Report

The India ice cream and frozen dessert market size was valued at USD 11.22 Billion in 2025 . The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.30% during the forecast period of 2026-2035 to reach a value of USD 35.79 Billion by 2035 . The market growth is driven by the ongoing consumer's shift from traditional parlor-based consumption to at-home indulgence.

Key Market Trends and Insights

- South India dominated the market in 2025 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% over the forecast period.
- By category, sugar-free is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.7% over the forecast period.
- By distribution channel, the online category is projected to witness a CAGR of 22.1% over the forecast period.

Market Size & Forecast

- Market Size in 2025: USD 11.22 Billion
- Projected Market Size in 2035: USD 35.79 Billion
- CAGR from 2026 to 2035: 12.30%
- Fastest-Growing Regional Market: South India

Expanding cold chain infrastructure and deeper freezer penetration in tier II and tier III cities are driving the market growth and enabling wider distribution for ice cream and frozen dessert brands in India. QSR expansion, foodservice tie ups, and impulse led formats in modern retail are accelerating volume growth, premiumisation, and faster product rotation across organized players.

Brands are focusing on expanding beyond store-centric models by introducing premium packed ice creams catering to the rising customer demand for high-quality, ready-to-serve products in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market. Nonetheless, the success of such products is heavily reliant on the distribution networks' reach and efficiency, which include cold chain infrastructure and retail penetration. Even revolutionary products may struggle to gain traction with customers if they are not widely available in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with high consumer demand.

For example, in April 2025, Cream Stone introduced its new line of premium packaged ice creams, TUBZ, to offer its customers a gourmet parlor-like experience at home. Along with this launch, the distribution strategy was emphasized as the main factor to deliver fresh product continuously and make it available in various retail stores. Innovative product offerings combined with a strong retail presence not only increase the visibility of the brand but also boosts the India ice cream and frozen dessert market development.

India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Market Report Summary

Description

Value

Base Year

USD Billion

2025

Historical Period

USD Billion

2019-2025

Forecast Period

USD Billion

2026-2035

Market Size 2025

USD Billion

11.22

Market Size 2035

USD Billion

35.79

CAGR 2019-2025

Percentage

%

CAGR 2026-2035

Percentage

12.30%

CAGR 2026-2035 - Market by Region

South India

13.5%

CAGR 2026-2035 - Market by Region

East India

13.0%

CAGR 2026-2035 - Market by Category

Sugar-free

17.7%

CAGR 2026-2035 - Market by Distribution Channel

Online

22.1%

2025 Market Share by Region

East India

17.8%

Key Trends and Recent Developments

September 2025 - Indulge Creamery Entered India's Premium Ice Cream Space

Indulge Creamery has brought its range of artisanal ice cream to India, whereby the slow-churned, premium products made from top-notch global ingredients are the key attractions. This launch serves as an indication of the rapidly increasing demand for fine, differentiated frozen dessert types, thus further paving the way for premiumization trends in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market.

August 2025 - HOCCO Rolled Out Limited-Edition Modak-Shaped Ice Cream for Ganesh Chaturthi

HOCCO Ice Cream introduced a festive Modak-shaped ice cream for Ganesh Chaturthi, mixing the traditional cultural symbol with top-notch ice cream making. In line with the festive vibe, this seasonal novelty sets the mood for the celebration and the premium ice cream market.

July 2025 - Britannia Industries and NIC Ice Creams Launched NIC Bourbon Ice Cream

Britannia Industries and NIC Ice Creams (Walko Food Company) collaborated to create NIC Bourbon Ice Cream. The launch reflects the rise of co-branding strategies in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market, where established FMCG brands are collaborating with frozen dessert players to extend iconic flavors into premium, indulgent formats.

April 2025 - Lotte Launched 4D Korean-Inspired Ice Cream Bar Krunch in India

Lotte Wellfood introduced a Korean-style, 4-layered ice cream bar called Krunch in metro and mini metro cities of India. This introduction further enriches Lotte's product portfolio and is a step towards premiumization of the frozen dessert market in India.

Manufacturing Capacity Expansion by Multinational Players

Multinational ice cream companies are actively increasing their manufacturing facilities locally to cater to the growing consumption and, at the same time, be able to supply the local market more efficiently through the supply chain in India. Producing locally entails logistics costs being reduced, freshness being improved, and faster regional distribution being supported. For example, in February 2025, Lotte Wellfood opened an ice cream production factory in Pune and also made an announcement on their plan to invest USD 300 million for capacity and supply chain expansion so that their Havmor brand can be scaled nationwide. Key players in the market can thus focus on such expansion as it helps in increasing production resilience and initiates long-term sustainable market growth.

Franchise Partnerships Enabling Rapid Geographic Expansion

Franchise-led partnerships allow premium ice cream brands to quickly establish their presence in urban markets in a capital-light manner. Such partnerships bring together the brand's power and the food service network's reach to facilitate the opening of more stores and an increase in the digital presence. For example, in October 2025, Curefoods signed a pan-India franchise agreement with the premium ice cream brand Papacream, which intends to expand rapidly across major Indian cities as well as a few international markets. In this way, the expansion through partnerships will lead to faster entry and greater brand visibility in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market.

Strategic Manufacturing and Ecosystem Partnerships

Numerous partnerships across the India ice cream and frozen dessert market value chain are strengthening the manufacturing ecosystems and helping the growth to be scalable. Suppliers of packaging, cones, and components are the key enablers of product diversification and retail expansion. In October 2025, Homemade Bakers (India) Ltd. collaborated with Growtheum Capital Partners to expand its manufacturing footprint and satiate the demand from national ice cream brands. Such partnerships at the ecosystem level lead to better supply reliability and allow quicker product launches.

Cooperative Diversification into Ice Cream Production

Dairy cooperatives have started making ice cream in addition to their other dairy products as one of the ways of climbing up the value chain while also increasing revenue realization. With a well-established milk procurement network and a trusted brand, cooperatives can challenge the private companies. Gokul Dairy in September 2025 revealed that they were planning to venture into ice cream production as a way of growing their dairy product line besides just liquid milk and dairy staples. Such diversification not only strengthens the local supply but also intensifies the competitive landscape of the India ice cream and frozen dessert market, thereby supporting larger market expansion.

Entry of Global Ice Cream Franchises Driving Premium Segment Growth

The entry of well-known international ice cream franchises is significantly boosting the premium and experiential frozen dessert segment in India. Global brands offer unique formats, strong brand equity, and successful operating models that help the category become more sophisticated at a faster pace. Carvel, the US brand that pioneered soft-serve ice cream, disclosed its India endeavor in July 2025, initially opening the South Delhi outlet in August and planning to have 100 stores across the country through its local partner, Unify Foodworks. This type of franchise expansion brings globally recognized products to the Indian market, serves as a vehicle for organized retail growth, and raises consumer expectations in the ice cream sector here.

India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Industry Segmentation

The Expert Market Research's report titled �India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Market Report and Forecast 2026-2035� offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:

Market Breakup by Category

- Conventional
- Sugar-free

Key Insight: The India ice cream and frozen dessert market scope comprises the conventional and sugar-free categories. Conventional ice creams are mainly led by brands like Kwality Walls, which regularly comes out with indulgent flavors like Belgian Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake, among others. The sugar-free segment is witnessing growth with Epigamia's low-calorie Greek yogurt ice creams and Naturals' sugar-free fruit-based variants, thus attracting the health-conscious consumer segment. Flavor innovations, the use of premium ingredients, and the growing consumers' awareness of healthy alternatives are the main growth drivers that help both these categories flourish in the urban and semi-urban parts of India.

Market Breakup by Distribution Channel

- Supermarkets and Hypermarkets
- Convenience Stores
- Cafe and Bakery Shops
- Online
- Others

Key Insight: The Indian ice cream and frozen dessert market is similar to that of many other FMCG products, with traditional retail channels such as shops, supermarkets, and hypermarkets accounting for the majority of the business such as stores make up the largest part of the industry along with the supermarkets and hypermarkets. They are supported by other alternative points of sale such as the cafe and bakery sector, online, and others. The supermarkets act as a platform for the entry of the most well-known and premium brands, such as Haagen-Dazs and Creambell, which leads to an expansion of the premium segment. Convenience stores and cafes such as Fabelle by ITC and Gelato Italiano offer artisanal and impulse products. Online platforms like BigBasket and MilkBasket give delivery services of limited-edition or seasonal flavors straight to the consumers' homes.

