All data included in the following category breakdown and subsequent charts were provided by Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm, and cover the previous 52-week period ending July 14, 2024.

A resurgence of self-care and comfort eating in 2020 boosted ice cream and frozen novelties sales. This was followed by a period of steady inflation that made at-home frozen treating that much more appealing and budget friendly, according to the “US Ice Cream and Frozen Novelties Market Report 2024” from Mintel.

“The comfort and joy found in frozen treating is solid,” said Kelsey Olsen, food and drink analyst at Mintel. “Credibility, novelty and high impact benefits are key pillars of innovation and strategy in a competitive category wherein switching out is commonplace.”

Consumers continue to find comfort in traditional frozen treat flavors; however, three in four ice cream consumers agree that trying new flavors of frozen treats is a fun experience, according to Mintel. When it comes to new flavors, there’s not a lot going on with chocolate this year, as there is a global cocoa bean shortage that does not show signs of improving. This has not stopped formulators from getting creative, with many focusing on nostalgic profiles featuring a modern day twist.

Extreme “fruity and sweet flavors” — in particular strawberry, banana and blue — are trending. Blue as a flavor leans toward cotton candy or birthday cake frosting, with or without some bubble gum, lollipop blueberry or ripe raspberry.

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif., teamed up with global convenience store chain 7-Eleven to develop the Drumstick Slurpee Blue Raspberry Vanilla Cone. This creation features a vibrant blue raspberry layer of sauce ripples and candy bits.

Ben & Jerry’s limited edition Marshmallow Sky is blue ice cream packed with marshmallow and cookie dough chunks. The brand also reinvented the classic summertime campfire treat. New PB S’more is toasted marshmallow ice cream, peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces and marshmallow.

Cinnamon is also everywhere, as is honey, with and without heat. Perry’s Ice Cream, Akron, NY, developed Bee Sting, which offers a twist to graham cracker and vanilla pudding flavors by adding a kick with a hot honey swirl.

Source: Circana

| Image: Sosland Publishing Co. 

Continuing with the nostalgia trend, Rich Products Corp., Buffalo, NY, added Funfetti Ice Cream Cake to its lineup. It’s made with birthday cake-flavored vanilla ice cream, classic Funfetti cake, whipped icing and colorful sprinkles.

Blue Bell Creameries, Brenham, Texas, introduced Cinnamon Twist, a rich, creamy base with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon, combined with cinnamon bun dough pieces, and a cinnamon icing swirl. Blue Bell also is offering a new way to enjoy a root beer float — by the scoop. A&W Root Beer Float Ice Cream features vanilla ice cream swirled together with an A&W Root Beer flavored sherbet.

To celebrate its expansion into the St. Louis market, the company developed Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream, a flavor inspired by the cake made famous in St. Louis. It features cake batter-flavored ice cream combined with a cream cheese swirl and rich, gooey butter cake pieces.

Soft serve ice cream is nostalgic to many, especially older consumers. It reminds them of getting a twisted cone at places such as the Tastee Freez that John Mellencamp references in his 1982 hit “Jack and Diane.”

Wells Enterprises, Le Mars, Iowa, a part of Ferrero Group since early 2023, is bringing soft serve to the supermarket. The new Blue Bunny Twist line combines two flavors of soft serve frozen dairy dessert twirled together with a ribbon of variegate. The six varieties come in clear plastic pints to showcase the swirls.

Blu’s Birthday Cake is cake and sweet cream soft serve with purple frosting. Candy Bar is peanut butter and chocolate soft-serve with caramel. Chocolate Vanilla is made with the two namesake soft serve flavors and chocolate fudge. That same ribbon of chocolate fudge is also in Cookies & Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip. The final variety is Strawberries & Cream. It features twisted strawberry-flavored and sweet cream-flavored soft serve with a swirl of strawberry sauce.

Pints are a powerful package size in ice cream. By definition, pints hold 16 fl oz of product; however, for economics, some “pint” packs contain a little less. Regardless of how much is inside, pints cost more -- often a lot more — on a per oz base than larger sized ice cream containers. In fact, numerous artisan, hand-crafted brands command as much as $15 per pint at retail. Such smaller sized containers, though more expensive, invite consumers to try something new. There’s less product, and thus less risk of waste if you don’t like it.

Pints also are the preferred package size for limited edition concepts, which are big business for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Columbus, Ohio. To celebrate North America’s eclipse, the company created its Punk Stargonaut Ice Cream Collection. It included Cosmic Bloom, a tropical ice cream featuring mandarin, kiwi and passion fruit, and Purple Star Born. The latter is Jeni’s first grape ice cream. It’s intensely juicy with Concord grapes and puckery blackcurrants.

Category innovations

Alec’s Ice Cream’s newest ultra indulgent flavors include Meyer Lemon Cookie, which is organic Meyer lemon ice cream, sweet lemon curd swirl and crunchy lemon cookie, and Maple Cardamom Candied Pecan. The latter is made with Regenerative Organic Certified maple syrup, roasted sweet and salty candied pecans, and a touch of cardamom.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream knows no limits when it comes to ice cream innovation. Over the years, the company has offered pizza, mac and cheese, and ranch flavors. This past year, consumers puckered up for dill pickle. On the sweeter side, the company developed a piña colada flavor in collaboration with a mixologist in Puerto Rico, where the tropical drink originated.

The BJ’s Restaurants chain, famous for its Pizookie ice cream desserts, debuted the Graham Cracker S’mores Pizookie. It’s a Ghirardelli triple chocolate cookie topped with graham cracker crumbles, gooey toasted marshmallows and two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.

Source: Circana

| Image: Sosland Publishing Co.