The Essential Ice Cream Flavors for All 50 States

Want the real scoop on a state’s true flavor? Visit a local creamery.

By Kristy Alpert

I’m a sucker for local flavor — and for a good story — which is why my confidence waned as I stood in line at Celesti Gelati Ice Cream Shop in Richmond, Virginia. I was fully prepared to place an order for a scoop of the microcreamery’s mint chip ice cream, when, thankfully, my Southern eavesdropping instincts kicked in. I listened carefully as the woman in front of me waffled between flavors. 

“Hmm, salted caramel or something peanut-y, since we’re in Virginia?” she debated. The scooper behind the counter stepped in and recommended Ukrop’s Rainbow Cookie instead. “It’s about as Virginia as it gets,” he said. As a newly minted Virginian, I was shocked. Who was this Ukrop guy? And how could I claim to live in Virginia if I had never heard of his cookies, let alone squashed one up into my ice cream? 

I quickly scrapped my mint chip plan and ordered the local flavor with a swagger of an in-the-know Virginian. The new-to-me flavor was an oldie to many locals, and it delivered a sense of place with each crunchy, red- and green-stained spoonful. I would later learn Ukrop’s was a local grocery store chain that, at one time, gave out free rainbow cookies to every kid who came in. The storefronts have since closed, but the cookies remain, sold online and in grocery stores around the state so they can still make their regularly scheduled appearances at tailgates, birthday parties, potlucks, and, yes, ice cream shops across Virginia. 

A hyper local ice cream flavor, like Celesti Gelati’s nostalgic cookie creation, tells the story of a destination in a way that few other foods or landmarks ever could. There’s an inherent playfulness and nostalgia with ice cream and then comes a geographical awareness as local flavors get mixed in and regional dishes transform into sweet and savory pints. It’s a picture of what residents care about and love — an identity in a scoop or maybe even a scoop of identity. 

The United States is full of regional flavors, and each state has one ice cream flavor that, in all likelihood, is not going to be better licked anywhere else. No one can make it like they do in … well, read on to find the answer for your state.

Alabama 

Until someone makes a Milo’s Tea ice cream flavor or a strawberry pretzel salad gelato, Orange-Pineapple from Trowbridge’s Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop in Florence, Alabama, will continue to dominate throughout the state. Paul Trowbridge created this flavor back in 1918 and it’s rumored to have inspired the dessert orange pineapple fluff, which has long been a Sunday potluck staple across the state.

Alaska 

Most of Alaska’s birch syrups are made with the tree sap from birch trees in the boreal forests near the Kenai Peninsula, which is exactly where Anchorage microcreamery Wild Scoops sources for its AK Birch Almond flavor. Birch syrup has become as Alaskan as Tang (a flavor Wild Scoops also makes), and this hyperlocal staple is swirled into a sweet cream base with crunchy almond bits.  

Arizona 

Made from the fruit of local Saguaro cacti as the name implies, Saguaro from Onyx Ice Cream in Phoenix is a crimson red soft serve. It’s a vegan and dairy-free tribute to the bahidaj, the prickly Saguaro cactus fruit harvested by the Tohono O’odham people of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Arkansas 

Possum Pie from Crème Ice Cream Co. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, tucks shortbread cookie crumbles and toasted pecans into a dark chocolate pudding ice cream with cream cheese swirl. It’s an ode to the state’s beloved layered dessert, which contains zero possums. Local chocolate maker, Kyya Chocolate is behind the Ecuadorian chocolate powder that gives the pudding base its punch, and they’re also key to the chocolate “gravy” ice cream in Crème’s nod to the Ozark breakfast staple, Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy, made with honey-buttered biscuit crumbles.

California 

California is one of the nation’s agriculture states with the largest concentration of farmers markets (580!), with many staying open year-round to satisfy “in season” dedicated Californians. Napa Valley’s Theda’s Ice Creamery captures that seasonal sensibility with its constantly changing Farmers Market flavor based on whatever is tasting best at the Napa Farmer’s Market. Expect flavors like Ambrosia Melon Sorbet, Mission Fig, Sour Cherry Plum, and Watsonville Strawberry Sorbet.

Colorado 

The peaches from Palisade are far superior to any other variety around the world, at least that’s the opinion of a true Coloradan. Palisades Peach pops up every summer at Nuggs Ice Cream in Denver when the sugary sweet peaches are in season. Since Nuggs likes it sun-ripened, expect this flavor later in the season.

