Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts
Apparently, we all scream for moose tracks.
by: Kelly Vaughan
July12,2021
21Comments
Photo by Rocky Luten
21 Comments
National Ice Cream Day is just around the corner (July 18th, to be exact), and just in time for a celebratory scoop, grocery delivery service Instacart has revealed the most popular ice cream flavors in every state across the country. The results are based on Instacart’s own data, accounting for thousands of different ice cream products from all across the country and uncovering which ice cream flavor each state buys the most, compared to national averages. So which flavor came out on top as the most-loved scoop? Moose tracks. Twelve states—Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—consistently ask for a double or triple scoop of moose tracks, which is a rich and fudgy ice cream that has a vanilla ice cream base, chocolate fudge swirls, and peanut butter cups (plus toppings, of course).
From Our Shop
There was a tie for the second-most-popular ice cream flavors: rocky road, which was most popular in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming; coffee, which was popular among the caffeinated residents of New England, including Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; birthday cake, a favorite among party-goers in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia; and green tea, which was the favorite in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
The tri-state area including Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York went nutty for pistachio ice cream. And there were some one-state wonders, too. Delaware was the only state to choose cherry-flavored ice cream, Pennsylvanians love mint chocolate chip, and New Mexico is filled with chocolate lovers, who especially love a pint of chocolate chocolate chip. Kentucky, Louisiana, and Ohio keep things simple; their shoppers tend to stock up on regular vanilla chocolate chip ice cream more so than any other flavor. Surprisingly, only three states chose cookie dough as their favorite flavor of ice cream: Maryland, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Rum raisin, the beloved boozy ice cream flavor, is the most popular flavor in sunny Florida and Georgia. For something even cooler and creamier, rainbow sherbet reigns supreme in Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, and Texas. Similarly, fruity mango ice cream is the most consumed ice cream flavor in both Hawaii and Washington, D.C.
We’d be hard-pressed to choose just one flavor that’s our favorite, so on National Ice Cream Day, we think we’ll have one of each—with a cherry on top!
See what other Food52 readers are saying.
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Betsy Jane Dougherty
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judy
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Rlpanda
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Mostro
Former Food52 Staff Editor
Popular on Food52
21 Comments
Betsy J. July 15, 2021
Lifelong Pennsylvanian here and I can vouch for the love of mint chocolate chip around these parts. And thanks for the Vermont ice cream recommendations! Can’t wait to try some maple ice cream when we travel next week
Rlpanda July 15, 2021
maple and black raspberry twist soft serve (creamie) is so good!
Nd$iu!!Nz4J9d5@ July 15, 2021
If you've never tried a maple creamie I highly recommend it. It's a soft serve ice cream sweetened (and flavored) with just maple syrup. I've never seem anywhere else in New England.
Hannah July 18, 2021
I’ve tried one of those when I traveled through Vermont last year, my gosh it was GOOD. As a Massachusetts native I’ve seen coffee ice cream around, always with Heath bar chunks, but my favorite has always been PB & chocolate flavored.
judy July 15, 2021
Mine is Spummoni; true spumoni with chocolate, pistachio and a cherry vanilla/almond with real Amaretto cherries in it. Best I ever had is from a small shop in Hoodsport WA. The company that makes it is Olympia Creamery. Very limited edition....but most definitely the best.
Rlpanda July 15, 2021
VT is wrong, it's maple. Foodnetwork has a list that shows VT's favorite as chocolate chip cookie dough which is probably more accurate than coffee.
Nd$iu!!Nz4J9d5@ July 15, 2021
If you count Maple Cremes maple is definitely the most popular flavor in VT. Going to VT this weekend and stopping by Legendairy Maple & Ice Cream in Williston for the best Maple Walnut Ice Cream I've ever had.
For the Maple Ice Cream enthusiast, Ben & Jerry's does offer a Maple Ice Cream and it's scoop shop in Waterbury.
Rlpanda July 15, 2021
Cremies are definitely ice cream so they should be counted! I've never heard of that place and I live in Williston, we usually go to Rocky's or Adams Farm.
Rlpanda July 15, 2021
Almost forgot, Sams Scoop Shop in Essex has wonderful homemade ice cream too.
Nd$iu!!Nz4J9d5@ July 15, 2021
32 Business Center Rd, Williamstown, VT 05679. It's attached to a large and very busy gas station.
Rlpanda July 15, 2021
Ah OK, that is about an hour from me, but if I get down there I will keep them in mind, thanks!
Alison July 15, 2021
I wish I lived in the NE for the maple ice cream. It is almost impossible to find here in Colorado. there is one brand I can get at whole foods, but it isn't as good as the ones I've had back in MA or CT.
Nd$iu!!Nz4J9d5@ July 18, 2021
Was at Legendairy yesterday and low and behold a Ben & Jerry's factory worker was ordering ice cream. True story.
Alison July 14, 2021
Maple walnut!
Mostro July 13, 2021
Just wondering if rum raisin is the most popular ice cream in Florida and Georgia how come I never heard of it till today? Like if it’s so popular how come I never seen it in stores, at restaurants etc? I live near the Fl/Ga border since 97 you would think that after living somewhere for over 20 years and liking ice cream I would of at least heard of the most popular ice cream flavor.
ATLKate July 19, 2021
Agreed! I have never seen rum raisin anywhere in Georgia so it’s being #1 here is highly suspect. There is a love for butter pecan among the original Atlantans I know. Personally I love mint chocolate chip - green version only, please.
Nd$iu!!Nz4J9d5@ July 12, 2021
Massachusetts - Best single flavor ice cream is Coffee hands down.
creamtea July 12, 2021
I love true pistachio. Not the hyper-almond-extract-flavored variety but plain pure pistachio. Failing that, strong coffee or, when in California, Sweet Rose's fresh mint.
Hannah July 18, 2021
When Howard Johnson‘s restaurants were still around, my mother and I would get their pistachio ice cream cones all the time. Those pistachios tasted like the real things. And it wasn’t a green obscene color, just slightly colored.
j9 July 12, 2021
National Ice Cream day is on July 18, 2021 not June 18, 2021.
HalfPint July 12, 2021
Raspberry ripple ice cream: vanilla ice cream with generous swirls of seedless raspberry jam.
