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Industry leader says neighborhood ice cream stores serve as vital hubs
Steve Christensen, executive director of the North American Ice Cream Association, discusses how neighborhood ice cream shops create welcoming spaces for families and friends while helping strengthen local communities
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Americans are increasingly curious about ice creams that market themselves as healthier alternatives, but data shows they keep returning to tried-and-true brands and flavors
In celebration of National Ice Cream Day, online grocery platform Instacart offered the scoop on what flavor most Americans are buying
Vanilla was the most-purchased ice cream flavor in 2025 It accounted for about 21% of all ice cream orders and was “the single most popular pick in every one of the 50 states and D.C.”
AMERICA’S MOST-SEARCHED ICE CREAM BRAND MAY SURPRISE YOU — AND THERE’S A HEALTHY REASON WHY
Steve Christensen, executive director of the Missouri-based North American Ice Cream Association, told Fox News Digital that ice cream brings people together
“Try the vanilla first,” he recommended when sampling ice cream. “If the vanilla’s good, then everything’s good.”
Vanilla is far and away the most popular ice cream flavor American consumers are buying, according to a new report.(iStock)
Chocolate ranked second, accounting for 7.9% of purchases. Cookie dough took third with 6.9% of ice cream lovers choosing it
The results prove that “when it comes to ice cream, comfort beats novelty almost every time,” Instacart said
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Instacart reported the remainder of the top 10 most-purchased flavors consisted largely of familiar, longtime favorites: cookies & cream (5.8%); chocolate fudge/brownie (5.1%); peanut butter (4.7%); mint chocolate chip (4.7%); coffee (4.5%); strawberry (3.7%) and cherry (3.1%)
Halo Top, which markets its ice cream as a “feel-good treat” with “fewer calories and less sugar than other leading brands, with a goodl 2025 through April 2026, according to Google search data analyzed in a study from Innerbody Research
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Searches don’t necessarily translate to sales, however. In 2025, Breyers, Blue Bunny and Turkey Hill were the top-selling brands by dollar sales, Dairy Foods Magazine reported
Häagen-Dazs was the most-purchased brand among American consumers using Instacart
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“At roughly 24% of orders, it edges out Ben & Jerry’s, with Breyers rounding out the top three,” Instacart reported
Consumers gravitate toward regional favorite flavors and local dairies, new data reveals.(iStock)
Regional ice cream brands maintained strong customer loyalty, the data showed
“Tillamook is the brand the West favors most, Blue Bell rules the South and Blue Bunny owns the Plains,” the report said
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Specialty and premium brands, including Alec’s Ice Cream, Rebel, Straus Family Creamery, Van Leeuwen and Graeter’s Ice Cream posted some of the strongest growth year-over-year, the data showed
Aside from vanilla, consumers also gravitate toward regional flavors. In the West, it’s Rocky Road, while New Englanders love coffee ice cream and Southerners go for butter pecan
Vanilla is a popular ice cream flavor because it serves as a neutral base for many concoctions, Instacart reported.(iStock)
Wisconsin loves the peanut-butter-and-chocolate combination of Moose Tracks, which was invented in the Midwest. Tennessee favors cheesecake-flavored ice cream, while folks from Colorado and Wyoming enjoy cherry
“For all our regional pride, America’s ice cream story is one about comfort first,” Instacart said
“Vanilla, chocolate and cookie dough anchor nearly every freezer in the country, and the biggest brands keep getting bigger. Underneath the classics, flavor preferences are gloriously local, and the next generation of premium and better-for-you pints is melting its way into the mainstream.”
