July is National Ice Cream Month and we can’t let the month slip by without celebrating one of America’s favorite frozen treats!
Whether you enjoy a classic cone, a loaded sundae, or your favorite flavor straight from the carton, ice cream is a summertime tradition and year-round treat. Let’s take a look at how this sweet celebration began and a few fun facts from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) you may or may not know.
š Why Is July National Ice Cream Month?
On July 9, 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and designated the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day (check out our video!). In his proclamation, President Reagan recognized ice cream as a nutritious and wholesome food enjoyed by more than 90 percent of Americans at the time. He encouraged people across the country to celebrate the occasion.
The tradition continues each July with ice cream shops, manufacturers, and families celebrating America’s love of this frozen favorite.
š¦Fun Ice Cream Facts
Here are a few fun facts about ice cream:
– In 2025, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out 1.23 billion gallons of ice cream.
– The average American eats roughly 18 pounds of ice cream each year, or about 4 gallons.
– The majority of U.S. ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers have been in business for more than 50 years and many are still family-owned businesses.
– Most ice cream is produced between March and July, with July being the busiest production month.
š¦Favorite Flavors
According to a 2026 IDFA/Morning Consult survey about ice cream, these are Americaās top 10 favorite ice cream flavors:
Chocolate
Butter Pecan
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream/Oreo
Caramel/Salted Caramel
Brownie
Chocolate Chip
Cookie Dough
Birthday Cake
Mint Chocolate Chip
Hot fudge was the top ice cream topping at 31%. Whipped cream was the second most popular topping at 27%, followed by caramel sauce at 21% and chocolate sauce at 18%.
From classic favorites to creative flavors featuring cookies, candy, fruit, and spices, there’s an ice cream (and topping) for just about every taste!
What’s your go-to ice cream flavor? Let me know in the comments!
š NCP Panel Member Reminder
The summer months can be a busy time for many. Please remember to scan and report all your weekly purchases, including ice cream! We appreciate the extra effort to make sure every purchase counts, every week and every season throughout the year. Thank you!
National Ice Cream Month is the perfect excuse to cool off with a sweet treat. So grab a scoop of your favorite flavor and join the celebration!
Regards,
Taylor
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Moose Tracks, Rocky Road, Cookie Dough, or Mint Chocolate Chip – those are all my absolute favorite picks! But, I am also a huge fan of milkshakes! Preferably strawberry milkshakes, or the (Sonic) New York Cheese Cake *or* Cheese Cake Milkshake! The one you can get at sonic even has whip cream, then Cheese Cake crumbles, and finally a cherry on top! It’s so amazingly good. But, there’s nothing like a good ol’ strawberry milkshake. Now Dairy Queen’s Ultimate Brownie/chocolate Blizzard is fire tasting as well. š
I used to be a big ice cream partaker growing up, maybe because it wasnāt something Mom & Dad kept constantly in the house. There were a total of 7 of us and Mom would buy the 2.5 gallon bucket at the beginning of each month. When that was gone, we didnāt get anymore until the beginning of the next month. With 4 other siblings (including an older brother who could put away some ice cream) plus my dad, (who also could put away some ice cream), if you didnāt eat it while it was there, you didnāt get any. I love chocolate ice cream, but nowadays Iām lactose intolerant, so no ice cream for me. I stick with popsicles and/or, occasionally frozen yogurt.
My favorite ice creams is Strawberry and Root Beer Float! But if I see Butter Pecan and Cookies n Cream I say yum yum too!!!
Vanilla ice cream is my favorite
Strawberry is my husbandās favorite, but I too am a fan of Mocha Almond Fudge!
banana split flavor for me and vanilla for my husband.
Oh I love banana split flavors myself!!
Hey Taylor!!!! I was told to say hi āŗļø
Store brand chocolate 100%. Itās the only ice cream for me.
Coffee soooo good!!
Rocky Road š¦
Even though Iām a chocolate lover, my favorite ice cream is Vanilla Almond Chip
Mocha almond fudge
My grandmother (Babci) loved maple walnut ice cream and would make ice cream floats with ginger ale.
Chocolate
I LOVE some of the flavors of Gelato especially if it has coffee or mocha. I wish Aldi would keep some year round that are seasonal.
My go to is vanilla because you can add what you want for variety. But the best ice cream I’ve ever had was Edy’s Strawberry Cheesecake…but is no longer available. š