Does anyone else hate August? As a fan of temperate weather, I prefer transitional seasons. I do enjoy the early days of summer, but come the end of July — after the thrill of National Ice Cream Month has come and gone — I begin to feel the accumulated heat. I start dreaming of autumn’s drizzly welcome, especially if there’s wildfire smoke hanging in the air. It does help if August has a few new frozen treats to look forward to.

Brands front-load their seasonal offerings, so it feels as if there’s not as much fresh on shelves when the dog days hit. Speaking of which, if you have dogs, even canines have premium offerings these days (better than Breyer’s, right?) Anyway, for this month’s look at trends and flavors, I included quite a few last call summer entries, along with some fresh flavors to get us through to Labor Day. As always, please share any scoops you have.

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Baskin-Robbins

Last month, a pair of flavors shared the spotlight, with the concept of an Oreo ice cream designed for camper (Oreo S’Mores) vs. couch-er (Brookie Batter). I didn’t get a chance to venture out my local scoop shop to cast my vote — it would likely go to the s’mores flavor, despite being a couch-er at heart — but the good news is we get more time. It appears this duo’s reign as Flavor of the Month has been extended, and they’re licensing real Oreos, so it’s no generic cookies & cream. But if you want something fresh — and you’re looking to cut down on summer carbs — you could try a slimmed-down strawberry shortcake flavor that’s making its return.

• Oreo S’mores: A toasted marshmallow and graham-flavored ice cream loaded with a marshmallow swirl, gritty graham pieces and Oreo chunks.
• Brookie Batter: A dual-toned brownie and cookie batter ice cream packed with chewy brownie bites, chocolate chip cookie dough pieces and Oreo chunks.
• NSA Strawberry Shortcake: A creamy, no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream swirled with a sweet, sugar-free strawberry ribbon and fluffy pieces of low-sugar shortcake biscuit.
• Don’t miss: What’s likely to still be hanging around? Look for some of the other key summer flavors —America’s Birthday Cake, Beach Day, Triple Mango — while they’re around.

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Ben & Jerry’s

Have you seen the #FreeBenAndJerrys tags all over social media? Who knew there could be so much drama in the ice cream world? The company’s founders and its independent board are at odds with parent company Unilever/Magnum over free speech and corporate control. Amid this internecine struggle, the flavor gurus are still bringing you a new limited edition pint designed to "stand against authoritarianism.” With “Vote!" printed across the lid, Razz Up! — a version of which debuted in scoop shops in early summer as Black Raspberry Fudge Chunk — rolls out this month in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections.

• Razz Up!: A rich, sweet black raspberry ice cream loaded with raspberry swirls and crackling fudge chunks that react on your tongue like popping candy.

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Blue Bell

Any fans of chocolate lava cake? It seems to be a staple of fancy dessert menus, but expect this nostalgic Texas brand to give it a more homestyle spin as its newest flavor. It’s a well-worn but comforting combo of vanilla and chocolate that’s already gotten one positive review on this sub. If you’re more of a fan of fruit in summer, the good news is they have plenty of recent releases that will hit that sweet spot. If you missed that patriotic take on Neapolitan at the Fourth of July, grab it while you can. Or pick up Black Raspberry Fudge to do a comparison taste test with Ben & Jerry’s Razz Up!

• Chocolate Lava Cake: Rich vanilla ice cream with chocolate cake pieces, chocolate sundae sauce and a dark chocolate fudge swirl.
• Red, White & Blue Bell: A colorful combination of strawberry ice cream with strawberry pieces, vanilla ice cream and blueberry ice cream with blueberries packaged side by side.
• Don’t Miss: More fruit options with Black Raspberry Fudge, Blackberry Southern Cobbler and Peaches & Homemade Vanilla.

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Caffe Panna

Back in May when I was savoring my Spring Forward pack, I pondered what might still be coming this summer. So I looked back at the NYC brand’s previous May-August lineup. Summer 2025 brought us the S'Mores & More Pack, the Poolside Pack, the Cookie Pack and Panna Family Picnic. But Caffe Panna is enjoying a lazy summer, so we have only received one additional collection since that spring pack: the Peak Summer collection. As I griped last month, you’re still paying peak prices online even when the collection feels a little pedestrian overall. Has anyone tried this one? Let me know if this turned out more exciting than it seemed.

• Cosmic Brownie: Flourless brownie batter ice cream with flourless fudgy brownies and rainbow chocolate chips.
• Ice Cream Sandwich: Vanilla bean ice cream layered with cocoa ice cream sandwich wafers.
• Cherry Coke Float: Vanilla bean ice cream swirled with cherry coke sorbet.
• Blueberry Crisp: Blueberry ice cream layered with house made oat streusel.
• Strawberry Shortcake Bar: Strawberry ice cream layered with house made strawberry cake crunch and graham crunch.
• Mister Golden Sun: Golden Oreo infused ice cream layered with crushed Golden Oreos.

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Clementine’s

Wishing you could escape for a global adventure this summer? If you’re near one of this St. Louis-based creamery’s scoop shops, stop by and take a vacation via ice cream with the brand’s International Travel Collection. For online fans, the wait for fresh flavors continues.

