What’s with all the weird ice cream flavours this year? It feels like supermarkets and small brands are competing to come up with the most unusual alternatives to a simple scoop of vanilla. But which ones are actually worth trying? I tested 99 different tubs of ice cream and ranked them, from sickly sweet to good enough for a dinner party.
99. Paxo sage and onion stuffing, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project has become a regular summer event. The fashion designer teams up with well-known brands to create nostalgic, novelty flavours (at designer prices) that people queue around the block for. This year, the flavours lean towards roast dinners, including Oxo (which I couldn’t try as a vegetarian) and Paxo. It tastes exactly like the stuffing… which isn’t really what I want from an ice cream. Taste 1/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10
98. High protein chocolate brownie, Oppo
(240ml, £3.50, Ocado)
A terrible, sticky, protein bar-flavoured excuse for ice cream. Taste 1/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10
97. Crunchie, Cadbury
(425ml, £4.02, Asda)
Sickly sweet, very orange in colour, with a strange, foamy, almost mousse-like texture. Taste 3/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
96. Hobnobs, McVitie’s
(500ml, £4, Iceland)
Grainy and overly sweet. Hobnob fans should stay away to avoid disappointment. Taste 3/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
95. Caramelised biscuit swirl, Oppo
(475ml, £5.40, Ocado)
This sickly-sweet ice cream shows exactly why “low-calorie” ice cream shouldn’t exist. Taste 3/10, Value 5/10, Originality 3/10
94. Jacob’s Mini Cheddars, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
Cheese ice cream apparently has a long history in the UK, but this version doesn’t do it justice. Slightly rough texture and a familiar Mini Cheddars taste. Taste 3/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10
93. Amarena cherry cheesecake, Hackney Gelato
(460ml, £5.75, Waitrose)
I wanted more cheesiness from this one, and a less artificial cherry flavour. Taste 3/10, Value 5/10, Originality 3/10
92. Cherry and mascarpone gelato, Crosta & Mollica
(450ml, £4.60, Waitrose)
Soft-serve style, nicely swirled in its recyclable box, but doesn’t deliver on flavour. Taste 4/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
91. Cornish sea salted caramel brittle, No 1 Waitrose
(480ml, £4.50, Waitrose)
Unlike most salted caramel treats, this one was actually well salted, and the brittle was nice and crunchy – even if salted caramel ice cream feels a bit old-fashioned these days. Taste 4/10, Value 6/10, Originality 1/10
90. Strawberry cheesecake, Häagen-Dazs
(460ml, £5.75, Tesco)
Overly sweet and artificial-tasting. Taste 4/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
89. Milk chocolate digestives, McVitie’s
(500ml, £4, Iceland)
If you’re going to put biscuit pieces in ice cream, you need to stop them from going soft. Nobody wants soggy biscuits! Taste 4/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
88. Peanut butter and milk chocolate, Reese’s
(460ml, £5.50, Iceland)
I love Reese’s peanut butter cups, so I had high hopes. But although it had a satisfying crackly chocolate swirl, it was a bit cloying and gritty overall. Taste 5/10, Value 4/10, Originality 2/10
87. Protein speculoos, Jude’s
(460ml, £5, Ocado)
This vegan, high-protein ice cream is another offender with soggy biscuits, and it leaves an almost yeasty aftertaste. Avoid. Taste 2/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10
86. Colombian coffee, M&S collection
(500ml, £4.50, Ocado)
The crushed coffee beans create a sandy texture that I didn’t enjoy. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 1/10
85. Green Giant sweetcorn, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500mlTub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London
Putting chunks of sweetcorn in ice cream is a bold idea, but I’m not sure it works. Taste 4/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Walker’s Shortbread, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50, 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
The texture was a bit too hard. The sweet-salty flavour was nice enough, though. Taste 4/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Oreo (425ml, £3.50, Iceland)
Spongy texture and a fairly bland flavour. Taste 4/10, Value 6/10, Originality 2/10.
Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50, 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
Way too sweet! Taste 4/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Macadamia Nut Brittle, Häagen-Dazs (460ml, £5.75, Ocado)
Another one that’s far too sickly sweet. There was a slight saltiness to balance it, but not enough. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10.
Nutella (470ml, £5.50, Iceland)
It’s fun that this one looks exactly like a jar of Nutella, and you have to break through a layer of Nutella spread to get to the ice cream. Fans of the spread will love it; it was a bit too intense for me. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10.
Soy Joy Cookie Dough, M&S (320ml, £4, Ocado)
This soy ice cream sadly didn’t bring me joy. It’s cloying and tastes artificial – there are much better vegan ice creams out there. Taste 3/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10.
View image in fullscreen: Lucy Knight prepares to try some of the more unusual ice cream flavours. Photograph: Lucy Knight/The Guardian
77-73. Capri-Sun Orange / Müller Corner Strawberry / McVitie’s Ginger Nuts / Yazoo Chocolate Milk / Illy Coffee, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
These all tasted exactly like the products they’re based on. Taste 5/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Piña Colada, Soleya (500ml, £9.50, selected UK stores)
There’s no alcohol in this rather bland vegan ice cream, which is more like a sorbet. Taste 3/10, Value 4/10, Originality 6/10.
71-70. Chocolate Salted Caramel / Caramel Pecan Praline, Booja Booja (465ml, £5.65, Booja Booja)
Both of these vegan chocolate ice creams have an intense chocolate flavour. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 3/10.
Biscoff, Lotus (425ml, £2.50, Iceland)
Anyone who has enjoyed spooning Biscoff spread straight into their mouth will be in heaven. Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10.
Blueberry and Lemon Curd, Yeo Valley (480ml, £4.75, Ocado)
Very strong lemon curd flavour with chunks of fresh blueberry. This isn’t a flavour combination I love, but I can appreciate that it’s a very good ice cream. Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10.
View image in fullscreen: ‘A very good ice cream’ – Blueberry and Lemon Curd. Photograph: Yeo Valley
Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
I loved the salty first spoonful of this – but any more than that becomes overwhelming. Taste 5/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Rhubarb and Custard, Waitrose (480ml, £3.50, Waitrose)
Pure nostalgia! Taste 3/10, Value 7/10, Originality 4/10.
Lurpak Salted Butter, Anya Hindmarch
(One scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
Lovely and creamy, but could have been saltier. Taste 6/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10.
Vanilla and Black Cardamom, Moonji (100ml, £3.49, selected UK stores and online)
I wanted more cardamom from this plant-based ice cream. Taste 5/10, Value 3/10, Originality 6/10.
Millionaire’s Shortbread with Cornish Clotted Cream, Kelly’s (425ml, £4, Iceland)
Crunchy chunks of chocolate and biscuit, a very rich caramel sauce – delicious. Taste 7/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10.
Honeycomb and Chocolate, Jude’s (460ml, £5.75, Ocado)
This is a much nicer version of the flavours in the Crunchie ice cream. Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 3/10.
