This great American state is known for its vibrant foodie scene, serving up some of the best burgers, BBQ, and steaks in the country.
But, today we wanted to focus on the very best Texas ice cream parlours. What better way to cool down in the Southern heat than by treating yourself with something sweet and cold?
From soft serve to Italian style gelato right through to ice cream sandwiches, there is something for everybody on this list.
So forget about the diet and grab a couple of friends. It’s time to treat yourself to something sweet at one of the 25 best Texas Ice cream parlours…
Best Texas Ice Cream
How do these rankings work?
1. Milk • Cream – Dallas
Milk-Cream is the sort of place you dreamed of being let loose in when a kid. Ice cream sandwiches, huge flavours and tons of original toppings make this a totally brilliant and unique place to visit.
2. Lick Honest Ice Creams – Austin
Here, they make all their own ice cream with 100% Mill-King milk & cream and are known for their vegan flavours, which have been a big hit. They’ve been going strong since 2011 and change their flavours with the seasons. Once you taste it once you’ll be hooked for life.
3. El Paraiso Ice Cream – San Antonio
What’s more refreshing than an all-natural paleta made in the heart of one of Texas’ most historic cities? Not much, honestly. One taste of the flavoursome fruit bars here and you’ll feel like you’re in heaven.
4. Clear River Ice Cream – Fredericksburg
Inside this whimsical, retro ice cream parlour you’ll find some of the best ice cream in Texas. Grab a seat at one of the booths and transport yourself back to 1950s America as you devour homemade ice cream in various flavours – Cake Batter, Caramel Apple, Carrot Cake, and Bananas Foster are all on the menu.
5. SweetCup Gelato – Houston
At SweetCup Gelato, they serve up handmade gelato, sorbets, and yoghurts that are all made daily from scratch in house. The key here is their simplicity and relying on the best raw ingredients. We will warn you though: you will be hooked the second you taste one of their products.
6. Melt Ice Creams – Fort Worth
Creative flavour combos and a bright, vibrant atmosphere melt together here to create one of the most interesting ice cream parlours in Texas. Scoops here are bursting with flavour, so be sure to come back often to try their seasonal, rotating flavours like Expecto Pumpkinum or Green-Gotts Bank. As an added plus, the yellow brick wall outside is the perfect backdrop for Insta pics with your ice cream.
7. Gufo Di Milano – El Paso
Authentic Italian gelato in the heart of El Paso, Texas? You betcha! At Gufo Di Milano, expect nothing but superb taste and ultra-creamy gelatos. They make their gelatos here using whatever fruit’s in season, so it’s always fresh and extra tasty.
8. Paciugo – Frisco
Warm, strong coffee wafts out of this counter-serve ice cream parlour. If the smell of coffee doesn’t draw you in, then perhaps the troves of delicious gelato flavours will. We suggest going with the most creative item on the menu, their Paciunicorn. It’s got Birthday Cake gelato topped with a rainbow of sprinkles, then crowned with a waffle cone hand-dipped in white chocolate and covered with glittery sugar sprinkle. Wow.
9. Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream – Galveston
Enjoy a tasty treat or two here, as this Texas ice cream parlour makes delicious fresh-made ice cream in over a 120 flavours. Yes, 120. With so many choices, you’re definitely going to have to come back a few times to sample for tastes.
10. Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream – Plano
From the unique, flavourful scoops to the creative cones, there’s nothing normal about Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and we mean that in the best way possible. Take your taste buds on a journey as you indulge in some of the tastiest ice cream in Texas.
11. Kuma – San Antonio
This bright, colourful ice cream parlour specialises in serving Hong Kong waffles filled with creatively flavoured scoops and delectable toppings. The only problem here is being able to Instagram your impressively-crafted treat before devouring it whole – they’re that sweet and flavourful.
12. The Latest Scoop – San Angelo
We’ve got the latest scoop for you, and it’s that one of the best ice cream parlours in Texas is in San Angelo. The Latest Scoop serves irresistible, delicious and sweet handmade ice cream in a super trendy setting. The best part? The homemade, flavoured waffle cones you get to devour as you finish your ice cream.
