July 14, 2025 – The ice cream marketplace in Europe is filled with opportunities for innovation to capture consumers. With a wide variety of formats, flavors, and product types, ice cream remains a dynamic and competitive category across the region. European consumers are drawn to novelty, indulgence, and quality—creating space for brands to stand out with creative and compelling offerings.
At Innova, our Overview In Reports provide a regional snapshot of new product development (NPD) activity, unpacking top claims, key ingredients, and flavor trends. These reports highlight the competitive landscape and spotlight immediate opportunities, laying a strong foundation for brands to drive future innovation. In the case of European ice cream, they reveal how shifting consumer expectations and evolving market dynamics are shaping the next wave of product launches.
Ice Cream Variety is Essential in Europe
Ice cream is available in a lot of forms in Europe, including gelato, sorbet, crème glacée, and yogurt. European consumers can choose from a variety of ice cream formats like sticks and sandwiches. In fact, consumer trends research shows that many European consumers like ice cream because it offers variety and novelty. Products like spaghetti ice cream that offer two flavors are attractive European consumers and are gaining market share. Consumer trends research suggests that European ice cream consumers will be excited by different formats such as cookies, sandwiches, macaroons, push-ups, donut shaped, and mini bites. This is because European consumers report eating more ice cream because of the novelty and variety. Novel ice cream products have the potential to engage consumers in exciting and memorable ice cream experiences.
Innovation for Wellness
Ice cream trends show that many European consumers are concerned about wellness and could be attracted to ice cream products that have natural ingredients and are focused on health. One example is indulgent non-dairy ice creams that can be made from natural bases such as oat milk, coconut milk, or pistachio milk. Health features such as high protein, high fiber, low fat, or low calorie deliver guilt-free indulgence to health-conscious European consumers who want to meet their nutrition needs. It is essential for European ice cream manufacturers to balance pleasure and indulgence with health. The combination of plant-based and natural contributes to a clean ice cream product. This is important since European consumer research survey participants name lack of naturalness as the reason for not purchasing plant-based products. To the European consumer, plant-based products are too processed and have artificial ingredients when consumers are looking for clean ice cream products. So health, clean features, and indulgence need to meet.
Tradition Meets Gourmet in European Ice Cream
In Europe, ice cream innovation can combine tradition with gourmet. European ice cream products that feature homemade recipes communicate freshness, authenticity, and a handcrafted nature. Brands that use high-quality, premium ingredients can ramp up flavor and creaminess. Ice cream trends indicate that gourmet lines of European ice cream products offer innovative flavors and upscale production techniques that appeal to discerning consumers and elevate their eating experience. Consumer trends surveys show that European consumers rank product quality as the most important factor when choosing food and beverage products. Use of fine, gourmet ingredients can create an upscale ice cream eating experience for the quality-conscious, sophisticated European consumer.
Packaging Themes Enhance Appeal
European ice cream brands can use seasonal, holiday, child-friendly, and co-branded packaging themes to make their products appealing and more relevant to European consumers. Co-branded packaging to highlight partner brands offers consumers a recognizable brand identification. Examples of co-branding partners include movies, artists, actors, and brands that are exciting, culturally relevant, exciting, and engaging. Packaging that is friendly to kids can attract and engage these younger European consumers. Designs can be visually stimulating, playful, animated, interactive, and attention-getting. Ice cream trends show that Innova’s new product launch tracking reveals European ice cream launches for children 5-12 years of age are growing. Seasonal product innovations and limited-edition releases generate excitement and create a sense of urgency.
Meeting Consumer Expectations for Flavor and Comfort
European consumers crave ice cream that offers both familiarity and adventurous tastes. Ice cream features such as sweetness, creaminess, brown flavors, and fruit flavors are becoming more prominent. Other flavors that stand out in European ice cream are culturally rich and diverse ethnic flavors and mash-ups of two or more dessert flavors. Innova’s #3 Top 10 Trend 2025 is Wildly Inventive. This trend describes how consumer palates are changing and how creative flavors can appeal to consumers who want to experience novel flavors, flavor fusions, and flavor combinations. Ethnic flavors honor cultural diversity from different regions, as described in Innova’s #2 Flavor Trend 2025, Authentic and Rooted. Consumers are interested in global tastes and these help make ice cream more appealing, adventurous, and unique. Ice cream also can provide comfort to European consumers. Innova’s Flavor Trend #1, Sensory Therapy, captures the importance of flavors such as sweet ice cream flavors for comfort.
Facts about European Ice Cream
Between April 2024 and March 2025, the UK was the top European country for ice cream launches. Overall growth of ice cream launches in Europe is very strong. The top ice cream company is Unilever, traditional is the fastest growing claim, and nougat is the fastest growing flavor.
What’s Next in Ice Cream in Europe?
Ice cream kits for preparation at home allow European consumers to personalize their ice cream experience with hands-on customization. Creating freshly made ice cream at home becomes easy and can reach new European consumers. Diversity into sheep’s milk ice cream products can create new rich, nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest ice cream products that have a unique flavor and are artisanal. Promote humane dairy farming methods that reduce stress on the animals and meet consumer expectations for ethical treatment of animals. Use child-generated designs for kid-friendly products. Kids can create new, unique, imaginative flavors that will delight both peers and parents, making the ice cream experience more fun and memorable. Try hot and spicy flavor combinations for a bold ice cream adventure. Hot and spicy flavors can help differentiate products and attract adventure-seeking European consumers who are curious about new flavor experiences.
This article is based on Innova’s Overview in Overview in Ice Cream in Europe report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