View image in fullscreen: ‘Much nicer version’… Honeycomb & chocolate. Photo: Jude’s
61. Roasted strawberries, Brickell’s (475ml, £7.50, selected UK stores and online)
Tastes like real strawberry – but it was the grainiest tub I tried. Taste 5/10, Value 4/10, Originality 5/10
60. Trifle Twirl, M&S (500ml, £4.50, Ocado)
A fun, Ben & Jerry’s-style loaded ice cream (I haven’t included any Ben & Jerry’s tubs here because their flavours are all mainstream now). The sponge chunks are a bit too chewy. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10
59. Heather honey, M&S (500ml, £5, Ocado)
A really tasty, subtle honey-flavoured ice cream. Taste 7/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
58. Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire pudding, Anya Hindmarch (one scoop £4.50 or 500ml tub £16, The Ice Cream Project, London)
This tastes more like pancakes with syrup than Yorkshire puddings – but not in a bad way. Taste 7/10, Value 1/10, Originality 7/10
57. Lemon curd, Norfolk County Dairy (500ml, £8.15, selected UK stores)
A very subtle lemon flavour – I didn’t really get curd specifically. Taste 5/10, Value 4/10, Originality 6/10
View full image
‘Phish food on steroids’ … Jefferson’s Rockiest road. Photo: Jefferson’s
56. Rockiest road, Jefferson’s (370ml, £8.50, selected UK stores)
Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food on steroids. Taste 7/10, Value 3/10, Originality 5/10
55. Baileys vanilla, Carte D’Or (825ml, £4.50, Ocado)
Baileys lovers will enjoy – it does exactly what it says on the tub. Taste 4/10, Value 8/10, Originality 3/10
54. Cornish honeycomb crunch, Kelly’s (950ml, £4, Iceland)
There were nice crunchy bits of honeycomb on top, but it needed more throughout. Taste 5/10, Value 9/10, Originality 1/10
53. Raspberry cheesecake with Cornish clotted cream, Kelly’s (425ml, £4, Iceland)
Way more delicious than I expected – the raspberry sauce is genuinely great. Taste 8/10, Value 5/10, Originality 2/10
52. Golden syrup, Lyle’s (500ml, £4.75, Iceland)
Incredibly sweet – but how could it not be? Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10
View full image
‘A bit underwhelming’ … Mango sticky rice. Photo: James Moyle/Araw
51. Mango sticky rice, Araw (475ml, £8, available for UK delivery)
I wanted to love this vegan ice cream, but the rice was still hard and the whole thing was a bit underwhelming. Taste 3/10, Value 3/10, Originality 9/10
50. Sicilian lemon and limoncello, Tesco (480ml, £3.50, Tesco)
Inoffensive, but not tart enough. Taste 4/10, Value 5/10, Originality 6/10
49–45. Ottolenghi strawberries and cream with sumac / roasted pistachio and sour cherry / salted malted chocolate / coffee and cardamom / Madagascan vanilla and miso caramel, Waitrose (480ml tub, £6, Waitrose)
I wanted more from all of these! More sumac, more sourness, more malt flavour … Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 6/10
44. Dubai chocolate, Mister Twist (120ml, £5.50, selected UK stores)
A fun, crunchy take on a trendy flavour. Taste 7/10, Value 2/10, Originality 7/10
View full image
‘Fun and crunchy’ … Dubai chocolate. Photo: Siwan Jackson/Mister Twist
43–40. Stem ginger and marmalade / Mini egg / Gingerbread / Cinnamon, Simply Ice Cream (500ml, £6.50, available for UK delivery)
All of these flavours from independent ice cream maker Simply Ice Cream were lovely – but none of them blew my socks off. Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 5/10
39. Matcha, Häagen-Dazs (460ml, £6, Waitrose)
It’s easy to write off matcha as a trendy flavour, but in ice cream it’s undeniably refreshing. Taste 6/10, Value 5/10, Originality 6/10
38. Irish coffee, Simply Ice Cream (500ml, £6.50, available for UK delivery)
I don’t love Irish coffees – but I was impressed by how much this tasted like one. Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 7/10
37. Cinnamon bun, Waitrose (480ml, £3.50, Waitrose)
Way too few chunks of bun – this felt like a missed opportunity! Artificial-tasting. Taste 4/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10Value 7/10, Originality 6/10
36. Peach Melba, Waitrose (480ml, £3.50, Waitrose)
This really captures the taste of tinned peaches with a sugary raspberry sauce.
Taste 5/10, Value 7/10, Originality 5/10
35–33. Basque Cheesecake / Earl Grey Malted Crumble / Ube Halaya, Araw (475ml, £8, available for UK delivery)
These felt like disappointing versions of the interesting flavours they promised.
Taste 5/10, Value 3/10, Originality 9/10
32. Caramelised Biscuit, Asda (425ml, £2.75, Asda)
Layered with biscuit sauce, this might be even nicer than the official Lotus one.
