15 Best Kona Ice Flavors, Ranked

Kona Ice, founded in 2007, serves shaved ice from tropical trucks that play calypso tunes that will transport you to an island paradise no matter where you live. Kona Ice offers their customers delicious shaved ice with a welcoming, fun environment for everyone. Unlike traditional ice cream trucks that roam neighborhoods looking for customers, Kona trucks tend to advertise their location on social media and might be found at parks, street fairs, and beaches.

Kona Ice prides itself on giving back and makes fundraising for schools, scouts, sports, and arts programs simple. Order a truck, everyone buys cool treats, and the organization gets a portion of the sales; Kona Ice can even attend events indoors with their Kona Mini units. Kona Ice loves to bring a tropical flair to your door if you want to add a festive touch to a corporate event or private party.

There are plenty of flavors to choose from, and part of the fun is playing mixologist. Each truck offers crafted flavors, or you might prefer to create unique combinations using the Flavorwave dispensers at the side of the truck. We have plenty of favorites to inspire you if you've ever wondered about the best Kona ice.

Orange Ya Happy? has a smiling orange logo, and we agree — it's a pure orange delight. Beating the heat and humidity with a refreshing citrus flavor is an obvious choice, but Orange Ya Happy? is an excellent backdrop for other flavors. Remember: A major part of Kona Ice fun is creating your personal favorite.

Orange Ya Happy? mixed with Orange Ginger mimics Kona's specialty Orange Mule flavor (not every truck carries every craft syrup). If you're a fan of sour candy, try combining Orange Ya Happy? with Citrus Sour Swizzle, Cryin' Key Lime, Lip Smackin' Lemon, or Pucker Up Peach for the ideal cup of sweet and tangy ice.

If an elevated creamsicle flavor is your jam, combine Orange Ya Happy? with rich vanilla ices like Creme Brulee, Cheesecake, or Egg Custard for a taste that'll take you back to childhood. Kona Ice also offers many fruit flavors that complement orange perfectly; Ninja Cherry, Red Raspberry, or Passionfruit are favorites, but you can hardly go wrong here. Whether you like a rainbow of flavors or the simple pleasure of Orange Ya Happy? all on its own, this flavor will have you smiling as you enjoy your icy treat.

Blueberry Acai + is the star of the Vita Blend line at Kona Ice. All the Vita Blend flavors have added vitamins and 40% less sugar, contain fruit infusions and antioxidants, and are sweetened with stevia. Kona Ice reports that Blueberry Acai + is excellent for cholesterol, and the color is simply divine. Kona Ice is a treat that's good for everyone since, in addition to the Vita Blend flavors, they also offer sugar-free and Fruit First flavors. All of these are perfect if you're looking for ways to have a treat while still sticking to a healthy diet. The Klassic flavors are only 50 calories for eight ounces of icy snow, so whichever flavor you're into isn't going to get you far off track.

Blueberries and acai berries are both considered superfoods. They're great for your body and nutrient-rich, with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols that may fight disease and improve our health. While it's good to keep in mind that some hype about superfoods is, well, hype, nobody argues that fresh, whole foods are great nutritionally and bring plenty of benefits. And while Kona Ices aren't exactly fresh, whole foods, if you can order dessert with some nutritional value, we say that's a win-win.

If you've wondered why red flavors like cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon are so popular, you might be surprised to learn that people consider red foods sweeter and more fun than other colors. Most of us love these fresh berries, but strawberry flavor science is complex regarding flavoring. This is because strawberries contain over 1,000 flavor volatiles, producing an aroma that contributes heavily to our perceptions of their actual sweetness (via Blue Pacific).

Humans' love of red food likely explains why Strawberry'd Treasure is consistently one of Kona's top flavors. While it's easy to enjoy Strawberry'd Treasure by itself, adding a contrasting flavor like Green Apple, Lemonade, or Sour Berry Blast would be a treat. If you're a classic strawberry and cream fan, adding Ice Cream (the Kona Ice flavor), French Vanilla, or Cheesecake might make your day. And for the grownups, a combo of Strawberry'd Treasure with Daiquiri, Margarita, Cosmopolitan, or White Wine Spritzer would make any time cocktail hour.

Kona suggests that strawberry-banana lovers add Monkey Business to Strawberry'd Treasure. Their Instagram followers loved the idea, with one reviewer exclaiming that trying it "almost made me drive 20 minutes back to get another one." While results of a Kona poll between Strawberry'd Treasure and Orange Ya Happy? were split relatively down the middle, we'd suggest mixing these two flavors would make everyone happy.

