15 Discontinued Ice Creams We May Never See Again

Whether ice cream is a summer afternoon treat or an after dinner must, we all have our favorites that make dessert extra special. As more companies expand their flavor selection to include tongue-in-cheek humor, moments of pop culture relevance, and even partnerships with other brands, some of their ice cream varieties have to be discontinued to make room for the next great thing. And some flavors (we see you, bubble gum) are just a little too niche to justify continued production — while others were always meant to be short-lived.

Many dozens of delicious picks have been removed from circulation, but there are a select few that it's hard to believe didn't find enough of a foothold to keep going. From iconic popsicles that many still associate with their '80s and '90s childhood to promotional flavors that quickly gained cult followings before petering out into extinction, here are some ice cream flavors that you might not ever see again.

The list kicks off with a rhyming favorite that delighted ice cream truck patrons and bodega customers across the United States for nearly 40 years. A waffle cone wrapped around ice cream to resemble a taco shell and dipped in chocolate and nuts, the Choco Taco was invented in Philadelphia in 1983 and quickly found a foothold in mobile food vendors. By the mid-1990s, it was available for purchase in various grocery store chains. Eventually, the Choco Taco was introduced to markets in Italy and Sweden, evolved to include a cookies and cream version, and was even available to buy in some Taco Bell locations.

Unfortunately, Klondike announced in July of 2022 that the Choco Taco would be discontinued so that the company could focus its attention on consumer interests in other areas. On a personal note, the loss of this iconic summertime dessert is the one I take the hardest. Many a childhood afternoon at the local pool found me paying a dollar for one of these at the snack shack during a break from lifeguarding.

Bubble gum may be a controversial flavor, but for a time, Bubble Gum Swirl ice pops (sometimes also called "Cotton Candy Swirl") were a treasured must that ice cream vendors made sure to keep stocked when making their summer afternoon trips around the neighborhood. With a vibrant blue and pink color palette swirled in a pattern that more closely resembled tiger stripes than candy stripes, this was easily one of the more recognizable frozen snack of its time, even if it only had a few devoted fans.

That said, the company recognizes what a strong impression these brightly hued treats left on its clientele, so Popsicle offers up a request form on its website to ascertain whether or not Bubble Gum Swirl (along with other discontinued favorites, like Candy Center Crunch and Vampire's Deadly Secret) is worth bringing back.

While a version of this delightfully homey ice cream flavor was originally invented in 1976, the one that Baskin Robbins lovers remember with fondness was reintroduced in 2006. The widely beloved ice cream manufacturer has since tried out other apple pie flavor options, such as Inside Out Apple Pie and Apple Cider Donut, but true fans will never forget the pieces of perfectly baked pie crust, the cinnamon-flavored caramel ribbons, and the real chunks of apple that made A La Mode special.

Although this pie-inspired flavor had reasonable success, it quickly went into the "Deep Freeze" of flavorful favorites, never to be seen in stores again. Baskin Robbins' "Deep Freeze" of discontinued flavors also includes Boston Creme Pie, Fluffernut, and Root Beer Float. None of these (Apple Pie A La Mode included) have seen the light of day since the company's short-lived "Big Thaw" event in 2013 that invited customers to vote for temporary revivals of their favorite discontinued flavors — but no such event seems to have taken place since.

Imagine a red velvet cake flavored ice cream swirled with cream cheese frosting flavored ice cream, all scattered with chunks of real red velvet cake throughout. I have no idea how something that sounds so phenomenally delicious could ever be put on the chopping block, but Blue Bunny's too-quick run of Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake ice cream is not coming back to supermarket shelves ever again.

During a promotional campaign in which Blue Bunny partnered with Duff Goldman, the famed Food Network personality and proprietor of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, this cake-inspired ice cream was launched in 2011 to great fanfare and general appeal from ice cream fanatics and Goldman fans alike. The flavor was not widely available, however, having only been sold in a limited number of stores nationwide. The promotion only lasted about a year before Blue Bunny retired the flavor along with its other partnership flavors with Goldman, like I Do I Do Wedding Cake and Chocolate Lovers Triple Chocolate Cake. 

Vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and the whole thing rolled in tiny rainbow-colored sprinkles? It's hard to imagine an easier recipe for widespread popularity, but Popsicle discontinued this crunchy fan favorite in the early 2000s after nearly 10 years of production throughout the '90s. In spite of many online pleas to bring back the Sprinklers bar – even a petition begging for a return – it doesn't look like this one will make a comeback.

