Pizza ice cream from Van Leeuwen to launch at Walmart exclusively
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream's new limited-edition pizza ice cream flavor will be a Walmart exclusive for 10 weeks. (Photo courtesy Walmart)
Some people like pizza, some people like ice cream.
Van Leeuwen will churn those two foods together for a new limited-edition pizza ice cream pint, which will be sold at Walmart stores nationwide exclusively for a short time.
The Brooklyn-based ice cream company announced on its social media accounts that the pizza pint will become available for purchase starting Monday, March 14.
"COMING SOON: PIZZA," Van Leeuween Ice Cream wrote. "Yup. You heard that right. You’ve had pizza. You’ve had ice cream. It’s only natural to have some Pizza ice cream."
The ice cream will be made from a cream cheese and mozzarella base and have tomato jam swirls and basil crust cookies.
Van Leeuween is the same company that introduced the nation to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream in July 2021. That flavor will also become a limited-edition Walmart exclusive alongside Van Leeuween’s Royal Wedding Cake, Wild Blueberry Shortcake and Bourbon Cherries Jubilee flavors.
In total, seven limited-edition ice cream flavors will be stocked on Walmart freezer shelves, the company wrote in a separate Instagram post.
A spokesperson for Walmart told FOX Business that the limited-edition ice cream pints will be available for purchase at 3,500 locations nationwide for 10 weeks.
In a press release obtained by FOX Business, Walmart noted that the remaining Van Leeuween flavors are Planet Earth, an exclusive flavor the company released in 2017 made with spirulina and housemade matcha green tea cake, and Hot Honey, an exclusive flavor the company released in 2018 in collaboration with Mike's Hot Honey.
Walmart’s press release also says Van Leeuwen and the retail giant intend to continue their exclusive flavor rotation and have "plans to refresh flavors in summer."
Van Leeuwen considers itself a maker of French ice cream because it uses "twice as many egg yolks" compared to "standard ice cream" in the U.S. The brand’s website states that this egg yolk ratio difference means "you have to call it French ice cream."
The NYC ice cream company was founded in 2008 by Dutch-American brothers Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and Australian entrepreneur Laura O’Neill.
When Van Leeuwen first started, it served ice cream from a scoop truck. The brand has since grown with multiple scoop shops in New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania and Texas. Future shops are in the works in Colorado and Texas.
Major supermarkets and grocery chains also sell Van Leeuwen pints, including Target, Publix and Stop and Shop.
The brand might have possibly seen a boost from its appearance in mainstream TV shows and movies, including Anna Kendrick’s 2020 comedy series "Love Life," Netflix’s 2020 comedy horror movie "Vampires Vs. The Bronx" and Sony’s 2021 comedy film "Here Today," which featured Tiffany Haddish and Billy Crystal.
Fans appear to be excited about Van Leeuwen’s new pizza offering.
"If I were to trust any brand of ice cream to make this flavor taste good it would have to be you," one Instagram commenter wrote.
"Y'all out here making Ice Cream Violence," another wrote. "First Mac and Cheese now this?! I’M READY."
FOX Business reached out to Van Leeuwen for comment.
Van Leeuwen’s competitors in the artisanal ice cream space include Salt & Straw, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Ample Hills Creamery.