As the dog days of summer approach, the ice cream craze shows no signs of slowing down. To stand out in an increasingly crowded market, creameries are constantly pushing beyond the basics with vegan scoops, liquor-infused creations, and flavors inspired by cuisines from around the world.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex reflects those nationwide trends, with new ice cream shops opening regularly and local makers finding inventive ways to distinguish themselves. On any given day, Dallasites can seek out gelato crafted by a Tuscan-trained master, experimental flavors like Ginger Pear Riesling and Norwegian Brown Cheese, or stretchy Arabic ice cream that pulls apart like melted mozzarella.
Whether you’re craving a classic cone or something far more unexpected, these 14 ice cream shops across DFW offer a scoop for every kind of sweet tooth.
Cocktail Creamery
People who have trouble making decisions might struggle a bit at this booze-based creamery with 100 flavors, but the end will justify the means. Liquor-infused ice cream plus high-end ingredients equals ice cream so creamy, unusual, and delicious, you’ll want to get drunk on it. (Spoiler: You won’t.) Try the “Salted Butter Caramel Crazy” flavor, which combines caramel ice cream and Heath bar crumbles, infused with Ole Smoky salted caramel whiskey. 205 E. Virginia St., McKinney, cocktailcreamery.com
Scoop N’ Buns
This shop in Garland, owned by a Mexican and Filipina (aka “Mexi-Pino”) husband-wife team, harmoniously blends the two cultures in the kitchen. Part of the nod to Mexico is the adjacent coffee shop, Frida, named for Frida Kahlo, while a nod to the Philippines is a customizable Filipino dessert called halo-halo that combines shaved ice with tropical fruit and served á la mode. Perhaps most alluring of all, Scoop N’ Buns offers warmed up donuts from a local shop, stuffed with ice cream churned in-house. 507 W. Walnut St., Garland, scoopnbuns.com
Howdy Homemade
In hopes of changing the way the public perceives people with disabilities, the owners of the seven nationwide locations of Howdy Homemade make sure their hiring reflects their mission. The team proudly employs people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to work in the stores and at their events. By patronizing Howdy, not only are you treating yourself to delicious ice cream, you are contributing to a good cause. 12300 Inwood Rd. Ste. 200, Dallas, howdyhomemade.com
Churn and Bake Artisan Creamery
Churn and Bake offers a rotating list of Asian-inspired flavors, such as lychee almond cookie and taro sago. Their ice creams are carefully crafted, as in the tea in the jasmine green tea ice cream having been brewed for 48 hours; the brownies swirled into the chocolate brownie batter ice cream are baked fresh in-house; and the cake mixed into the birthday cake ice cream baked fresh in-house, too. 2707 West 15th St. Ste. C, Plano, churnandbake.com
Swirled Peace
Owner and ice cream enthusiast Sara Saginaw conceptualized Swirled Peace once she switched to a plant-based diet and found her ice cream options severely limited. Her plant-based soft-serve spot in Bishop Arts offers oat-milk ice cream and caters to ice-cream lovers with dietary needs. Not only is the ice cream dairy-free, but every flavor listing includes its potential allergens. This is a great stop for anyone who would like to be free from worry about what’s in their ice cream. Try both the frozen hot chocolate and matcha flavors. 309 W. Eighth St., Dallas, swirledpeace.com
Rico’s Paleteria y Botanas Locas
The Metroplex is home to four locations of this beloved Mexican ice cream shop, also known as a paleteria. Rico’s serves up more than just ice cream, offering an extensive menu of Mexican snacks and sweets as well. The Gansito Split sundae is a stand-out, but the fun of Rico’s is that the whole place is colorful, wild, and over-the-top, so it’s best to order accordingly. Think heaping sundaes, a shake in a chocolate-rimmed cup garnished with a whole paleta, and homemade buñelos and churros piled high with ice cream and smothered in chocolate sauce. Multiple locations, ricospaleteria.com
Tongue In Cheek
There are two reasons to go to Tongue in Cheek: the ice cream and the swings. There’s a glass-topped table in the middle of the store with wooden swings hanging from the ceiling in lieu of chairs. The rotating menu of 28 flavors includes eight non-dairy and vegan options. Most flavors are classic, like cookie dough and butter pecan, but there are some curve balls, too. Think bourbon bean and cappuccino crunch. Tongue In Cheek has locations in Richardson, Plano, and Lewisville. Multiple locations, tongueincheekicecream.com
