2 Indian frozen desserts ranked among the world’s top 50. Here is the list from Taste Atlas

The summer season intensifies our cravings for chilled delicacies with ice creams, frozen desserts, and refreshing beverages topping the list. Nothing beats the magic of enjoying cold desserts on a hot afternoon offering instant relief from the scorching heat while delighting the taste buds. Across cultures, frozen sweet treats have long been associated with comfort, making them a cherished part of summer indulgence. Now, food and travel guide website TasteAtlas has shared a list of 50 best frozen desserts in the world, out of which India’s beloved kulfi has also booked a spot among the top-ranked treats globally.

Kulfi - Barbeque Nation (Bengaluru)

Kulfi, prepared with slowly simmering the whole milk, is a traditional ice cream which is conical in shape — the result of using special molds with tight lids. Although the long-simmering process results in a loss of volume, it creates a delicious, nutty and caramelized profile, typically mixed with ingredients like pistachio, rose water, saffron and berries. As per Taste Atlas, kulfi was believed to be invented by the ancient inhabitants of the Himalayas during the Mughal Empire era.



The key differences between kulfi and regular ice cream is that kulfi has less air and is more dense than regular ice cream. Reason? The milk gets more concentrated through the cooking process. Today, kulfi can be be easily prepared at home and found at street stalls, sold by vendors called kulfiwalas. According to Taste Atlas, the best kulfi can be found in Bengaluru’s Barbeque Nation.

Kulfi falooda - Prakash Kulfi (Lucknow)

Rampant in northern Indian regions, kulfi falooda is a refreshing treat that combines thin falooda noodles and kulfi. This traditional Indian ice cream is made with slowly simmered whole milk, flavored with pistachio, rose water, and saffron. The whole dessert is often elevated with various additions such as sweet basil seeds, jelly, or rose water, and it is frequently garnished with crushed nuts. Typically relished in the hot months, kulfi falooda can also be prepared at home, but can it also be found on the menus of traditional restaurants or at specialized street stalls.

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The top 5 frozen desserts around the world as per Taste Atlas include clotted cream ice cream from Cornwall, England, gelato al pistacchio from Rome, Italy, dondurma from Beşiktaş, Turkiye, frozen custard from Wisconsin, USA and Cremolada from Peru.