18 Unexpected Ingredients You Can Turn Into Ice Cream

Most of us are used to having endless options when it comes to ice cream flavors, from every possible fruit to different candy bars. Some ingredients that may seem strange in the United States a decade ago are quite common in desserts now, like sea salt or bacon bits. Yet once in a while, there's still an ice cream ingredient that pleasantly surprises us and keeps life interesting. 

Some unique ingredients can actually work well in ice cream, if combined with the right flavor profiles in the right ratio. Sweet and salty, sweet and savory, and sweet and spicy combinations have become more popular, as ice cream shops around the world continue experimenting with distinctive flavors and combinations. 

These ingredients are the most unexpected add-ins people have actually used in ice cream, from lobster in Maine to macaroni and cheese. Should you want to try them for yourself, you can probably find some of these ice creams in stores, or try your hand making homemade ice cream in your own kitchen (even without a machine).

Garlic is certainly an unusual ice cream ingredient, but for many years you could try garlic ice cream at the Garlic Capital of the World in Gilroy, California. While some people, including chef Andrew Zimmern, may hate garlic ice cream, I personally tried garlic-chocolate ice cream back when Gilroy still held the garlic festival, and found it surprisingly pleasant (or at least not bad).

The key, of course, is balance. The ice cream tasted mostly of chocolate with just enough sharpness and pungency from the garlic to give it a unique twist. The garlic flavor mostly shows up as an aftertaste in the back palate. There are still retail shops like Garlic World in Gilroy where you can get garlic ice cream. If you're a garlic fan, it's worth trying at least once.

You can use everything bagel seasoning for many things, including sprucing up tuna salad, so why not use it in ice cream? Jeni's Ice Cream first released its Everything Bagel flavor in 2021, and it had enough fans that the company has brought it back at least a couple of times since. The flavor works well since the base of this ice cream uses cream cheese, and then folds in what the company calls "everything bagel gravel."

The "gravel" has sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and onion and garlic bits, making the ice cream a mix of sweet, salty and savory. The cream cheese base already has a savory note, and the garlic adds a little sweetness. It may not be that sugary dessert you want to end a meal on, but it works well on its own.

Wasabi ice cream is actually not all that uncommon in Japan. For example, you can try wasabi soft serve ice cream at Daio Wasabi Farm in Japan. And no, it's not like that time you ate a lump of wasabi at a sushi restaurant because your friend challenged you to. A good wasabi ice cream is actually sweet, with just enough of a minty sharpness and punch that's balanced out by the rest of the ice cream. 

A lot of the spiciness and kick of the wasabi is tempered by the creaminess of the ice cream. Also keep in mind that a lot of the wasabi we get in the United States is not real, but made from horseradish. Real wasabi is not as pungent and actually has a sweet note to it, which helps it work well for ice cream. 

Pickle lovers may be intrigued to know that pickle ice creams do exist. Van Leeuwen launched a dill pickle ice cream in 2023 and Jacob's Pickles in New York City had a pickle soft serve – and it wasn't the first NYC food joint to serve it. In both ice creams, reviewers say you can taste a distinct pickle flavor, but it's not overpowering. 

The tartness and brininess of the pickles gives this ice cream a certain appeal, especially in hotter weather. Pickle ice cream isn't for everyone, but it certainly has its share of fans, who thinks the tart vinegar-y flavor of the pickle makes the ice cream really refreshing. Think of it a bit like drinking apple cider vinegar or kombucha. 

Van Leeuwen made waves by releasing a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream a few years back. There's no actual macaroni in the ice cream, but it uses Kraft cheese sauce mix in the base. The flavor was polarizing. Some people said it wasn't good, but there were also quite a lot of people who loved it.

Perhaps that's not so surprising, when you think about the fact that traditional macaroni and cheese uses either milk or cream as an ingredient, so turning it into ice cream isn't that big of a leap. Plus, the Kraft cheese powder is already a little sweet. Unfortunately, Van Leeuwen isn't currently offering this flavor. The company has brought it back once, though, so you never know, the flavor might return in the future.

One ingredient that many ice cream shops have tried is the super popular spicy sauce, sriracha. A touch of sriracha adds a bit of heat and spice to ice cream that is both surprising and delightful. Sriracha is not just spicy but a little tangy and sweet which can make it a good addition to desserts.