Market Breakup by Region

- North India
- South India
- East India
- West India

Key Insight: Regionally, the four parts of India including North, South, East, and West, have all contributed significantly to the India ice cream and frozen dessert market revenue driven by strategies that were specific to each region. The growth in North India is attributed to the opening of premium stores and the use of experiential retail formats, like Carvel's South Delhi store, that involve the consumers. In South India, product innovation is the main driver, with Lotte Krunch offering multi-layered flavors in the metro markets. The growth in East India has been through co-operatives providing affordable products and localized flavors, as in the case of Gokul Dairy's packaged ice creams. On the other hand, West India has been leveraging festive and limited-edition product launches, such as HOCCO Modak Ice Cream, in order to tap into the seasonal demand and cultural relevance.

India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Market Share

By category, the conventional category witnesses consistent demand

Innovation in the conventional segment of the India ice cream and frozen dessert market is progressing by offering consumers differentiated product experiences that make everyday consumption more enjoyable. In April 2025, Kwality Walls rolled out a slow-churned ice cream range called The Dairy Factory, in flavors of Vanilla, Butterscotch, Mango, and Chocolate, which are meant for home indulgence and can be purchased widely at retail through stores and quick commerce platforms. This product extension of a heritage brand not only takes the brand to the next level in terms of the texture and richness but also solidifies the brand's standing in the highly competitive traditional category, which is largely driven by taste innovation and format diversification.

Meanwhile, brands in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market landscape are diversifying their product portfolios with the addition of sugar-free ice creams and frozen desserts as they continue to become popular. The increasing demand of consumers for healthy indulgences has encouraged new players in the market to focus on low-sugar and plant-based formulations. For instance, the Coimbatores Minus Thirty gelato store, set up in 2024, only offers vegan and sugar-free gelatos, milkshakes, and related desserts, thus strongly reaffirming the move towards health-aligned frozen experiences. Such localized, health-conscious stores offer variety to the consumers and help in the widespread acceptance of sugar-free desserts beyond the conventional markets.

By distribution channel, supermarkets and hypermarkets account for the largest share

Supermarkets and hypermarkets offer a steady supply and a wide range of products in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market, spurring major companies to expand their production to sustain the supply demand. In October 2025, Hindustan Foods decided to invest Rs 30 crore for the purchase of an ice cream cone and sleeve manufacturing company. They added a capacity of over 1 million cones/day and thus strengthened their supply to the large retail chains. This vertical integration is enabling them to serve their major supermarket and hypermarket chains, which, in turn, supports broader product availability and segmented demand.

Online channels account for a major share of the India ice cream and frozen dessert market revenue as online retail companies are transforming how consumers access products, and these changes are going hand in hand with infrastructure investments for faster home delivery of frozen desserts . To cite an instance, in 2025, Hindustan Foods launched an ice cream factory in Nashik, which is aimed at fulfilling multi-brand production requirements, including supply for the online platforms such as Swiggy and Blinkit. Increased manufacturing capacity allows for a timelier fulfilment of online orders and helps to increase the penetration of the online distribution segment in Tier I and Tier II cities.

India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Market Regional Analysis

By region, South India leads the market growth

In South India, premium experiential formats are growing through partnerships, which help brands to go beyond their local areas. Curefoods partnered with Papacream, a premium ice cream brand, for a pan-India franchise in October 2025. They started by opening stores in Mumbai and Pune and then planned to expand further. This partnership gives people more access to differentiated dessert experiences. It especially caters to the urban centers of South India, where culture and premium indulgence are booming.

The East India ice cream and frozen dessert market is getting a boost from dairy cooperatives, which are now venturing into ice cream production. For instance, Gokul Dairy revealed its intention to produce ice cream in addition to cheese to address the peak demand seasons and thus effectively compete with major private brands. This move in product line diversification not only increases the cooperatives' relevance and capability in production but also their local manufacturing footprint and regional supply to meet the growing consumption in East India.