Connecticut 

Mayo is a dirty word when it comes to Connecticut lobster rolls. Just ask anyone from the state, and they’ll tell you the specialty must be buttered. The same goes for local soft serve. Although Stew Leonard’s Butter Dipped Ice Cream is a relatively new sensation (ahem, viral), it’s also a nod to the salty sweet combo Connecticut’s dairy-loving residents know and love.

Delaware 

Just like the state it’s from (i.e., the first state in the U.S.), this fan-favorite flavor is both unassuming and powerfully memorable. Crack from Rehoboth Beach Ice Cream may look like plain vanilla, but it’s actually made from brown shugah vanilla ice cream and pasteurized egg yolks, real butter, and sea salt. It’s the salty sweet flavor Delawareans love, just like the way they dip boardwalk fries in ice cream.

Florida 

Mayday Ice Cream’s bright and tangy Key Lime Pie flavor is quintessentially Floridian, whether it’s in pie, ice cream, or any other form. Mayday toasts graham cracker chunks before blending them into an artisanal buttermilk-and-cream–based ice cream, which is made with fresh key lime juice.

Georgia 

Gottlieb’s Bakery in Savannah has made its signature Chocolate Chewies — a fudgy pecan cookie with a crackly top — since 1884, and, although the bakery has closed, Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah has kept the tradition alive with the Chocolate Chewies & Cream flavor. The blend is made with homemade chocolate chewie cookies, Georgia pecans, and vanilla ice cream.

Hawaii 

Haupia was first brought to the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesian settlers, and it quickly became synonymous with Hawaiian culture. It’s a firm coconut pudding traditionally served cool (“hau”) made from coconut milk and arrowroot (“pia”) at local ohana gatherings. The flavor is even used often as the custard-like filling for malasadas. The version at Roselani in Wailuku on Maui, however, is served very “hau,” frozen, in fact, where it takes the form of a creamy, coconut-forward ice cream sold by the pint around the islands.

Idaho 

Come summer, most grocery stores and bakeries across Idaho will have refrigerators full of huckleberry cheesecakes. In Boise and Meridian, Lovejoy’s Real Ice Cream keeps its Huckleberry Cheesecake in the freezer year-round, in ice cream form. The flavor is made from scratch with a creamy cheesecake base and local preserves, and it’s only available by the scoop or pint until it sells out — which often happens quickly.

Illinois 

The ice cream at The Original Rainbow Cone is sliced, not scooped. The recipe dates back to 1926, when Joe Sapp combined five flavors — chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla base with cherries and walnuts), pistachio, and orange sherbet — by slicing and stacking them on a wafer cone. The Chicago institution is his legacy, and its very loyal fan base spans the entire state.

Indiana 

Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream sells Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie by the cup, cone, pint, or quart when it rotates its way back onto the daily menu. The secret to the Indianapolis creamery’s cult favorite flavor is chunks of freshly baked sugar cream pie, sourced from a local bakery that’s been in business for more than 70 years.

Iowa 

It wouldn’t be a family gathering or potluck in Iowa without a bowl of puppy chow somewhere in the room. Peanut butter and chocolate coated Chex cereal is rolled in powdered sugar and eaten by the handful throughout the state, or, by the cone when at The Creamery in Polk City, where the ice cream mimics the flavor (and crunch) of the beloved snack.

Kansas 

The densely nutritious dirt of Kansas is said to have inspired the very first dirt cake recipe, and it was owner Alison Replogle’s aunt’s dirt cake recipe that inspired this super Kansan flavor. At Indigo Moo’d Ice Cream in Lindsborg, her Kansas Dirt Cake ice cream is made with real cream cheese, sour cream, cream, and whole milk. Oreo cookies get crushed in while churning, and the eatery encourages guests to bring their own gummy worms for the full Kansas experience.

Kentucky 

Kentucky gets its warmth from genteel hospitality — and from its bourbon. Okay, a lot from its bourbon. In Lexington, Crank & Boom adds a healthy dose of warmth to Bourbon & Honey ice cream by combining real Buffalo Trace Bourbon with a local honey from Hosey’s in Midway into the creamy brown sugar base.

Louisiana 

Not to be confused with the white block from Philly, Creole cream cheese is a smooth, tangy spread that has appeared on breakfast tables in Louisiana for over a century, often topped with a sprinkle of sugar after spreading on warm French bread. The sweet and creamy chilled version at The Creole Creamery in New Orleans is the creation at its finest … French bread optional.

