Move over plain ol' chocolate and vanilla. These unique ice cream flavors are worthy of an extra scoop (or two)! Find recipes featuring basil, ricotta, sweet corn and more.
15 Unique Ice Cream Flavors You Haven’t Tried Yet
Updated on Aug. 24, 2024
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! The best part of being an ice cream superfan is that we don’t have to stick to the classic ice cream desserts we love. We can make ice cream at home and experiment with all sorts of unique ice cream flavors. Pink peppercorn and sake? Sure, why not. Paprika? Let’s try it!
Before getting started with any of these recipes, check your fridge and pantry for the ingredients. Then, get your ice cream products and accessories ready. They’re going to be put to work! After that, all that’s left is to make whipped cream to dollop on your funky flavors.
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Cinnamon-Basil Ice Cream
Total Time: 55 minutes + chilling and freezingMain Ingredients: Whole milk, basil leaves, cinnamon, sugar, egg yolks, heavy whipping cream
Level: Intermediate
When you’re looking for a light ice cream flavor that isn’t plain vanilla, cinnamon basil should be your go-to. The basil gives it an herbal aftertaste and cinnamon warms it up a bit without being overpowering. We recommend serving this after a big holiday meal as a palate refresher. And if you’re using homegrown basil, harvest the smaller leaves at the top for this recipe instead of the larger leaves at the base of the plant.
I started experimenting with herbal ice creams when I was teaching classes at our local college. Not only were the ice creams popular with my students, but my family loved them as well! One of our favorites is made with a variety of basil called cinnamon basil; however, unless you grow the variety yourself, it can be rather difficult to find. I decided to try to re-create the flavor, and this delicious basil ice cream recipe is the result! —Recipe contributor Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
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London Fog Ice Cream
Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Whole milk, half-and-half, Earl grey tea, vanilla bean, sweetened condensed milk, eggs
Level: Advanced
Turn your favorite rainy day drink into ice cream to enjoy when the sun is shining. Like the recipe contributor recommends, serve these scoops with lemon sandwich cookies. When served in individual trifle cups, it’ll be the most elegant dessert fit for bridal showers, Easter and Mother’s day celebrations.
I took one of my favorite coffee shop beverages and turned it into this elegant London fog ice cream. For a star dessert, serve it with lemon sandwich cookies or in a simple glass rimmed with sugar, lavender and lemon zest. —Recipe contributor Noelle Myers, Grand Forks, North Dakota
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Rosemary Citrus Sorbet
Total Time: 10 minutes + freezing
Main Ingredients: Sugar, fresh rosemary, grapefruit juice, lime juice
Level: Beginner
Sorbet, unlike sherbet, doesn’t contain dairy. Instead, it uses sugar, fruit juice and water to come together into the tastiest summertime refreshment. The best part is you don’t even need an ice cream maker.
This pretty pastel dessert bursts with the fresh flavors of grapefruit, lime and rosemary. —Recipe contributor Rebecca Baird, Salt Lake City, Utah
Also, check these weird ice cream flavors that are worth road-tripping for.
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Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Pomegranate Ripple
Total Time: 50 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Whole milk, sugar, egg yolks, blue cheese, heavy whipping cream, pomegranate molasses
Level: Intermediate
Blue cheese might be something you’d think pairs better with steaks and salads, but hear us out. Sweet ice cream ribboned with pomegranate molasses and dotted with crumbles of the creamy, pungent cheese really makes for a wow factor after a fancy dinner. If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, try checking the international aisle of your grocery store. It’s often used in Middle Eastern cooking.
Try this sweet-savory ice cream with a glass of Prosecco or other sweet sparkling white wine. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Pink Peppercorn and Sake Ice Cream
Total Time: 50 minutes + chilling and freezingMain Ingredients: Whole milk, sugar, pink peppercorns, egg yolks, heavy whipping cream, sake
Level: Intermediate
Sake is a rice wine typically used in Japanese cooking or enjoyed as a drink alongside dinner. Be sure to pick up a drinking sake instead of a cooking sake so you can sip some with your ice cream. Pink peppercorn leans sweeter and fruitier than black peppercorn, so we don’t recommend swapping them.
There’s plenty of sake flavor in this rich ice cream studded with peppercorns. You’ll get an interesting pop of heat with every bite. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate ice cream is one of the easiest ice creams to make. Dust off your ice cream maker for this creamy, decadent dessert.
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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes + chilling and freezingMain Ingredients: Sugar, blueberries, graham crackers, instant cheesecake mix, heavy whipping cream, whole milk
Level: Advanced
Cheesecake recipes will always have a special place in our hearts, but we have to put those aside for the mashup of our dreams: cheesecake flavored ice cream. The recipe comes together in three parts—blueberry swirl, graham cracker mixture and ice cream. The various steps are well worth the resulting scoops.
After sampling this flavor at an ice cream stand, I kept trying to duplicate it until it was just right. This blueberry cheesecake ice cream is a hit! —Recipe contributor Melissa Symington, Neche, North Dakota
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Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream and Fruit
Total Time: 5 minutes
Main Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, balsamic vinegar, fruit
Level: Beginner
Having guests over last-minute doesn’t have to be stressful, especially when you can cheat with a fancy dessert. This is one of those unique ice cream flavors you don’t really have to make. Grab some vanilla ice cream at the grocery store (these are our Test Kitchen’s favorite brands of vanilla ice cream), and top it with balsamic vinegar and fresh fruit.
