Austin ice cream

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, We All Scream for Ice Cream or at least my family does!  Yep, I said family. We all love ice cream. The two littles and the hubs especially. 

My husband recently told my son that I stopped buying ice cream because he (the hubs) was getting a belly eating it too much. That is of course not.really.true…Ahem. 

Okay, now seriously, who doesn’t love ice cream, right, especially with all the busy ice cream shops in Austin!?!  There may be someone out there that doesn’t enjoy the smooth, creamy sweet taste of cold ice cream on a warm afternoon but it is definitely not my peeps. And you know what, they even make vegan ice cream…yep, you read that right, vegan. And coming from a family who is by no means vegan, it is good, real good. We will be going back, you know, for more research.

Here are our favorite picks for Austin ice cream: 

Amy’s Ice Cream

You seriously cannot go wrong with this local favorite.  Growing up in Austin, I have so many memories of venturing to Amy’s for ice cream. It is so fun to watch them smash the candies into the ice cream then flip it up in the air to somehow land in the bowl.  It has been around since 1984, wow!  With over 350 flavors in rotation, their Mexican Vanilla is world famous and the Sweet Cream is my go to when I want something simple yet cold and creamy.  They now have 12 locations in and around Austin and most have playgrounds for the kids!

Lick Honest Ice Cream

This newer local favorite was started by two small town guys who wanted to offer locals honest artisanal ice cream.  They only use pure, wholesome ingredients and never use artificial colors or flavors, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives.  The dairy comes from a local Central Texas farm and their ice creams are created with seasonal offerings from Texas.  They do have some vegan and dairy free options.  And with 3 Austin locations, you must venture to Lick (best name for an ice cream shop, right!?!) and try their Lady Bird Lavender Crisp.  So yummy!

Sweet Ritual

Another great local ice cream shop that has been around since 2011 and they do not leave anyone out of this yummy treat.  Their ice cream is all dairy-free, vegan and allergen friendly.  They strive to use local sourced ingredients and every batch of ice cream is made from scratch right in their store.  My two kids especially love the Unicorn Poop which is bright pink and delicious!  Their quaint little shop on Airport is always crowded.  You can also pick up one of 8 pint sized flavors while grocery shopping at Wheatsville!

MOOJO

Moojo is where gourmet ice cream meets warm cookies!  Can it get any better than that?  The owners or The Matts, have always been inspired by the Austin food scene so they transplanted here and opened up this yummy ice cream shop.  Their products are natural, fresh and homemade.  Located on The Drag (Guadalupe near UT).

Prohibition Creamery

This place is basically an adult ice cream shop, where ice cream and booze collide.  Seriously!  Um, yes please!  They call it ice cream with attitude.  The founder of this creative ice cream, Laura, was inspired by the childhood nostalgia of baking alongside her mother.  The ice cream ingredients are local and fresh.  So find a babysitter for the kiddos and make this your last stop on a fabulous date night.  Prohibition Creamery is located on East 7th Street.

Enjoying yummy vegan ice cream at Sweet Ritual!

The next three ice cream shops your high school science teacher would love!  They use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream right in front of you. Talk about entertainment for the kids while you wait for your decadent ice cream! Winning!  Just watch your child’s eyes open wide as the fog of the liquid nitrogen starts to flow over the mixers and becomes ice cream for.them.to.eat!  Fun and Yum!

SPUN

Two sisters from Austin co-founded this awesome local ice cream shop!  They specialize in fresh, seasonal ice creams, spun to order with, yep, you guessed it, liquid nitrogen.  They use local, fair-trade, organic ingredients in their handcrafted flavors and “pairings.”  They have a brick and mortar on East 7th and a food truck outside of Whole Foods at the Domain.

Creamistry

They say the liquid nitrogen way is the right way.  Creamistry only uses high quality, premium ingredients.  Made to order ice cream is always rich and creamy and they have over 70 flavors and toppings.  Current location in Lakeway and another one coming soon to Round Rock.

The Science Cream

The Vaca’s opened The Science Cream in 2015 and were in love with having ice cream as a show!  They were the first ice cream shop to use liquid nitrogen in Austin.  This made to order ice cream contains high quality fresh local ingredients.  They have a food truck located on the hip and happening South Congress Avenue.

Below are some more Austin ice cream favorites including gelato and milkshakes: 

Frost Gelato:  Two locations in Austin; Hill Country Galleria and now on Rock Rose in the Domain!

Vicecreme:  Vegan and dairy-free frozen deserts located on Comanche Trail in the Oasis shopping center.

Shake Shack: Delicious burgers and creamy ice cream shakes.  Two locations; Domain and S. Lamar.

Sandy’s Hamburgers:  This classic and local eatery serves old fashioned burgers and chocolate dipped ice cream cones on Barton Springs Rd – definitely worth the wait because there typically is one.

Mochi Ice Cream @ Whole Foods:  Take the kids to grab some Japanese-American frozen desert and then let them run off their sugar rush on the rooftop playground located at the Flagship Whole Foods on South Lamar.

Holla Mode:  Thai style ice cream food trailer on Barton Springs.  Be creative making your own ice cream combo!

Gelato @ Central Market:  They have a wide variety of flavors so grab a cup and head out to the playground at the North Lamar location.

Below are some frozen yogurt shops where you can grab a lower calorie and/or fruity ice cold treat in and around Austin!

Berry Austin

Menchies

Yogurtland

Yumilicious

Front Porch

And if you feel like taking a classic ice cream adventure then visit the Blue Bell Creamery country store or ice cream parlor in Brenham, Texas!  It’s just a short hour and a half drive East on 290 from Austin.

Mamas grab your kids, some extra wet wipes and head on out for some cool, sweet and creamy ice cream this summer.  Then check out our list of local splash pads or playgrounds so the kids can get their sugar craze out before you head back home!

Let us know your favorite Austin ice cream shop that you enjoy with the family! 

 

Abigail Head
Abigail Head is a native Texan living in Central Austin with her hunky husband, Chad and their two strong willed rugrats. Their 6 year old son, Teak, is a true walking miracle and a strong force to be reckoned with. Sloan, their spunky firecracker and 2 year old daughter, is a fearless monkey on the playground. Abby loves chocolate, antiques, being creative, authentic people, and lots of coffee! She has been in the real estate business for over a decade however these days keeps busy wrangling her two little redheads and tries to find time to do something else she loves, write. Follow her and her family's shenanigans in the little squares on Instagram @theheadhouseatx or her little blog www.theheadhouseatx.com.

1 COMMENT

  1. What a fun post! A lot of these places I had no idea about! Thank you for sharing, ice cream is a great way to cool off during the summer and there are some real healthy alternatives to the traditional ice cream!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here