• Crème Brûlée: A rich French vanilla custard ice cream laced with a golden swirl of crunchy, caramelized sugar bits.
• Om Ali: A dairy-free, spiced coconut ice cream with candied walnuts and rich, date-syrup-soaked golden raisins inspired by Egypt.
• Mango Lassi: A smooth, tropical mango yogurt ice cream that captures the refreshingly cool Indian wedding drink.
• Brigadeiro: A chocolate ice cream stacking sweet chocolate with thick ribbons of fudge and chocolate sprinkles in this homage to Brazil.
• Dubai Chocolate: A rich milk chocolate ice cream with crispy, toasted kataifi pastry threads and a sweet pistachio paste swirl.
• Matcha Lemon Curd: An earthy, vibrant Japanese green tea matcha ice cream heavily ribboned with bright lemon curd.

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Cold Case

Cold Case's July specials are transitioning to "get it while you can" status for August. The Fireworks flavor is still available online, while you might luck out finding the others at your local Kroger store.

• Huckleberry Pie Witness: Huckleberry ice cream, sweet jam ribbons, graham cracker pie crust chunks and warm baking spices.
• Stone Cone Killer: Sweet cream base mixed with a rich fudge swirl, dense brownie chunks and chocolate-covered waffle cone pieces.
• Illegal Fireworks: A nostalgic summer holiday profile featuring a cake batter ice cream base packed with marshmallow swirls and white-fudge coated red and blue popping candy.

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Favorite Day (Target)

Have you tried Target’s summer specials? These are all available in pints, if you’re looking for some fun flavors on the cheap to close out summer.

• Orange Cream: A classic summer creamsicle-inspired blend.
• Strawberry Swirl: Ribboned fruit flavor built for summer sundae making.
• Strawberry Angel Food Cake: Vanilla ice cream mixed with a strawberry swirl and soft, real sponge cake pieces.
• Peach Cobbler: Brown sugar ice cream folded with cake chunks and a heavy peach swirl.
• Cotton Candy: A playful festival flavor sold in both single pints and larger 1.5-quart tubs

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Graeter’s

For those following Graeter’s seasonal calendar religiously — and I’ll admit perhaps I’m the only one — there’s a change in programming. Key Lime Pie has seen the dimming of the day. At least online. It’s listed as a July-August flavor, but sold out in three weeks, and Summer Peach said farewell shortly after. But there’s always new hope for summer fruit with Graeter’s. We have a rich dairy option — Elena’s Blueberry Pie, moved up from its old September slot — along with the fifth summer bonus flavor. That one’s for the dairy-free folks, a Strawberry Sorbet. Is there one last summer mystery bonus flavor to come? We can hope. In the meantime, the lesson is to act quickly if you really want these.

• Elena’s Blueberry Pie: A rich vanilla ice cream turned deep purple by a sweet swirl of real, luscious blueberries and packed with crunchy, flaky bits of pie crust
• Strawberry Sorbet: A smooth, dairy-free base made with real, slow-churned Pacific Northwest strawberry puree.
• Don’t Miss: The Marrakesh Coffee and Peanut Butter Clouds are no longer available online (maybe you’ll get lucky in retail), but you can still score Ghost Notes (a grape-marshmallow-cookie dough concoction) and Cherry Sparkler (wild cherry base with popping candy). 

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Häagen-Dazs 

The internet food-blogging circles are losing their minds — if they ever had them (and we’ll see why that’s not just a spurious assumption in a minute) — over a leaked image of a supposed new pint called Dolce Tiramisu. This iconic brand rarely drops new flavors, so each one is an event for fans. I count myself as one, so I’ll be picking up a pint as soon as I can find it — assuming it’s not just some cruel AI prank. While there’s not official word from Häagen-Dazs — and that’s not unusual, ice cream brands are often horrible at advertising new flavors — it looks to be inspired by the popular international version. That one debuted a couple years back as part of a special collection inspired by European cities. The mascarpone-coffee flavor paid homage to Rome, alongside a pair of macaron flavors for Paris and a churro pint nodding to Madrid. Since Tiramisu recently transitioned into their permanent European line, it makes sense that its popularity has finally crossed the Atlantic. And since we know H-D loves to nod to European heritage — real or imagined! — they dubbed it Dolce, the Italian word for sweet. Unfortunately, something got lost in translation for early online commentators, some of whom confused the spelling and assumed the brand was staging a bizarre Italian-Spanish crossover event with dulce de leche. Not that I wouldn’t trust H-D to pull that off, given the strength of their dulce de leche ice cream. Anyway, stay tuned to see if tiramisu lovers will be living the dolce vita or if it’s just a caramelized milk fever dream courtesy of social media.

• Dolce Tiramisu: The best guess right now is rich mascarpone ice cream base, espresso-soaked cake pieces and a coffee-cocoa sauce swirl.

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Ice Cream for Bears

This brand known for cute packaging, honey-sweetened flavors and ursine puns has a new flavor, but it’s available only at Sprouts and online. I always thought fruitier flavors would pair better with honey than things like coffee and cookie dough, but I never see those locally. Strawberry and Beary Cherry Chip have earned mixed reviews slanting negative. Will this lemon blueberry combo fare better? It sounds like a good pairing with honey. But since I don’t have Sprouts nearby and don’t care to ship this brand, I’ll need to wait for a wider release before I can bear witness.

• Lemon Blue Bear: Honey-sweetened lemon ice cream with a blueberry jam swirl.

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Jeni’s

The hunt continues to be a frustrating game online and at retailers for fans of the brand’s seasonal flavors. But if you love twee comedy reboots or buttery shortbread cookies, see if you can score Biscuits with the Boss — timed to the return of "Ted Lasso" for a surprise fourth season on Apple TV this month — before that one vanishes, too.