Cinnamon-infused, pear, chocolate, even plain—whatever the flavor, balsamic vinegar on ice cream is amazing! —Recipe contributor Allison Ochoa, Hays, Kansas
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Red Curry-Pandan Ice Cream
Total Time: 50 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Whole milk, pandan leaves, red curry powder, cream of coconut, heavy whipping cream
Level: Intermediate
Check your local Asian grocery for pandan leaves before diving into this recipe. You’ll also want to stock up on red curry powder. Use the leftover curry powder to recreate your favorite Thai recipes right at home.
The curry and coconut flavors are subtle, allowing the flavor of pandan leaves to shine. Pandan is a tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia with a naturally sweet, bright flavor. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Total Time: 55 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Milk, sugar, maple syrup, egg yolks, cream-style corn
Level: Intermediate
Use up that can of cream-style corn in your pantry for…ice cream! This definitely has to count as our vegetable serving for dinner, right? It totally makes sense that corn would pair perfectly with ice cream because of its natural sweetness, and the maple syrup and sugar take it over the top.
You have to give this novel sweet corn ice cream a try. It’s actually made with corn, sweetly flavored by vanilla extract and maple syrup. I plan to make this surprising treat every summer. —Recipe contributor Diana Burrink, Crete, Illinois
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Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Total Time: 40 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Half-and-half, whole milk, sugar, eggs, cream cheese, vanilla
Level: Intermediate
You don’t have to save cream cheese only for baked goods and cheesy pasta bakes. Between the velvety texture and the simple ingredient list, you’ll find yourself making cream cheese ice cream over and over again.
This is hands-down the best homemade ice cream I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like cheesecake with a refreshing hint of lemon. —Recipe contributor Johnnie McLeod, Bastrop, Louisiana
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Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Paprika & Agave
Total Time: 50 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Whole milk, agave nectar, eggs, paprika, bittersweet chocolate, heavy whipping cream
Level: Intermediate
Here’s another one for people who can’t get enough chocolate recipes. If you like the heat in Mexican hot chocolate, you’ll probably love this ice cream. It uses Hungarian paprika, which has more of a range in heat than the regular paprika you’d see in a typical grocery store spice aisle.
Pair this rich and creamy ice cream with a cup of hot or iced coffee. It’s mildly sweet with a hint of paprika. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Kulfi
Total Time: 30 minutes + freezing
Main Ingredients: Sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, heavy whipping cream, dry milk powder, cardamom, saffron, nuts
Level: Beginner
You’ll want to save kulfi for date nights or special occasions because it uses one of the most expensive spices: saffron. If you can’t find it at the store or just don’t want to pay for the spice, swap in ground turmeric instead.
I grew up near Little India in California, and I loved the desserts from Indian sweets shops. One of them sold kulfi, a spiced and nutty frozen custard in cone molds. Here I use a shortcut method to make kulfi quickly and without any special equipment. The whole milk can be replaced with mango pulp for mango kulfi. —Recipe contributor Justine Kmiecik, Crestview, Florida
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream
Total Time: 40 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Whole milk, brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter, heavy whipping cream, jelly
Level: Intermediate
Your favorite sandwich from childhood gets the ice cream upgrade with this recipe. Of course peanut butter and jelly would work in a frozen dessert—the jelly sweetens the mixture while the peanut butter lends a velvety finish. Be sure to use regular peanut butter in this recipe; the reduced-fat versions won’t freeze as nicely.
What could be better than peanut butter and jelly ice cream? You’ll love the sweet-salty combination. Use your favorite flavor of jelly and switch to crunchy peanut butter if you like extra texture. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream
Total Time: 45 minutes + chilling and freezing
Main Ingredients: Peaches, sugar, buttermilk, heavy whipping cream
Level: Intermediate
Buttermilk has quite a tang to it, but when it’s blended with brown sugar and sweet peaches and frozen into ice cream, you’d never know. Your peaches should give slightly when you squeeze them. If they’re too hard, they’re not quite ripe yet. Wait a few more days so your ice cream will be as tasty as possible.
My mother’s family owned peach orchards in Missouri. I currently live in Tennessee, a top consumer of buttermilk. This summery ice cream combines my past and present. —Recipe contributor Kim Higginbotham, Knoxville, Tennessee
Unique Ice Cream Flavor FAQ
What is the most iconic ice cream flavor?
In general, the most iconic ice cream flavor is vanilla. You can make all sorts of recipes with vanilla ice cream, yet its simplicity is what makes it the real winner. When it comes to popular ice cream flavors in the U.S., it seems that every state has its own iconic ice cream creation like butter brickle, superman and blue moon.
How long does ice cream last in the freezer?
Store these unique flavors in freezer safe containers that are easy to scoop out of. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to two months. Anything longer than that and you might start to notice freezer burn creeping along the top. Technically, freezer burn is safe to eat, so you can scrape it off and avoid wasting the ice cream, but the texture might have changed. For flavors with toppings, save the drizzles, fruits and nuts for when you’re serving the ice cream.
