National Ice Cream Day is coming up on Sunday, July 20, 2025, and it is the perfect excuse to try something wilder than vanilla or chocolate. Across the country, ice‑cream makers are churning out flavors that mix seafood, spices, and even salad dressing into the scoop. Below are ten of the strangest flavors you can actually track down in the United States right now, followed by a few fresh ideas that might inspire your own dream dessert.
Lobster Ice Cream
Where: Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium – Bar Harbor, Maine
Buttery vanilla ice cream hides sweet chunks of butter‑poached Maine lobster, a combination the family‑run shop has served since 1988. Order pints through the website for dry‑ice shipping or visit the original downtown store on the way to Acadia.
Crawfish Ice Cream
Where: Red Circle Ice Cream – Houston, Texas
A Cajun‑spiced custard laced with garlic, cayenne, and real crawfish tails. It appears each spring during crawfish season and can be scooped in‑store or delivered via local apps from any Red Circle location.
Devil’s Breath Carolina Reaper Ice Cream
Where: The Ice Cream Store – Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Creamy vanilla ice cream base, colored bright red, and mixed with cinnamon & Ed's Carolina Reaper Pepper Mash! Ribbons of strawberry. You must sign a waiver before you can ever taste this flavor.
Bone Marrow and Smoked Cherries
Where: Salt & Straw – Portland plus other cities
Roasted beef marrow gives the custard a silky texture while bourbon‑smoked cherries add sweet depth. The flavor re‑emerges each March in the shop’s Flavor Vault collection and ships nationwide in insulated packs of five or more pints.
Kraft Mac and Cheese Ice Cream
Where: Van Leeuwen – Brooklyn plus national retailers
A French‑style base blended with Kraft’s cheese sauce mix gives this pint a nostalgic cheddar finish. Look for it in Van Leeuwen scoop shops, many Whole Foods and Targets, or order direct when nationwide shipping resumes.
Smoked Mac and Cheese Ice Cream
Where: Salt & Straw – shops in Portland, Los Angeles, Miami and more, plus nationwide shipping
A picnic favorite in a cone. Savory Smoked Flagship cheddar, pasta‑infused custard and brown‑butter bread‑crumb clusters make every bite taste like the real dish. Order pints online or find them in any Salt & Straw shop through the Summer Picnic Series.
“Not Fried Chicken” Ice Cream
Where: Life Raft Treats – Charleston food truck and nationwide on Goldbelly
Drumsticks that look deep‑fried at first glance. Inside the crispy white‑chocolate cornflake “skin” is waffle‑cone ice cream and a chocolate‑cookie “bone.” Buckets of nine ship frozen to any U S address.
What Other Weird Flavors I Would Love to See
I actually have some more ideas - hope some ice cream maker will implement these for the next season:
- Sweet corn custard with miso caramel ripple
- Roasted beet ice cream with goat cheese swirl
- Black sesame espresso affogato
- Blue cheese with pear and walnut crunch
- Tomato with parmesan crunch and basil syrup
What other flavor ideas do you have?
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