NYC News

Betty Jo’s Ice Cream Hits a Sweet Spot in Brooklyn
May 19, 2025, 2:42.27 pm ET

Print

Betty Jo’s Ice Cream may not have a storefront (yet), but the Brooklyn-based cult favorite has already amassed a fanbase willing to plan their week around a pint pickup. Founded by pastry lovers Erin Forden and Maddie Nehlen, Betty Jo’s started in May 2024 as a dreamy side hustle: small-batch, pastry-inspired ice cream made fresh. One flavor changed everything—Sweet Cherry Pie, a rich vanilla base swirled with tart cherries and real lattice crust, set social media ablaze and forced the duo to scale up fast.

Now churning out pints from a shared Brooklyn kitchen, Betty Jo’s drops one new flavor each month with limited, pre-announced pickup dates in Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan. Their latest creations? Coney Island Queens—a vanilla-chocolate swirl loaded with homemade cone pieces and rainbow sprinkles, evoking “a day on the boardwalk in a cup”—and Orange and Cream Tart, their citrusy take on a creamsicle with crumbles of buttery graham crust.

You can’t get Betty Jo’s shipped (yet), and the tightly scheduled pickups mean planning ahead is a must. But with lines forming and fans obsessively refreshing their phones for the next alert, a permanent brick-and-mortar might just be on the horizon.


^Top