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Here’s America’s Favorite Ice Cream Flavors

There’s no tastier way to cool off on a hot summer day than with a scoop of ice cream. National Ice Cream Month isn’t until July, but most of us…

little boy eating ice cream

Jax loves to eat so ice cream was a big hit. This was our 2nd ice cream stop of the day.

LauRen/Kiss

There’s no tastier way to cool off on a hot summer day than with a scoop of ice cream. National Ice Cream Month isn’t until July, but most of us would happily have a cone any day of the year because we love the frozen treat. According to a new survey, from the International Dairy Foods Association 97% of Americans love - or at least really like - ice cream. I found America's favorite ice cream flavors!

The poll of over 22-hundred adults from the International Dairy Foods Association also reveals:

  • Waffle cones are the preferred ice cream delivery method, beating sugar cones 29% to 12%.
  • But more than a quarter (27%) prefer to eat their ice cream from a bowl.
  • When it comes to toppings, hot fudge is the favorite with 35%, then whipped cream with 29%. Caramel sauce is next (24%), followed by chocolate sauce (21%).
  • For 94% of people, ice cream flavor is the most important consideration, but 80% say size and price are important, too.
  • Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans say their favorite place to eat ice cream is at home, while 21% of young adults between 18 and 34 prefer eating theirs outdoors.

The Top 5 Favorite Ice Cream Flavors of the General American Public:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Strawberry
  4. Butter Pecan
  5. Cookie Dough

A separate survey of staff on Capitol Hill reveals top 5 Favorite Ice Cream flavors:

  1. Cookie Dough
  2. Cookies and Cream
  3. Mint Chocolate Chip
  4. Birthday Cake
  5. Coffee

Ranking 3 New Ben And Jerry’s Ice Cream Flavors

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

#3 Impretzively Fudged

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

#2 PB S'More

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

#1 Marshmallow Sky

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.

ManeyEditor
Steve Maney’s radio career has taken him all over the US, from interning with Howard Stern to working with Elvis Duran, this radio veteran now calls Charlotte and Kiss 95.1 home. He is Kiss’ staple entertainment guy writing about his thoughts on local news and funny topics like the name of the male Karen. It’s so much to know, but Maney will deep dive into any topic to get you a great piece to read.