Taste 6/10, Value 7/10, Originality 4/10
31. Flat White, M&S (500ml, £4.50, Ocado)
More like instant coffee than an espresso-based drink.
Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 7/10
30. Raspberry Pavlova, Asda (900ml, £2.67, Asda)
If you’re going to call something pavlova-flavoured, I think there should be more meringue pieces. But it’s cheap and fairly tasty.
Taste 3/10, Value 9/10, Originality 5/10
29. Tiramisu, Häagen-Dazs (420ml, £5.75, Tesco)
I firmly believe no tiramisu-flavoured product (and there are more and more of them) will ever be as good as real tiramisu. This didn’t prove me wrong.
Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 7/10
28. Sicilian Lemon Meringue, Asda (500ml, £3.27, Asda)
There were meringue pieces throughout and a lemon curd swirl – not bad.
Taste 5/10, Value 6/10, Originality 6/10
27. Mango Lassi, Moonji (100ml, £3.49, selected UK stores and online)
I was impressed that this vegan sorbet actually tasted like lassi, not just mango.
Taste 7/10, Value 3/10, Originality 8/10
26. Stem Ginger, Salcombe Dairy (500ml, £6, Ocado)
A creamy, gingery treat.
Taste 9/10, Value 5/10, Originality 4/10
25. Matcha Green Tea, Jude’s (460ml, £5.75, Sainsbury’s)
Slightly milder and, in my opinion, better than Häagen-Dazs’s version.
Taste 7/10, Value 5/10, Originality 6/10
24. Fig Leaf and Currant Jam, Milktooth Gelato (500ml, £9.50, selected UK stores)
Earthy and interesting flavour – but some of the currant bits were hard and gritty.
Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 8/10
23. Coconut Kefir Frozen Yogurt, Waitrose (480ml, £3.50, Waitrose)
There’s a lot going on here! Fresh, tangy, a bit like sun cream – it wasn’t as luxurious as I hoped.
Taste 5/10, Value 7/10, Originality 6/10
22. Tofu Apricot Ponzu, Clingy Wrap (350ml, £8, selected UK stores)
This vegan ice cream had a slightly odd texture but a lovely apricot flavour.
Taste 4/10, Value 4/10, Originality 10/10
21. Toscano Olive Oil, M&S (500ml, £4.50, Ocado)
I loved the idea, but the flavour reminded me too much of margarine.
Taste 5/10, Value 5/10, Originality 8/10
20. Lemon Meringue Gelato, Aldi (480ml, £2.49, Aldi)
Layered, lemony soft serve.
Taste 6/10, Value 6/10, Originality 6/10
19. Marmite on Toast, Big Kid (300ml, £8, selected UK stores and online)
Bizarre, but somehow actually not terrible.
Taste 5/10, Value 4/10, Originality 10/10
18. Blueberry Lavender Jam, Meringue Swirl, Bears (450ml, £11.50, selected UK stores)
I don’t love lavender, so this wasn’t for me – but I could appreciate its creamy delicacy.
Taste 6/10, Value 4/10, Originality 9/10
17. Strawberry Kefir Frozen Yogurt, M&S (500ml, £3.75, Ocado)
Refreshingly tangy!
Taste 6/10, Value 6/10, Originality 7/10
16. Tiramisu Gelato, Aldi (480ml, £2.49, Aldi)
This layered soft serve is closer to a real tiramisu (but I’d still rather have the dessert).
Taste 6/10, Value 6/10, Originality 7/10
15–12. Chinese Jasmine Tea / Hong Kong Milk Tea / Shizuoka Matcha / Black Sesame, La Barceloneta (162ml, £4.50, selected UK stores)
These East Asian-inspired flavours…Inspired tubs are absolutely stunning—well-balanced, exciting, and delicious.
Taste: 9/10, Value: 3/10, Originality: 8/10
11. Iced Coffee, Sainsbury’s (480ml, £3.50, Sainsbury’s)
This actually tastes like drinking an iced latte, and it’s great value for money.
