Double Scoop: The Top Ice Cream Flavor in Every State

There is no wrong way to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, except maybe forgetting to indulge in your favorite sweet treat; however, on this national day, comparing America’s favorite flavors is becoming the sweetest tradition of all.

Beach.com is back at it again with a fresh scoop on the ice cream flavors that Americans are craving most this year, with a look at how those tastes have shifted since last year. After once again analyzing four years of Google search data for 421 ice cream flavors across every U.S. state, this year’s results reveal a country that is slightly more decisive and slightly less fragmented.

Not only is Neapolitan America’s favorite ice cream flavor for the second year in a row, but its dominance also grew, finishing as the top flavor in 24 states, up 5 states from last year. Originally from Naples, Italy, the layered dessert called spumoni was brought to the U.S. in the 19th century, evolving from the chocolate, cherry and pistachio trifecta into the apparently unifying combination of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that we know today.

Additionally, America’s ice cream preferences became more decisive and less scattered this year. While last year the U.S. had nearly 40 state favorites, this year Americans are rallying around a much smaller group: 25 flavors, to be exact.

Below is a map of the most common #1-ranked flavors across the country. However, as was the case last year, many states have more than one #1 ranking flavor.

Perhaps the most notable shift this year is the not-so-subtle rise of peanut butter cup ice cream to second place nationally, taking a top spot in 10 states and replacing chocolate as last year’s runner-up. Pumpkin is also rising in popularity, taking a top spot in seven states, stretching across the country from Vermont to Hawaii.

Overall, there is a consolidation in favorite flavors, but not every state settled on a #1. Even though 26 states produced a clear-cut winner, six more than last year, two states still had a four-way tie for first. Those being Alaska and New York, with hard-to-pick-between flavors such as banana fudge, butter almond and salted caramel.

When we step back to look at the change in favorite ice cream flavors nationwide, Americans are leaning towards more classic flavors this year. However, a few unique flavors are building momentum.

Based on estimated search volume, Neapolitan, mango and vanilla flavors have the most Google searches since June 2022. Last year, blue moon, Neapolitan and strawberry shortcake held the top spots. Neapolitan replaces blue moon ice cream for #1 this year, further cementing its domination in this year’s results. The flavors with the most Google searches so far this year are also Neapolitan and mango. Neapolitan jumped from #2 to #1, and strawberry shortcake, which was #1 last year, fell off entirely.

Mango ice cream is also having a remarkable year, continuing its growth as one of America’s fastest-growing ice cream flavors. Alongside tiramisu and brown batter flavors, it saw the most growth in search volume over the past five years. Mango also had the most search growth last year, but tiramisu replaces Stracciatella for #2 this year, while brown batter holds strong at #3.

At the opposite end, tutti frutti, cannoli and Bailey’s Irish Cream saw the largest drop in searches over the past five years, supporting the pattern that niche favorites are giving way to ice cream flavors with broader appeal.

Altogether, this year’s results paint a picture of a country that is becoming more unified, at least in the world of ice cream. While regional specialties and novel flavors have not entirely fallen out of favor, they are shrinking against a growing appetite for classic flavors, such as Neapolitan and peanut butter cup.

No matter how you enjoy your favorite ice cream flavor, whether it’s a classic cone on the boardwalk or a cup of a local flavor favorite on the patio, ice cream has a knack for finding its way into our favorite summer memories. If you’re like many Americans, the best scoop is often the one found while traveling somewhere new, trying flavors you’ve never even heard of.

Beach.com offers a wealth of culinary travel inspiration beyond just dessert, including these under-the-radar Texas beach towns with perfect seaside menus and the eight foods you absolutely cannot miss for a New England beach trip. No matter what your favorite summer memories are this year, there’s a good chance it involves food, and maybe even your next favorite ice cream flavor too.

To find each state’s favorite ice cream flavor for the second year in a row, we repeated the same study from 2025. We used our compiled list of 421 unique flavors from top-selling U.S. brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen‑Dazs, Blue Bell and Breyers, among others. We then used Google Ads Keyword Planner to analyze search interest in each flavor across the 50 states (plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) from June 2022 through May 2026, including search volume, trends and recency.

Since Google provides search volume in binned estimates, we applied multiple tie-breaking methods using national-level search data, with a focus on more recent search volumes. We used the same composite scoring system from 2025 across eight metrics and ran several iterations with varying weights to identify consistent #1 flavors in each state. In cases of persistent ties, we prioritized flavors from fewer states to spotlight regional uniqueness.

Finally, we also used Google Trends data (via pytrends) from June 2021 to May 2026 to identify which flavors are gaining or losing popularity over time.

When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing Beach.com.