Americans Love Ice Cream — Here's How Much They Consume Per Year, On Average

Americans have a hearty appetite for certain foods that have become synonymous with the country — and ice cream is one of them. Who doesn't love a good ice cream cone, sandwich, or cup? It's a pretty ubiquitously beloved treat, with 97% of U.S. adults saying they like or love it, according to a 2026 International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) survey of over 2,200 people. That's not even including kids, so you know those numbers are probably much higher. Perhaps it's in the DNA of the United States, since founding father Thomas Jefferson helped popularize ice cream back in the 1700s. Whatever the reason, Americans eat an impressive amount of ice cream every year. That figure is somewhere around 4 gallons each. Yes, each!

The figure comes from the IDFA, which has Americans chowing down on about 18 pounds each, which works out to around 4 gallons. As much as we love this frozen treat, it's still a pretty astounding number. When broken down by state, New Jersey might be the most ice cream obsessed, at least according to an Innerbody study based on Google search data that found the state had the highest search interest in this treat. It may be called the Garden State, but perhaps a name change is in order. Relatedly, Vermont gets the top spot for having the most ice cream shops per capita at 18.51 per 100,000 residents.

We've established Americans love ice cream, but what kind and in what form? According to the same IDFA survey, chocolate is the most popular flavor, followed by butter pecan, with vanilla in third. But other sources with varying methodologies and definitions of popularity give a different picture when it comes to America's favorite flavor. A 2026 report from food delivery company Instacart, for example, has vanilla at the top of its most-ordered list, with chocolate a distant second. Whichever of these two classic flavors is the winner, we're pretty sure other old-school ice cream flavors that were once popular, like oyster or artichoke, didn't make the list.

Cones are the preferred method of eating ice cream at 40%, with 24% opting for ice cream sandwiches, and 14% eating their ice cream from mini cups, per the IDFA. As for the most popular brand of ice cream, Instacart has Häagen-Dazs at the top of its most-sold ranking. There are other sources that categorize the winner by different criteria, as Statista lists Ben & Jerry's as the No. 1 most-recognized brand while Innerbody's research came up with Halo Top as the most-searched brand. 

Whatever the truth of the matter, we know Americans can devour ice cream; and with U.S. companies producing 1.23 billion gallons in 2025 alone, they have plenty to eat. And while the United States may only be the second biggest ice cream consumer in the world, it at least ranks first in another very American food. The U.S. consumes the most beef in the world, eating around 58.5 pounds a year, according to the USDA.