The best holiday ice cream flavors to scoop everywhere

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Malai's Winter Pint Pack features holiday ice cream favorites — Photo courtesy of Morgan Ione Water Goblets

The best holiday ice cream flavors to scoop everywhere

It’s that time of year when just about everything comes with a sprinkle of peppermint and cinnamon-spice, even ice cream. Artisanal ice cream makers across the country get in the spirit of the season with their holiday ice cream flavors, from the familiar gingerbread and eggnog to Sweet Noodle Kugel ice cream.

If you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas or Hanukkah gift, a cool way to celebrate Diwali, or just want a little something sweet for yourself, check out the fun and festive holiday ice cream flavors from 10 of the best ice cream makers in the country. And, yes, some can be delivered directly to your door!

Clementine's Vegan Sugar Cookie ice cream is a sweet way to celebrate the holidays — Photo courtesy of Clementine's Naughty & Nice Ice Cream

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Clementine's Naughty & Nice Creamery really takes its holiday ice cream lineup seriously. You won’t just find festive Christmas flavors on the holiday menu, but Hanukkah flavors that celebrate the season, too.

With flavors like Sweet Noodle Kugel, a cream-cheese ice cream studded with egg noodles, cinnamon, vanilla, and plump currants, or Sour Cream Apple Latke, sweet cream ice cream blended with latkes and sweet baked apples, your Festival of Lights celebration will be that much tastier this year.

Other seasonal ice cream flavors include a coconut-based vegan sugar cookie topped with gluten-free sprinkles; hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows mixed in; and a peppermint and dark chocolate nod to Sagittarius, the zodiac sign of anyone born between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Holiday ice cream flavors hit the market in late November. Pints are available for shipping in packs of four via the website.

Sugar Cookie and Hot Cocoa are just two of Dolcezza's holiday gelato flavors — Photo courtesy of Dolcezza Gelato

A favorite gelateria of Washington, D.C., Dolcezza Gelato already has a fantastic lineup of traditional and seasonally inspired gelatos. But the holiday ice cream flavors make even the coldest winter day festive and bright.

Look for unique flavors like Sugar Cookie Dough gelato with chocolate chips, Peppermint gelato with chocolate flakes, and Hot Cocoa gelato with mini marshmallows. You’ll find the holiday ice cream flavors at any of the Washington-area scoop shops; Sugar Cookie Dough and Hot Cocoa at Whole Foods Markets nationwide beginning December; or deliverable pints by the four pack via Goldbelly.

Holiday flavors from Il Laboratorio del Gelato include Chestnut and Eggnog — Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni

New York-based Il Laboratorio del Gelato has more gelato flavors than there are United Nations members, and founder Jon Snyder still finds time to integrate seasonal flavors into his holiday ice cream lineup.

Among the festive gelato flavors, you’ll find Chestnut, made with French chestnut puree, Eggnog, and Peppermint Stick studded with real candy cane pieces. Signature gift packs of four 20-ounce containers can be purchased online for $75, plus shipping and dry ice. You choose the flavors.

Jeni's ice cream flavors include Boozy Eggnog and White Chocolate Peppermint — Photo courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams already has a huge following for its exceptional flavor combinations. This holiday season there are five new Jeni’s ice cream flavors, including Buckeye Frenzy, a nod to founder Jeni Britton’s home state of Ohio, where peanut butter-buckeyes are a staple on every holiday cookie plate.

Other holiday ice cream flavors include White Chocolate Peppermint, a white chocolate ice cream with peppermint ribbons and flecks of white chocolate and sea salt; Boozy Eggnog; and Merry Berry, a brambleberry buttermilk ice cream with amaretti cookies and raspberry coulis.

All can be shipped nationwide (order online) and found in Jeni’s scoop shops, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and other national grocery chains.

Malai's Diwali-inspired ice creams celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights with lots of flavor — Photo courtesy of Morgan Ione

Brooklyn-based Malai creates stand-out flavors any time of year. But the artisanal ice cream maker knows how to celebrate the holidays, whether it’s Diwali, Christmas, or any other winter celebration.

New York's most unique ice cream spot created four Diwali flavors for the Hindu Festival of Lights. Flavors inspired by classic South Asian desserts, like kaju katli and peda, are available for nationwide shipping via Goldbelly.