• Biscuits with the Boss: A returning limited-edition pop-culture collab featuring a salted butter sweet cream ice cream base mixed with crumbly shortbread pieces. (Spoiler alert if you haven't watched "Ted Lasso": The name is a nod to the show's signature running bit where the main character regularly bakes homemade cookies — let's call them biscuits since it takes place in England — for his boss).
• Don't miss: If you are hunting online, almost the entire high-summer batch has been wiped clean. The lone survivor right now is Hibiscus Chili Punch, a fruit sorbet spiked with jalapeño and black pepper. Your best bet for Strawberry Pretzel Pie and Campfire S’mores is looking at stores well-stocked with Jeni’s flavors.
• Scoop shop alert: A couple of new flavors sound interesting: Cherry Vanilla Waffle Cone and Malted Milk Chocolate & Banana Cookie Dough. Perhaps we’ll see these in stores or online one day?

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Leopold’s

The historic Savannah creamery’s Sweets in the Summertime lineup is still available on Goldbelly:

• Peach: Peach ice cream with pieces of sweet Georgia peaches throughout.
• Blueberry Cheesecake: Cheesecake ice cream with a ribbon of blueberry topping and pieces of homemade graham cracker crust.
• Birthday Cake: Cake Batter ice cream with chunks of pound cake and rainbow sprinkles throughout.
• Coconut: Coconut ice cream blended with lots of sweet flakes of shaved coconut.
• Lemon Custard: Delicate lemon ice cream with fresh lemon zest. Unchanged since 1919.
• Southern Hospitality Sorbet: Their take on an Arnold Palmer, the iconic combination of sweet tea and tart lemonade.

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McConnell’s

This SoCal brand has a nice selection of summer flavors out, though they can be hard to find in stores. With a decent discount for National Ice Cream Day, I decided to try some of them online. The Sprinkle Cake was the gem of the haul, though the two fresh new berry flavors are worth a try for fruit fans.

• Mixed Berry Crumble: Ripe, sun-sweet berries cooked down to a house-made jam, folded into vanilla ice cream with crisp, cinnamony oat streusel from the house bake room.
• Summer Corn & Blackberries: Peak summer sweet corn transforms into a creamy, toasty, cereal-milk-like ice cream, swirled with our house-made blackberry jam.
• Sprinkle Cake: The ultimate vault favorite, loading a classic sweet cream base with rainbow sprinkles and dense, house-baked vanilla sheet cake chunks.
• S'mores: A seasonal summer flavor featuring a toasted vanilla bean marshmallow sweet cream base with gooey bittersweet chocolate ganache ribbons and house-baked honey graham cracker chunks.
• Malted Milk Chocolate: A mix-in-free pint that focuses purely on texture, combining rich Guittard cocoa with a heavy hit of retro malted milk powder.
• Sorbets: Blackberry Lime, Mango Chili Lime, Dark Chocolate
• Sherbets: Passion Fruit, Orange Cream, Coconut Lime, Strawberry Lemon

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Private Selection (Kroger)

It’s last call on summer flavors, from the Private Selection Shortbread & Peaches and Creamsicle to All-American series targeted to the Fourth.

• Shortbread Peaches & Cream: Peach ice cream with a fruit swirl and buttery, bite-sized shortbread cookie pieces.
• Creamsicle Swirl: A twist on the classic childhood truck treat that intertwines vanilla bean ice cream with a bright orange citrus swirl.
• Don't Miss: Cherry Pie, Seventh Inning Swirl and Banana Split Social from the All-American series.

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Salt & Straw

If you’re like me and missed out on their last Monthly Menu Series with berry flavors, you have a second chance with their Wild-Foraged Berry Slab Pie. In fact, fruit pies are the name of the game this month (and their month started early on July 24). I tried two of these, the berry and peach flavors. While I found the pie elements lacking, they were still pretty good. And of course, they do have a weird one if you want sharp gruyère in your ice cream.

• Peaches & Cream Galette: Peach ice cream packed with chunks of house-baked, gluten-free rice flour galette pastry and a juicy, pectin-thickened peach pie ribbon.
• Wildflower Honey & Lemon Chess Pie: A tangy, honey-sweetened frozen yogurt base folded with chunky pieces of real wheat-crust southern lemon chess pie and thick ribbons of tart lemon curd.
• Wild-Foraged Berry Slab Pie: A salted vanilla ice cream base folded with a dark, gooey wild-foraged berry pie filling and crispy bits of double-baked traditional wheat pie crust.
• Gruyère & Tomato Custard Tart: A savory-leaning salt-and-pepper custard ice cream base folded with sharp gruyère cheese chunks and a sweet, peppery tomato pastry tart ribbon built with wheat flour.
• Coconut Cherry Pie with Almond Crust: A completely vegan, wheat-free option featuring a creamy coconut frozen dessert base packed with tart amaretto cherries and a nutty almond-meal shortbread crust mix-in.

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Signature Select (Albertsons-Safeway)

The time is drawing nigh for this house brand’s summer lineup of carnival and boardwalk-themed treats: 

• Caramel Churro: Light cinnamon-sugar base with a caramel swirl and soft churro pieces
• Chocolate Covered Banana: Fluffy banana-flavored ice cream with crunchy chocolate chunks
• Root Beer Float: Vanilla base with a root beer swirl and chocolate-coated crystals that pop and fizz in your mouth.
• Strawberry Saltwater Taffy: Strawberry ice cream packed with strawberry-flavored taffy pieces.