Quite a few ice cream shops have made sriracha ice cream, from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in New York City, to Little Baby's Ice Cream in Philadelphia, to Gracie's Ice Cream in Somerville, Massachusetts. These shops combined sriracha with various flavors including vanilla, peanut butter and even earl grey tea. The tangy and spicy hot sauce can add a nice complexity and kick to any sweet ice cream.

Lobster certainly isn't a common ice cream ingredient, but you can find it in Maine where lobster is a staple. Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor, Maine, for example, has an ice cream made with chunks of buttered lobster folded into a buttery vanilla ice cream. Vanilla actually pairs well with lobster, so it's not a big leap to have a vanilla ice cream and lobster combo.

Online reviewers said the lobster ice cream was not bad, as it's basically a vanilla ice cream with chunks of lobster meat. Some customers really enjoyed it. One hangup for people was with the fact that the lobster chunks are frozen. But it's worth getting a small scoop to try if you're ever in this part of Maine. Blue Claw Lobster Shack in Canada also launched a lobster ice cream for a limited time back in 2024.

According to a 2024 report by Tastewise (via The Food Institute), spicy ice cream is becoming more of a trend — so using jalapeño in ice cream seems like a no-brainer. I mean, we all love spicy margaritas, right? The most common spice in a spicy margarita is jalapeño peppers. Spicy and just a tad vegetal, jalapeño is actually a pretty versatile ingredient. 

There are various ways to incorporate this pepper into an ice cream that pleases most spicy food lovers. Sweet Republic in Arizona made jalapeño avocado ice cream for a creamy and spicy treat, but others have made strawberry jalapeño ice cream for a spicy and fruity combination, or jalapeño and key lime sorbet (which pretty much tastes like a frozen spicy margarita, minus the tequila).

Sweet and savory combinations can work quite well in desserts.  Miso, which is fermented soybean paste, already has a sweetness to it, so it makes sense that its an ingredient that's easily added to desserts. For example, miso is a great ingredient to add to caramel, giving caramel sauce some umami flavor and depth.

Miso pairs well with a range of sweet ingredients and has been used in cookies, so it makes sense that there are quite a few ice cream shops that have used miso as an ingredient. North Carolina-based ice cream shop The Hop had an Asian pear miso caramel flavor. It's not all just miso caramel, though. Jeni's Ice Cream released a miso butterscotch brownie flavor, and OddFellows has produced both miso cherry and miso peanut butter flavors. 

There's no doubt that Flamin' Hot Cheetos are an iconic snack — and people have put them on everything from macaroni and cheese to sushi. Some have even put Flamin' Hot Cheetos on donuts and yes, ice cream. A few years ago, Marble Slab Creamery launched an ice cream with sweet cream base with crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and people actually enjoyed it.

There are other places where you can try this sweet, spicy and crunchy combination. House of Ice Cream in Stockton, California had a Hot Cheetos ice cream. Over at Drill'd in Fountain Valley, California, the regular Flamin' Hot Cheetos weren't hot enough, so they used the XXTRA Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The Cheetos are blended into a vanilla ice cream base and then topped with Hot Cheetos dust. 

Even though you may not want an ice cream with too much black pepper, it can be used as an enhancing ingredient. After all, Valerie Confections has sold pepper truffles for years — and I personally quite enjoyed that. The ingredient can work equally well in ice cream. Adding black pepper to a dessert like ice cream adds a slight sharpness that can cut through richness and sweetness.

One outstanding version of black pepper ice cream is Salt & Straw's strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper flavor, which has a 4.6 star review on the company's website. Unsurprisingly, pepper also works alongside chocolate, like when Oakland, California-based Miharu Ice Cream made a ricotta with black pepper-infused chocolate chip ice cream.

Old Bay seasoning ice cream can be found mostly in Maryland, thanks to the state's seafood tradition. The iconic Old Bay seasoning is a salty and spicy mixture made from 18 different herbs and spices and typically used on Maryland blue crab. Maryland didn't stop with crab, though. Ice cream shops around the state have also put the famous seasoning on their ice cream concoctions. 

Multiple shops in Maryland serve up Old Bay caramel ice cream, including The Charmery and Landon's Ices and Creams. Back in 2021, WJZ reported that the Food Network had named the Old Bay caramel ice cream flavor from The Charmery the best scoop in all of Maryland, so that's saying something. Caramel aside, Old Bay seasoning can also add a salty and spicy twist to vanilla ice cream.

If the rest of this list has taught you anything, it's that sweet and salty is a combo that works. Soy sauce in ice cream can be just as delicious as a sea salt caramel flavor. One Thailand-based sauce company, Deksomboon, serves up soy sauce soft serve in Bangkok, and people seemed to love it.

While soy sauce ice cream isn't commonly found at ice cream shops in the United States, you might find them at Japanese restaurants that have an adventurous dessert menu. Soy sauce ice cream has been spotted at Makoto, a restaurant in Miami, for example. If you're curious but can't find a scoop, Kikkoman has a recipe for soy sauce and brown sugar ice cream on its website, in case you want to try making it at home.

Curry powder is one of those ingredients where a little goes a long way. The right amount adds a nice twist to desserts — just look at all its pairings with chocolate. One truffle collection from Vosges Haut-Chocolat includes a truffle made with toasted curry masala, and Siamaya Chocolate in Thailand sells a coconut curry dark chocolate bar. Curry powder can also work well in a rich, creamy ice cream.

Most ice cream shops usually combine curry powder with coconut. Gelati Celesti in Virginia has made coconut curry ice cream and J.P. Licks in Boston has a similar flavor. There are different types of curry powder, though. Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco had a peanut butter and Vadouvan curry ice cream back in 2015.

Blue cheese has a strong flavor and aroma that you might think will overwhelm many desserts. When used sparingly with complementary ingredients, though, it can add a savory, creamy component to ice cream. One of Salt & Straw's unique ice cream flavors is a pear & blue cheese ice cream — and the flavor has quite a few fans. In this case, the blue cheese adds a richness, while the sweetness of the candied pears mellows out the strong blue cheese taste.

Of course, if you're a true blue cheese fan, you may want an ice cream with an even more prominent blue cheese taste. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese in California used to serve blue cheese and honey ice cream on its farm visits. After all, honey is a great pairing with blue cheese.

Foie gras is a controversial ingredient to begin with, and has even been banned in some countries, so adding it ice cream certainly draws some polarizing opinions. In fact, though, foie gras is usually served with a sweet accompaniment like fruits or preserves, so we know it works well with these flavors. 

The main feature of foie gras is its high fat content, so it also results in ice cream that is extra rich. The other flavors you put in the ice cream can mask or complement the taste. Adventurous ice cream shops have experimented with foie gras over the years. 

In 2013, OddFellows launched a limited run of a new foie gras, peanut and cocoa caramel flavor, while Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco sold foie gras ice cream sandwiches until the ingredient was banned in California. Le Pigeon restaurant in Portland makes profiteroles stuffed with foie gras and white port ice cream topped with foie gras caramel. Considering the dessert has been on the menu for 18 years, it's safe to say that the combination works quite well.

Ice cream made with chicken stock or bone broth became a wellness trend in 2023 because of its nutritious nature. One TikTok video, by Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, shows how to make ice cream with bone broth, coconut milk, coconut cream, cocoa powder, cinnamon and maple syrup. Chicken stock can actually also be used as an ice cream stabilizer. 

But it's not all about wellness and stabilizers. Some people use chicken stock in ice cream to create a unique flavor. The ice cream stand inside Pullman Market in San Antonio, Texas has an ice cream treat called Hey Bird! The unique dessert is a scoop of chicken stock and caramel ice cream served in a chicken skin waffle cone.

People have certainly taken Thanksgiving flavors beyond the Thanksgiving dinner table, from sandwiches made of leftovers to turkey candy corn. Ice cream made with Thanksgiving turkey stuffing is certainly rare, but Salt & Straw releases a lineup of Thanksgiving-inspired flavors every year. The seasonal series usually incorporates Thanksgiving stuffing in some fashion.

In the past, the company made a roasted peach and cornbread stuffing ice cream, but the flavor that's appeared in the past couple of years is the turkey stuffing & cranberry sauce ice cream. The stuffing is made using brioche bread pudding, turkey sausage, black pepper, rosemary, sage and thyme. Tart cranberry sauce is then swirled in, which helps blend all the flavors together. The verdict seems to be that the ice cream is weird ... but also somehow good?