the weirdest new ice cream flavors

May 2024 · 6 minute read

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These flavors are anything but vanilla.

Ice cream makers are getting increasingly creative and daring, flavoring the beloved frozen dessert with everything from processed pork to Cheetos crumbs, in a bid to get attention on social media.

“They’re all trying to one-up the other,” says Jon Snyder, longtime artisanal ice cream maker and owner of the Lower East Side’s Il Laboratorio del Gelato, which serves sage and Guinness beer scoops, among others, at its Ludlow Street storefront and makes unusual custom flavors for various restaurants. “And people like it. They like to take photos for Instagram and say they’ve tried the crazy new flavor. It helps that [flavors like] purple yam ice cream photograph really well, too.”

Here’s a taste of the summer’s craziest creams rated on a scale of one to five cones — one being a failed flavor experiment and five a wildly tasty creation.

Mezcal gelato

The smoky agave-based liquor is the star of Oaxacan restaurant Claro’s dessert menu. Il Laboratorio del Gelato’s Snyder partnered with Claro chef-owner T.J. Steele to make four different types of mezcal ice cream using Steele’s own personal brand of mezcal, El Buho. Only two are served at a time, and both are finished with a pinch of sea salt. “It’s become one of those things people come here for,” Steele says.

Rating: ★★★★ The liquor’s subtleties shine against the creamy backdrop of Snyder’s gelato. You won’t catch a buzz or find any overpowering smokiness here. $4.50 at Claro, 284 Third Ave., Gowanus; 347-721-3126

Taylor ham ice cream

This might be the most Jersey dessert ever. The Garden State’s Windy Brow Farms recently rolled out ice cream flavored with local breakfast staple Taylor ham, the processed pork product also known as pork roll. The dessert is cut with maple syrup and chunks of French toast to balance out the saltiness of the cured meat. The new offering has set the internet abuzz with curiosity. “It gets people thinking, and even if they come in with a preconceived hate of the flavor, I can almost always change their mind with a spoonful,” says the farm’s managing partner Jake Hunt of the meaty ice cream, which is available till August.

Rating: ★★★ The combo of delicious maple and salty pork is fairly tasty — and earns you some bragging rights — but you can only eat so much of it. $3.50 a scoop at Windy Brow Farms, 359 Ridge Road, Fredon Township, NJ; 973-579-9657

Moringa ice cream

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Many consider the crushed leaf of the moringa tree, native to the foothills of the Himalayas, to be a superfood, due to its anti-inflammatory qualities. So perhaps this makes the moringa ice cream at Pondicheri in the Flatiron District healthy? The dairy-free ice cream is also made with avocado, mint, coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and crushed moringa leaves, then rolled in more moringa powder and chopped pistachios. “You’re gonna get that supergreen quality, like a vegetable power smoothie,” says Scott Jech, sous chef at Pondicheri. “But it’s cut with the fattiness of the avocado and coconut.” Get a bowl to stay or go, or plop it into one of Pondicheri’s picturesque house-made cones: in rose hibiscus, turmeric pink peppercorn or moringa.

Rating: ★★★★★ The coating of moringa powder and pistachios provides a complex, nutty texture that complements the not-too-sweet creaminess of the ice cream. The mint adds a refreshing note that contrasts nicely with the moringa’s earthy flavor. $4 for a scoop, $6 for a cone at Pondicheri, 15 W. 27th St.; 646-878-4375

The Cheat-Oh ice cream

In February, Big Gay Ice Cream released a limited-time special it didn’t think would be such a hit: cheese-flavored soft-serve rolled in crushed Cheetos puffs and served in a cone. It’s now bringing it back the first and fourth weeks of July at all locations. “I was terrified to taste it,” says Big Gay Ice Cream co-founder Doug Quint. “[Then] I took a bite and stood there confused — it is actually very good.”

Rating: ★★★★ However unappealing the ingredients may seem, and health concerns aside, the Cheat-Oh’s crunchy surface is satisfying, salty and savory. The cheese ice cream is subtle and not overly sweet — and you can successfully consume the treat without getting orange dust on your fingers. $5.33 at Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, multiple locations, see BigGayIceCream.com

Sour pickle ice cream

The Upper West Side’s Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co. teamed up with sister restaurant Jacob’s Pickles to create this ode to the pickle: Cucumber juice soft serve is spiked with pickle brine and topped with dehydrated pickle slices. Executive chef Glenroy Brown went light on the sour element of the pickle flavor, which might explain why customers have been so surprised at its palatability. “Everyone seems grossed out by it at first,” he says. “But I’ve seen people come back numerous times for it.”

Rating: The cucumber ice cream is refreshing, but the dehydrated pickle chips have a foul, lingering pungency. $5 at Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co., 513 Amsterdam Ave.; LuckyPickleDumpling.co

Uni and sweet corn ice cream

As part of its summer Uni Fest, the Midtown sushi spot Mifune is taking uni where it’s never gone before: perched atop a dollop of corn ice cream and topped with chives. Uni, or sea urchin, is creamy, delicate and briny on its own, and executive chef Yuu Shimano wanted a way to feature the prized ingredient in a dessert. He uses California uni, which tends to be saltier than the Japanese variety, and a sweet corn ice cream. “I tried it with vanilla, but the corn was a better flavor,” Shimano says.

Rating: ★★ The texture of the two components are nearly identical, and the flavor of the corn almost masked the uni. For $15, you want this briny creature to be the star. $15 at Mifune, 245 E. 44th St.; 212-986-2800

Vegan Dark Matter

This flavor gets its inky hue from activated charcoal made from coconut shell ash. The vegan base also features cashew milk, coconut cream and honeycomb, and is an ode to the late Stephen Hawking, according to Van Leeuwen co-founder Laura O’Neill.

Rating: ★★★ For a vegan ice cream, this is satisfyingly creamy. The rare chunks of flowery honeycomb are enjoyable, but if you’re hoping to taste toasted coconut, you’ll have to look somewhere else. Coconut ash, while rich in color, is pretty flavorless. $3.75 a scoop at Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, multiple locations, see VanLeeuwenIceCream.com

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