Competitive Landscape

Major India ice cream and frozen dessert market players are continuing to use product innovation and diversification as main strategies to attract customers with changing preferences. For instance, Kwality Walls' product line named The Dairy Factory includes slow-churned, indulgent ice cream that combines traditional flavors with the finest ingredients. Likewise, Lotte Wellfood brought forth Krunch, a multi-layered, Korean-inspired ice cream bar, which further diversifies the portfolio. Such launches clearly demonstrate a strategy of merging global trends with local flavors to gain market share.

Top ice cream and frozen dessert companies are working on expanding their manufacturing facilities as well as entering strategic partnerships to expand and strengthen their distribution networks. Lotte Wellfood launched a facility at Pune, which is expected to increase the production efficiency. On the other hand, Curefoods signed an agreement with Papacream for franchise presence expansion all over India. Through collaborations, capacity enhancement, and omni-channel distribution, the brands can get into tier 2 and tier 3 cities, improve product availability, and thereby contribute to a sustainable market growth of the India ice cream and frozen dessert market.

Creambell (Devyani Food Industries Ltd.)

Creambell was established in 1998, and the company is based in Pune. Through the availability of a broad assortment of indulgent, as well as traditional, flavors, it has become one of the top ice cream brands in India. The firm is focused on obtaining high-quality dairy and developing innovative frozen desserts that both urban and semi-urban customers can relate to.

Gelato Vinto (Shivram Foods Pvt. Ltd.)

Gelato Vinto, a Bangalore-based company, has been known for its handcrafted gelatos and first-class frozen desserts since it was established in 2015. Using small-batch production techniques, the company can maintain the smooth, dense texture and authentic flavor combinations that attract both health-conscious and gourmet customers, thereby fueling demand in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market.

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)

Established in 1933, HUL has been headquartered in Mumbai and has expanded into one of the largest FMCG conglomerates in the country. It has been a major player in the ice cream segment through Kwality Walls. HUL combines global expertise with local product development, offering premium and mass-market frozen dessert products through a variety of distribution channels.

Amul (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.)

Amul was established in 1946, and its head office is at Anand, Gujarat. It is a cooperative dairy giant well known for its wide range of popular products in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market. The company focuses on quality, affordability, and the innovations in regional flavors, and therefore it is benefiting from its cooperative structure for an all-India distribution network.

Other players in the market include Keventer Agro, Lazza Ice Cream, Menchie's Group, Vadilal Enterprises, Mother Dairy, and HOCCO Foods, among others.

Key Highlights of the India Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Market Report

- Market Historical Performance and Accurate Forecasts: This report analyzes the market's historical performance during 2019 to 2025 and provides accurate forecasts up to 2035. Enterprises get a hold of trends through such information and thus, prepare for the future.
- Insight into Product Innovations: The study uncovers the new product trends in the India ice cream and frozen dessert market, like premium flavors, sugar-free options, artisanal frozen desserts, and co-branded launches. It illustrates how firms are leveraging innovation to win different consumer categories.
- Comprehensive Profiling of Leading Players: The report delivers detailed profiles of top domestic and international ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers. Besides discussing the product portfolio, the profiles also cover distribution strategies, manufacturing capacities, and competitive strategic initiatives.
- Regional Analysis to Identify Potential Areas: The report takes a deep dive into North, South, East, and West India and points out the regions that have the highest growth potential. It also sheds light on how local preferences, urbanization, and retail penetration affect market growth.
- Data-backed Investment-oriented View: Funding trends, capacity expansion, franchise partnerships, and M&A activities have been analyzed to provide useful information that investors and stakeholders can use to take advantage of growth segments and strategic opportunities.

Why Choose Expert Market Research?

- Reliable Information Based on Deep Primary Research: The outcomes of our research are based on a comprehensive round of interviews with seasoned professionals, industry insiders, and authentic secondary sources to guarantee the trustworthiness and dependability.
- Useful Information for Making Effective Decisions: This publication provides the stakeholders with accurate intelligence of the market that can be used in different aspects like product introduction, marketing planning, and investment choices.
- Analysis by Region and Type of Product: Through detailed segmentation, companies can identify new markets on a micro level, and, at the same time, they can get category-level insights on growth drivers and can also come up with products that meet local consumer buying habits.

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