America’s favorite after-dinner snack could be moving out of its rut this year with new textures and ease of consumption. From new flavors and superfoods to licensing deals, ice cream is about to get exciting.

Check Out Our 5 Trends to Watch in 2024 Featuring Ice Cream:

1. Vanilla Reigns Supreme

Pure Vanilla Extract (PVE) is preferred by 46% of consumers when it comes to taste, but Natural Vanilla Flavors is preferred over PVE on packaging for sweet treats (45% vs 34% of consumers surveyed).

2. Snackification

New textures and ease of consumption are taking ice cream out of the “after dinner” rut. Novelties are transforming the segment by introducing butter cookie cones, waffle ice cream sandwiches, even one that looks like a chicken with crushed corn flakes on the outside!

3. Licensing Gone Wild

With collaborations like Hershey and Unilever for Reese’s bar or Haagen Dazs and Biscoff ice cream, licensing with confection, bakery and beverage brands provides consumers comfort and excitement in the same tasty treat.

4. Savory and Salty Flavors

The category has been dominated by sweet flavors for decades, but as brands look for unique flavor innovation that pushes boundaries for adventurous consumers, savory, salty and combinations of sweet and savory will be more present in frozen desserts and ice cream.

5. Frozen Superfood

Healthy claims are not widely used in ice cream or frozen desserts, but companies such as Glow Superfoods are standing out by adding ingredients and functionalities that enable their products to target consumers looking for a healthy yet indulgent frozen dessert.

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