The Classic Cereal That's In One Of New England's Favorite Ice Cream Flavors

From plain vanilla to fancier varieties like mint chocolate chip, ice cream is one of America's most popular desserts. Looking past the usual flavors, the country has many unique regional favorites, like moose tracks, which has long been a Michigan specialty. Or, despite tasting a lot like medicine, teaberry ice cream is popular in Pennsylvania. Elsewhere, Marylanders use Old Bay seasoning as an ice cream topping, satisfying those with both a salty and sweet tooth. Not to be outdone, New England has its own uncommon choice — Grape-Nuts ice cream.

Named for the Post brand cereal it's made with, the frozen confection is a base of vanilla ice cream that gets blended with crunchy Grape-Nuts nuggets. The granules are a mix of malty-tasting barley and wheat loaf pieces, and taste similar to toasted bread. Traditionally marketed as a nutritious breakfast food that's high in fiber, the juxtaposition of the bland, dry cereal is unexpectedly pleasant together with sweet, cold vanilla.

Throughout New England, you'll often see the flavor mix simply referred to as "grapenut," where it can be found in ice cream shops or sold by various brands by the carton. If you'd like to try it but are nowhere near the East Coast you can churn up your own from scratch, or for a lazy version, simply top a bowl of ice cream with a helping of the cereal straight from the box.

Along with Grape-Nuts ice cream, there's another New England classic that's made with similar ingredients, only it's baked instead of frozen. Grape-Nuts pudding (or custard) can be served cold or hot, and instead of being melty soft, has a thicker, chewy texture. The cereal sinks to the bottom of the mixture while in the oven and forms a delicious crust. 

The origin of Grape-Nuts ice cream (and pudding) isn't exactly clear. The cereal isn't even from New England, originally, having been invented in Michigan by C.W. Post in 1897. Post had been a patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium which was started as a health spa by the Kellogg brothers, an endeavor which led to the disturbing origin story of Corn Flakes. Post was inspired by the cereal he ate while there, and while attempting to improve upon the idea, created Grape-Nuts. Promoted as a cure-all for a host of ailments, it was advertised by hosting recipe contests and publishing the results ... including early recipes for ice cream and pudding that were made with it.

Another version of the story says that a Nova Scotian woman named Hannah Young invented the flavor in 1919. When she ran out of fruit in her ice cream shop, she reportedly mixed in some Grape-Nuts instead. Fittingly, the frozen dessert is also very popular in the Canadian Maritime provinces, as well as throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean.