We are most often asked how many “types” or “styles” of ice cream exist? 

It is important to note regulatory and non-regulatory considerations as they might exist in various countries/markets do relate to what might constitute an ice cream type or style.  

In the simplest of terms, no matter the style, ice cream (and frozen dessert variants, thereof,) is the only food designed, formulated, manufactured, marketed, and sold with the express intent of being consumed frozen. This makes ice cream is different, special, and, in some instances, highly variable in market positioning based both on regulatory considerations and simple conventional wisdom. 

This being said, there have been, and are, multiple styles of frozen desserts that may differentiate themselves from each other in multiple ways. Some of these differences may be via form (e.g., soft serve, soft frozen, shaved, cryogenically frozen, etc.), formulation (amount, or lack thereof, of milkfat and other milk solids, egg, egg yolks solids, etc.), format (e.g., packaged, handheld novelties like cups, cones, molded sticked bars, sticked & stickless extruded bars, etc.), flavor (one or more flavors compatible with the style), and/or geographic, historic, economic, and/or cultural contexts. This includes ice cream mixes that may or may not be whipped and frozen, and ultimately, presented for sale/consumption. 

Many such “styles” are undefined per se and subject to conventional wisdom for guidance on how best to define, formulate, select ingredients, and manufacture same to achieve the given finished “style” and/or desirable sensory eating qualities. 

Such ice cream “styles” include, and not limited to, the list below with some brief commentary added. There is no implied order of importance.

• Premium****                         
• Super-Premium****   
• Natural**** (non-bioengineered?)  
• Gourmet****
• Mousse*** (includes some sort of whipping agent?)
• Standard/Regular/Economy**** (regulatory minimum of milkfat, milk solids, food solids, etc.)  
• Frozen Dairy Desserts (non-standard but dairy-based)
• Frozen Non-dairy Desserts (non-standard, plant-based; vegan)            
• Hard frozen (packaged)
• Soft-serve/soft serve (“direct draw” into cups, cones, etc.)
• Novelties (single-serve/handheld)… filled cups/cones; molded (aerated or not); extruded; with/without sticks; with/without coating 
• Nutrient Modified (enhance, remove)*                      
• Mochi**** (rice dough pockets; multiple types; standard/non-standard on frozen dessert side)
• Keto Diet Compatible** (****)         
• Turkish (dondurma: with salep & mastic; “stretchy” ice cream)
• Low “Net Carbs”***              
• Kulfi (India; fruit/spice combos)
• “Homemade”/”Country-style”/”Home-style” ****                           
• New York-style (see Philadelphia-style; purposely, weak bite/chew; intense flavor release/delivery)                
• Philadelphia-style (sans egg; see New York-style; New Zealand-style)
• New Zealand-style (real/whole fruit ice creams; specialty flavor(s)
• Spumoni (layered flavored ice creams)                      
• Gelato/Sorbetto****              
• Shaved Ice****
• Sorbet**** (with substantial fruit juices and/or fruit purees)                                    
• Italian Ice**** (aka sorbet, sorbetto)
• Frozen Yogurt (flavor/body/texture varies by % cultured dairy portion; soft serve or hard packaged variants)                       
• Frozen Greek Yogurt (as for frozen yogurt but higher protein?)
• Frozen Tofu **** (may/may not actually include tofu, i.e., firm or silken soybean curd)
• Frozen Kefir**** (flavor/body/texture varies by % cultured dairy portion)                       
• Frozen Custard (soft serve; hard pack; aka “French Vanilla”; minimum egg yolk solids required; may vary by market)
• Neopolitan (aka “vanilla-chocolate-strawberry”, VCS; typically equal portions of each may be swirled but demonstrably separate ice cream mixes/flavors)                    
• Soft Scoopable**** (may/may not be compatible with regulatory definitions of “ice cream”)
• Fried Ice Cream**** (fried in what? fried on what?)
• Cryogenically frozen ice cream**** (dots, shreds, particles, direct draw “hard” ice cream, direct injection of cryogenic fluid while mixing)
• Milk shake/”shake”… direct draw frozen/whipped mix or spindled with milk/ice cream; non-standard “shake”
• Ice cream mixes (all types) deposited and quick frozen on metal plates with/without air; scrapped-off plate; may/may not have bulky flavors added before removal from plate

* Modified relative to amount/type fat; protein; sugars; calories; etc.

** High Fat; Medium chain triglycerides; “high” protein; ultra-low “net carbs”

*** What’s a “net carb”?     

**** Defined by conventional wisdom/specific market dynamics

After looking at the above list and adding variations related to ingredients, conditions of whipping/freezing, amount of overrun applied, and the influence of added flavors (non-bulky and bulky flavorants), it’s easy to see the magnitude and variety of finished ice cream “styles” that can exist. 

So, how many “types,” or “styles,” of ice cream are there? How much time do you have?