India Ice Cream Market Report 2026
"Cautious flavour exploration, textural upgrades and protein-led health cues will shape the next phase of ice cream innovations."
Anamika Banerji, Senior Research Analyst - Food and Drink, India
India’s packaged ice cream category is at a pivotal stage of evolution. While penetration is already high, usage frequency remains relatively low, creating space for brands to drive growth through more compelling reasons to consume. At the same time, the traditional divide between health and indulgence is beginning to blur, reshaping how consumers evaluate ice cream within their repertoires.
Flavour exploration is shaped by soft guardrails, with ‘familiar with a twist’ driving experimentation. While core flavours dominate, interest in pistachio, mixed fruit, pineapple and guava signals openness to novelty, albeit filtered through strong regional preferences. Beyond flavour, consumers are drawn to texture variation and novel formats, including snackable and impulse-friendly ice cream formats.
Health cues such as low sugar and protein are no longer niche differentiators but are fast becoming baseline expectations. This Report examines the current and emerging approaches to healthier indulgence in ice cream.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Consumption of ice cream – frequency and core users
- Interest in trying less-explored flavours – with a focus on pistachio, mixed fruit, pineapple, guava and chocolate mashups
- Opportunities to elevate excitement with textures and formats; interest in chunky and multi-layered ice cream, regional sweet bases (eg gud/jaggery), snackable formats and novel spins on traditional kulfi
- Decoding the healthier indulgence playbook – consumers’ definition of healthy ice cream with a focus on protein and low sugar
Market Definitions
The term ‘ice cream’ includes dairy-based ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen desserts (bar, complete, cone, cup/tub, push tube, sandwich, stick and others), plant-based ice cream and frozen yogurt (from dairy alternatives), water-based lollies, pops and sorbets.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Graph 1: flavours of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- The outlook for packaged ice cream in India
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Ice cream has high reach with uneven engagement
- Graph 2: consumption of packaged ice cream in the last three months, 2025
- The category is expanding but frequency is dropping
- Graph 3: frequency of consuming packaged ice cream in the last three months, 2023-25
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FLAVOUR CURIOSITY
- Cautious curiosity rules flavour choices
- Graph 4: agreement with select statements about flavours in ice cream, 2025
- Consumers prefer flavours that feel novel yet familiar
- Graph 5: flavours of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Flavour curiosity carries a regional accent
- Now: pistachio’s festive resonance sets it up for premium and limited-edition products
- Graph 6: interest in pistachio flavour in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Graph 7: interest in pistachio flavour in packaged ice cream, by consumers seeking novel flavours during festivals, 2025
- Decoding the pistachio flavour trend
- Meet pistachio cravings via taste, texture, format and health
- Mintel Spark imagines pistachio’s festive pull translated into premium, limited-edition ice cream
- Now: leverage mixed fruit as a safe gateway to flavour complexity
- Now: South India leans into the tropical freshness of pineapple and guava
- Mintel Spark elevates guava and pineapple ice cream with real fruit goodness and regional storytelling
- Mapping the next wave of fruit-led ice cream innovation
- Graph 8: fruit flavour landscape in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Now: chocolate combinations unlock elevated indulgence across occasions
- Graph 9: interest in combination of dark, white and milk chocolate flavour in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Now: create chocolate combinations through layered formats and textures
- Next: respond to early signals of a bolder next wave
- Next: offer global palates in local scoops
- Graph 10: select features of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Translate global flavour inspirations into familiar indulgent experiences
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CREATING EXCITEMENT WITH TEXTURES AND FORMATS
- Texture-led innovation can unlock novelty within familiar indulgence
- Graph 11: consumers’ features of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Now: focus NPD on leveraging textural appeal
- Graph 12: top three textures in packaged ice cream, 2024-26
- Global inspiration: chunks, layers and inclusions
- Multi-texture innovations can help elevate indulgence
- Now: make regional sweet bases tools for sensory play
- Graph 13: interest in select features in packaged ice cream, by consumers interested in Indian regional sweet bases, 2025
- Now: kulfi is ripe for reinvention in packaged ice cream
- Graph 14: ‘novel spin on traditional kulfi’ as a feature of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Kulfi begins its shift from legacy treat to modern expression
- Now: novel spin on traditional kulfi can unlock growth
- Mintel Spark imagines kulfi redefined through texture, craft and contemporary dessert rituals
- Now: snackable formats will redefine ice cream’s role beyond dessert
- Graph 15: snackable format as a feature of interest in packaged ice cream, 2025
- Boost snack appeal with minis, bites and impulse-friendly offerings
- Next: multi-sensory designs will amplify cultural crossover in desserts
- Future: ice cream can become a canvas for personal expression
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DECODING THE HEALTHIER INDULGENCE PLAYBOOK
- Consumers seeking health and balance are reshaping demand for more permissive, better-for-you desserts including ice cream
- Graph 16: natural, plus and minus claim landscape in packaged ice cream, 2026
- Shift beyond ‘guilt-free’ to credible, nutrient-rich indulgence
- Graph 17: factors important for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- Protein is best placed to give consumers permission to indulge
- Graph 18: ‘high in protein’ as an important factor for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- Differentiating high-protein ice creams
- Milk and plant proteins are defining ice cream’s emerging ingredient frontier
- Graph 19: protein ingredient landscape in packaged ice cream, 2026
- Build the protein playbook on pleasure, occasion and quality
- Sugar permissibility complements the protein halo
- Graph 20: % of packaged ice cream with high/added protein* featuring select sugar-related claims, 2021-26
- Consumers are keen on sugar moderation
- Graph 21: select factors important for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- The low-sugar opportunity remains underexplored
- Graph 22: ‘low in sugar’ as an important factor for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- Graph 23: % of packaged ice cream launches featuring select claims, 2024-26
- Reframe sugar moderation as reassuring indulgence
- Calcium leads, but vitamins can take ice cream’s health story further
- Graph 24: select factors important for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- Now: leverage low fat to expand the health toolkit beyond sugar
- Graph 25: % of launches of packaged ice cream featuring low/no/reduced fat, 2024-26
- Next: probiotics will add a wellness rationale to indulgent treats
- Graph 26: ‘added probiotics’ as an important factor for ice cream to be considered healthy, 2025
- Next: shift from claim-led to benefit-driven innovation
- Key takeaways
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
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