Maine 

Maine produces the majority of the nation’s wild blueberries, known for their small size and intense flavor. In Bar Harbor and Portland, Mount Desert Island Ice Cream takes full advantage of the local bounty, and incorporates the fruit as often as it’s in season, in flavors like Blueberry Basil Sorbet and Blueberry Sour Cream Crumble. This creamy fruit sherbert combines two essential Maine specialties, local buttermilk and local blueberries, for the ultimate “Maine in a cup.”

Maryland 

The ubiquitous staple across Maryland kitchens, Old Bay Seasoning, is the pièce de resistance for Old Bay Caramel, an ode to the Chesapeake Bay at The Charmery in Washington, D.C. Locals put the seasoning on everything from crab cakes and French fries to popcorn and Bloody Marys, which is how The Charmery discovered it’s the perfect touch on top of caramel ice cream. “A salted caramel cone with a kick,” is how some regulars describe it.

Massachusetts 

Growing up in New England is growing up with a jar of marshmallow fluff in the pantry. All the nostalgic flavors of a classic fluffernutter sandwich (i.e., peanut butter and marshmallow fluff between two slices of white bread) went into the creation of PB Banana Fluff Ice Cream at New City Microcreamery with six locations, including in Cambridge. The Bay Stater favorite is made with peanut butter ice cream and roasted bananas and then swirled with real marshmallow fluff.

Michigan 

The combination of red, blue, and yellow paint the best picture of Michigan’s most Michigan-y ice cream flavor: Superman. Versions of the flavor vary across the state, while the colors remain the same. The version at Washtenaw Dairy in Ann Arbor includes a mix of Faygo Redpop (a local strawberry-flavored soda), Blue Moon (a fruity, marshmallow-like flavor), and lemon.

Minnesota 

Scotcheroo, the retro no-bake recipe of Rice Krispies, chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch, won over Minnesotans when it came out in the 1960s. In Grand Rapids, Borealis Creamery brings the bake sale staple straight from grandma’s kitchen to the cone with its peanut butter ice cream creation mixed with Rice Krispies® cereal, a hand-crafted marshmallow whip, and chocolate-butterscotch freckles.

Mississippi 

No self-respecting Mississippian is using Nilla Wafers in banana pudding these days, which is why Oxford Creamery makes it the local way: with Nutter Butters. The Banana Puddin custard ice cream is loaded with chunks of crunched up Nutter Butters. Top it with duck fat caramel or olive oil for the true Oxford indulgence.

Missouri 

St. Louis’ gooey butter cake was allegedly created by accidently reversing the butter to flour ratio. Other ice cream shops around the U.S. may try to mimic this classic St. Louis-style flavor, but nowhere else can make a gooey butter cake ice cream better than a local. Clementines Creamery makes its own Gooey Butter Cake in-house, chopping it into large (ahem, very large) chunks before tossing them into rich and super creamy cream cheese ice cream.

Montana 

Eating skillet cornbread that was cooked on a campfire is a memory many Montanans share, which is why Sweet Peaks Ice Cream tried to replicate the experience with the campfire cooking–inspired flavor, River Float, at its four locations, including Missoula. It’s a Dutch oven meal in a cone, with chunks of buttery cornbread, real honey, and a forest berry jam swirled into a sweet cream ice cream. Add a scoop of the foraged huckleberry ice cream to the cone, and you’ll likely be making your own Montana memories.

Nebraska 

The first butter brickle ice cream appeared at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha in the late 1920s, and the state has been infatuated ever since. Coneflower Creamery makes its own chocolate-coated toffee for each batch of Butter Brickle Ice Cream that’s churned out, which is a lot since it’s the most requested flavor at its three Omaha locations.

Nevada 

The large population of Basque settlers that once made Nevada home left a lingering craving for Basque flavors, especially the signature buttery shortbread and pastry cream cake. Sorry, Not Sorry Creamery serves a Blackberry Basque Cake flavor exclusively at its downtown Las Vegas location, with real pieces of freshly baked Basque cake in a sweet cream base with swirls of housemade Nevada blackberry compote.

New Hampshire 

Apple pie can technically be considered a breakfast food for many New Hampshirites, who don’t shy away from breaking into a mile-high apple pie with their morning cuppa. The Apple Pie flavor from Granite State Candy Shoppe in Concord is purely a dessert though, made with local apples from Gould Hill Farm and fresh milk and cream from a local dairy.

