15 Vintage Ice Cream Flavors That Ruled The '70s

Nowadays, it feels like strange ice cream flavors are being released each month. The frozen aisles in grocery stores are always stocked with a seemingly endless amount of ice cream cartons, and ice cream parlors come up with all kinds of enticing gimmicks each spring. It's hard to grasp the fact that some ice cream flavors used to be all the rage decades ago, but now they're extremely hard to find, even amidst all this abundance.

Folks who were chowing down on sundaes and cones during the '70s have so many fond memories of simple yet mind-blowingly delicious ice cream flavors. Some have stood the test of time and are still beloved today, while others can only be found in specialty shops or churned at home.

From Baskin-Robbins to ice cream trucks and fun grocery store finds, folks never had to wander far to satisfy their sweet tooths when that craving struck. Read on to learn about the sweet history of vintage ice cream flavors to see if you're already a fan or if you think any flavors deserve a big comeback.

What's your go-to Blizzard order at Dairy Queen? Of course, any ranking of Dairy Queen's most popular Blizzard flavors is going to be subjective, but many of us can get down with some toffee in a Heath Blizzard now and then. The sweet-and-salty taste paired with the creamy and crunchy textures is delightful. If you're a fan of toffee, then there's no doubt that you'd also love Butter Brickle ice cream, which folks couldn't gobble enough of back in the '70s.

Like Heath, Butter Brickle was a standalone candy that debuted in the 1920s. Shortly after it was invented, people leaped at the opportunity to add it to their ice cream. By the '70s, people were buying loads of Butter Brickle all mixed up and ready to enjoy. Tragically enough, though, this decade is also when the founding company of Butter Brickle liquidated. Leaf, Inc., which created Heath candy, snatched up the formula. Perhaps the Heath recipe was tweaked to chase the stardom of Butter Brickle, or maybe Leaf, Inc. saw a unique opportunity to prevent future competition. While Butter Brickle is no longer mainstream, some businesses, like Braum's, keep the memory alive by selling a rendition of it.

With an impressive name like Heavenly Hash, it's no wonder that Americans couldn't wait to shovel this ice cream into their mouths. The ice cream starts with a luscious chocolate base. Gooey ribbons of marshmallow creme are swirled into the ice cream, along with chunks of chocolate and chopped roasted almonds. As you may have already noticed, Heavenly Hash has a lot in common with modern Rocky Road ice cream. The major difference is that Rocky Road usually uses mini marshmallows instead of creme. Heavenly Hash may no longer be a household name, but at least its sibling is.

It's also worth noting that there's a vintage fruit salad that shares the name. The flavor profile is quite similar to ambrosia salad. Although the ice cream flavor doesn't contain any fruits, maybe the namesake comes from this salad recipe including some crossover ingredients, such as nuts, mini marshmallows, and chocolate.

One of Americans' silliest pastimes is teasing the British about their food. However, we have to thank a British culinary student named Marilynn Ricketts for her simple yet delightfully refreshing invention of folding chocolate chips into ice cream infused with mint. As the winner of a 1973 contest, she had the honor of serving her ice cream at Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips' wedding. Anything that was good enough to be served to royalty certainly raised international intrigue, and mint ice cream flooded the American market shortly thereafter.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream is still one of the most widely available vintage ice cream flavors on the market today, but it's quite polarizing. Many adore the tingly freshness of mint, while others can't stop thinking about toothpaste. Even haters have to give this flavor some credit for being complex, though. The dark chocolate chips are bitter and crunchy, the mint zaps your taste buds to life, and the cold, creamy, sweet ice cream base immediately soothes you. Indulging in a scoop of mint ice cream after dinner can also help dull any funky breath smells, which can be a lifesaver for onion and garlic lovers.

A huge staple in the ice cream world back in the '70s was pistachio. Blending this nut into the ice cream base created magic. It instantly became much richer and butterier. If roasted and salted pistachios were used, the flavor could be even more complex and addictive. The best part was crunching into little bits of chopped pistachios for some fun texture.

Over time, pistachio ice cream fell out of favor, perhaps because it was associated with being "old-fashioned" or perhaps too simple. With so many flashy flavors entering the scene, choosing a "boring" flavor like pistachio might get you teased. With this dip in demand, pistachio ice cream slowly disappeared from many grocery stores. The good news is that some brands never lost hope, like Talenti Gelato. Pistachio fans could always get their fix even if their selection was nowhere near as grand as before.

One of the most ridiculous food trends of 2026 so far is turning everything into Dubai chocolate. It's true that there have always been pistachio lovers around, but this trend introduced a lot of people to the humble nut. As of now, pistachio ice cream purists may scoff at the addition of chocolate, but this trend means that good old-fashioned pistachio ice cream could become popular again.

