Iceland Ice Cream: Great Any Time of Year

Iceland Ice Cream Cones

If you are an ice cream lover with a sweet tooth, have I got news for you. Iceland ice cream Is some of the best in the world, so you want to get some of this sweet treat during your trip. While this may come as a surprise to many, it’s actually not that weird. Haven’t you ever had a craving for this dessert in the winter? It’s a favorite of locals at both the height of summer’s Midnight Sun and during winter snowstorms.

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Iceland Ice Cream Shop

Iceland Ice Cream

There are many different types of delicious ice cream in Iceland to choose from. We’ve got the typical soft-serve ice cream as well as ‘bragðarefur’, which kind of resembles a McFlurry. And in typical nostalgic style, many Icelanders will go on first dates to an ice cream parlor. After all, if they don’t put the right ingredients into their ‘bragðarefur’, it could be a total deal-breaker. So while eating ice cream may not be something you instantly associate with Iceland, it’s definitely a part of our culture. Queue up for two scoops or a cone once you’ve finished your day out at the Golden Circle or bathing in a geothermal hot spring.

Soft-Serve Icelandic Ice Cream

Perennial favorite soft-serve vanilla ice cream is served at your favorite ice cream shop but comes with something extra special. You can get it covered in a dip made from caramel sauce and chocolate. the special mixture, called lúxusdýfa, is unbelievable and to die for. It quickly became a staple dip for Icelanders and ice cream connoisseurs.

There are also other toppings available. Licorice pebbles and Daim chocolate bar pieces are especially scrumptious possibilities but there are also many other options to choose from.

When you go to the ice cream parlor, don’t be surprised if they ask you if you want ‘gamli ísinn’ or ‘nýi ísinn’. These are the old vs new styles of ice cream. The old style (gamli ísinn) has its supporters and is more milk-based. But the new style (nýi ísinn) is much creamer. People who prefer this type of ice cream generally think the old style is a bit watery and doesn’t have enough flavor. Why not try both and you be the judge?

Iceland Ice Cream Soft Serve

Whichever option you opt for, if you’re going to get a waffle cone be sure to get a box for your ice cream as well. Things can get a bit messy otherwise.

The Best Ice Cream in Iceland: Bragðarefur

At some point in the history and evolution of ice cream someone had a brilliant idea. One day, they asked themselves: “Why don’t we blend this ice cream together with some tasty toppings and see how it all turns out”?

This delicious mixture goes by many names: a McFlurry, a Dairy Queen Blizzard, and in Iceland, bragðarefur. Whatever you call it our taste buds have been thanking those ingenious ice cream scientists them ever since.

The name of the best ice cream in Iceland literally translates to “taste fox” and quite frankly, that’s my favorite name of them all. It’s basically a mix of our delicious ice cream, fruit, candy, and dipping sauces. Like most ice cream places you pick whichever toppings you like and then go from there.

Be careful with the sizes as the large can be quite large. Even for two people who are sharing. So opt for a medium or even a small. You can always go back for another one the next day. Then you have the base, which is made from fruits and berries. Strawberries are always a popular option as are bilberries which have their own fans.

Iceland Ice Cream Bragdarefur

Now you get to choose candy. It just keeps getting better, right? You’ll have a smorgasbord of candy options laid out before you, so try not to let your eyes be bigger than your stomach. Whether you go for white chocolate, lúxusdýfa, or Þristur, a candy made from chocolate and licorice, you’ll feel like you’re in candy heaven. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Some other options are Hitt, Tromp, Olsen Olsen, and Tyrkisk Peber “spicy” candy.

I highly recommend trying out this typical Icelandic food.

You really can do no wrong When selecting your ingredients. So whether you get gummy bears, Oreos, Mars Bars, or all of the above you’re sure to enjoy every last lick and spoonful.

Icelandic Ice Cream in Reykjavik

Of course we couldn’t finish without talking about ice cream shops in Reykjavik. In addition to Hlemmur Food Hall, you’ll want to visit one of these shops.

As a staple and a pastime, the Reykjavik ice cream shops have been around for decades. One of the institutions of this proud heritage is Ísbúð Vesturbæjar. If you’re going to get Icelandic ice cream in Reykjavik, you want to stop here. It bears the tradition that Reykjavik’s citizens have held dear for so long. They’ve got a special gamli ísinn that is particularly yummy.

A relatively new ice cream shop in Reykjavik is Huppa. They haven’t been around very long oh, they already have raving fans. I scream, you scream, we all scream for Huppa ice cream! So what makes them so special? While they have country roots they recently arrived in Reykjavik better known for their unusual candy choices. They also have a really cool Kinder egg dip that goes along with a white chocolate and lúxusdýfa dip. Just ask the mix artists behind the counter to guide you in your quest for the perfect bragðarefur.

Valdís ice cream shop has some really amazing sorbets and gelatos that you will definitely want to try. They make fresh ice cream and waffle cones every day so it’s always fresh. The salted caramel ice cream is particularly amazing. And the menu changes every day, so that means you’ll just have to keep going back to try everything. Post the flavors you like to see on their Facebook page as they are really good at listening to their customers.

There’s also a Joylato, which is a vegan ice cream store in Reykjavik. They use liquid nitrogen to make the ice cream along with a nut or almond base and then, of course, all of the regular fixings piled on top.

Frozen and Delicious

Iceland isn’t just home to icy glaciers and frozen ice caps. You can also get some pretty delicious frozen treats here as well. Be sure to try out Icelandic ice cream during your trip and let us know which ingredients you added for the perfect combination.

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