New Jersey 

Chefs know New Jersey corn best by its signature sweet flavor and satisfying crunch. Locals know it best as the prize of any farm stand between June and September, which is the same time The Bent Spoonlaunches its NJ Organic Sweet Corn flavor, made with real butter and real New Jersey sweet corn. Customers start asking for it weeks before the corn is “knee high” in the fields, according to The Bent Spoon owners, and it sells out fast during the short season it’s available.

New Mexico 

In Santa Fe, the Green Chile Ice Cream from La Lecheria delivers a subtle spicy punch within a creamy and sweet base. The flavor is always on the menu, but when the Red Chile Honey flavor is in season, the age-old New Mexico dilemma comes into question … green, red, or Christmas?!

New York 

The everything bagel originated in Queens, and has become a staple across the state. Many delis only carry two types of bagels: everything and plain. The seasoning adds some great flavor and crunch to a bagel and even more to ice cream. The version at Rosie’s Handcrafted Ice Cream in East Aurora starts with a cream cheese ice cream base and then gets a boost from housemade everything seasoning and plain bagel pieces mixed in.

North Carolina 

Cheerwine has been made in North Carolina since 1917 — the brand is still family run. In the last few decades, it’s made its way onto ice cream shop menus. America’s first ever cherry soda was named after the cheery feeling it gave sippers, and Cheerwine Sherbet from Sunni Sky’s Homemade in Angier has the same effect on anyone who orders.

North Dakota 

Juneberries are a bit of a local secret among North Dakotans, first logged by Lewis and Clark as “serviceberries” and still grown in abundance across the state. The flavor is almost a mix between an almond and a blueberry, which is the secret behind Pride Dairy’s popular Juneberry flavor in Bottineau. Wild juneberries are handpicked for each batch.

Ohio 

The Ohio buckeye candy is loosely associated with the state’s collegiate football team and massively associated with all things Ohio. The chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls resemble the nut of the Ohio buckeye tree. The Buckeye Blitz Chocolate Chip flavor from Graeter’s Ice Cream doesn’t resemble a nut, but it does have all the flavors in every spoonful, made with chocolate peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, and housemade dark chocolate chips.

Oklahoma 

Sand plums grow wild across the state, often called Chickasaw plums or wild plums. The plant’s white blossoms are fragrant, and the mini plums it produces are notoriously the best for making the tart and sweet wild plum jam Oklahomans love. In Tulsa, Big Dipper Creamery sources its sand plums from a local farmers market and makes jam in house to mix with a goat cheese ice cream base and heaping scoops of buttery oat streusel for Wild Plum Streusel.

Oregon 

Leave it to Oregon to manifest its own state berry. The marionberry was invented at Oregon State University and is the pride and joy of many loyal Oregonians. Pies pair marionberry jam with blue cheese from Rogue Creamery when the berry is in season, and Portland’s Cloud City Ice Creammakes a frozen crisp dedicated to the berry. The Marionberry Crisp is made with mascarpone ice cream; local marionberries; and a housemade gluten-free oat crisp that delivers a surprisingly satisfying crunch.

Pennsylvania 

No one does pretzels like PA. It was the birthplace of America’s pretzel industry, and it’s why we have the Philly pretzel and the modern chocolate-dipped pretzel. The Salted Caramel Pretzel flavor at Bassetts Ice Cream in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market puts crunchy chocolate-covered Pennsylvania pretzels right into the mix, with ribbons of salted caramel.

Rhode Island 

Rhode Island has a strong dedication to coffee — namely, coffee syrup. Namlier, Autocrat, a locally made sweet coffee syrup that Rhode Islanders prefer blended with milk. Warwick Ice Cream Company uses actual Autocrat syrup in its Coffee Milk Ice Cream, resulting in a creamy and caffeinated taste of Rhode Island’s most beloved blend.

South Carolina 

Pralined pecans are one of the most popular desserts in South Carolina, and they’re the star of Southern Pecan Praline ice cream at Wholly Cow on Johns Island, where the Lowcountry-loved ice cream flavor starts with a rich and buttery caramel ice cream and then adds thick (seriously thick) waves of salted caramel with pralined pecans.

