What does a season taste like? No, think for a minute. The annual flavour clock that ticks in all of our minds. It starts with the anticipation for mango in April, as summer approaches. Late into summer, just as the mango frenzy fades, we look forward to the brief appearance of litchi. Then the monsoon ushers in its own icons—from tart jamun to cherries and pomegranates. Each season brings its hero, and for our ice cream bowls, that hero is almost always a fruit.

Fittingly so, the Godrej Food Trends Report focuses on seasonality, this year, and how seasonal eating is reclaiming its place in the spotlight.

And one place where this theme is more relevant than ever, is ice cream!

TasteAtlas’ Top 100 Most Iconic Ice Creams in the World

TasteAtlas, the renowned food and travel guide has placed three beloved Mumbai ice creams among the Top 100 Most Iconic Ice Creams in the World. Any guesses which 3? All fruit and seasonal favourites! K. Rustom’s most celebrated Mango Ice Cream Sandwich; Naturals (tender coconut!) and Apsara Ice Creams (Guava chilli).

A budding favourite – the new seasonal pick, kala jamun.

Well, one thing is evident, when it comes to ice cream; seasonal and fruit flavours shall always reign supreme! But we’re digging a bit deeper into this ‘trend’, courtesy of the fantastic Godrej Food Trends Report 2025, we have an added insight into the seasonality of popular flavours. Once limited to big brands like Naturals, we now also have a fresh set of trendsetters and trailblazers who are carving a name for themselves in this niche.

Local legends are doing it with Kulfi

Mumbai based Parsi Dairy Farm offers several popular dishes, but their kulfis have a dedicated fan base of their own! “We don’t use any artificial or synthetic flavourings,”says Head of Operations,Parvana Mistry, abouttheir fruit-based kulfisthat come in mango, strawberry and sitaphal flavours. The pulp for themango and strawberry flavours isfrozen during the season and usedyear-round while the sitaphal kulfi isavailable only in peak season at yearend when its inherently mild flavour isat its best.

Fruit pops for the win

The recognition that fruit is perceived as a healthier alternative to refined sugar in the dessert equation, has resulted in many brands launching fruit-based popsicles. “From an ice cream standpoint, fruit flavours in India were always mango or strawberry, and never went beyond.”

says hotelier, Romil Ratra. “Our fruit-based popsicles came from conversations with potential and existing consumers who said, listen, why don’t you have more fruit options?”BrooklynCreamery’s all-natural, refined sugar-freerange tout variants like litchi and pineapple, containing real fruit pieces. Noto also offers local flavours like kala jamun, alongside global staples.

How Indu Ice Cream is leveraging unique and regional ‘seasonal’ favourites

Mumbai-based Indu Ice Cream, which now supplies ice cream to restaurant brands like Burma Burma and Ishaara offers unique flavours like the tangy sweet kokum and black grape sorbet inspired by the Kala Khatta gola, they regularly promote limited edition offerings, like a seasonal litchi ice cream that was a runaway success with its rich, creamy tender coconut base, studded with bits of tender coconut, and a sweet slightly sour litchi and kewra water compote swirled through.

“I wanted to bring out Indian produce in some way or the other, across the flavours,”shares Saloni Kukreja, owner of Indu Ice Cream. “The kewra added a delicate floral note and sense of nostalgia.”

Jaatre Ice Cream is bringing eco-conscious awareness of farming cycles to their offerings

Shilpi Bhargava and Pavan Jambagi, founders of Jaatre Ice Cream in New Delhi, recognised the potential of fruity flavours and the promise that the rich biodiversity of Indian fruits like mangoes, sharifas, chikoos, guavas, jamun, and more, offered. They studied farming cycles of varied fruits cultivated around India and experimented with different flavours that they showcase in unique combinations of fruit and spice, and sell in sustainable containers like scraped coconut shells and terracotta tubs.

Ultimately, the growing appeal of fruit-based ice creams is a confluence of factors: a greater appreciation for India's agricultural diversity, a consumer pull towards authenticity and perceived wellness, and the creative commitment of chefs and entrepreneurs. It signifies a promising direction for the industry, one where the most compelling innovations are rooted in the honesty of the ingredient itself!

The expert insights and quotes in this article are credited to the Sweets and Desserts section of the Godrej Food Trends Report 2025. To explore more culinary trends shaping India, read the full report here.

Which seasonal favourite is your go-to this season? Is it kala jamun, peach and apricot or pomegranate? Let us know in the comments!