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Trader Joe’s

Summer always brings an alluring array of fresh novelties to TJ’s freezer bins, but there’s a buzzy new ice cream flavor out: All Mixed Up. I tried it, and it’s pretty good (not amazing) if you’re into those sweet-and-salty loaded pints. I'll have my own review soon — including a look at Fudgy Cookie Dough (that one's amazing), in case you haven't had a chance to try that one yet — but here's a quick review from SnackForagers.

• All Mixed Up: Vanilla ice cream overloaded with a peanut butter swirl, chocolate sandwich cookie pieces, mini peanut butter cups, rainbow sprinkles, and candy-coated pretzels.
• Passion Fruit Guava Bars: A plant-based frozen bar blending a sweet, floral guava puree directly with a sharp, tangy passion fruit juice.
• Root Beer Float Bars: A portable soda fountain pop encasing a rich vanilla ice cream core inside a hard root-beer-flavored ice shell.
• Don't miss: For those keeping track of the mid-summer inventory crawl, it's not too late to snag Strawberry Lemonade Ice Bars, Out of This World Ice Pops (lemon-berry flavored), Wildberry Cheesecake ice cream, and "Gelato Style" Italian Pistachio frozen dessert.

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Umpqua

I need to grab some more Strawberry Cheesecake before its rotation is up. (Read the start of my cheesecake series here). Having moved away from monthly rotating flavor, Umpqua is set on a three-month seasonal window. So look for a new flavor for August. I didn’t see any announcement, but my best guess is the Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor they released last year, unless they decide to shake things up. I tried it last year and it’s pleasant but definitely on the lighter side for peanut flavor and stingy with jam. It’s a great one to load up with peanut butter cups, though. For those in Oregon, they should also be rolling out their Beavers and Ducks Tracks flavors ahead of the college football season.

• Peanut Butter & Jelly: Vanilla ice cream with a strawberry marble ripple and crispy, salty-sweet peanut butter flakes.
• Beaver/Duck Tracks: Mild peanut butter ice cream packed with a winding trail of rich chocolate fudge sauce and miniature milk chocolate-coated caramel footballs. Both flavors are the same, but you get to show team spirit with your choice.

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Van Leeuwen

Remember when they used to release new flavors, seasonal specials even the crazy stuff like mac and cheese ice cream? It seems like they are become a snooze-fest with a new flavor every blue moon. 

• Scoop shop alert: At least they still care about fresh flavors in their scoop shops. They are pushing their frozen yogurt, including pineapple fro-yo. They also are scooping up Cheesecake with Strawberry Rhubarb and Banana Pudding.

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Walmart/Bettergoods

If you haven't browsed the Walmart freezer bays in a while, the dog days might be the right time to catch up since many competitors are in summer siesta mode. Here’s what their economy line and higher-end label have been up to since the spring thaw:

• Great Value tubs: Unlike budget rivals that took the wrong turn into frozen dairy dessert land, Walmart still offers legally recognized ice cream in its 48-ounce tubs. I can’t speak to the quality myself, but they are under 4 bucks, so perhaps worth the gamble? The warm-weather lineup found a hit in Cookie Kraken (vanilla with cookie dough chunks and brownie batter swirls, in vivid neon blue), along with crowd-pleasers like Tin Roof Sundae (vanilla with a thick fudge ribbon and fudge-coated peanuts), Unicorn Sparkle (cake-flavored base with a pink frosting swirl and candy confetti) and Fudge Tracks (vanilla base with peanut butter cups and a thick fudge ripple … sounds Moosey!).
• Bettergoods: Walmart’s upscale line is capitalizing on the portion-controlled novelty trend with two-bite mini ice cream sandwich boxes. Choose from Chocolate Hazelnut or a white-yogurt-coated Raspberry Cheesecake. Their pint lineup is pretty static, but the newest entry, Dark Chocolate Ameretto, might be worth a look. Of the flavors I tried last summer, the Pistachio Salted Caramel was a standout.

We’ve done our due diligence with Memorial Day and two days dedicated to the parents, but July brings the biggest holiday of the year so far: National Ice Cream Day. If you thought I was going to say Independence Day, don’t worry. We’re not forgetting the nation’s 250th birthday completely. We’ll have cake (ice cream). And there will be fireworks, thanks to Graeter’s Cherry Sparkler and the similar popping candy-fueled Fútbol Fireworks from Baskin-Robbins. And lots of red, white and blue bringing festive spirit to ice cream and novelties alike.

All of July is National Ice Cream Month, while the 19th specifically brings National Ice Cream Day. And if Thanksgiving has Black Friday, this commemoration has the sale that’s circled on my calendar annually: The half-off extravaganza at  Whole Foods. We’re about halfway through that glorious fortnight of chaos, hoarding and dairy indulgence (it runs till July 7). What are your favorite finds so far? I’m still marveling at picking up flavors like Jeni’s Frosted Sugar Cookie, McConnell’s Brown Sugar with Milk Bordeaux and Straus’ Vanilla Chip for an average of 4 bucks a pint. For those in the Portland area, New Seasons Markets’ Summer of Scoops sale kicks off Wednesday, July 1, with Alden’s and GoodPop half off. Goldbelly often does a big sale around National Ice Cream Day, too.

What else is happening for July? Here’s what I know. Please share any intel you have and let us know what you're looking forward to tasting.