Kids love blue flavors for the shock of blue mouths and tongues. If blue raspberry gets boring, Island Rush is a popular Kona choice. This tropical punch Kona embodies summer and will please adults and kids alike. Fruit punch has been around for hundreds of years, although it was initially an alcoholic beverage when it got its start in the 17th century. Since rum preserved the fruit juice blend, sailors could use it on long journeys for which beer didn't stay fresh. Queen Victoria, reported to be a fan of opium and even gum laced with cocaine, drew the line at alcohol, so fruit punch eventually became the kid-friendly drink we know today.

Island Rush goes well with so many tropical Kona flavors you know and love. Try it with Monster Mango, Coconut Lime, or Bahama Mama. Contrast it with another fruit flavor, like Strawberry Kiwi, Passion Fruit, or Ninja Cherry, or keep your palette blue and mix in Cotton Candy Blue, Blue Coconut, or Blue Raspberry.

Island Rush is even a game for iPhone, where players take Kona the Penguin across the island of GoobaJooba in a running, jumping obstacle course full of powerups. Not only is this game fun for everyone, but it also allows you to earn rewards like free ices and themed cups. It sounds like a new hobby for Kona aficionados!

Most Kona Ice flavors describe what you're getting, but Unicorn might be a head-scratcher if you just read the order board. We're here to tell you to go right ahead and order this one. Unicorn is a spellbinding mixture of papaya, orange, and vanilla. Sound magical? Kona thinks so, and there's no argument here.

If you are one of the many people unfamiliar with the taste of papaya, it's often described as similar to mango, melon, and peaches. Therefore, Unicorn's flavor profile is a better version of a creamsicle, delivering an extra shot of tropical zest to the creamy orange-vanilla treat.

Unicorn might be best enjoyed all on its own to taste the fusion of three flavors. If mixing flavors is your favorite part of ordering Kona, we'd recommend playing up the orange or vanilla notes rather than trying contrasting flavors. For extra vanilla creaminess, Unicorn would be perfect with Creme Brulee, Ice Cream, or French Vanilla. If orange is your happy place, go for Orange Ya Happy?, or maybe Orange Ginger to add a little zing. If you can't decide, Hawaiian Dreamsicle has both orange and vanilla. No matter the choice, you'll be enchanted by Unicorn as a single flavor or a combo.

Caribbean Cherry + is another offering in Kona's Vita-Blend line, sweetened with stevia and lower in calories than other Kona ices (the sugar-free varieties are the only Kona ices that are calorie-free). This flavor is enhanced with a type unfamiliar to most of us, the Acerola cherry, a tropical cherry that offers extra vitamin C and antioxidants.

Kona bills Caribbean Cherry + as a natural source of several B vitamins crucial to metabolism and cell repair, including thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. Of course, we probably won't count on Kona to provide the recommended RDA of vital nutrients, but every little bit helps. Certainly, fun foods with a nutritional boost are always welcome. Pairing Caribbean Cherry + with Pomegranate + or Blueberry Acai + will cover a broader spectrum of vitamins with outstanding flavor.

If sweet and sour combos appeal, try Cryin' Key Lime or Citrus Sour Swizzle along with Caribbean Cherry +, or add a spicy note with Mango Jalapeño, Strawberry Sriracha, or Raspberry Cayenne. Kona's devotion to appealing to adults (and the kids they supposedly come to the truck for) is another thing that sets this company apart.

Blue raspberry flavor has always been a bit of a mystery — after all, raspberries are red, or in the case of black raspberries (not to be confused with blackberries), black. It tastes like berries, just maybe more so. Kids love staining their mouths and tongues bright blue, and since the dazzling tropical hue isn't found in natural foods, blue raspberry flavor began with ICEEs and soon became a trend in candy and frozen treats like Kona Ice.

Blue Raspberry is one of Kona's most ordered flavors, with fans all over social media proclaiming it their favorite. Kids love it paired with either of Kona's cotton candy flavors (choose Blue, Pink, or both), and though that could be a bit much for adult palates, you can't argue with it as a shot of energy on a hot day.

Blue Raspberry with Passion Fruit, Cranberry Grape +, or Appletini might appeal to adults who want more sophistication along with their childhood favorite. Blue Raspberry is also excellent with the scoop of soft serve ice cream Kona will put at the bottom of your cup upon request if you're looking to add some richness, and if you're lucky, the ice cream might dilute the blue color to your mouth.