Bigdásh
With four locations around the Metroplex, this Middle Eastern ice cream and pastry shop, helmed by a local husband-wife team from Syria, brings something unique to the city’s ice cream scene. Arabic ice cream, also known as stretchy ice cream, was developed in the Middle East, an area with a sweltering climate that necessitates ice cream with a high melting point. Arabic ice cream is dense enough to eat with a fork, stretches like pizza dough, and has all the sweetness of the ice cream found in American shops. Another reason to check out Bigdásh is its variety of homemade baklavas. Order one with ice cream stuffed inside. Multiple locations, bigdash.com
Botolino Gelato Artigianale
Raised on a farm in Tuscany, Botolino owner Carlo Gattini hails from the family behind longtime Dallas institution MoMo Italian Kitchen. His attention to detail, love of fine ingredients, and culinary background shine at Botolino, where he makes the gelato fresh every day sans any artificial flavors. That freshness and quality are so stark, this gelateria has opened four locations around the city to satisfy Dallasites’ high demand. Multiple locations, botolino.com
Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream
For those who like their ice cream with a side of nostalgia, Beth Marie’s prides itself on using an ice cream-making machine designed in 1927 and providing an ambiance reminiscent of a 1950s soda shop with old-timey touches like checkered flooring and a red-and-white striped awning. Its unique Denton home in a building constructed in 1876 is an added bonus. The menu changes seasonally, but the shop always offers around 50 flavors. Beth Marie’s has a few locations, but the Denton store is the original. Multiple locations, bethmaries.com
Local Creamery
In a city teeming with ice cream, this small-batch creamery with locations in Plano and Murphy stands out. The product is everything you want ice cream to be: homemade, free of artificial additives, and available in flavors that have a lot going on. A recent Flavor of the Month, coined Campfire Vibes, combined toasted marshmallow ice cream mixed with toasted marshmallows, chocolate flakes, and fire-roasted graham crackers. Board games in the shop turn a quick stop for ice cream into an entertaining family outing. 5805 Preston Rd. #598, Plano, localcreamerytx.com
Parlor’s Ice Creams
If you want to support local farmers, check out Parlor’s, where every ingredient is locally sourced—and the sourcing is particular. Owners Kellie and Brandon Stoll make sure the milk comes from grass-fed cattle, the fruit from organic farms, and the eggs from pasture-raised chickens. They even use organic cane sugar and do their own pasteurizing in-house. What started as a little farmer’s market stand is now among the most respected ice cream shops in Dallas, which recently announced a forthcoming Park Cities location. Try the Texas Sheet Cake, made with chunks of housemade, chocolate-iced Texas Sheet cake swirled into light chocolate ice cream. 6465 E. Mockingbird Ln., Ste. 465, Dallas, parlorsicecreams.com
The Spelled Milk
With a selection of 100-plus cereals, this eccentric Bishop Arts-based shop is a niche experience. From the “Wall of 100 Cereals” to the cereal art and the cereal-baked donuts, it’s a feast for the senses. Soft-serve ice creams are made daily in fairly basic flavors, serving as a simple foundation for exciting cereal toppings. 712 W. Davis St., Dallas, thespelledmilk.com
Sugar Pine Creamery
For soft-serve lovers looking for a singular experience, Sugar Pine’s ever-rotating menu of six ice creams (two of which are always dairy-free) offers flavors that customers have never had before. Oftentimes, there are flavors that customers likely wouldn’t even associate with ice cream, like tomato strawberry, lavender lemonade, yuzu mango, berry chantilly, popcorn, and Jus Alpukat, a soft-serve riff on the Indonesian avocado smooth. Owner Lilis Pramasurja changes the menu every two weeks and posts it on Instagram. Sugar Pine may not be for those whose biggest soft-serve adventure is a chocolate-vanilla swirl, but regulars who are into the surprise factor can’t get enough. 6832 Coit Rd. #270b, Plano, sugarpinecreamery.com…