13. Steel City Pops – Dallas
Wander into Steep City Pop for a truly unique experience. You’ll get a pop as a base to start with, which you can then have dipped in dozens of toppings. Chocolate, nuts and caramel feature heavily; once you experience these once you’ll be hooked for life.
14. A La Mode Gelateria – Corpus Christi
No visit to Corpus Christi is complete without stopping by to taste some of the best ice cream in Texas. A La Mode Gelateria is no stranger to awards, which is why so many people flock to their locale just to get a taste. And, while their ice cream is great, it’s their Hawaiin Bro that really sends it home. Just think: a warm toasty doughnut stuffed with gelato, a little fudge, or even strawberry sauce inside. Delish.
15. Cauldron Ice Cream – Dallas
They are reinventing what really good ice cream means and that means liquid nitrogen and bubble waffles cones to name but a few of their tricks. The core product is fantastic, with classic flavours and serious creaminess.
16. Sweet Ritual – Austin
A truly delicious dairy-free ice cream shop that opened in 2011 and which has a huge following of loyal fans. At the base of their recipes are almond, sun butter, cashew, peanut and coconut. Combined with their exciting toppings, inventive ways of serving their ice cream and super friendly service, this is a place that has it all.
17. Fat Cat Creamery
They make their ice cream in small batches, using local ingredients and are incredibly proud to do so. The end result is an ice cream that is rich, smooth and tastes as it has come from another planet. For an added bonus lookout for their great S’mores, brownies and shakes.
18. Gypsy Scoops – Fort Worth
There are few ice cream parlours in Texas cuter than Gypsy Scoops. Walk up to this house-turned-ice cream shop and prepare to immerse yourself in a full flavour experience. They’ve even got delicious Texas-sided freak shakes for you to dive into.
17. Amy’s Ice Creams – Austin, Texas
Established in 1984, Amy’s Ice Creams makes super-premium ice creams, dairy-free fruit ices and frozen yoghurt. You know that somewhere as popular as this in business for 30 years is doing something right and is worth checking out. They have over 350 flavours in rotation which means that you have plenty of excuses to keep coming back on a regular basis.
20. Mad Mike’s Ice Cream – Pantego
With a population of just over 2,500 people, you might be just as surprised as us to find that some of the best ice cream in Texas is in the small town of Pantego. However, Mad Mike’s Ice Cream competes with the best ice cream parlours in all of America. We recommend starting with a scoop of Cookie Monster and working your way through the entire menu.
21. TIPPI TEAS – El Paso
Sure, TIPPI TEAS might be known for their high-quality loose-leaf teas, but we’re interested in the sweeter items on their menu. After filling up on healthy juices and teas, treat yourself to vegan Thai ice cream. Made with coconut cream and agave, there’s no better way to indulge dairy-free.
22. Amorino – Houston
This is Italian gelato at its very purest, with each one served up looking like a work of art. The flavours are classic and delicate, with a rich creamy smooth texture that will leave you instantly wanting more. Ice cream doesn’t get much better than this!
23. Arctic Ape Wild Desserts – San Antonio
If flavour is what you’re after, then you’ll find it right here at Arctic Ape Wild Desserts. Serving up more variety than any ice cream parlour in San Antonio, you can get frozen yoghurt, gelato, ice cream and custard in flavours that range from Halloween Party and Monkey Milk to Yellow Cake Batter Gelato.
24. Frozen Rolls Creamery – Austin
Watch your ice cream made for you by hand as you wait and drool. They chop the ingredients together on a cold plate and then roll them to perfection. Tons of flavours, toppings and sauces means you can have something completely different every time you visit.
25. Cow Tipping Creamery – Sunset Valley
Creative soft-serve sundaes are this place’s specialty, and they sling scoops to create some of the most intriguing flavour combinations ever. Start with a soft-serve flavour of your choice and then build your own cup or opt for one of their special combos, such as a bananas foster-inspired NOLA cup or even a Reese’s Witha’spoon.
