Ice cream choice has traditionally been defined by flavour – but today, texture is playing an equal, if not a more important, part in shaping what consumers pick from the freezer aisle.
According to Mintel, creative use of texture is central to innovation in 2026 – with the market intelligence agency going as far as to say that “texture is everything”.
Layered ice creams, swirls and ripples, crunchy coatings and multi-texture combinations are all vying for shoppers’ appetites – and wallets. For brands, it’s a matter of spotlighting their texture plays through format innovation.
Here’s what some of the ice cream majors are doing.
Haagen-Dazs’ thick and crunchy ice cream stickbars
Known predominantly for its premium ice cream tubs, General Mills brand Haagen-Dazs has always taken texture seriously. Its ice cream tubs have low air content and therefore low overrun, resulting in a high-density texture out of the box.
The brand pairs that with texture elements such as cake and cookie bits or swirls. Tiramisu flavour being the latest examples of how the brand is converging multiple trends – indulgence, dessert mash-ups and texture-led innovation – to capture demand.
Beyond tubs and mini-tubs, the brand has launched premium multi-layered stickbars with a thick, crunch-laden chocolate coatings. This summer, a fruit-forward Creamy Strawberry has also landed, adding a note of lightness to an otherwise indulgent treat.
“Consumer interest in texture is having a significant influence on our R&D pipeline, with innovation increasingly driven by how products feel, layer and evolve from first bite to finish,” Holly Bouldin, Head of Brand, Häagen-Dazs UK, told us. “Shoppers don’t just want a single, uniform texture; they are often actively seeking complexity, contrast and a sense of craftsmanship that elevates the overall eating experience.”
Ben & Jerry’s Sundae success
Ben & Jerry’s introduced its Sundae range last year, and it’s been going from strength to strength, becoming one of the brand’s best-selling product lines in the past year.
Described as bringing “all the joy and indulgence of a decadent ice cream sundae without the hassle of building it yourself”, the range places texture front and centre – with chunks, swirls, whipped cream toppings and sprinklings all contributing to the line’s playful, over-the-top sense of indulgence.
As the brand’s ‘flavor guru’ Natalia Butler said: “I like to think of each Sundae as a textural treasure hunt, starting with that thick and creamy ice cream that you already know and love, nestled below a layer of rich whipped topping and covered in the perfect balance of the most decadent swirls and chunks you have ever met.”
Sandwiches are back
Sandwiches are back in vogue in 2026, with several brands leveraging the format as part of their strategy to spotlight texture innovation.
Oreo, Lotus Biscoff and Ben & Jerry’s have all reinvigorated the category in recent years. Here, texture is less about crunch and more about structure, with the biscuit delivering flavour and substance to carry the creamy centre.
Chewy formats
Mochi-style formats may count as ‘novelty’ items, but the category has long moved from novelty to mainstream: and growth continues to build.
The category is expanding at a double-digit rate according to multiple market research agencies, propelled by social media virality, permissible indulgence trends, and demand for snack-sized treats.
And unlike crunchy stickbars and texture-rich tubs, mochi ice cream gives the consumer something unique – a soft, chewy experience that contrasts with wider category trends.
In the US, the largest mochi ice cream brand, My/Mochi Ice Cream, achieved $80m in sales according to SPINS MULO data ending January 25, 2026; and Circana notes that the novelty ice cream market as a whole has reached $8.6bn in sales in 2025 alone.
These are big numbers: and a sign that the category is headed for further growth. Large CPG players are taking note, with Morinaga America, Inc. having acquired My/Mochi as it aims to expand into the frozen novelties.
Bites and mini cups
Also taking the ice cream world by storm are bite-sized novelties. From challenger brands like Culture Cup by Alec’s Ice Cream to Magnum’s Bon Bons range, the category is expanding on the back of snacking trends.
With around a third of consumers interested in bite-sized portions – and particularly Gen Z shoppers – consumers are increasingly choosing taste over quantity when it comes to treats.
Brands are responding to that end, with Haagen-Dazs, Oreo and Magnum all introducing frozen bite formats.
And while portions are small, the profit opportunity is significant. According to Kantar data, bites are helping to premiumise the entire ice cream category, since bites are purchased often in addition to other formats.
And so, as brands push beyond flavour alone, texture has become the defining battleground in the freezer aisle.
