The Surprising Dessert Nancy Pelosi Eats For Breakfast

If you were to imagine the type of meal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi regularly eats for breakfast, you might assume she's getting a hearty, protein-packed start to the day — perhaps something like the breakfast of former President Barack Obama, who typically ate breakfast eggs, potatoes, and wheat toast. Even armed with the knowledge that Pelosi prefers a sweet start to the day, perhaps you'd envision an artfully constructed fruit parfait with Greek yogurt or a bowl of granola.

Neither of those is what Pelosi typically reaches for, though. It appears she isn't afraid to break the rules and indulge in dessert as a way to start her day. During an appearance on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast (via People), Pelosi spilled the beans about her lifelong passion for one simple-yet-classic dessert. It was a preferred pre-bedtime snack of hers when she was a child, and her devotion for the sweet treat was so strong she and her friends would even sneak into their college dining hall in the wee hours of the night to get their hands on it.

Now that Pelosi is an adult, it's still a staple in her freezer — and, it seems, on her breakfast plate. While Pelosi acknowledged that this particular dessert isn't what she had for breakfast every single day, she did confirm, "I have it often."

No matter how early it is, chocolate ice cream is a frequent breakfast choice for Nancy Pelosi. As she said on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast (via People), "It's convenient, it's right there, it has a long shelf life, you don't have to worry about it. ... It's a great way to start the day."

While you might assume starting the day with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream would cause a sugar rush that would lead to a mid-morning crash, breakfast ice cream lovers may have a bit of evidence to support their sweet habit. Citing Excite News, The Telegraph reported in 2016 that a study at Kyorin University in Tokyo examined the link between ice cream and stress levels. Test subjects who consumed ice cream actually outperformed those who didn't, processing information better and boasting and faster reactions. So, perhaps Pelosi's habit is not only delicious but a bit helpful as well.

And while Pelosi's preferred breakfast food may be a bit unusual, there are plenty of other famous faces who are known to indulge in the sweet dessert. As Us Weekly shared, Kim Kardashian, Neil Patrick Harris, and Judi Dench are just some of the many celebrities who have been spotted enjoying a frozen treat. Pelosi isn't the only politician who relishes digging into a pint, either — President Joe Biden is also famously a fan of ice cream, per E! News.

Knowing Nancy Pelosi has a penchant for ice cream, you may be curious about how much she has on hand for any cravings that arise. After all, she doesn't want to be rushing to the grocery store every time she wants a scoop of chocolate ice cream in the morning.

The politician gave the public a glimpse into her stash during an appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" back in 2020. She slid open a freezer drawer to show Corden the ice cream options at her fingertips, with a box of chocolate-coated Dove bars, a few jars of Talenti ice cream, and a lot of Jeni's brand ice cream. And while she's professed her devotion to chocolate ice cream, it appears that she doesn't limit herself to just that particular frozen treat. There were a variety of flavors in her freezer, including Brambleberry Crisp, which, according to the Jeni's website, features vanilla ice cream with oven-toasted oat streusel and a blackberry and blackcurrant jam ribbon throughout, as well as Frosé Sorbet.

When Corden asked how much ice cream she consumes on a regular basis, she commented, "... as much as possible. I enjoy it. I like it better than anything else." Not everyone was impressed by Pelosi showing off her ice cream stash, though. As The Washington Examiner reported, some thought it was in bad taste, given the state of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.

Of course, no matter how devoted to the frozen treat, no one can live by ice cream alone. Nancy Pelosi has a few other favorites that top her list, although some seem like a mere expansion of her chocolate ice cream obsession.

As HuffPost reported, Pelosi loves all things dark chocolate. This includes her beloved ice cream, of course, as well as everything from chocolate truffles to chocolate cake to chocolate milkshakes. And it's not just an indulgence she enjoys at home once her workday is over. As HuffPost reported, Pelosi keeps Ghirardelli chocolate bars stocked in her office.

When she's in the mood for something savory, though, Pelosi has a wide variety of cuisines that she can't get enough of. Per Food & Wine, Pelosi loves carbs, and her father's northern Italian heritage means she can't resist a good risotto or pesto. She also adores Ethiopian cuisine, as she told the publication in 2017, and she has a family tradition of getting dim sum on Sundays. While she didn't reveal exactly what a typical order was like, she did mention that vegetarian dishes are the family's go-to's.