South Dakota 

Kuchen, a raised sweet dough pie crust with fruit and custard filling, is the official state dessert of South Dakota. It’s also the dessert many South Dakotans bring to backyard cookouts and potlucks. In spring, it would be wrong to bring it without seasonal rhubarb mixed in. In Marion, Berrybrook Dairy Nook made a Rhubarb Kuchen flavor to celebrate the best of South Dakota spring, with a custard-based ice cream and bits of fruit throughout.

Tennessee 

You have to be 21 or older to enjoy this frozen Tennessee mashup. In Nashville, Hattie Jane’s Creamery pairs real Goo Goo Clusters (a Tennessee-born candy bar made with caramel, marshmallow nougat, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate) with Jack Daniel’s No. 7 Whiskey (also Tennessee born) in its Goo Goo & Jack Ice Cream for an adult showcase of Tennessee greatness.

Texas 

Texas Sheet Cake is the star of nearly every Texan gathering and is loved for its fudgy pecan icing (best served with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream). In Dallas, Parlor’s Ice Creams has made the “a la mode” part arbitrary with its nut-free Texas Sheet Cake flavor. Generously sized pieces of the cake (made from scratch in a jelly roll pan) are mixed into a light chocolate ice cream.

Utah 

Even if Utah weren’t known as the Beehive State, locals would still be putting chunks of honeycomb candy into their ice cream. Light and airy, honeycomb candy has a caramelized molasses-like flavor that melts in your mouth. In Salt Lake City, Rockwell Creamery makes its Honeycomb Ice Cream in-house, in vintage copper kettles, smashing the candy up into wompy chunks and mixing them into the signature vanilla-based ice cream.

Vermont 

Vermont maple creemees aren’t “maple flavored” soft serve, like some out-of-towners assume. A true maple creemee is made with pure (local) maple syrup and pure (local) milk. The milkfat used in the mix at Palmer Lane Sugar House in Jericho is a bit lower than traditional soft serves, which is why the Maple Creemee is prized for its soft and velvety texture. Get it sprinkled with housemade maple sprinkles or eat it plain and in a cone … like a true Vermonter.

Virginia 

Before it closed in 2010, Ukrop’s Super Markets was known for handing out a free rainbow cookie to every kid who came in to any of the more than 20 locations across the state. The cookies remain, although the storefront does not, and are still a staple at tailgates and birthday parties in Virginia. In Richmond, Gelati Celesti adds crunched up Ukrop’s Rainbow Cookies into its vanilla ice cream, turning each red and green bite into a childhood memory for many Virginians.

Washington 

In Seattle, all of Frankie & Jo’s Ice Cream flavors are vegan and gluten-free, which is why Pacific Northwesterners love this microcreamery — maybe even as much as they love their local produce and fermented things! The Berries and Fermented Cream flavor is made with a coconut milk base and house-cultured coconut yogurt. Foraged huckleberries and saskatoons with local strawberries and blackberries add a fruity finish.

Washington, D.C. 

Mumbo sauce (or mambo sauce) is D.C.’s hometown condiment of choice for everything from chicken wings to fried rice to, now, ice cream. The sauce blends the flavor profiles of ketchup and barbecue sauce with a slightly spicy and tangy hit, and that spicy tang is exactly why Rachel Sherriffe from Marcus DC decided to create a sweet and sticky Mumbo Sauce Salted Caramel Ice Cream for a dose of local flavor.

West Virginia 

Paw paw fruit are indigenous to West Virginia, where much of Appalachia loves them for their sweet, custard-like flavor. Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream makes the flavor as soon as the local paw paw fruit is ripened (typically around September), and it typically sells out quickly after. Many customers say the flavor tastes like a creamy mix between a banana and a mango.

Wisconsin 

Wisconsinites developed a love of the Old Fashioned in the late 19th century, only they like theirs a bit sweeter with a lot more cherry. The cocktail is a favorite at supper clubs, fish fries, and tailgates, and now, from Drink Wisconsinbly. The velvety frozen custard version called Brandy Old Fashioned is served by the scoop, and made with Drink Wisconsinbly brandy in collaboration with Crème de Liqueur. Order online or visit the Milwaukee pub.

Wyoming 

Chokecherries grow wild all over the state and are mainly harvested and used for jams and syrups. At Lander Bar in Lander, the Scream Shack mashes, strains, and transforms wild chokecherries into a sweet and tart syrup that’s blended into a creamy vanilla Chokecherry Shake. Whipped cream optional.