Superman Ice Cream: Michigan’s Favorite Ice Cream Flavor
Wondering about Superman Ice Cream, the colorful ice cream that is Michigan’s mystery flavor?
You’re not alone: until you’ve tasted it, it’s hard to imagine exactly what red, blue, and yellow ice cream tastes light. What gives it the color? Is it simple yellow food coloring or some raspberry flavoring?
Not exactly. We’ve put together a complete guide to Superman Ice Cream including a recipe, and where to find it in ice cream parlors and stores. Read on for the history of Superman Ice Cream, and why it’s just so popular!
Superman Ice Cream Flavors
Superman Ice Cream is a regional taste. You might find it in ice cream parlors scattered throughout the midwest. If you’re in a Michigan ice cream shop, though, chances are good that Superman will be on the menu.
Superman Ice Cream is easy to picture: imagine ice cream in a super rainbow of color and taste, bright blues, deep reds, and shocking yellows.
Add in some flavors like cherry or Detroit-style, “Red Pop” soft drinks, almond-extract laden blue moon or blue raspberry and some rich vanilla flavors, and you’ve got yourself some Superman ice cream, Michigan’s favorite flavor.
But WHAT does it taste like?
It is a truly Michigan flavor, and you can find it in ice cream parlors all over this awesome mitten state of ours. As ice cream goes, these are some serious eats!
Read on to learn more about this uniquely Midwestern ice cream flavor and learn where to find Superman ice cream in Michigan.
Discover Delicious Ice Cream in Michigan
Ice cream parlors are a haven for sweet-toothed ice cream lovers worldwide, and Michigan has plenty of them for you to visit.
In Michigan, we have a special regional variety of ice cream, best known for its colors: blue, red, and yellow. As ice cream shops from Mackinac Island and the far reaches of the Upper Peninsula to West Michigan and metro Detroit know, the clamor for this crazy flavor is real.
Perhaps it should be called “Midwest Superman Ice Cream,” because it certainly is just that. It’s a rare treat you are unlikely to find anywhere outside the Midwest regions of the U.S.
Superman Ice Cream is part of many long-standing Michigan childhood traditions, and many a road trip has been planned in search of the unique Superman ice cream flavor.
With just one taste of this frozen treat (heavy on the vanilla extract), you’ll understand why.
Superman Ice Cream: A Childhood Favorite
A childhood favorite of Michiganders and Midwesterners alike, this is one of those local delicacies that you hear about and invariably say, “wait…really?”
Is there an ice cream named after the Superman of comic strips and television fame?
The answer is yes!
While Superman himself may not be real, the flavors are real, and we can thank the Detroit-based beer company Stroh’s Brewing for the invention.
The Invention of Superman Ice Cream:
Who would have thought that a beer company would create one of the most exciting and unique flavored ice cream? Here’s some Stroh’s Brewing History to filll you in.
Well, Detroit’s own Stroh’s Brewery (known throughout southeast Michigan for beer before it was purchased by Pabst) concocted this confectionary delight sometime during the prohibition era when the brewery was forced to stop producing alcohol.
And we’re glad they did, because this delicious mix of frozen heavy cream has been delighting us ever since.
PRO-TIP: Want to discover even more cool things about Detroit? Check out Belle Isle Park in Detroit or the Detroit Riverwalk, named the best river walk in the U.S.
Superman Ice Cream: No Affiliation with DC Comics
Although unaffiliated with the DC comic book, Superman Ice Cream is just as legendary as its namesake super hero.
This superhero ice cream is designed after the red, blue, and yellow colors of Superman’s costume. Rightly so, because this ice cream is just as exceptional a superhero as the man of steel himself.
There’s no doubt Superman (of the DC comic book fame) made an impact in Michigan: Greenbush Brewing Company, a microbrewery in southwest Michigan located between New Buffalo and St. Joseph, even named a beer after him.
What Flavor IS Superman Ice Cream: Mystery of Superman Flavors
So what IS the flavor of Superman Ice Cream?