Similarly sprinkle-coated Popsicle Micro Pops also have a crowd of online devotees awaiting their return, but that doesn't look likely either. "A necessary but unfortunate part of this is we sometimes must discontinue products in order to ensure we can offer customers the best variety of treats nationwide," said a spokesperson for the brand. In the meantime, Popsicle lovers will just have to content themselves with the tried and true Spider-Man Character Pop. 

Dreyer's/Edy's introduced their line of frozen custards in 2015, but sadly, they only lasted on shelves for about a year before trickling into nonexistence. While the company has never offered an official statement regarding why this widely enjoyed and highly reviewed variation didn't stick around, Dreyer's/Edy's did seem to direct their focus toward their incredibly successful Slow Churned line, which now boasts 13 popular flavors from Mint Chocolate Chip to Double Fudge Brownie.

While the frozen custards were still in circulation, the Old Fashioned Vanilla and Chocolate Malt gained serious footholds in spite of some mild criticism that neither flavor was exactly a risk. Leaning into traditional dessert flavors, though, did seem to attract attention for a time. It's hard to say no to a Snickerdoodle frozen custard, after all, while Peanut Butter Pie and Salted Caramel Pretzel drew on Dreyer's/Edy's long history of adding chunks of sweets into their ice creams. The Mint Cookies 'N Cream frozen custard combined two longtime sellers, mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream, which sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, none of the above flavors are available in stores.

Starbucks ice cream seems like an easy win, right? With the coffee giant's penchant for sugary sweet Frappuccino recipes, coming out with a caffeine-friendly ice cream feels like a natural next step. Originally introduced via a partnership with Dreyer's/Edy's in 1996, Starbucks Java Chip ice cream went to Unilever in 2009 when Dreyer's/Edy's was looking to overhaul their selection of offerings. With this switch came more cafe-inspired ice cream goodies: Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino, Coffee, and the newly formulated Java Chip Frappuccino.

In spite of a seasonal push with a limited edition Peppermint Mocha ice cream flavor in 2010, Starbucks quit the ice cream game for good in 2013, and Java Chip hasn't been seen in stores since, preferring instead to focus on their bakery selection. The closest you'll get is to order the Java Chip Frappuccino itself — and add a scoop of ice cream to it!

Another ice cream inspired by a classic homemade pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ice cream from Turkey Hill featured strawberry ice cream packed with swirls of strawberry and rhubarb alongside chunks of crumbly shortbread cookie. Originally available from 1996 to 2001, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ice cream was briefly considered for a return to Turkey Hill's lineup during their 2017 Ultimate Flavor Tournament. However, it was up against 31 other discontinued flavors in the Turkey Hill ice cream vault and eventually lost to Caramel Brownie Overload after 13 weeks of deliberation and thousands of customer votes. 

While you won't be able to find Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ice cream in stores anymore, the Turkey Hill Ice Cream Experience in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania does offer a "make your own flavor" workshop in their Taste Lab that will give you a shot at trying to recreate it. Pro tip: You may need to bring your own rhubarb!

Trader Joe's has long been known for rotating new products in and out of their stores based on seasonality and demand, but how in the world did this delectable gelato ever get the boot? Launched in 2014, their Salted Caramel Gelato didn't last long and was officially discontinued less than two years after its introduction to stores. 

The closest you will get in Trader Joe's locations today is their Hold the Dairy Mini Frozen Dessert Cones in Salted Caramel, but many customers say that it's not an exact comparison — the non-dairy cone version is rice milk based. Other alternatives include their French Vanilla ice cream drizzled in Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce or topped with crumbled Caramel Palmiers. If it's a real Trader Joe's gelato you're after, though, a Strawberries & Cream flavor is available in stores nationwide. 

While there are more than a few alcohol-inspired ice cream flavors available, Bailey's Irish Cream seems like such a natural dessert flavor that Häagen-Dazs' choice to discontinue it seems like a real head scratcher. The closest substitution is another, more recent Häagen-Dazs flavor: Irish Cream Brownie. The flavors of whiskey, coffee, and cocoa are all very much represented, just as they were in the original Baileys ice cream release, but with the addition of decadent chunks of real fudge brownie and swirls of chocolate sauce throughout. 

