After a scorching hot day in the Texas heat, there’s nothing better than ice cream to cool you down and raise your spirits. Austin boasts some of the best restaurants and food trucks around, so you don’t have to look far for any flavor or shape of delicious ice cream. Next time you’re overcome with a hankering for a creamy, delicious treat, check out our favorite spots in and around the 40 Acres.

Cow Tipping Creamery

If you’re up for a drive, Cow Tipping Creamery is the perfect treat. Originally operated out of a food truck, this ice cream shop now has a storefront on Lamar, near West Campus. Playing with the idea of traditional soft serve led to the incorporation of freshly baked toppings, often layered with ice cream to create the notorious “stackers” that made Cow Tipping Creamery famous.

Amy’s Ice Creams

Considered by many to be the quintessential Austin ice cream spot, Amy’s has been surprising its customers with a unique selection of flavors for over 34 years. The South Congress location is notorious for the graffiti plastered on the outside, which often serves as a backdrop for ice cream selfies. Whether you crave their world famous Mexican Vanilla or are ready to sample one of 350 rotating flavors of ice cream, Amy’s
never disappoints.

Lick Honest Ice Cream

Concerned with not only taste but quality, Lick Honest Ice Cream uses only pure and locally sourced ingredients to craft their product. Everything at Lick is homemade, from the waffle cones down to the baked toppings. Bonus: They’re devoted to the environment, serving ice cream with compostable cups and spoons. Some of the most unique flavors around come from Lick, including Cilantro Lime and Roasted Beets with Fresh Mint.

Sweet Ritual

Uniquely catered to customers with food allergies and dietary restrictions, Sweet Ritual aims to bring ice cream to everyone. No ice creams contain dairy bases as the entire shop is vegan. The bases alternate daily between cashew, peanut and coconut. Because of fast growth, the shop is temporarily positioned inside Toy Joy, as Sweet Ritual’s storefront undergoes renovations. Special attention and omission of allergens and dairy ensures that no one is left out of the delicious, creamy fun at Sweet Ritual. 

Ice Scrapers

Watching your ice cream freeze is almost as fun as eating it at Ice Scrapers, a family-owned truck situated behind the University Co-op. These Thai-inspired ice cream rolls begin as a liquid poured on the anti-griddle, or cold plate, in the truck. Once it is frozen enough to mold, scrapers roll it up and serve. The unique shape and flavor of ice cream rolls make Ice Scrapers a must-try spot in West Campus.

Spun Ice Cream

Two Austin-raised sisters combine science and dessert to make liquid nitrogen ice cream. Frozen at negative 321 degrees, ice crystals shrink to make the resulting product creamier and smoother than traditional ice cream. The “Spun Sisters” ensure the quality of their ingredients, using only locally sourced and fair trade products in their ice cream. This unique method of making ice cream gives Spun an identity and rightful place among the best spots in Austin.

Whether you’re celebrating with friends or treating yourself alone, ice cream should always be on your plate. Some of the best ice cream can be found in Austin, each adding their own “weird” twist to traditional flavors or presentation. Vegan, dairy-free, locally sourced or out of a truck — Austin’s ice cream shops have something for everyone to enjoy.