I scream, you scream, we all scream for the best ice cream in Orlando. Foodies have been in heaven in recent years: from new coffee shops to new cocktail bars, we’ve had the best of the best lately.
That also extends to ice cream.
Orlando is hot about 90% of the year, and what better way to cool down than enjoying an ice cream cone from one of the best ice cream spots in Orlando?
As an Orlando native, I can confirm we eat a lot of ice cream.
Here are the 10 best spots that locals and tourists love.
Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream
Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream is a favorite among locals, for sure. They make all of their ice cream in Central Florida.
Kelly’s offers traditional flavors like chocolate and vanilla, plus rotating flavors each month. You can find flavors like pumpkin spice, red velvet cheesecake and maple bourbon bacon, depending on the month.
There are three locations in Orlando, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to find the traveling Kelly’s ice cream truck!
They also have ice cream cakes and pints available for purchase.
Sampaguita
While new to the Orlando ice cream scene, Sampaguita has rapidly risen the ranks. And for good reason.
Sampaguita is a Filipino inspired ice cream shop located in the Mills district. Their goal is to create fun and fanciful flavors with profound meaning and nuance.
They have unique dairy and vegan flavors including mango peach pie, kehso guava cheesecake and ube latte. If you like adventurous flavors, this is where you need to go.
Soft serve flavors include vanilla and ube.
One creation you need to try is the Halo Halo, a traditional Filipino dessert with textures and tropical flavors. It has layers of scratch made coconut pandan jellies, palm nut fruit, macapuno (coconut strings), ube halaya (ube jam), shaved ice, milk, corn flakes, toasted rice, flan (dairy only), jackfruit, your choice of soft cream, ube sauce (dairy only), and condensed milk (dairy only).
Greenery Creamery
The Greenery Creamery is a staple and easily one of best spots to get ice cream in Orlando.
Located downtown and in Sanford, they specialize in vegan ice cream. Since opening in 2018, they’ve been a favorite in town.
They feature rotating flavors, so you never know what you’re going to get. However, I can tell you that whatever you get will be great!
Flavors I’ve seen include blueberry lavender, thai tea and pumpkin spice. This is in addition to the classic flavors we all love.
Twistee Treat
Twistee Treat is absolutely a Florida classic. This chain has been around since 1983 and is known for their soft-serve ice cream cone-shaped buildings.
The good news is since there are a lot of locations, you won’t have to forego a trip!
As the shape of the establishment implies, Twistee Treat specializes in soft serve ice cream. They only serve classic flavors, but they do it very well.
In addition, they are very affordable and offer generous sizes.
Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory
While located in Kissimmee, Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory is worth the drive. There’s not many places in Orlando that can use liquid nitrogen to flash freeze your ice cream.
To order your ice cream, you pick a milk base, flavor and toppings. Then, the wizards assemble your selections into ice cream with liquid nitrogen.
It’s an experience as much as it is a tasty treat.
Abracadabra is a family owned and operated business with a fun and friendly atmosphere. In addition to ice cream, they also serve food such as pizza and wings.
Salt & Straw
Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, Salt & Straw opened in Disney Springs in 2022. The shop has a unique menu with 12 classic flavors plus rotating flavors.
One of my favorite things about Salt & Straw is that they partner with local businesses to create unique flavors. For example, I had the guava and cheese ice cream that resembled the sister donut from the Salty Donut.
Also, they create and sell culinary perfume. For a small up-charge, you can have them spray the perfume on your ice cream!
While fun, it definitely confused my taste buds…
The Soda Fountain
Looking for a diner-esque experience with creative ice cream? The Soda Fountain is the answer.
The Soda Fountain has classic egg creams, floats and sundaes in addition to regular scoops of ice cream.
One thing that makes The Soda Fountain stand out is their adult-only milkshake menu. Yes, they offer indulgent and alcoholic shakes.
They have two locations: one on Edgewater Drive and one on East Michigan Street.
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
Ghirardelli is an iconic name among chocolate lovers. Let me tell you, they do ice cream right.
They offer ice cream cones, sundaes, shakes, malts and coffee specialties. Of course, they all feature Ghirardelli chocolate.
As Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop is located in Disney Springs, the shop gets very crowded. Be prepared to stand in line, unless you go early.
My personal recommendation? Get a milkshake to go and enjoy the shops at Disney Springs.
Bacio Ice Cream Shop
Located on Lee Vista Boulevard, Bacio Ice Cream Shop is sometimes slept on. Which is a shame, because their ice cream is delicious!
They have traditional ice cream flavors, plus fun flavors like cotton candy, honey roasted peanut butter and oatmeal craze.
In addition, they create unique sundaes that I can never say no to (though you may want to split it with a friend). For example, I recently saw a Barbie Girl Sundae with butter pecan ice cream, pecan blondie chunks, caramel, whipped cream and cinnamon pecans.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
Wow, I’ve unintentionally included a few ice creams on Disney property. Well, I guess Disney knows how to curate their ice cream shops!
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop is no exception. This colorful, retro soda parlor serves classic diner food and amazing ice cream.
They’re located in Disney’s Beach Club Resort, meaning unless you’re staying at the resort, you need a reservation to get in.
If you’re with friends or family, you’ll definitely want to consider the Kitchen Sink, which has eight scoops of ice cream plus every topping they serve.
If that sounds like too much (is there such a thing as too much ice cream?), you can stick with a sundae or milkshake.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of the best ice cream in Orlando! Let me know if there’s a spot you’d recommend.
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