Bailey's Irish Cream wasn't the only Häagen-Dazs ice cream to be retired by the brand, though. Crème Brulée and Peanut Butter Salted Fudge were also removed from production after somewhat limited runs to make room for other Häagen-Dazs innovations such as their Black and White Cookie ice cream, Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle, and their selections of ice cream bars and pre-made cones. 

Though perhaps not quite as widely popular as their very similar counterpart Almond Joy, Mounds candy bars enjoyed a fairly successful launch of ice cream bars in 2012 only to be swiftly discontinued just three years later. Funnily enough, Almond Joy never received a signature ice cream treat of their own, though many ice cream brands have tried to recreate the balance of coconut, almonds, and milk chocolate.

The combination of light and sweet coconut ice cream dunked in rich dark chocolate for a larger and colder version of the Mounds chocolate bar made for a somewhat niche flavor that did not sell as successfully as expected. In addition to this, the bar form of the treat meant that it melted a bit faster than competitive desserts that were served on a popsicle stick. While the original Mounds candy bars are still stocked in stores, their ice cream variation is gone for good.

Talenti's easy to reuse clear plastic tubs that show off swirls of gelato layered with toppings and other treats have made them an eye-catching addition to the freezer section of many supermarkets for years. Their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie combo, however, just didn't seem to spark the interest some other Talenti creations did. Real chunks of oatmeal cookie and whole raisins were folded into a deliciously spiced gelato sweetened with brown sugar and molasses. First brought to market in 2015, it was then discontinued a few years later, and it now joins the ranks of treats we are not likely see on shelves again. 

Talenti keeps a running list of retired flavors on their website — there have been nearly 50 ice cream, gelato, and sorbet flavors they've discontinued. Ginger Matcha seems like one that wouldn't have had many fans, but Vanilla Chai and Tiramisu, seriously? Here's hoping those — along with Oatmeal Raisin Cookie ice cream — resurface someday.

Talenti's Banana Caramel Crunch is another hit that ice cream lovers have their fingers crossed may return. Layered with thick caramel fudge and rows of roasted crunchy additions, Banana Caramel Crunch was a perfect example of a fully developed dessert concept in a jar. Delicious and distinctive layers included banana pudding gelato, dulce de leche, and real chunks of pie crust throughout the jar, which made for a far more interesting eating experience than most other ice creams. Each bite was full of a slightly different amount of each component for a singularly unique treat.

Talenti still produces 16 other options from their Gelato Layers line of desserts, all of which offer visibly distinct layers of everything from oat crisps in Black Raspberry Vanilla Parfait to graham cracker cookie pieces in Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. Can't decide which sounds like the right flavor for you? Talenti has a handy quiz on its website to help you find your "perfect pint." 

First announced on Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream's Instagram account in March of 2017, Supermoon was marketed as a nostalgic two-toned ice cream intended to remind eaters of dehydrated cereal marshmallows reminiscent of Lucky Charms' iconic, colorful shapes. 

"The yellow half tastes like the most marshmallowy marshmallow ever, and the blue side is like sweet and floral candied violet, which Jeni has always thought tastes like Lucky Charms marshmallows," read the social media release. "It's two takes on marshmallow in one ice cream: one familiar and one unexpected." Even today, commenters have left their requests on this initial introductory post for the ice cream brand to bring Supermoon back to stores.

Sadly, though, it looks like it isn't to be. Customer service responses from Jeni's encourage customers to continue letting them know what they should consider bringing out of discontinuation — but right now, the brand has no plans to resurface Supermoon.

Ben & Jerry's is an ice cream titan that has been in business long enough to have gone through its fair share of flavor hits and misses. According to the "flavor graveyard" on the company's website, 35 Ben & Jerry's flavors have been discontinued for good, and one of the more surprising flavors is Peanut Butter & Jelly.

Crème Brûlée ice cream sounds like an easier, more accessible version of the classic dessert used as inspiration for this tasty treat. Swirls of crunchy caramel sugar throughout an ice cream variation on sweet custard sounds absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, this flavor lasted only five years. Introduced in 2007 and discontinued in 2012, it's possible that this flavor was just a bit too sugary and cloying for many customers. 

More retired flavors, such as Rainforest Crunch, Devil's Food Chocolate Sorbet, and even the frozen yogurt retirees like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt has generated chatter online from fans who would love to see these tasty treats return one day. Officially, Ben & Jerry's hints that nothing is forever. Even "flavor graveyard" picks can always be resurrected.