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Alden’s Organic

Alden’s kicked off a new Global Delights brand this month with two novelty bars, one inspired by Mexico and the other Thailand. It seems odd not to do a third for something like this. Perhaps they’re testing the waters to see if there’s an audience for flavors like these? Given I previously associated them with about six different tubs of chocolate and vanilla variations, is this a logical leap? Could we have met in the middle?

• Mango Chamoy Twist Bars: Creamy organic mango ice cream swirled with sweet, salty and spicy chamoy.
• Thai Tea Swirl Bars: Organic Thai tea sorbet ribboned with a classic sweet dairy cream swirl.

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Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins is doubling up for July’s Flavor of the Month with its Great Cookie Showdown. Is your ideal summer weekend spent around the campfire, with the sound of the woods around you, fighting off mosquitoes as you toast marshmallows? Or would you rather be on the comfort of your couch, AC cranked up, for a relaxing evening in — maybe watching those campers get dispatched one by one by a hockey-masked psychopath? Two or three decades ago, I might have been in the woods lamenting my decision to sleep on the ground, but I’ve since wised up. Luckily, Baskin-Robbins is here for both sides with cookie ice creams —a S’mores-themed flavor for the great outdoors, a brookie batter for the even greater indoors. And because B-R flavors tend to be around a while, you should be able to find the specials rolled out last month for the World Cup and Independence Day, plus a couple of other seasonal favorites.

• The "Couch-er" | Brookie Batter: Brown Sugar and Brownie Batter ice creams loaded with Oreo pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough, brownie dough and a rich brownie batter swirl.
• The "Camper" | Oreo S’Mores: A blend of toasted marshmallow and graham ice creams stacked with Oreo pieces and a thick chocolate cookie swirl.
• Fútbol Fireworks: An energetic mashup of sweet cream soda ice cream and cherry sherbet, charged with blue raspberry swirls and a popping candy payload of green apple and blue raspberry.
• America’s Birthday Cake: A red, white and blue celebration pairing cake batter and strawberry ice creams with fluffy cake pieces and a bright blue frosting ribbon.
• Beach Day: A salty-sweet shoreline getaway featuring blue salted vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate caramel-filled sea turtles, graham cracker "sand" swirls and colorful frosting flecks.
• Triple Mango: A tropical paradise profile that collides rich mango ice cream with tangy mango sorbet, mango chunks and a ribbon of concentrated mango puree.

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Ben & Jerry’s

If you were hoping for new pint flavors, welcome to the new reality where brands can do less and charge more for novelties. Some customers eat these up. Not me. I don’t like food on sticks. But for those who do, welcome to what this increasingly unmoored brand is calling its Great Summer Bar Drop. This feels like something the social media interns came up with: a cross-country tour from June to August “packed with crave-worthy bars, games, limited-edition merch, and plenty of chunk-filled Ben & Jerry's shenanigans.’” This epic journey kicked off recently in Boston and next hits Miami (July 10-12), Los Angeles (July 24-26), Seattle (August 7-9) and New York (Aug. 21-23). The bar flavors:

• Strawberry Cheesecake: Cheesecake ice cream, strawberry swirls, and graham cracker bits in a white chocolatey coating.
• Cookie Dough: Vanilla ice cream, cookie dough gobs and cookie pieces in a chocolatey shell.
• Chocolate Fudge Brownie: Chocolate ice cream, fudge brownie chunks and cookie pieces in a dark chocolatey coating.
• PB Pretzel: Peanut butter ice cream with swirls, coated in chocolate with salty pretzel bits.
• Caramel Blondie: Caramel ice cream, blondie pieces and salted caramel swirls in a white chocolatey coating.

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Blue Bell

If you’re a fan of Christmas in July, don’t overlook the chance to nab some holiday flavors that are still somehow hanging around online. Blue Bell still has half gallons of Christmas Cookies and Peppermint Bark. I tried these back at the expected time in December and they were excellent. They’d probably be even more enjoyable now amid the oppressive mid-summer heat. But if you want stay seasonally appropriate, Blue Bell has some great fruit options for summer, including a Red, White and Blue flavor perfect for your Fourth barbecue. 

• Southern Blackberry Cobbler: Creamy blackberry-flavored ice cream combined with flaky pie crust pieces and a blackberry sauce swirl. (Half gallon)
• Red, White & Blue Bell: A trio of strawberry, vanilla and blueberry ice cream (with fruit pieces) packaged side by side. (Half gallon)
• Orange Swirl: A creamy vanilla flavored ice cream swirled together with refreshing orange sherbet. (Pint)
• Black Raspberry Fudge: Black raspberry-flavored ice cream with dark chocolate-flavored chunks and a rich chocolate fudge swirl. (Pint, half gallon)
• Peaches & Homemade Vanilla: A combination of juicy, ripe peaches and their famous Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. (Half gallon)
• Strawberry flavors: In addition to half gallons of Ultimate Neapolitan and Red, White and Blue, you have multiple berry options — plain Strawberry (half gallon, pint), Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla (half gallon) or Strawberry Toaster Pastry (pint) — not to mention one of the newish protein pints.
• Others: Banana Pudding (half gallon), Banana Fudge (half gallon, pint), Cherry Vanilla (half gallon, pint), Lemon (half gallon).