Most would agree that a pumpkin spice latte is the it-girl of fall. This wasn't always the case, though, since the drink was introduced to the world in the 2000s. Before then, people relied on other fall flavors to feel cozy, even in cold ice cream. This frozen treat is so delicious that people crave it no matter how chilly it is outside.

Two autumnal ingredients that made their way into ice cream are maple and walnut, and the pairing became iconic. Toasty, crunchy walnuts and sweet maple syrup came together to form a flavor that's hard to stop eating after just one scoop.

You may be hard-pressed to find this flavor in grocery stores, but there are ice cream shops that still make it. Eddie's Sweet Shop — an NYC ice cream shop that's a blast from the past – serves all kinds of vintage goodness including maple walnut, butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, and more. If you want to go out on a foodie adventure that the entire family will love, you can hunt for a mom-and-pop ice cream shop that helps preserve the vintage flavors that grandma and grandpa remember fondly.

Not only is tutti frutti fun to say, but it's also fun to eat if you're a fruit lover. The musical name is actually Italian, and the direct translation is all fruits. As you can guess, this ice cream flavor is packed to the gills with a variety of fruits. Some ice cream makers fold chopped nuts in as well. What makes tutti frutti special is that the fruits are preserved, which gives them a more unique texture and taste. Classic recipes preserved the chopped fruits in brandy (until Prohibition came around in 1920), but some ice cream recipes include candied fruits.

No matter which preservation method was used, tutti frutti was a brilliant way for ice cream makers to create summery flavors any time of the year. Folks who tended their own gardens made tutti frutti preserves in jars to make sure nothing went to waste. In addition to ice cream, cakes, pies, and puddings were also popular tutti frutti desserts.

Tutti frutti has been fighting an old-fashioned reputation for many years, so it's interesting to track its highs and lows. Since tutti frutti ice cream still has its fans, however, it's possible it could come back into style again in the future.

If you ask a random person if they enjoy raisins, chances are high that they'll either be lukewarm or passionately against this dried fruit. Our palates have come to expect outrageously sweet and synthetic flavors, so the natural sweetness of a raisin isn't as widely appealing as it once was. In addition, the leathery, crinkly texture can be a nightmare for some. Don't even mention the trauma of excitedly biting a chocolate chip cookie only to realize it's filled with raisins instead. Needless to say, raisins are quite polarizing.

The '70s were an entirely different ballgame, though. Rum raisin ice cream was the crème de la crème. Its luxurious status is due to its Italian roots. Italians invented what we now know as rum raisin ice cream by folding expensive Málaga raisins soaked in Marsala wine into dreamy vanilla gelato. Once Americans caught wind of this in the 1930s, ice cream shops began offering it as the new, must-try flavor. To cut costs, they used locally produced raisins and rum. Rum raisin was cherished for many decades, but too many people have been burned by raisins in recent years to give this flavor a chance.

No vintage ice cream flavors list would be complete without some ice cream truck staples. Kids born throughout many decades can all agree that hearing the ice cream truck song in the distance was one of the most thrilling experiences. You had to sprint to your piggy bank or beg your parents for some change and burst through the door in the hopes that you wouldn't miss your chance to buy a treat. For '70s kids, one popular choice was Screwball.

The base of a Screwball was slushed ice, so it was refreshing and hydrating in the summer heat. The most well-known flavor's cherry, but people could also buy blue raspberry. The whimsical surprise at the bottom was a gum ball. If you bought the Two-Ball Screwball, you'd be treated to two gum balls.

Screwball, in addition to dozens of other ice cream truck specialties, was produced by Good Humor. Part of the untold truth of ice cream trucks is that Good Humor was an industry trailblazer that delighted kids since the 1920s. The company mastered the art of neighborhood ice cream distribution in trucks. While Screwball is retired now, the good news is that we still have plenty of other iconic Good Humor treats to savor, like the Strawberry Shortcake Bar.

Butter pecan ice cream proves that sometimes the simplest ingredients yield the most unforgettable results. This flavor will forever be iconic, even if it's not quite as popular nowadays, simply because it took an already rich dessert and made it even more decadent. By incorporating butter and buttery pecans into a creamy vanilla base, one taste could make you look at ice cream entirely differently.

Although butter pecan was all the rage during the '70s, this sweet, rich flavor has roots all the way back to the 1800s in the South. Black enslaved folks revolutionized the way we cultivate all kinds of important crops, like vanilla and pecans, and their methods are still used today. Butter pecan ice cream quietly became a favorite across plantations, and once Black folks were emancipated, it was shared joyfully at church gatherings and cookouts. As their delectable creation spread, big ice cream brands like Baskin-Robbins and Häagen-Dazs made this flavor available nationwide.

