National Coffee Ice Cream Day – September 6, 2026

History of National Coffee Ice Cream Day

Ice cream is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a perfect conclusion to a great meal — and so is coffee. So why not combine the two and make something incredible? It takes time! While gelato and sorbet can be traced as far back as 3000 B.C. and people have been drinking coffee since at least the 15th century, it took quite some time for coffee-flavored ice cream to come about. Coffee may have been discovered in the Middle East in the 9th century, however, it wasn’t considered a household beverage until after the 17th century — that’s when the drink started gaining traction in Britain. The French’s relationship with the Ottomans paved the way for high society to bring coffee to the world. Venetians eventually figured out how to make coffee sweeter and, voila, the drink skyrocketed to fame.

The first flavored ice cream was invented at the request of Roman emperor Nero. His servants went to the mountains and collected snow to make a frozen dessert flavored with honey, nuts, and fruit toppings. The invention of gelato is mostly credited to Bernardo Buontalenti, a 16th century Florence native who served it to the court of Catherine de’ Medici. By 1770, Giovanni Basiolo made his success in New York selling semi-frozen coffee and milk products popular in Genoa. Finally, in 1869, coffee ice cream was first used in a parfait and then appeared again in a cookbook in 1919. Today, it’s become a staple in most ice cream shops’ flavor lists and is a perfect pick-me-up with a side of sweet, creamy goodness.