Frozen Dessert Trends Scream ‘Fun’

In the case of G.S. Gelato, manufacturer of Italian gelato and other frozen desserts for foodservice, the end product is “chocolate gelato [mixed] with creamy pistachio gelato, elegantly swirled with a vibrant pistachio ribbon and finished with Dubai-style chocolate kataifi [AKA kadayif] bark.”

Pinkberry jumps on that bandwagon with Dubai Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Build. The chain of franchised frozen yogurt shops offers “an irresistibly smooth and creamy chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt that's topped with crunchy toasted kataifi shredded phyllo, pistachio sauce and crushed, roasted pistachios on top.”

“Today’s consumers crave more than just dessert. They want an experience,” Schultz continues. “Dubai-Style Chocolate is a taste of luxury. It’s an indulgent flavor consumers have fallen in love with.”

Also providing experiences, not just new flavors, is Mavens Creamery, based in San Jose, Calif., which makes Asian-inspired, super-premium ice creams. Bold, authentic ingredients combine with classic dairy indulgence to create flavors such as Thai Tea, Durian, Black Sesame and Vietnamese Coffee.

The company was founded by sisters Gwen & Christine Nguyen, who drew upon their Vietnamese heritage and fond memories of family dinners, especially when ice cream and Asian sweets were served for dessert.

“Asian flavors are trending across every major food category: snacks, beverages, baked goods, and now ice cream,” says Gwen Nguyen. “Shoppers are seeking global flavors made with real, high-quality ingredients, and our ice cream delivers exactly that. Flavors like matcha, pandan and Vietnamese coffee tap into nostalgia for Asian American while offering something fresh and exciting for mainstream consumers.”

Indeed, savory flavors and cultural fusion are among the trends for ice cream in 2026, according to Toast, provider of technology platforms (like waitstaff ordering systems) for restaurants. “Cultural fusion in ice cream blends traditional flavors from various global cuisines, resulting in unique combinations that reflect diverse culinary heritages,” the company says.

Toast believes “Savory ice creams challenge the traditional sweetness of the dessert, incorporating herbs, spices, and unexpected ingredients like vegetables, cheeses, or cured meats,” the company says, noting how chefs love to push boundaries in flavor experimentation.

Limited time can be a great time

Seasonal and limited-time-only products also can create excitement, attract new customers and spawn a lot of social media talk.

SweetFrog, a frozen yogurt franchise, recently debuted Hot Chocolate Express. Available now through Jan. 6, 2026, it combines chocolate frozen yogurt, creamy vanilla ice cream and a milk chocolate hot cocoa mix. “We recommend it topped with crushed peppermint candies, chocolate chips, marshmallows and whipped cream,” says SweetFrog marketing. “A treat that captures the warmth and magic of the holiday season.”

Graeter's Ice Cream also has a holiday selection, but it created more excitement back in October with its Skyline Spice Ice Cream. For the second year, Graeter’s partnered with Cincinnati’s Skyline Chili restaurants to celebrate National Chili Month.

Part sweet, part savory, part “wait, did they really do that?” – Skyline Spice Ice Cream combines Graeter’s small batch French Pot ice cream with crunchy oyster crackers and Skyline’s legendary chili spice blend. When it debuted last year it became the fastest-selling flavor in Graeter’s history.

Ice cream is not immune to the pumpkin spice tsunami each fall. Cold Stone Creamery debuted three Pumpkin Spice Latte products for the season: ice cream, shake and “creation.” That last one is pumpkin spice latte ice cream mixed with graham cracker pie crust, caramel, whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.

“This cozy new flavor brings together the bold taste of coffee and the comforting warmth of pumpkin pie spices for a truly irresistible fall treat,” says the franchise known for customizing orders with mix-ins on a frozen granite stone.

What’s not inside

To some consumers, what’s not in the ice cream is more important than what is. Lactose-free frozen desserts have been around since the 1980s, soon after Lactaid created milk for consumers with lactose sensitivities. Breyers followed soon after, using the same process of using lactase enzymes to break down lactose in dairy products.

Now Jersey Scoops is making a lactose-free ice cream with A2 Jersey cow’s milk. Certain breeds of cows produce milk with only the A2 type of beta-casein protein, rather than the mix of A1 and A2 proteins found in most milk, making the resulting dairy products easier to digest.

While A2 milk is not lactose-free, Jersey Scoops, from a dairy farm that’s been operating since the 1860s, removes the lactose. Each serving has 16g of protein, and the company also claims the frozen desserts are carbon-negative. Jersey Scoops calls its products “a farm-to-scoop ice cream.”

The dairy industry has seen an influx of new “milks” that are naturally lactose-free and boast health and sustainability claims. Plant-based analogues from almonds, soy, coconuts and oats, among others, have taken 15% or more of the milk category and are making similar inroads in ice creams.

Soy-based ice creams date back to the 1930s, but they didn’t become mainstream till the end of the 20th century. Now Oatly, one of the pioneers of plant-based milks (oatmilk) is making ice creams in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and salted caramel. Available in pints only, they’re free of dairy, nuts, gluten and GMOs.

So Delicious, a Danone brand, makes a variety of frozen desserts – ice cream pints, bars, sandwiches, other novelties – using “milks” made from soy, cashews, oats, almonds and coconut.

Even Ben & Jerry’s, known for its decadent ice cream pints, has a non-dairy line. Some of its most popular flavors – Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Phishfood and 13 others – are made with oatmilk.

Also, what’s “not in there,” at least in the near future, are synthetic colors. And that will be a sea change, as one of the great attractions of many scoop shops is a dipping case full of Blue Moon, Purple Cow and bright red Strawberry – not to mention rainbow sherbet.

Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April asked all food processors to remove seven petroleum-based color additives -- Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 -- from all foods by the end of 2026.

Red 3 is already banned as of Jan. 15, 2027, while removal of the other colorants was a heavy-handed request. Nevertheless, food processors in every product category pledged their allegiance. And the International Dairy Foods Assn. (IDFA) in July 2025 announced an agreement by 40 makers of ice cream in the U.S. to eliminate the artificial colors from products by Dec. 31, 2027. While they were not named, the association said they represent “more than 90% of the ice cream volume sold in the United States.”

“As national and state policies on artificial colors in food continue to change … many commercial ice cream makers have already phased out certified artificial colors and many others are working with suppliers to phase them out by 2028 in compliance with this effort and other business considerations,” the IDFA said.

To prevent those display cases from turning all beige, ice cream manufacturers are scrambling to come up with natural alternatives. Common alternatives to synthetic red food dyes include extracts from fruits and vegetables, such as beets, dark carrots, pomegranates and tomatoes. Darker reds can be made from purple sweet potato, radish, beetroot, blackcurrants and blueberries.

Carrots also make shades of yellow, as can paprika, pumpkin, algal carotene and turmeric. Blue is one of the most difficult colors to replicate naturally, but spirulina, an algae, is an excellent match for Blue 1, with blueberries and other blue-purple fruits providing other solutions.

Although natural options, they are more expensive and sometimes trickier to work with than synthetic colorants, and many of the substitutes can impart their own flavor, especially in a product as delicate as ice cream.