More Than 50% Of People Say This Is Their Go-To Frozen Dessert
As summer approaches — bringing heat waves, dog days, and plenty of perspiration with it — it's time to embrace one of the season's biggest upsides: frozen treats.
Whether you prefer to cool off with ice cream sandwiches, syrup-soaked shaved ice, or adult-approved boozy slushie cocktails, there's no denying that frozen desserts are pivotal to making the most of a sweltering summer day.
And while the popularity of cold summer treats is irrefutable, one topic is still up for debate: the best frozen treat of all. To get to the bottom of this freezer drawer conundrum, we asked a group of dessert-loving respondents a simple question: "what is your go-to frozen dessert?"
Surprisingly, one of the most iconic summer treats landed dead last on the list — popsicles. The freezer aisle staple that was accidentally invited by an 11-year-old boy back in 1905 — received just over 5% of the total vote, perhaps due to the sticky mess that often results from eating the handheld treat on a particularly hot day (via NPR). (Note: It's unclear where boozy popsicles fall in the popularity standings.)
Sorbet, another dairy-free dessert traditionally made with frozen fruit, sugar, and citrus juice, came in second-to-last place. Sorbet is another dairy-free dessert usually made with frozen fruit, sugar, and citrus juice. This fruity ice cream alternative received just 8.54% of the vote.
This classic creamy dish asserted its dessert dominance
Falling in the middle of the pack was frozen yogurt, a tart, creamy dessert that dairy magnate H.P. Hood invented in the 1970s after the Bloomingdales department store requested a low-fat dessert to serve its figure-conscious customers (via Dairy Foods). Although frozen yogurt had its heyday in the 1980s, '90s, and early 2000s, thanks to popular chains like TCBY and Pinkberry, the reduced-fat dessert is still plenty popular today, receiving over 17% of the vote (via Frozen Dessert Supplies).
Gelato, a frozen Italian specialty, narrowly edged out frozen yogurt, receiving 18.45% of respondents' votes. Gelato differs from standard ice cream in its ingredients and texture; gelato uses less cream and more milk (for a lower-fat dessert) and is churned more slowly, resulting in its trademark ultra-creamy texture, according to Food Network.
Topping the list was a classic: soft-serve ice cream, traditional ice cream's softer, smoother sibling made with more air and less buttercream than the standard scoopable ice cream. This iconic dessert has become a staple of ice cream trucks — even prompting turf wars between popular soft serve distributors — and McDonald's dessert menus alike (when the burger chain's finicky ice cream machines are working).
Over 50% of poll respondents chose creamy ice cream as their favorite frozen dessert, proving that some perpetually popular treats will always be summer staples.