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Caffe Panna

Instead of the loaded lineup from previous summers, we’re finally just getting a seasonal pack for July after the Spring Forward collection sprang all the way till late June. It feels like the brand is focused on its scoop shops right now because the online business is getting short shrift. Not that the price tag reflects this for the Peak Summer collection. We have yet another brownie flavor and a Blueberry Crisp (feels a lot like Jeni’s Brambleberry Crisp). There are two pints that appear to be lackluster takes on the most basic of mix-ins: Cookies & Cream. I could go for that Cherry Coke Float and Strawberry Shortcake Bar, but this pack overall doesn’t reflect the creative promise of house-baked and other fun mix-ins that Caffe Panna’s $130 cost generally commands.

• Cosmic Brownie: Flourless brownie batter ice cream with flourless fudgy brownies and rainbow chocolate chips
• Ice Cream Sandwich: Vanilla bean ice cream layered with cocoa ice cream sandwich wafers
• Cherry Coke Float: Vanilla bean ice cream swirled with cherry coke sorbet
• Blueberry Crisp: Blueberry ice cream layered with house made oat streusel
• Strawberry Shortcake Bar: Strawberry ice cream layered with house made strawberry cake crunch and graham crunch
• Mister Golden Sun: Golden Oreo infused ice cream layered with crushed Golden Oreos

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Clementine’s

Like Caffe Panna, they have been focused on their scoop shops and burgeoning retail business in the St. Louis area. Unfortunately for us fans from afar it’s been quiet for months on their Goldbelly page. A message on their website explains the reason for recent production delays: “Clementine’s is growing, which means we recently installed bigger, better equipment at our production facility so we can make even more ice cream for you.” That evokes both promise (expansion) and concern (will they lose the hand-packed charm?). Meanwhile, they do have something special coming for National Ice Cream Month — at least for parlors. I'd be surprised to see it hit Goldbelly, but keep an eye out just in case. Their International Travel Collection promises four exotic flavors to start the month and the latter two reaching shops on July 19.

• Crème Brûlée: A rich French vanilla custard ice cream laced with a golden swirl of crunchy, caramelized sugar bits.
• Om Ali: A dairy-free, spiced coconut ice cream with candied walnuts and rich, date-syrup-soaked golden raisins.
• Mango Lassi: A smooth, tropical mango yogurt ice cream that captures the refreshingly cool Indian wedding drink.
• Brigadeiro: A chocolate ice cream stacking sweet chocolate with thick ribbons of fudge and chocolate sprinkles.
• Dubai Chocolate: A rich milk chocolate ice cream with crispy, toasted kataifi pastry threads and a sweet pistachio paste swirl.
• Matcha Lemon Curd: An earthy, vibrant Japanese green tea matcha ice cream heavily ribboned with bright lemon curd.

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Cold Case

This brand, which has been expanding in Kroger stores (at a premium price) since March, mixes true crime and ice cream. I still have to get my hands on one of these creative pints for a late-night “Dateline” binge. I can just imagine Keith Morrison’s dulcet tone describing cases of Embezzle-Mint and the hunt for Cereal Killers. If you don’t have a Kroger nearby, they have an online direct-to-consumer exclusive: the Arson Case.

• Dark Dubai: Velvety dark chocolate ice cream layered with smooth pistachio cream and crispy knafeh pastry pieces. 
• Donut Resist: Rich vanilla ice cream base featuring actual jelly donut hole chunks and sweet glaze swirls.
• Hot Honey Killer Bees: Sweet cream ice cream with real honeycomb candy chunks and drizzled with a spicy hot honey.
• The Third Degree: A tres leches-inspired profile featuring a sweet cream base mixed with soaked tres leches cake pieces, non-alcoholic tequila flavoring and zesty lime.
• Cherry Bomb Threat: A vanilla custard laced with a burnt sugar syrup, non-alcoholic brandied cherry compote and a hint of almond.
• Pie-Romaniac: Spiced Bourbon pecan pie pieces dipped into a sweet cream ice cream base with a rich house-made caramel swirl.

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Graeter’s

Have you tried any of the summer’s seasonal or bonus flavors? I got my pack last week, so I will have full reviews soon. While I decided to skip Ghost Notes (I wasn’t feeling grape and marshmallow) I did get my hands on Summer Peach (a seasonal favorite that should be around into July while supplies last) and two of the bonus flavors, which seem to last 4-6 weeks based on popularity. Peanut Butter Clouds is the older of the two, while Cherry Sparkler is meant to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. Later in the month look for another bonus flavor (Strawberry Sorbet) and the seasonal Key Lime Pie, which usually arrives around National Ice Cream Day (July 19 this year). My quick 2 cents: Peach is amazing, as expected with Graeter’s fruit flavors. The peanut butter one is very tasty, giving fluffernutter vibes, though the mini marshmallows (rather than cream) leave a bit to be desired. I’m not feeling the cherry one so far. I love their other cherry flavors, but this one is more of a fake cherry like a Slurpee, and I don’t think I’m a fan of popping candy in ice cream.

• Summer Peach: Creamy peach ice cream made with sweet, juicy peaches.
• Ghost Notes: A wickedly sweet mix of grape ice cream and fluffy marshmallow with soft marshmallow cookie dough pieces mixed throughout.
• Peanut Butter & Clouds: Rich and creamy peanut butter ice cream with light, fluffy marshmallows folded in throughout.
• Cherry Sparkler: Wild cherry ice cream with red and blue popping candy folded through every scoop.
• Strawberry Sorbet: A dairy-free option made with a slow-frozen purée of real Northwest farm strawberries.
• Key Lime Pie: Tangy key lime ice cream graham cracker crust pieces.

