Going to the ice cream shop is supposed to be a fun, easy choice — pick your favorite flavor, grab a cone, and enjoy. But every time, there they are. The same oddball flavors sitting in the case, untouched, while everyone heads straight for the usual favorites. It’s hard to understand how some of these even made it past the test kitchen, let alone earned a permanent spot. They’re the flavors people try once, regret immediately, and never go back to. Do you agree?
Bubblegum
Bubblegum ice cream feels like it was designed more for shock value than actual enjoyment. The bright color and sweet flavor might catch your eye, but the texture is where things go downhill fast. Frozen chunks of gum mixed into soft ice cream force you to stop and think mid-bite whether to chew it, swallow it or spit it out? None of the options feel right. It’s easy to see why most adults skip this flavor entirely.
Birthday Cake
Birthday cake ice cream wants to be festive but usually just ends up cloying. Instead of the rich, buttery flavor of real cake, you get an overpowering mix of fake vanilla and rainbow sprinkles. The sweetness is so intense it can feel like eating frosting straight from the tub. It’s one of those flavors that sounds like a good idea but rarely delivers much past the first few bites.
Cotton Candy
Cotton candy ice cream relies heavily on nostalgia but doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. The sugary base tastes more like artificial flavoring than anything you’d find at a fair. What starts off as fun and colorful becomes overwhelmingly sweet and flat. It’s missing the light, airy texture that makes real cotton candy enjoyable in the first place.
Butter Pecan
Butter pecan has been around forever, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. The buttery flavor can feel overly rich, and the addition of chopped pecans interrupts the creaminess some people expect from ice cream. For fans of crunchy, nut-heavy desserts, it works. For everyone else, it tends to feel like something left over in the back of the freezer.
Rum Raisin
Rum raisin is often pitched as a more “grown-up” ice cream flavor, but it rarely hits the mark. The rum flavor can be strong without much nuance, and the raisins bring a chewy texture that clashes with the creamy base. It feels dated and out of place among more modern flavors. For most people, it’s a one-and-done experience. Plus, raisins are already controversial enough in cookies, in ice cream, it’s even worse.
Green Tea
Green tea ice cream leans into earthy, bitter notes that don’t always play well in dessert form. While matcha fans may appreciate the subtlety, most people expect ice cream to be sweet and creamy, not grassy and sharp. The flavor is polarizing, and it tends to be more about trendiness than wide appeal. It’s often tried once out of curiosity and rarely revisited.
Rainbow Sherbet
Rainbow sherbet looks fun and bright, but the flavor is usually all over the place. Instead of clear, fruity notes, you get an overly sweet mix that’s hard to pin down. It lacks the creaminess of regular ice cream and doesn’t offer much in terms of refreshment either. It’s colorful, sure, but that’s about where the experience ends.
Peppermint
Peppermint ice cream walks a fine line between dessert and mouthwash. The cooling effect might work in small doses, but as a full bowl, it’s too much. The flavor often feels artificial, and the mint overpowers anything else you might want to enjoy in the scoop. It’s rarely the first pick unless it’s the holidays, and even then, it’s up for debate.
Strawberry
Strawberry ice cream can be great when it’s made with real fruit and balanced sweetness. Unfortunately, most versions rely on artificial flavoring that leaves a weird aftertaste and none of the brightness of actual berries. It ends up tasting more like pink syrup than fresh produce. For a classic flavor, it often lets you down.
Banana
Banana ice cream tends to exaggerate everything people already find divisive about bananas. The flavor usually leans too far into overripe territory or ends up tasting synthetic and flat. The creamy base doesn’t do much to fix that, and the end result is more unpalatable than enjoyable. Even banana fans often find this one hard to get through.
Licorice
Licorice ice cream is bold, strong, and unapologetically niche. The anise flavor dominates the scoop and leaves little room for anything else. For fans of black licorice, it can be a rare treat. For everyone else, it’s a flavor that’s more likely to get pushed aside than finished. It’s one of the most polarizing ice creams out there.
10 Hacks for Making the Best Homemade Ice Cream
Think making homemade ice cream is too complicated? Think again! Forget the store-bought stuff and those pricey artisanal pints—making your own ice cream can be a game-changer. With a few simple hacks, you can create the creamiest, dreamiest ice cream right in your own kitchen.
Read it Here: 10 Hacks for Making the Best Homemade Ice Cream
22 Crazy Homemade Ice Cream Flavors Your Local Shop Can’t Compete With
Summer’s here, and that means it’s ice cream season! Remember those trips to the ice cream shop, excited to see what wild flavors they had? Now you can bring that adventure home with these unusual ice cream recipes you can make yourself. You’ll easily impress your friends and family with some truly unique and fun flavors that’ll make your summer extra special.
Read it Here: 22 Crazy Homemade Ice Cream Flavors Your Local Shop Can’t Compete With
Select images provided by Depositphotos.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
