Graeter's Vs Skyline Chili Ice Cream Is The Cincinnati Showdown We've Always Wanted

Cincinnati is a midwestern city known for its colorful sports teams the Reds and the Bengals, and the fictional TV radio station WKRP. It is also home to two essential culinary creations which are beloved locally and sampled by millions of visitors — Cincinnati-style chili and Graeter's Ice Cream. Cincinnati-style chili was developed by Greek immigrants, and is essentially their version of bolognese sauce, including such ingredients as cinnamon and cloves. The most famous name for chili in Cincy is Skyline, which has been topping plates of spaghetti since 1949. When it comes to dessert, Graeter's has been playing it cool, crafting small batch ice cream in French pots since 1870. In 2025, these two Cincy parlor titans are collaborating for one a truly unique treat — where Skyline's signature and secret spices, along with oyster crackers, will be housed in a creamy pint.

Both companies are excited at this union of flavors. Graeter's CEO Richard Graeter said in a statement, "We spent months perfecting the recipe and are extremely happy to confirm the rumors are true — and the flavor will surprise you." Skyline Chili's CEO Dick Williams added, "This is the first time Skyline has done a dessert collaboration, so we knew it needed to be worth it."

So, is Graeter's Skyline Spice Ice Cream a dream-teaming that's worth it, or is it more of a Cincinnati bungle? The Takeout took a spoonful, and then some, to see where the truth lies.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The Skyline Spice Ice Cream is a new and limited time only flavor by Graeter's. It has been available for sale since January 24 and remains for sale while supplies last.  According to Graeter's, demand is already been high, so don't expect this flavor to stick around in stores very long.

There are several ways to purchase this unique collaborative ice cream. It's available at Graeter's shops by the scoop or by pint.  The pints retail price is $6.99, and scoops into a cone or bowl start at $5.  Pints will also be available at select Kroger grocery stores throughout Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. Very limited quantities of 5-ounce cups will also be available at participating Skyline restaurants, at the suggested retail price of $4.99. This does not include the Florida Skyline locations. They can be bought at the Skyline restaurant, and are also available to order for delivery via DoorDash.

For those who don't have the pleasure of living near a participating Graeter's, Skyline, or Kroger, it is available to purchase nationwide at Graeters.com. The minimum order at the website is 6 pints of any flavor, which retails for $84.95. For those with more available freezer space, a dozen pints is another option, which sets one back $129.95.

For those hoping to find the secret recipe to Skyline Chili within the Graeter's Skyline Spice Ice Cream's list of ingredients, you'll be out of luck. The official list includes a mix consisting of cream, milk, cane sugar, and nonfat milk. The crackers are made of unbleached wheat flour, water, canola oil, cane sugar, salt, yeast, baking soda, coconut oil, cane sugar, milk, eggs, spices, carob bean gum, and guar gum. It is Star-D Kosher Certified, and contains the food allergens milk, egg, and wheat.

A single serving size is ⅔ cup, which is 131 grams. That's good for 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 30 grams of total sugars, 25 grams of included sugars, and 5 grams of protein. It also contains 0.4 micrograms of vitamin D, 130 milligrams of calcium, 0.2 milligrams of iron, and 190 milligrams of potassium.

Observing the pint in hand, the blue packaging with both companies' logos, a checkerboard stripe, and images of flying hexagonal oyster crackers give off a sense of calm more than a sense of nervousness of what lies within. I popped off the pint's lid and before me simply lay a lightly browned patch of ice cream, punctuated by tiny reddish-brown seasoning flakes. There was also a cameo appearance of a mostly buried oyster cracker, slightly sticking out. I leaned in for a smell, and my nose sensed hints of cinnamon and cloves, which wasn't all that surprising given the chili's known famous ingredients.

Without further ado, I moved in for my first spoonful. I was immediately taken at how rich and smooth the ice cream was. The flavoring also made itself known rather quickly as well, tasting like a pleasant cinnamony-French vanilla ice cream. After a few more spoonfuls, it reminded me of a more restrained version of Ben & Jerry's winning Churray for Churros flavor.

Every third spoonful seemed to catch one of the oyster crackers. Oyster crackers are normally a crunchy, yet airy, salty snack. They are enjoyable on their own, and slurped together with chili or soup. Here, surrounded by a creamy base, the cracker lost its main attribute — crunch — at some point along the ice cream-making process. It did add a little texture to this flavor, but sadly, without that crunch or adding any saltiness to the affair, it almost seemed a bit needless here.

So, the real question is — is this a perfect collaboration that captures the tastes of two Cincinnati food classics, or just some gross gimmick that brings shame to the city? Before I drew up my conclusion, I heated up the box of frozen Skyline Chili I had in hand. It tasted pretty much like it did in the restaurant, which I had the pleasure of doing so back in spring 2024. The chili is not all that super spicy, in terms of temperature, but spice-y in terms of having a mélange of spices and seasonings working magically together. The chili's flavor is overall rich and super savory, but each bite is completed with a nice sweet accent of cloves and cinnamon to add a little counterbalance.

After trying the chili and then returning once again to Graeter's Ice Cream, certain things became more evident. This flavor definitely captured the sweeter aspects of Skyline's spice blend, but thankfully left behind its more peppery and beefy traits. For those expecting some sort of spicy monstrosity of juxtaposing tastes for this collaboration, you will be greatly disappointed. Instead, Graeter's Skyline Spice Ice Cream delivers a curiosity that is well worth exploring. It's a mostly perfect postcard marrying two of the Queen City's culinary crown jewels, which can be enjoyed by locals, expats, and those who know nothing about either and just love great ice cream.

Two pints of Graeter's Skyline Spice Ice Cream were shipped directly to my home by the manufacturer, along with four other flavors, two boxes of Skyline's frozen chili, and a box of its oyster crackers. The items arrived frozen, but to ensure they remained that way, they were stored in the freezer overnight. Taste testing commenced in my household the next day.

The ice cream was tasted in spoonfuls. After an initial round of tastings, I microwaved the provided box of frozen Skyline Chili, added some oyster crackers, and tasted for comparison. The criteria for this chew and review was flavor, appearance, uniqueness, ability to capture the essence of Skyline chili, palatability, and likelihood of wanting to buy it again.

By the way, if you ever make it to Cincinnati, be sure to visit the beautiful Art Deco Cincinnati Union Terminal train station and the nearby American Sign Museum. If you're hungry, start with Skyline, and naturally finish it off with some Graeter's.