Look for other holiday ice cream flavors like Toasted Nutmeg, plus Baklava, Red Chili Chocolate, and more. A Winter Pint Pack is available in greater New York area grocery stores through January. Extra sweet news: Red Chili Chocolate is available year-round!

Milk Bar knows Santa loves his holiday ice cream flavors — Photo courtesy of Milk Bar

Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar empire is synonymous with sweet, brightly colored desserts, from cookies to Thanksgiving pies and tiered cakes, all available at Milk Bar locations around the country, plus stores like Costco, Target, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.

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Among pints you’ll find in your local grocer’s freezers, Milk Bar’s holiday ice cream flavors include Candy Cane Cookies & Cream, a peppermint-flavored ice cream filled with sandwich cookie pieces and icing, and Gingerbread Latte, a blend of gingerbread ice cream with swirls of rich icing and cinnamon cookies.

Salt & Straw creates unique ice cream flavors for the holidays — Photo courtesy of Salt & Straw

The innovative Portland-based ice cream outfit Salt & Straw once again turns an entire Thanksgiving dinner into ice cream — yes, including turkey, stuffing, and cheesy potato casserole. In addition to the wackier (but don’t knock them until you try them) Thanksgiving holiday ice cream flavors, there are a few for more traditional tastes, like vegan Pumpkin & Gingersnap Pie ice cream.

The limited December holiday series features more straightforward flavors with a holiday twist, like an eggnog ice cream spiked with Teremana reposado tequila and amontillado sherry. If you prefer chocolate, check out the December series' Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough, which has raspberry jam swirled throughout.

You can order all the holiday packs for nationwide shipping via the Salt & Straw website.

Tipsy Scoop's boozy holiday ice cream flavors are one way to toast the season — Photo courtesy of Tipsy Scoop

With a name like Tipsy Scoop, you know your ice cream is about to get boozy. NYC's go-to ice cream “barlour,” Tipsy Scoop collaborates with spirits companies for flavors like Spiked Mint Chip ice cream or Raspberry Limoncello sorbet. The alcohol content is 5%, so, yes, this ice cream is for 21-and-over eaters only.

For its holiday ice cream flavors, you’ll find Tipsy Oreo Old Fashioned, a twist on cookies-and-cream ice cream infused with whiskey and chunks of Oreos; Mrs. Clausmo-politan sorbet, a tangy cranberry and vodka treat; and Coquito Dulce de Leche, infused with spiced rum.

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The holiday packs of four are available via Goldbelly for $99.95 with free shipping. For a limited time, select pints will be available at grocery stores in most states, including Alaska.

Peppermint Bark ice cream from Sugar Hill Creamery is always a winner — Photo courtesy of Evi Abeler and Sugar Hill Creamery

Known for small-batch, locally spun ice cream, Harlem-based Sugar Hill Creamery will roll out three Thanksgiving holiday ice cream flavors in the form of ice cream pies. For Christmas, you’ll find Peppermint Bark ice cream — in cake and pint form — and a coconut-based coquito ice cream, a take on Puerto Rican eggnog.

Both ice cream flavors will be available for nationwide shipping between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Van Leeuwen's Peppermint Stick ice cream is back for the holidays — Photo courtesy of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

Van Leeuwen's holiday favorite, Peppermint Stick, is back for the holidays and will be available in grocery stores the day after Thanksgiving. Red candy cane pieces permeate the pink ice cream, which gets its color from red beet concentrate. (Don’t worry, there's no earthy beet flavor.)

If Van Leeuwen is your go-to brand and you don't want to wait until Black Friday, Peppermint Stick is already available in Walmart locations nationwide.

Brian enjoys exploring cities along public transit lines and writing about it at his blog, imayroam.com. He also writes about food tours, layovers, and exploring movie and musical landmarks. Brian has traveled to 57 countries as well as every state. On weekends, he leads music and film-focused tours of New York City. His five-star rated Goodfellas Tour has been featured in Airbnb Magazine. Always happy to offer tips to aspiring travel writers and tour guides, Brian has been featured at the New York Times Travel Show as part of their Meet the Experts panel.