Dessert trends may come and go, but ice cream remains a perennial favorite. The question is: Which flavor is most popular?
We looked at data from Lexham Insurance — they cover ice cream vans — for the 2022 results. They looked at search volume around the world in 121 countries.
Most Popular Ice Cream Flavors 2022
1. Chocolate ice cream
2. Vanilla ice cream
3. Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream
4. Cookie Dough ice cream
5. Buttered Pecan ice cream
6. Neapolitan ice cream
7. Banana ice cream
8. Toffee ice cream
9. Caramel ice cream
10. Dark chocolate ice cream
Source: Lexham Insurance
Changes in the Top 10 Ice Creams
Below you will see what the results were back in 2008 when this article was first published. Note: Mint chocolate chip and cookie dough ice cream didn’t even crack the top 10 back then (nor did banana, toffee, or carmel). Vanilla and chocolate are in the top two spots, but vanilla took first place back then. In 2022, strawberry and cookies-and-cream ice cream were absent from the top 10.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavors Back in 2008
1. Vanilla, 29%
2. Chocolate, 8.9%
3. Butter pecan, 5.3%
4. Strawberry, 5.3%
5. Neapolitan, 4.2%
6. Chocolate chip, 3.9%
7. French vanilla, 3.8%
8. Cookies and cream, 3.6%
9. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6%
10. Praline pecan, 1.7%
Source: International Ice Cream Association, 888 16th St., Washington, D.C.
More Popular Ice Cream Flavors (based on sales)
Back in 2008, the NPD Group’s National Eating Trends Services published its own Top 5 List, based on share of sales in the USA. Here’s how their cone stacks up; note that Chocolate Chip Mint makes it to the top 5 whereas it was omitted by the International Ice Cream Association data.
1. Vanilla, 30%
2. Chocolate, 10%
3. Butter Pecan, 4%
4. Strawberry, 3.7%
5. Chocolate Chip Mint, 3.2%
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2008 and updated on June 9, 2022.