on community. The ice cream sold here draws from Caribbean, Midwestern, and Harlem flavors, serving up quality that everyone can enjoy.
This parlor has rotating menus for each of the four seasons. Just one look at any of them, and you'll immediately be intrigued. Names like Rich Auntie Supreme, ASAP Rocky Road, and G.W. Carver's Wildest Dream make it clear that these aren't the flavors you'll find at your local Cold Stone. If you happen to stop in during the spring, you might be able to get a scoop of The Kid Mero. Unfortunately for fans, the comedian himself most likely won't be in attendance. However, the flavor of a Dominican-inspired red bean and sweet potato pudding combined with Maria cookies and raisin gelée will more than make up for it.
Multiple locations
La Lecheria
Tucked away in Santa Fe, New Mexico, La Lecheria is a gem of an ice cream parlor that serves up your usual classics, but also bolsters its menu with a range of striking Latin American-inspired flavors. One taste and you'll be transported out of New Mexico without even realizing it. And while you're on your ice cream journey, you can rest assured that your dessert is made with quality ingredients and lots of care.
La Lecheria adds a kick of heat to a few of its flavors, namely its red chile honey or habanero vanilla. The spice, combined with the sweet subtlety of honey and vanilla, offers just the right balance. Other options lean into the light, refreshing flavors of fruits and vegetables. Try avocado in a sweet ice cream application, or sample citrus basil in a cup alongside a hearty scoop of coconut miso. After all, miso makes everything better.
(505) 428-0077
500 Market St #110, Santa Fe, NM 87501
The Ice Cream Store
If you weren't sure what to expect walking into this shop, the name is like a big neon sign screaming out its intentions. With such a generalized name, you might think the flavors would run the gamut from vanilla to mint chocolate chip and not much else. However, what The Ice Cream Store lacks in the naming department, it makes up for tenfold with its vast array of unique frozen delights.
Not every flavor listed on the website is available regularly, but this makes it a fun surprise for local patrons who can find slightly different options with each visit. One flavor called Devil's Breath Carolina Reaper Pepper featured a vanilla base spiced with cinnamon and, you guessed it, swirled with Carolina Reaper peppers. This one came served with a waiver for whichever brave soul decided to take on the challenge. Other unique scoops include bacon maple, peach, and a green-colored cake batter ice cream called Booger.
(302) 227-4609
6 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is one of the best ice cream parlors in the U.S. It's a NYC community staple and has been a family-run business since 1977. The frozen desserts comes handmade with Asian ingredients taking the spotlight. This shop cleverly turns the tables by offering up a menu of "regular flavors" featuring options like pandan and black sesame, while its "exotic flavors" include chocolate, rocky road, and the strangest of them all, vanilla. This establishment's menu proves that just because something is unusual or unique to one palate doesn't mean it's outlandish.
For those ready to take on the regular menu, go for don tot, inspired by the creamy Chinese egg custard tarts, or be a little more adventurous and try the durian ice cream. You may have heard rumors about durian's unique scent, but much like many cheeses, sometimes a little extra smelliness just means a lot more delicious flavor.
Multiple locations
Azucar Ice Cream Company
Another Latin American-inspired ice cream shop is here to push the boundaries of what this frozen treat can be. Azucar Ice Cream Company was founded in Miami and brings the flavors of Cuba to all of its creations. Each option is hand-crafted with produce from local vendors and markets, plus a lot of love. The goal is to replicate the homey feel of abuela's cooking in a dessert that will help patrons cool off in the Florida heat.
One of the parlor's signature (and trademarked) flavors is called Abuela Maria, which is a vanilla base layered with guava, cream cheese, and Maria cookies for a refreshing new take on classic Cuban sweets. If that's not your speed, go for Platano Maduro, a sweet plantain ice cream, or El Cochino Baracho, which includes candied bacon and maple syrup swirled through a Jim Beam whiskey-infused base. Whatever concoction you end up choosing, you won't regret it.
Multiple locations
Wanderlust Creamery
At Wanderlust Creamery, the ice cream is inspired by Filipino flavors, allowing customers to take a trip across the ocean with each fresh combination. Wanderlust is an apt name, since once you try some of its frozen desserts, you'll want to book your travels right then and there. If you can't actually make the trip, though, you can always use that desire to continue exploring all the options this shop has to offer. The best foods leave you wishing for more, and Wanderlust Creamery achieves just that.
You might recognize some of the classic Filipino and Asian-inspired flavors populating the menu like ube and mango sticky rice. But some options will be more unfamiliar to most American patrons. Think tangyuan, inspired by the Chinese glutinous rice balls of the same name, and honey osmanthus milk tea with boba. For a fun twist on a classic, try the Japanese Neapolitan, which swaps the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla for matcha, cherry blossom, and Hokkaido milk ice creams.
Multiple locations
Max & Mina's
Stepping inside Max & Mina's is like stepping into a whole new world filled with sweet whimsy. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling in retro cereal boxes with all kinds of other bits and bobs filling in the gaps, from bumper stickers to vinyl records. The whole shop screams nostalgia, and it certainly isn't afraid to stand out from the crowd, whether it's the decor or the ice cream selection.
Mirroring the walls is an assortment of cereal-inspired flavors. You've got all the classic cereals you know and love from Fruity Pebbles and Cap'n Crunch to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. But besides the classics, Max & Mina's spices things up a little more. Past flavors have paired cannolis with candy canes, pecans with corn madeleines, and even turned spicy cheese puffs into a cold, creamy treat to top off your cone. The options are pretty much endless, and you can't help but enjoy all the quirks this shop has to offer.
Multiple locations
Saffron & Rose
Ali Kashani-Rafye, otherwise known as Haji, founded Saffron & Rose back in 1974. He took Iran's distinctive flavors and used them to inform his menu. Since then, Saffron & Rose has been creating new concoctions that awe customers in their own right. Now, the menu still focuses on its roots in Persian ice cream, but it also includes other globally inspired ingredients. The result is a well-rounded selection of treats bursting with flavors from around the world.
One of the staples at the shop is the saffron and pistachio ice cream, which also comes in a vegan alternative. The frozen treat features a hint of rosewater that adds floral notes to the spiced nuttiness of the base. Another classic Persian-inspired flavor is the faloodeh ice cream. Faloodeh is a traditional dessert made with thin rice noodles. Saffron & Rose's take uses the same rice noodles, which adds a unique textural element to the creamy base, and lime juice adds a pop of citrus. Other unique flavors on the menu include white rose, date, cucumber, and jasmine.
saffronrosepersianicecream.com
Multiple locations