From Kraft mac and cheese to Hidden Valley Ranch, there have been some off-the-wall Van Leeuwen ice cream flavors in recent years. The NYC-based brand just announced its lineup of holiday flavors, and let us just say, it’s kind of a big dill. Yes, that was a hint and not a typo. Van Leeuwen is releasing dill pickle flavored ice cream at Walmart stores across the U.S. beginning on October 23. This probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea (or scoop of ice cream), but this may be for you if you’re a pickle fan who is open to novelty.
So what does Van Leeuwen dill pickle ice cream taste like? Is it sweet? Is it briny? Is it…crunchy??
Van Leeuwen has described the new pickle pickle cream flavor as “tangy yet sweet” with a “dill pickle swirl.” No explicit mention of crunchy pickle pieces, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The Sporked team has tried other Van Leeuwen ice cream flavors that are based on salty foods, and those were definitely more sweet than savory. That makes sense for a buttermilky ranch flavor and even a creamy cheese flavor, but dill pickle ice cream really stretches the limits of sweet-savory combos. But hey! They’re the experts! People love soaking pickles in Kool-Aid, so maybe the dilly flavor will harmonize nicely with the sugariness of an ice cream base.
The other Van Leeuwen ice cream flavors in the holiday lineup include Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel, Peppermint Stick, Caramel Sticky Bun, Kettle Corn, Holiday Cookies & Cream—and the return of Kraft Mac & Cheese. If you’re dubious that mac and cheese ice cream is good, take into account that Van Leeuwen CEO Ben Van Leeuwen told Food & Wine that they’re bringing it back due to popular demand. Yes, many, many people apparently want more mac and cheese-flavored ice cream. Honestly, we were on the fence about the flavor here at Sporked. In their review of Van Leeuwen’s Kraft collab, senior writer Jordan Myrick described the flavor as “vanilla ice cream featuring a light cheese powder finish.”
The winter flavors are priced at $4.98, and will be available until December 26 or until they run out. It’s not the time for dillydallying—adventure awaits.
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