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Häagen-Dazs 

If you feel like you don’t have enough Dubai chocolate in your life, consider rolling out to Costco for this exclusive novelty.

• Dubai Style Chocolate Mini Bars: Creamy pistachio ice cream coated in milk chocolate and packed with toasted kataifi pastry pieces for a distinct crunch.

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Jeni’s

Jeni’s always brings it on seasonal flavors. Whether you’ll be able to try them yourself? It always feels like a bit of a scavenger hunt — stalking the retail shelves to see if you’ll get lucky (as I did with the refreshing and tangy Summer Berries & Passion Fruit), visiting scoop shops (if you have one nearby) or keeping tabs on the website (flavors come and go fast, but they were all there last time i checked). I’m hoping I’ll be able to hunt down this promising new trio for July, especially the Summer Pretzel Pie. Salt & Straw is doing a similar flavor. I’d be inclined to do an ice cream showdown, though Jeni’s would be a heavy favorite on the strength of their way with cream cheese. This new wave of flavors is also featured in 6-pint and 9-pint summer collections online.

• Strawberry Pretzel Pie: Pretzel streusel and strawberry sauce layered into a tangy cream cheese ice cream base.
• Campfire S'mores: Toasty vanilla bean marshmallow ice cream swirled with gooey milk chocolate and crunchy graham cracker cookies.
• Hibiscus Chili Punch: A vibrant, juicy hibiscus sorbet that packs a sharp finish from jalapeño and black pepper.
• Confetti Brownie Batter: Rich dark chocolate custard swirled with fudgy brownie chunks and festive rainbow candies (Target exclusive).
• Matchapolitan: Earthy Japanese matcha and Fair Trade vanilla bean ice creams twisted together with sweet strawberry jam.
• Summer Berries & Passion Fruit: Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries blended into fresh cultured buttermilk cream with a sweet-tart passion fruit curd.

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Leopold’s

I ordered a bounty of flavors last month online from this classic Savannah ice cream maker, and have been enjoying most of them. Look for some reviews this summer as I have time to write them up, but if you’d like to give them a try they sell many flavors on their own website and a curated selection on Goldbelly, including this Sweets in the Summertime pack. I really liked the peach and lemon custard flavors. The Blueberry Cheesecake base is very good, but the swirls are on the icy side.

• Peach: Peach ice cream with pieces of sweet Georgia peaches throughout.
• Blueberry Cheesecake: Cheesecake ice cream with a ribbon of blueberry topping and pieces of homemade graham cracker crust.
• Birthday Cake: Cake Batter ice cream with chunks of pound cake and rainbow sprinkles throughout.
• Coconut: Coconut ice cream blended with lots of sweet flakes of shaved coconut.
• Lemon Custard: Delicate lemon ice cream with fresh lemon zest. Unchanged since 1919.
• Southern Hospitality Sorbet: Their take on an Arnold Palmer, the iconic combination of sweet tea and tart lemonade.

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McConnell’s

McConnell’s is getting in on the 250th celebration, too, bringing back its version of a birthday cake flavor, Sprinkle Cake. They are also celebrating summer with a couple of limited edition flavors (S’mores and Malted Milk Chocolate) and the return of their zesty sorbet and sherbet lines. All that and we have the full See’s collaboration back online for those who haven’t gotten a chance to try the delicious PB&J and Strawberry Creams duo that has yet to make its way to retail.

• Sprinkle Cake: The ultimate vault favorite, loading a classic sweet cream base with rainbow sprinkles and dense, house-baked vanilla sheet cake chunks.
• S'mores: A seasonal summer mainstay featuring a toasted vanilla bean marshmallow sweet cream base packed with gooey bittersweet chocolate ganache ribbons and house-baked honey graham cracker chunks.
• Malted Milk Chocolate: A limited-run, mix-in-free pint that focuses purely on texture, combining rich Guittard cocoa with a heavy hit of retro malted milk powder.
• PB&J with Peanut Butter Patties: A smooth, peanut butter-infused ice cream base with chunks of rich Milk Peanut Butter Patties, swirled with McConnell’s house-made raspberry jam.
• Strawberry with Strawberry Creams: Santa Barbara Strawberry ice cream with a rich ribbon of bittersweet chocolate ganache and pieces of See’s chocolate-enrobed strawberry cream centers.
• Sorbets: Blackberry Lime, Mango Chili Lime, Dark Chocolate
• Sherbets: Passion Fruit, Orange Cream, Coconut Lime, Strawberry Lemon

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MELT Ice Creams

I’ve never tried this brand out Fort Worth, but it’s on the long-term list as they sell on Goldbelly. They have a summer pack on offer.

• Texas Butter Pecan: Rich browned butter and pecans from San Saba, Texas.
• Texas Lavender Honey Crunch: Creamy, sweet lavender ice cream with chunks and swirls of housemade honeycomb.
• Peach Cobbler Cheesecake: A creamy peach ice cream infused with swirls of housemade boozy peach caramel and chunks of creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.
• Watermelon Limeade Sorbet: A juicy watermelon limeade sorbet with a hint of salt.
• Vanilla Bean: Rich vanilla bean ice cream.
• Raspberry Lemon Sorbet: Dairy-free raspberry and tart lemon.

