You really can’t go wrong with a good ice cream. The world is seemingly at your fingertips in terms of flavor and toppings, not to mention all the cone varieties. But the world is a big place full of delicacies most people have never heard of, including variations of this sweet treat. Here are 10 ice cream flavors you’d probably never try and 10 that are classic staples.

1. Wasabi Ice Cream

Wasabi is polarizing enough, let alone the main ingredient for ice cream. But if you’re ever in Japan, this distinct dessert is all the buzz. Adventurous eaters can indulge in both a spicy kick and ice cream’s traditional sweetness. 

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2. Durian Fruit Ice Cream

This common delicacy from Southeast Asia might be too big a challenge for those with sensitive noses. Durian packs an intense flavor but an even stronger smell, one that’s been compared to sewage or rotting onions. Not exactly an appetizing scent.

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3. Mayo Ice Cream

There’s nothing wrong with mayonnaise on a sandwich, but having it as ice cream is too far! Scotland unveiled this concoction back in 2018 and it split the public then—but we’re still giving this one a pass.

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4. Lavender Ice Cream

A waft of lavender on a warm spring day is where the buck stops for us. But in France, it’s not uncommon to infuse lavender buds into ice cream—and you either love it or hate it. 

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5. Crocodile Egg Ice Cream

Should you ever travel to the Philippines, you can grab this odd delicacy. Made with crocodile eggs specifically to enhance the ice cream’s texture, it’s said to have no effect on the taste, but you may still have a hard time getting over the uncommon ingredient.

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6. Avocado Ice Cream

Traditionally found in Mexico, avocado ice cream might not be popular with everyone. With avocado already scaring enough people away, the idea of it mixed with fresh lime or lemon juice could prove too much for some.

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7. Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream

A little drizzle over a salad, a nice glaze on a chicken breast…totally fine. But ice cream topped with balsamic vinegar is where we draw the line. Commonly eaten in Italy, this treat consists of drizzling balsamic over vanilla ice cream, and it’s a surprising combo people swear by.

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8. Cheese Ice Cream

We all love cheese, but fusing it with ice cream may be a stretch. Most commonly found in the Phillippines, cheddar cheese is often used to give this traditional dessert a sharp twist.

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9. Matcha Ice Cream

Some live for matcha, others pay it no mind, and such a divide could spell trouble for matcha ice cream. Another flavor found in Japan, it’s blended with green tea ice cream and is widely sought after. But pending your matcha views, this will either be delicious or much too bitter. 

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10. Guinness Ice Cream

Anyone who’s been to Ireland knows how popular Guinness is, but not everyone is aware of its ice cream. That’s right, this little treat uses vanilla ice cream as its base and has been described as both sweet and bitter. 

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With some of the weird ones out of the way, here are 10 classic ice cream flavors we can’t get enough of.

1. Vanilla

Say what you want about vanilla ice cream, but it’s pretty much the perfect blank canvas. You can add whatever delicious toppings you want or just indulge in a classic flavor. Either way, there’s no going wrong.

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2. Mint Chocolate Chip

A light, refreshing flavor paired with the sweetness of chocolate chunks? It’s no wonder this duo is such a staple in freezers worldwide. 

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3. Strawberry

It’s hard not to love everything strawberry offers. Whether blended to perfection or loaded with strawberry bits, this has been a long-standing favorite among ice cream lovers for decades, and we consider ourselves one of them.

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4. Cookie Dough

Okay, eating raw cookie dough isn’t a good (or safe) idea, but thankfully the same rule doesn’t apply to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. You get the best of both worlds in one bowl, too, so it’s hard to complain.

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5. Birthday Cake

Birthdays, cake, and ice cream are all standard crowd-pleasers—and combining them into one flavor gets mouths watering everywhere. In this case, too much of a good thing is still a good thing.

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6. Chocolate

Who doesn’t love chocolate? No matter how you consume it, chocolate ice cream is just another way to indulge in one of life’s greatest pleasures.

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7. Buttered Pecan

A good bowl of ice cream is somehow made even better with crunchy bits to nibble on. The satisfying crunch of a pecan amid all that rich cream? Count us, and plenty of others, in.

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8. Neopolitan

The perfect ice cream for those who just can’t make up their minds. But to be fair, it’s hard to choose between chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.

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9. Moose Tracks

Do you know what’s better than a bit of chocolate? A lot of it, and that’s exactly what Moose Tracks delivers. Vanilla ice cream loaded with peanut butter cups and fudge is a delicacy one hardly passes on.

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10. Cookies and Cream

Remember how we said vanilla is a perfect canvas? Cookies and cream ice cream proves that theory right. Crumbled cookie bits loaded into a classic flavor everyone already loves? Perfection.

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