While it’s is most known for its unique blue, red, and yellow color scheme, the Supermam flavors are quite interesting. And despite what some say, they are not blue rapsberry, cherry and lemon!
Much like Neopolitan ice cream, it has three flavors, and these are a bit more…outrageous.
While the most common combination includes blue moon, cherry, and vanilla ice cream, many different versions of Superman Ice Cream are sprinkled around Michigan and the Midwest.
For instance, the website, Atlas Obscura, says the flavors are actually vanilla, blue moon, and Red Pop. (Red Pop comes from the famous Michigan soda company, Faygo, and is a combination of strawberry flavors).
Named for the bright blue food coloring that gives the ice cream its name, Blue Moon ice cream has a sort of super-sweet, light almond flavor.
The Red, Yellow, and Blue Flavors
Each version of Superman ice cream provides a different flavor experience, however.
In some, the standard cherry ice cream is swapped for the sweeter black cherry for those with a major sweet tooth. Sometimes you might find the vanilla ice cream is traded for lemon ice creams for a more tart flavor profile.
There is no right or wrong way to enjoy this superhero ice cream, just as long as you have that iconic swirl of three colors (red, blue, and yellow), it doesn’t matter which variety of ice cream you have in your bowl.
How to Eat Superman Ice Cream
You can enjoy each flavor individually, like the lemon flavored section (in some versions of superman ice cream) or the unique blue moon ice cream.
If you’re feeling daring, you can dive right into the swirl of three colors and explore any flavor combination you want.
Like most things in Michigan, though, the possibilities are endless.
Where to Find Superman Ice Cream
If you want to try some of this one-of-a-kind ice cream, head on down to any ice cream parlor or local grocery store in Michigan.
Here are a few that we recommend so you can experience this delicious treat most authentically.
- The Parlour of Jackson
- Stroh’s Ice Cream Parlor of Bloomfield Hills
- Stroh’s Ice Cream Parlor of Wyandotte
- Laura Secord Chocolate
- House of Flavors in Ludington
Not in Michigan or feeling like a road trip? You can find an amazing cone at Cedar Crest Ice Cream Factory and Parlor, with locations all over the state of Wisconsin.
PRO-TIP: We LOVE Super Moo, available at United Dairy Farmer locations throughout Michigan. Hudsonville Ice Cream, a west Michigan dairy, makes a delicious version of Superman ice cream, too.
Make Your Own Ice Cream
Want to try making your very own Ice Cream?
You can find some great recipes online, but we have a favorite we’d like to share, and you can make this ice cream from scratch, without an air fryer!
Here’s a link to a recipe from Spoonuniversity.com for a delicious, nochurn Superman Ice Cream. Their Superman ice cream recipe is fairly simple ( no ice cream maker needed) and includes sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream and some eggs whipped into stiff peaks, among other ingredients. You’ll need a loaf pan and a sweet tooth, because this nochurn ice cream is super sweet. In fact, it’s so sweet that no ice cream toppings are needed!
Want even more ice cream recipes for delicious, homemade ice creams? Get your ice cream scoops out and head over to Spoonuniversity.com for more.
Superman Ice Cream Frequently Asked Questions
What Flavor is Superman Ice Cream?
While there are no exact flavors for the red, blue and yellow Superman Ice Cream, it tends to be a mix-up of vanilla ice cream, blue moon ice cream and red pop-flavored ice cream
What is Red Pop?
It’s a strawberry-flavored soda pop made by Faygo, a Michigan soda pop maker.
Where Can I Buy Superman Ice Cream?
Hudsonville sells a half-gallon, air-tight container of Superman ice cream in many midwest grocery stores. in the frozen desserts section.
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About the Author
Patrick Crowley is a Content Manager with My Michigan Beach. A graduate of Oakland University with a degree in Cinema Studies, he is currently finishing a second in creative writing. Two of his greatest passions are film and the outdoors. When he is not watching movies, you can find him exploring the outdoors. He is delighted to be writing about the great state of Michigan and its many natural wonders.
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