Santa’s got a new favorite holiday treat, and it’s not cookies. This season, level up your classic holiday desserts (looking at you, eggnog) with festive seasonal ice cream. From peppermint bark to gingerbread and every wintery flavor of the year, this is the ultimate guide to the best holiday ice cream flavors of the year.
It doesn’t matter if you’re home or away for the holidays, these classic and brand new holiday ice cream flavors are available nationwide at your neighborhood supermarket, local artisanal ice cream shop, or even delivered straight to your door. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to fit a pint (or two) of ice cream down the chimney.
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw’s beloved Holiday Series captures the cheerful nostalgia and cozy traditions of the holiday season all in one pack. This set of five pints, which retails for $75, includes warm holiday flavors such as Toasted White Chocolate & Peppermint Almonds, Gingerbread Cookie Dough, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, Dwanta’s Teremana Spiked Eggnog, and The Great Cookie Swap (which is vegan).
And if that’s not enough holiday cheer for you, Salt & Straw is also collaborating with Amazon MGM Studios on a limited-time-only ice cream series in honor of the new action-adventure film Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. The Red One-inspired series features flavors including Commander Of The E.L.F. PB Chocolate Crinkle (with hefty chunks of housemade Reese’s, Butterfingers, and brownie bites), Red’s Cookie Platter with Eggnog Custard (including chocolate crinkle cookies, cinnamon snickerdoodles, spiced gingerbread, and buttery sugar cookies), and Krampus’ Mince Pie with Pecan Crust (which features dried fruits soaked in syrupy plum schnapps and spiced with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg).
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Presenting the perfect holiday cookie tin, wrapped into ice cream with a perfect balance of the sweet and the spiced, the nutty and the fruity. Inspired by Jeni’s favorite recipes, the Splendid Holiday Collection features five new flavors: Lemon Crinkle, Pistachio Macaron, Boozy Eggnog, Iced Molasses Gingerbread, and White Chocolate Peppermint. Forget cookies for Santa, he’s getting Jeni’s this year.
McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream
This holiday season, ditch the bottle of wine and opt for a gift that caters to both the full-grown adult and the inner child. McConnell’s Holiday Collection features five delicious limited-edition flavors, including Reindeer Tracks, Pumpkin Spiced Latte, Martinelli’s Apple Cider & Cranberry Jam, Peppermint Stick, and Salted Caramel Chip.
My/Mochi
My/Mochi, the original and largest mochi ice cream company, is launching three new holiday ice cream flavors in addition to bringing back three seasonal favorites. If you want to try something new, My/Mochi is debuting Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows, Sugar Cookie, and Gingerbread; or, stick to the tried-and-true Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie á la Mode, and Cool Peppermint flavors.
Ben & Jerry’s
Picture Girl Scouts’ Thin Mint cookies in all of their minty, chocolate-y glory. Now picture it in ice cream form. Got it? Enter Ben & Jerry’s Minter Wonderland, which features marshmallow and chocolate cookie swirls mixed into rich dark chocolate mint ice cream.
Blue Bunny
Just in time for the holidays, Blue Bunny is bringing back two beloved flavors: Peppermint Stick (mint ice cream with red and green peppermint candies) and Frosted Sugar Cookie (vanilla ice cream swirled with cookie dough and sugar cookie pieces). Plus, the Blue Bunny Mini Swirls Hot Cocoa Cones are a new and fun way to enjoy hot cocoa, featuring chocolate ice cream swirled with marshmallow and chocolate fudge, all in a chocolate cone.
Talenti
Real cinnamon sticks are steeped in fresh milk and cream to make the base of Talenti’s limited-edition Caramel Apple Pie Gelato. The cinnamon base is blended with bits of flakey pie crust, apple pieces, and a swirl of caramel to create a one-of-a-kind dessert that’s the best of both worlds.
Haagen-Dazs
Celebrate the season with Haagen-Dazs’ rendition of Peppermint Bark, a holiday classic. Rich white chocolate ice cream is blended with crunchy, chocolate-y peppermint bark and peppermint candy pieces for a Christmas-y version of mint chocolate chip.
Tillamook
Tillamook is offering two festive flavors this season: Holiday Sugar Cookie and Peppermint Bark. Celebrate the holidays with chunks of sugar cookie dough rolled up in creamy cookie dough ice cream, or embrace a seasonal classic with rich and creamy peppermint ice cream sprinkled with candy cane bits and white chocolate chip chunks
Blue Bell Ice Cream
Blue Bell’s number one fan-favorite flavor is home for the holidays! Christmas Cookies Ice Cream combines classic holiday cookies – chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar – in a tasty sugar cookie ice cream with red sprinkles and a green icing swirl throughout. Plus, the classic Peppermint and Peppermint Bark are returning too, in addition to the brand-new Chocolate Brownie Truffle.
Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen’s fan-favorite Peppermint Stick is returning for the holiday season. This sweet cream ice cream with a dash of pure peppermint extract along with crushed peppermint candy pieces is the perfect way to upgrade your candy cane, ice cream style.