Neapolitan ice cream was invented to bring ice cream lovers even more joy. Three flavors for the price of one sounds like the best deal. However, those big tubs that are sold at grocery stores have long been the source of family chaos, even today. Unsuspecting household members get excited for a sweet treat, only to open the lid and discover that one or two flavors are entirely gone. The whole point was to enjoy all three at the same time, and having one flavor forced upon you is a devastating blow. In many households, vanilla and chocolate were devoured, while strawberry was left behind like a cruel consolation prize.

Back in the '70s, Hershey's used to sell individually wrapped bricks of Neapolitan ice cream, along with flat waffle cones shaped like the bricks to create ice cream sandwiches. Many folks online talk about their nostalgia for this treat and how it's disappointing that these convenient products no longer exist.

It's hard to deny that people have always loved a good trend. Salted caramel mochi from Trader Joe's is one of the biggest ice cream trends in 2026, and it's exciting to imagine what next year has in store for us. If you jump all the way back to 1970, the biggest ice cream trend happened to be bubblegum ice cream. Baskin-Robbins created this whimsical dessert, and ice cream fans across America flocked to its stores to try it.

Bubblegum ice cream was such a huge hit because Americans were already hooked on bubblegum. The iconic pink bubblegum that we know and love today was first invented in 1928, and it became an overnight success. What you may not know is that the only reason it's pink is that this was the only dye available in the factory, so who knows if purple, green, or red would've been as popular. Once Baskin-Robbins invented its Pink Bubblegum flavor several decades later, of course the ice cream had to be bright pink. It's a whimsical flavor because there are also plenty of candy-coated bubblegum bits folded into the ice cream.

One Reddit user asked the r/icecream community if anyone remembered the Lemon Chiffon bars sold by Good Humor ice cream trucks in the '70s. Not many folks replied on this thread, but another user found evidence that Good Humor used to have more weekly specials that included a Lemon Chiffon flavor. This elusive bar was apparently good enough to warrant copycats sold at the grocery store. The Good Humor bar and copycats had a crumbly graham-cracker-like coating, and creamy, tart lemon ice cream was beneath. It was the perfect summer treat.

It's worth noting that lemon ice cream in general used to be consumed much more in the past. Sure, lemon sorbet is available nowadays, but it can't compete with rich ice cream. The flavor may be too simple for the modern palate, but it deserves a comeback. It could be the perfect refresher after dinner because it's zippy and creamy without feeling overly indulgent.

People have been enjoying coffee for centuries because it was a simple habit that could perk them up for hours. It makes sense that we've been tinkering with coffee recipes ever since so we can unlock more fun ways to get caffeinated. Interestingly enough, Baskin-Robbins unveiled its famous Jamoca Almond Fudge flavor in 1959, and its appeal held steadily throughout the '70s. Not only does this ice cream have a tasty coffee flavor, but it also contains crispy chunks of roasted almond and dreamy fudge swirls. Anyone who's tried coffee and chocolate together knows that they're a match made in heaven.

Ice cream coffee in general is a brilliant concept. Most folks enjoy splashing some cream and sugar into their drink anyway, so why not freeze these ingredients? Unlike so many other flavors on this list, Jamoca Almond Fudge is still quite relevant, despite competing against  the other flavors available in Baskin-Robbins' stores. According to a survey published by the brand, Jamoca Almond Fudge came in second place when fans were asked about the flavor that makes them the happiest.

Folks who grew up in New England or visited during the dreamy summer season likely gorged themselves on black raspberry ice cream in the '70s. While chains like Baskin-Robbins were all the rage even back then, mom-and-pop ice cream shops were also widespread. To separate themselves from the competition, owners would often experiment with flavors to help draw in larger crowds. Funnily enough, black raspberry started as a rare flavor, and it became so sought after that basically every ice cream shop sold it. Black raspberries were in season during peak ice cream cravings, so the pairing made perfect sense.

Magazines also printed recipes for this flavor that's bursting with summery goodness that people still use today in their own kitchens. This likely helped spread the flavor around the country. If you ever find an ultra delectable batch of black raspberries, you may want to try whipping up some homemade ice cream.

In our ranking of 30 of the best ice cream flavors, it comes as no surprise that cookies 'n cream scores high. Oreo has done a lot of marketing to earn the title of America's favorite cookie, so it makes sense that we're always on the hunt for new ways to enjoy them. Cookies 'n cream ice cream is a wildly popular ice cream flavor today, and you may be surprised to learn that it was invented in 1979 in a surprising place: South Dakota State University. Two dairy science students named Joe Leedom and Joe Van Treeck teamed up with a local dairy plant manager named Shirley Seas to make the ice cream we still adore today.

This story, like so many other iconic food inventions, doesn't come without drama, though. Such an iconic ice cream flavor has plenty of other ice cream brands claiming that their teams invented it first. The university students never patented the ice cream, which is something they've come to regret. Still, thanks to their genius, we can all enjoy two beloved American treats together. Vanilla ice cream speckled with crushed Oreo cookies never fails to delight, especially when you're lucky enough to find a glorious chunk of cookie.