8 Forgotten Classic Ice Cream Flavors From The '70s That Deserve A Comeback

Ice cream is one of the most unifying foods in the world. Seriously, it's so popular that many different cultures can lay claim to their own version of it. Indian kulfi was first eaten nearly 500 years ago, and centuries before that, people in ancient China were eating soft, creamy rice-milk paste, frozen with ice from the mountains. In the 19th and 20th centuries, with the invention of mechanical refrigeration and ice cream machines, the sweet treat hit the mainstream. But while ice cream itself might be unifying, the flavors are a little more divisive. Every generation has its favorites.

Ask a Gen Z, for example, and they'll probably say something along the lines of cookie dough ice cream, peanut butter cup, or birthday cake. Ask a Gen X, and you might get a rant about a flavor from the 1970s that isn't around anymore but deserves a major comeback. If that sounds relatable, here we take a closer look at some of the forgotten classic ice cream flavors from the 1970s that many people feel deserve a return to menus and grocery store aisles across the country. Grab your spoon, and let's dig in.

Heavenly hash is a shapeshifter. While many people who grew up in the 1970s think of it as an ice cream flavor, it actually started as a fruit salad. According to one recipe from the 1920s, for example, the dessert consisted of whipped cream, marshmallows, candied fruits, and chopped nuts. The ice cream flavor didn't arrive on the scene until a few decades later, when Sealtest launched Heavenly Hash in 1969.

Sealtest's ice cream still had elements of that traditional recipe, complete with marshmallows and butter almond, as well as plenty of chocolate chips. It disappeared with the rest of Sealtest's ice creams in the late 20th century, but many still pine for it. "Sealtest heavenly hash. Now that was a great ice cream!," reads one Facebook post in a group dedicated to memories of Philadelphia. If you're missing Heavenly Hash ice cream, then some say Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, complete with chocolate chunks and marshmallow swirls, satisfies the craving pretty well.

Just like Heavenly Hash, Butter Brickle didn't start off as ice cream. It was inspired by Butter Brickle butterscotch-flavored candy, which was created by the Omaha-based John G. Woodward Company in the 1920s. The ice cream's exact origin isn't known, but one theory credits it to the Omaha Blackstone Hotel just a few years after the candy hit the market. By the 1970s, Butter Brickle ice cream, with its butterscotch flavor and crunchy toffee pieces, was beloved far beyond Nebraska. In fact, thanks to companies like The Fenn Bros and Leaf Inc., it had become a national favorite.

Although it is still an iconic ice cream in the state of Nebraska, today, Butter Brickle is pretty hard to find. But many people who grew up eating it are hoping that one day it might make a return. "So if so many of us loved it and [miss it,] I wonder if one of the ice cream companies would consider producing it again if they heard requests from enough people?" speculated one Facebook user in a group devoted to 1970s memories. Another added: "Been my absolute favorite for over 60 years and there isn't even a close second. Trouble is I can't find it anymore."

Maple ice cream has been around for a long time. In fact, it appears in some 19th-century handwritten rural cookbooks from the northeastern U.S., where sugar maple trees grow in abundance. Certain species of walnut are also native to the region, so it's not surprising that the two together became a New England staple.

While maple walnut, or maplenut, ice cream isn't as easy to find these days, in the 1970s it was far more common, and many people who grew up during this era say it was one of their absolute favorites (or one of their parents' favorites, at least). "My mom [used] to love it," said one Facebook user in a group for 1970s memories. And in the r/icecream subreddit, one Redditor said: "My grandmother loved the Maple Walnut flavor. I don't think I've seen it since I was a kid."

Maple walnut might not be as widespread anymore, but you can still find it on special offer at the odd ice cream shop throughout the country. Alternatively, you can hop across the border to Canada, where some say it's far more common.

Bright pink bubblegum first hit the market in the 1920s, and it was an instant success. People loved blowing bubbles, of course, but they also loved the vivid color and the undefined sugary-sweet flavor. Capitalizing on this popularity, in the 1970s, Baskin-Robbins created its Pink Bubblegum ice cream for the first time. And just like its chewy predecessor, people loved it — especially the small pieces of chewy bubblegum inside each scoop. 

"Back in the late 70's to early 80's my dad would take us to the local Baskin-Robbin's and for some reason he always ordered [Pink Bubblegum] for my sister and I," recalls one Redditor in r/icecream, in a post that has more than 250 upvotes. "Imagine those tiny [Chiclets] suspended in ice cream." Another added: "It was my favorite. I would eat the ice cream and save the bubblegum for later."

If you feel, like many people, that bubblegum deserves a revival, keep an eye on Baskin-Robbins. Sometimes, the brand likes to bring it back to its scoop shops for a limited time.

When you think of lemon chiffon, you probably think of a cake by the same name. You know the type: The fluffy, zingy lemon sponge, often served with fresh berries and maybe a dollop of whipped cream. But lemon chiffon also used to be a pretty popular ice cream flavor. While it's tougher to find today, many people who grew up in the 1970s say it was one of their favorites back then.

Some would order a scoop of lemon chiffon from their local ice cream shop, while others enjoyed Lemon Chiffon ice cream bars from Good Humor ice cream trucks. They appeared to have been a novelty flavor, available for a limited time throughout the decade, but they were around just long enough to make an impression.

"I lived in Tennessee in the 70s, and though I was pretty young I remember the bars being around for a few years," said one Redditor in r/icecream, before explaining that they had tagged Good Humor in an image of the old ice cream bars on social media and received a response. "They said they passed it on to their development team. I'm sure it will go nowhere, but a girl can dream," they added.

Rum raisin was invented in the 1930s, but it didn't really take off until four decades later. The flavor, made with rum-soaked raisins and vanilla ice cream, is divisive today, but back then, people loved it — even Richard Nixon served it as dessert at the White House.

Of course, you didn't have to be rich (or the President) to enjoy rum raisin. The flavor was widely available in ice cream shops and grocery stores, and some wish that was still the case today. And that remains mostly true, at least in some places. Throughout the South, rum raisin can be found among brands like Häagen-Dazs, Turkey Hill, Wegmans, and Publix. But venture outside the region, and you might not even know the flavor exists.

"I miss it so much! It's my favorite ice cream flavor," said one Redditor in r/icecream. Another speculated that modern customers don't like it because of the raisins. "I had it in my ice cream shop years ago," they said. "Was an incredibly slow seller. It was delicious, but raisins [turned] a lot of people off." While rum raisin is often viewed as dated now, it's actually a pretty good flavor combination; the warmth of the rum complements the natural sweetness of the raisins beautifully, so we can understand why so many people miss it.

Today, most ice cream parlor menus are dominated by flavors like cookies and cream, salted caramel, cookie dough, peanut butter, and rocky road. Licorice? That's not really a common sight. However, back in the 1970s, it was a firm favorite for many people.

"I loved the licorice ice-cream I could get at the ice-cream parlor," said one Facebook user in response to the statement "Ice cream flavors popular in the [1970s] that are hard to find today" in a 1970s memories group. Amid the replies reminiscing on Butter Brickle and bubblegum, many others backed them up. "Black licorice," said another. "And I really miss it."

Licorice flavor is still around in the U.S., but it's undoubtedly harder to find. Still, in some places, it's thriving. An ice cream flavor you can only get in Canada, for example, is a legendary mix of orange and black licorice, while in Finland, black licorice ice cream with salt is an actual delicacy.