Mental Floss

7 of the Most Bizarre Discontinued Ben & Jerry’s Flavors

Ice cream flavors come and go, but the memory of some of these picks from Ben & Jerry’s can still make your taste buds melt.
ByStacy Conradt|
1985 Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream commercial.
1985 Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream commercial. | Jason Harder

For some folks, it can be tough to choose a favorite ice cream flavor. The answer gets even harder to come by when you’re considering which Ben & Jerry’s flavor outdoes the rest. While everyone has their all-time favorites when it comes to this beloved Vermont-based brand, there have also been plenty of fan-favorites over the years that have ended up with a plot of their own in the Flavor Graveyard—the spot where all dearly departed flavors go after they’ve been retired from shelves.

Whether you’re a chocolate lover to the max or prefer something on the lighter (and possibly crunchier) side, there’s likely a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that’s your go-to these days. But below are some of the most memorable discontinued options that probably still make your sweet tooth ache, even to this day.

  1. Duff & D’oh! Nuts
  2. Black & Tan
  3. Tennessee Mud
  4. Concession Obsession
  5. Economic Crunch
  6. Chips ‘n’ Dip

Duff & D’oh! Nuts

This ice cream was released as part of The Simpsons Movie publicity blitz in 2007, and featured chocolate and cream stout ice cream with chunks of glazed chocolate doughnuts. It was only available at the premiere of the movie in Springfield, Vermont, and in Scoop Shops the night before the DVD release.

Black & Tan

Ben & Jerry's Black & Tan flavor is shown.
Long forgotten, but not in our hearts. | Ben & Jerry's

This pick was chocolate and cream stout ice cream topped with a cream stout ice cream head. This flavor wasn’t even two years old when it was yanked from shelves, and only lasted from March 2006 to December 2007. Part of its speedy departure might be due to the controversy that the name kicked up.

Tennessee Mud

For folks who appreciate a stiff drink and need a caffeine fix, this ice cream variety delivered. It combined two iconic beverages: coffee and Jack Daniels. The base was coffee ice cream, mixed with Amaretto, whiskey, and roasted slivered almonds. Alas, it lasted only a year, from 1988 to 1989.

Concession Obsession

Ben & Jerry's ice cream: Concession Obsession
Positively irresistible. | Phelps Market

Though this cold treat may sound delightful, it was a sugar rush in the making. Released in 2001, Concession Obsession blended vanilla bean ice cream and nonpareils with fudge-covered crisped rice candy (like Nestle’s Crunch). Better still, it also included peanuts dipped in fudge and a caramel candy swirl.

Economic Crunch

Created in response to the tanking stock market in 1987, Economic Crunch was made with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate-covered almonds, pecans and walnuts. Following the development of Economic Crunch and its sibling, That’s Life (apple pie flavor), Ben & Jerry’s sent their free scoop vehicle to Wall Street to try to soothe the panicked stockbrokers with a little sugar.

Chips ‘n’ Dip

This one was listed along with some other dubious flavors (such as pepperoni pizza with anchovy swirl) during a 2006 contest for new flavor ideas from the general public. Another flavor, Chip Happens, might have picked up where this one left off.

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A version of this article was originally posted in 2011 and was updated in 2025.

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