When you see the giant rooftop ice cream sculpture, you know you've arrived at Amy's Ice Creams. (Amy's Ice Creams)
From ice cream to custards to crazy, seasonal flavors, Houston has some of the best local frozen treats to keep you cool in the sizzling summer heat.
Nothing says summertime like ice cream, and when summer comes in as hot as it does in Houston, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to cool off. Luckily, this city is filled with local, family-owned, and specialty ice cream shops that sell old favorites (vanilla, anyone?) and flavors you’ve never seen anywhere else. In other words, the ice cream options here in H-Town are as diverse as the population, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here are the local favorites—the Houston ice cream parlors that residents love and visitors flock to. These scoops are the perfect accompaniment to everything there is to do in Houston and will help you forget all about the summer heat.
1. Milk + Sugar Creamery
Milk and sugar may be the basic ingredients of ice cream, but there is nothing basic about the ice cream shop of the same name. Milk + Sugar Creamery starts with great ice cream, of course, but it’s known for its mix-ins—decadent pieces of cake, rich brownie chunks, and crunchy graham crackers, to name a few.
The result is a scoop full of goodness, each unique and bursting with flavor. Order a City That Never Sleeps, which is chock-full of coffee and pretzel ice cream mixed with chocolate flakes. Want to try something you won’t find anywhere else? Opt for Yum Cha, featuring pandan and chrysanthemum ice cream.
Milk + Sugar has shops in Montrose, the Heights, and West U, so wherever you are, you can dip in for a dip. Ask for the brown butter waffle cone for a truly decadent treat.
2. Amy’s Ice Creams
One of Texas’s most beloved ice cream shops, Amy’s Ice Creams got its start serving Mexican Ice Cream. They created the flavor by crossbreeding a traditional Madagascar vanilla bean with a Mexican orchid, and the result was a runaway hit.
Today, Amy’s serves over 350 flavors that are on constant rotation, so you can get a different flavor every night of the week, from Cold Press Vanilla to Bee Cave Crunch and Texas Dirt Cave. Amy’s also serves a wide range of sorbets, ices, and spiked ice creams. And vegans will be thrilled with the selection of flavors just for them.
Begun in Austin, Amy’s Ice Creams now has two locations in Houston, one on Shepherd and one in the Heights. And yes, both still serve the classic Mexican Ice Cream.
3. Buttermilk Baby
Shepherd is a popular street for ice cream shops, and Buttermilk Baby is a fan favorite. It is the only place in Texas that serves Carvel ice cream, and its signature Carvelanches mixed with candy and cookie chunks are through-the-roof delicious.
The retro atmosphere means you’ll have fun the minute you walk through the door—picture disco balls, neon lights, and plush pink swings swaying over a sprawling AstroTurfed patio. Sidle up to the cool counter and order a traditional soft serve, an ice cream sandwich, a frappe, or a boozy shake.
This summer, don’t miss the seasonal offerings like Summer Berry Bash, a tasty concoction of yellow cake batter ice cream swirled with strawberry puree and topped with crumbled vanilla wafers and whipped cream. Yum!
4. Flower & Cream
If it’s unique flavors you’re after, step into Flower & Cream, with a rotating roster of flavors that will make your mouth water every time. This shop takes the guesswork out of your options, labeling each of its flavors with dietary restrictions.
Mix-ins are made fresh in-house and are combined with a variety of ice cream flavors for a burst of flavor in every scoop. Try the Cereal Milk Oreo ice cream or the gluten-free Unicorn Tracks featuring a cotton candy base with Lucky Charm mushrooms. The theme here is childhood memories, the love of family and friends, and ice cream bringing everyone together.
With three locations in Houston, Flower & Cream is close to wherever you are. Find them on Holcomb Blvd., Dallas St., or in the food hall at POST Houston.
5. Underground Creamery
Hop on Reddit and you’ll see Underground Creamery recommended many, many times as a top Houston ice cream favorite. The fact that it’s a family-owned business run by local Houstonians makes it all the more appreciated.
This isn’t a walk-in place—you’ll need to pre-order by the pint, and that’s because the ice cream is made from scratch weekly and hand-packed before you arrive. Flavors are announced on Instagram and on the website, then a countdown timer begins on the day the flavors drop. Be at the ready and order as soon as you can, before your favorite sells out (sometimes within minutes).
What can you expect from the weekly drops? How about something like the XTreme Cookies n Cream made with salted Oreo ice cream, Oreo malted salted grit, and Hershey Cookies n Crème Stracciatella. Yep—that’s why it sells out so quickly.
6. Honeychild’s Sweet Creams
When you’re out for a hike or taking the kids or pets to the park next to MKT on Shepherd Drive, you won’t want to miss Honeychild’s Sweet Creams. It’s the perfect complement to a summer day, with great views of the park outside or workers scooping frozen custard in the cute shop.
Honeychild’s specializes in handmade frozen custards with total transparency about what you are getting for your money. Their website lists every single all-natural and organic ingredient in each flavor, all recognizable and pronounceable (milk, raw cane sugar, vanilla). There’s also a nod to all the local farms and producers where they source their simple but delicious ingredients.
You can always find favorite custards like Texas Sheet Cake and Buttermilk Pie, but the seasonal offerings will keep you coming back. This summer, enjoy flavors like Sweet Tea, Peach Cobbler, and Creamed Corn, and looking ahead to fall, get ready for Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Persimmon.
7. Connie’s Frozen Custard
You’ve got to love a happy hour, and this one is sweeter than most. Connie’s Frozen Custard features a Monday through Thursday 15% off happy hour from 3-5 p.m. that draws crowds, and it’s not just because of the deal.
The custard here is wonderfully creamy, and adding toppings takes the flavor profile over the top. The Texas Tornado is vanilla custard blended with strawberries and melted chocolate chips, and the Choc-o-Rocko is a combo of chocolate custard, roasted almonds, and marshmallow cream. Hungry yet?
The great thing about Connie’s is that you can also enjoy an old-fashioned banana split or sundae here, some with a twist, like J.B.’s Texas Turtle, which comes in child’s size, regular, and super. Or keep it simple with a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich.
8. Fat Cat Creamery
Flying into or out of Hobby Airport is a whole lot more fun when you treat yourself to small-batch ice cream made with local ingredients at Fat Cat Creamery. Right there at the C gates, a cup of goodness can be yours, or you can pop into the shop in Houston’s Garden Oaks neighborhood.
This creamery is woman-owned, with a focus on from-scratch ingredients, from the ice cream to the mix-ins. Everything is made with Texas whole milk and packaged in environmentally friendly, sugarcane-fiber cups, with compostable spoons and even agave straws!
Flavors literally change by the day according to available seasonal ingredients, but standard Meow Mixes include sautéed almond brittle, toasted pecans, and warm praline sauce, all made in-house and packing a powerful flavor wallop. Signature ice cream flavors include Chai Tea Coconut, Milk Chocolate Stout, and Amaya Coffee & Cream, so no matter your taste, you’ll find something to love here.
That’s true of all the ice cream shops around Houston. Wherever you find yourself in this tourist hotspot, you can always find a treat to make your day just a little sweeter.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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