Taste: 7/10, Value: 6/10, Originality: 7/10
10. Not Fried Chicken, Life Raft (71g, £4, Iceland)
Okay, I know this doesn’t exactly count as an ice cream tub, but I couldn’t ignore ice cream shaped like a chicken drumstick—complete with a chocolate pretzel “bone” inside. And it’s not just about looks: the waffle-flavored ice cream and crushed cornflakes coating make it a genuinely tasty treat.
Taste: 9/10, Value: 1/10, Originality: 10/10
9. Flat White Coffee, Jude’s (460ml, £5.75, Ocado)
Properly strong espresso flavor!
Taste: 8/10, Value: 5/10, Originality: 7/10
[Image: ‘Delicious and rich’ … Chocolate Guinness cake. Photograph: Lucy Knight/The Guardian]
8. Chocolate Guinness Cake, Jude’s (460ml, £5.85, Waitrose)
Delicious and rich—just on the edge of being overwhelming.
Taste: 7/10, Value: 5/10, Originality: 8/10
7–5. Toasted Rice / Pineapple Jam Mezcal / Peach Mascarpone, Clingy Wrap (350ml, £8, selected UK stores)
I loved this small independent company’s fun, exciting ice creams. The toasted rice one has an almost cereal milk flavor, the mezcal one is surprising but not overpowering, and the real fruit flavors really shine through.
Taste: 7/10, Value: 4/10, Originality: 9/10
4. Kalamansi Gochujang Sorbet, Araw (475ml, £8, available for UK delivery)
Zingy and fresh!
Taste: 7/10, Value: 3/10, Originality: 10/10
3. Brown Bread, Simply Ice Cream (500ml, £6.50, available for UK delivery)
For me, this was a great balance of unusual flavor and well-balanced, creamy ice cream.
Taste: 8/10, Value: 5/10, Originality: 8/10
2. Miso Banana Butterscotch / Cinnamon Sponge, Bramley Apple Jazz, Cream Cheese Frosting, Bears (450ml, £11.50, selected UK stores)
I’ve only just discovered the Kent-based Bears ice cream, and I’m going to tell everyone I know about it. Both of these flavors were fruity, creamy, and delicious. The banana one reminded me of my grandma’s banana bread recipe.
Taste: 9/10, Value: 4/10, Originality: 9/10
[Image: ‘Perfect balance’ … Brown butter popcorn. Photograph: PR]
1. Brown Butter Popcorn, Bears (450ml, £11.50, selected UK stores)
Right on the edge of being too salty, this ice cream is a perfect balance of savory, sweet, rich, and creamy. I’ll be searching corner shops and delis to track it down again.
Taste: 10/10, Value: 4/10, Originality: 9/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the Scoop of the Year taste test written in a natural conversational tone
General Questions
Q What exactly is Scoop of the Year
A Its our massive annual taste test where we review the weirdest wildest and most unusual ice cream flavors hitting stores in the coming year For 2026 we tried 99 of them
Q Why did you only test unusual ice creams
A Because the classic flavors are easy to find We wanted to find out which of the crazy experimental flavors are actually worth buyingand which ones you should absolutely avoid
Q What does unlickable mean in the title
A Its our playful way of saying some flavors were so bad that we couldnt even finish a single lick Think gritty sour or just plain wrong
Q Are these flavors available now
A Most are scheduled to launch in 2026 A few might appear in limited test markets late this year but the full lineup hits shelves next spring and summer
The Taste Test Process
Q How did you choose which 99 flavors to test
A We scoured press releases grocery trade shows and social media buzz for any flavor that sounded strange controversial or just plain outthere We skipped boring or safe flavors
Q Who did the taste testing
A A panel of 12 volunteersmix of chefs food bloggers and regular ice cream lovers No one had any allergies to the weird ingredients
Q How did you decide unbeatable vs unlickable
A We used a simple 110 scale for taste texture and would I buy this again Unbeatable 9 average Unlickable anything below a 3 that made people gag or spit it out
The Flavors Results
Q What was the single best ice cream you tried
