Move Over, Vanilla: Savory Ice Cream Is Changing the Way We Do Dessert

Many of my most vivid childhood memories were served alongside a scoop of ice cream. A great report card? Let’s celebrate with a cookie-dough cone. A loss on the basketball court? That calls for a mint chocolate chip sundae. And if it’s my birthday, chances are high for Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Dibs on a corner slice.

So, as a fan of the sweet treat, when I noticed savory ice creams making waves on social media, I was initially skeptical. This is probably due to the fact that the first big wave of savory ice creams felt more gimmicky than gourmet. Take 2021’s mac and cheese ice cream, 2022’s pizza ice cream (complete with basil cookies and a tomato jam swirl), and 2023’s ranch ice cream, all released by New York City-based scoop shop innovator Van Leeuwen. Slowly but surely over the last decade, though, more subtle nods to savory have entered the ice cream space.

Savory Ice Cream—from Fad to Food Trend

Perhaps you’ve seen folks on Instagram—or have even tried—drizzling olive oil or soy sauce on ice cream. One of my favorite local ice cream trucks, The Outside Scoop, blends roasted cherries and goat cheese in one of their signature flavors. Then this summer, as I considered my order at Clementine’s Ice Cream in St. Louis, Missouri, and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at its flagship location in Columbus, Ohio, I spotted unexpected ingredients like balsamic vinegar, miso, bay leaf, and white pepper on the menu, too.

I was officially convinced that savory ice cream had transitioned from fad to genuine food trend while on vacation in Seville, Spain, this fall. As I began perusing the appetizer menu at the rustic-chic bistro Torres y Garcia, I knew an essential part of my order: Salmorejo (chilled tomato-bread soup) with Parmesan ice cream and crispy ham. Uncertain if I’d ever get the chance to experience those elements together again, I asked my server to put in an order while I narrowed down my entrée choices.

Within minutes, this unexpected starter course arrived, and I was delighted from the first bite, when my taste buds were introduced to the salty, creamy ice cream and sweet-tart tomato soup. It was wild and wonderful, even better when I captured a piece of savory, crispy ham in the same bite or scooped up the soup and ice cream with a warm slice of bread. It’s undoubtedly something I’d order again if I lived a little closer.

Why Savory Ice Cream Is Trending

Soon after I arrived home, I reached out to one of the pioneers who helped make it clear that savory ice creams are shifting from joke to genuine: Tamara Keefe, the St. Louis, Missouri-based CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream. She says ice cream has been her “creative playground” since her own mom would take “whatever we had in the fridge, and turn it into something magical, long before savory ice cream was trendy.”

One memorable example? Tomato and feta ice cream. “My siblings and I were convinced it would be awful, but it ended up being this creamy, salty-sweet revelation that made us believers. That curiosity never left me,” Keefe says.

She believes that thoughtful spins on savory ice cream are having a moment because people are craving adventure. Ice cream feels like a nostalgic playground for experimentation, Keefe adds. When someone discovers that “yes, you can ice cream that!” “it makes them smile, laugh, and talk,” Keefe continues. “That, to me, is the best kind of joy that food can bring.”

How to Try Savory Ice Cream

Keefe’s first official savory creation as a professional ice cream maker was a manchego ice cream with truffles and honey, inspired by one of her favorite appetizers to serve at home. At the shop, “we infuse the honey with truffle, letting that earthy umami flavor play with the nutty, tangy richness of manchego. It’s sophisticated but still comforting. Customers were intrigued, and then delighted. Now, it’s one of those ‘bring it back!’ flavors that we get requests for every year,” Keefe tells BHG.

Clementine’s and many other nationally available ice cream retailers showcase savory flavors on their current ice cream menus. Here’s a selection of options, which you can try by swinging by a scoop shop or ordering online:

• Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream Salt ‘n Pepper Vanilla
• Morgenstern’s Cheddar Cheese Ritz Bitz
• OddFellows Ice Cream Co. Miso Cherry 
• OddFellows Miso Peanut Butter Brownie
• Salt & Straw Pear and Blue Cheese
• Salt & Straw Arbequina Olive Oil 
• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Miso Butterscotch Brownie
• Jeni’s Bay Leaf Cheesecake
• Clementine’s Ice Cream Strawberry Balsamic White Pepper
• Clementine’s Jersey Devil (spicy barbecue ice cream with caramelized hot honey)

The Future of Savory Ice Cream

The reason why these flavor combinations work is that they are well-balanced, Keefe says. The pear and blue cheese are a tremendous team on crostini, for instance. Manchego cheese and honey are one of the best bites on a cheese board. And in my opinion, no bowl of tomato-based pasta is complete without a few shavings of Parmesan.

“If the ingredients naturally complement each other on a plate, they’ll sing in ice cream form. My goal is always to create harmony with a little sweet, a little savory, and a little surprise,” Keefe says.

While the jury is still out as to whether dessert fans actually want ranch dressing flavors in their ice cream (or if they tried it just to find out what all the hype was about), I’m warming up to the concept of inventive umami ice cream. In fact, much to the surprise of cookies and cream-craving me 30 years ago, I’d call myself a fan. 

If you're ready to dish up a bowl, you're in luck—there's a lot of deliciousness to look forward to. “As far as what’s next in savory ice cream, I predict cheese, and all kinds of it. It’s endlessly versatile. I’m dreaming of things like goat cheese with candied brisket and fig, or ricotta with balsamic swirls and toasted pistachios. Cheese bridges the worlds of sweet and savory beautifully. It’s indulgent, textural, emotional, it’s everything ice cream should be.” (No wonder I’m still dreaming about that Parmesan…).