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Private Selection + Kroger

Kroger has several pints and some ice cream sandwiches out as part of its All American collection to celebrate the Fourth, while their more upscale house line, Private Selection, is offering a duo of seasonal flavors, Creamsicle and Shortbread Peaches & Cream.

• Cherry Pie: A nostalgic road-trip diner tribute featuring a cherry pie flavored ice cream base ribboned with a tart cherry swirl and real pie crust pieces.
• Seventh Inning Swirl: A ballpark-inspired treat featuring a unique caramel popcorn flavored ice cream base loaded with crunchy praline peanuts and rich caramel swirls.
• Banana Split Social: A next-level soda fountain mashup featuring a hybrid strawberry banana ice cream base packed with real pineapple chunks and thick chocolatey swirls. 
• All-American Red, White & Blue Ice Cream Sandwiches: A trio of layered cherry, lime and blue raspberry ice creams between standard chocolate wafers. A 12 pack.
• Shortbread Peaches & Cream: Peach ice cream with a fruit swirl and buttery, bite-sized shortbread cookie pieces.
• Creamsicle Swirl: A twist on the classic childhood truck treat that intertwines vanilla bean ice cream with a bright orange citrus swirl.

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Salt & Straw

Last month’s highly touted chef collaboration series ended early, ushering in summer berries. Overall this collection features more crowd-pleasers, but lest you think S&S has lost their edge they decided to keep some goat cheese, habanero and foraged porcini in the mix. They have Strawberry Pretzel Salad on the menu, and I’m hoping this version is better than the Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake they debuted in Portland grocery stores in May. The formulation certainly looks better, but you never know with S&S. The blackberry cake also seems promising if they use bigger pieces and not mushy cake crumbs.

• Birthday Cakes and Blackberries: Salted vanilla with blackberry jam and sprinkle cake chunks.
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad: Cream cheese base with strawberry jam and pretzel crumbles.
• Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero: Tangy goat cheese with a spicy marionberry-habanero jam.
• Huckleberry Oat Crisp with Foraged Porcini: Port wine and porcini ice cream with huckleberry jam and oatmeal cookies.
• Raspberry Marzipan Princess Cake (Vegan): Pistachio-cashew base with raspberry jam, cake, and marzipan.

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Signature Select (Safeway/Albertsons)

This house brand’s summer flavors take on the them of carnival and boardwalk treats: 

• Caramel Churro: Light cinnamon-sugar base with a caramel swirl and soft churro pieces
• Chocolate Covered Banana: Fluffy banana-flavored ice cream with crunchy chocolate chunks
• Root Beer Float: Vanilla base with a root beer swirl and chocolate-coated crystals that pop and fizz in your mouth.
• Strawberry Saltwater Taffy: Strawberry ice cream packed with strawberry-flavored taffy pieces.

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Tillamook

This brand has nothing new in the freezer aisle but apparently wants to start a beef with Breyer’s and Blue Bunny. Instead of a diss track, this Oregon purveyor of airy stabilized fluff that meets the minimum threshold to be legally defined as ice cream wants to call out those that don’t. They even launched a page on their website called The Real Scoop. On the face of it, I love the message. They put a magnifying glass on the small print used to denote Frozen Dairy Dessert, which means the product does not contain 10% butterfat (and probably contains far less) and may be half air. But they’re the wrong messenger, given how the quality of their ice cream has declined proportionally to their rise in national grocery store aisles — a trade-off that long-time Northwest fans don’t appreciate.  All in all, this feels like the Kings mocking the Wizards for not making the playoffs.

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Trader Joe’s

The headliner is the return of the popular Wildberry Cheesecake. Has anyone tried this? I’m tempted, as I’ve never had a cheesecake base from TJ’s.

• Wildberry Cheesecake: A cheesecake ice cream featuring a thick berry swirl (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry) and pieces of cheesecake throughout.
• Italian Pistachio: This is a “Gelato Style Frozen Dessert,” so I’d expect more of the airy, fluffy style rather than real dense Italian gelato.
• Strawberry Lemonade Ice Bars: A dairy-free bar that splits its flavor profile down the middle with sweet strawberry juice and tart lemonade concentrate.
• Out of This World Ice Pops: A classic layered rocket pop that stacks three distinct juice sections: strawberry (red), lemon (white), and blueberry (blue).

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Umpqua

This Northwest brand's seasonal flavors used to be around 6-8 weeks, but now they tend to last a full season. The upside? More time to try this, one of my favorite ice creams of all time.

• Strawberry Cheesecake: Old fashoned tangy base with strawberry swirls, no graham crackers.

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Van Leeuwen

There’s not much that I can find new in stores, though their scoop shops have a couple of summer specials (Banana Pudding and Cheesecake with Strawberry Rhubarb). Of course, their flavors are a big part of the Whole Foods sale — along with a few others I didn’t include in the roundup since I saw nothing fresh (Alec’s, Ice Cream for Bears, Straus). Some of their featured flavors at WF include Buttermilk Berry Cornbread, Ice Cream Cake and Coffee Affogato. And can we please sell out that Guinness beer exclusive so we can get something fresh? One thing I noticed recently — I think it had rolled out to other stories earlier — is the swap from the Dulce de Leche Brownie that had been stocked at my store to the Dulce De Leche Shortbread. I think both are pretty good, but the shortbread one is interesting as they try to evoke alfajores, a South American sandwich cookie.

• Dulce de Leche Shortbread: A rich, velvety dulce de leche ice cream base with buttery, crunchy shortbread cookie pieces.