I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! When Orlando heats up, cool down with some of the best ice cream in the area.
When the temperature sizzles, here in Orlando we have some of the best ice cream shops around. From organic gelato, funky soft-serve and old-fashioned sundaes served at the city’s best ice cream shops, locals and visitors have a yummy list of scoop shops to choose from.
The Scoop On The Best Orlando Ice Cream Shops!
Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream
Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream is a local, handcrafted ice cream shop. They make all their ice creams and sorbets at their shops right here in Central Florida. In addition to dairy ice creams, they also offer non-dairy alternatives!
Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream started in Orlando’s trendy Audubon Park neighborhood, and quickly expanded to neighborhoods including Winter Park, SODO, and Horizon West, plus ice cream trucks, and counters throughout Central Florida.
You can even find Kelly’s at local café chain Foxtail Coffee at their Dr. Phillips and Hunter’s Creek locations.
Craving the classics such as Sweet Strawberry or Chocolate? No problem. Looking to get a bit more adventurous? Try the Ore-Dough or Banana Pudding.
The creamery also offers a rotating lineup of flavors, including carrot cake, rose almond pistachio, cake batter, blondie brownie, and toasted coconut. Not sure what to order? Create a flight. Kelly’s also sells classic cones, cups, sundaes, and shakes.
Greenery Creamery
Described as Orlando's little ice cream boutique, a visit to Greenery Creamery is a must in downtown Orlando or Sanford.
Since opening in 2018, this Orlando ice cream shop has taken pride in serving artisan treats made with local and organic ingredients.
There’s something for everyone at Greenery Creamery — the shop offers a range of dairy and plant-based flavors, some of which are gluten free. Go traditional with sweet cream or chocolate chip. Or try strawberry hibiscus sorbet, blueberry lavender, thai tea or
Dairy and vegan ice cream cakes are also available.
4C Creamery
Over in MetroWest, 4C Creamery believes ice cream is for everyone.
The Ombao family opened their business in 2021, after their daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease and diabetes.
They wanted to give her, and others facing similar struggles, a place where they could safely enjoy ice cream. The store has a huge rotating selection of Hershey’s flavors. On a given day, you may find yourself enjoying coconut, apple pie, raspberry, peanut butter, or salted caramel brownie ice cream. Gluten-free cones and ice cream sandwiches are available.
The creamery also offers dairy-free sorbet, Italian ice, and oat milk dessert options.
Twistee Treat
Florida bases ice cream chain Twistee Treat and their giant cone buildings are home to your favorite soft serve ice cream. Serving up the best ice cream experience since 1983.
Today, Twistee Treat have locations all over Central Florida, including International Drive, Kissimmee's 192.
The rich smooth flavors are sure to please anyone’s palate. The menu indulges in ice cream, cones, cups, shakes and malts. Traditional classics like the banana split along with another favorite, our brownie boat, continue to be a popular choice. Twistee Treat also offers twirls with your choice of candy, sundaes and slushies. Adding even more variety to the product offerings are cookiewich and waffle taco.
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
For more yummy soft serve delights, visit Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard. The much loved brand has local locations on International Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Winter Garden, and Kissimmee.
Rita’s specialty is Italian ice, in varieties including cherry, root beer, Swedish Fish, cotton candy, and blue raspberry. Most Italian ice flavors are dairy free.
The chain also sells smooth soft serve and hand-scooped custard. In addition to traditional vanilla and chocolate flavors, you can enjoy options like birthday cake, banana, Oreo cheesecake and coffee. For the full Rita’s experience, order a Gelati (which layers your choice of Italian ice and custard flavors into one cup) or a Misto (which blends the two together), delicious!
Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory
Ice cream is magic, and at Kissimmee’s Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory they create delicious frozen ice cream in front of your eyes!
Upon arriving at this ice cream shop near Orlando, you’ll pick a milk base, flavor, and toppings. Then, watch as Abracadabra’s wizards mix your selections together and flash-freeze your treat in front of you with liquid nitrogen - 320 degrees below zero.
You can find Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory at 520 N Main St, Kissimmee, a family owned and operated business with a fun and friendly atmosphere. Low-fat, sugar-free, and lactose-free options are available.
They even offer complimentary playtime on a selection of bounce houses for children 12 and under, with paying customers!
Ginther’s Swirls Ice Cream
Ginther’s Swirls Ice Cream is a casual, family-owned counter-serve providing soft-serve ice cream and milkshakes.
They are located on International Drive, a few miles down from SeaWorld at the corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway, and they have the option of outdoor patio seating with night lighting, indoor seating, and a drive-though, so you can pick up some delicious ice cream without leaving the AC comfort the vehicle!
They serve delicious soft serve ice cream, as well as hand-scooped ice cream in eight popular tasty flavors.
The ice cream is made from real milk and cream served in waffle cones, sugar cones, and cups. They also also offer fat-free, sugar-free vanilla soft-serve. They have dips, flavorburst, sprinkles, and various toppings to add to your dessert. You can also choose milk shakes, malts, twirls (shakes with chunks of candy or toppings), sundaes, splits, smoothies, floats, and chillers!
Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour
Florean Fortescue’s is a Harry Potter-themed creamery in Universal Studios Florida where Wizards and Muggles of every age can indulge in scoop and soft-serve ice-creams.
The Ushopa is best known for its fan-favorite butterbeer ice cream, served in a waffle cone or souvenir glass. Potterheads also have their pick of other soft-serve and hand-scooped flavors.
Indulge in scoop and soft-serve ice-creams here, with fantastic flavours like Butterbeer, Granny Smith, Earl Grey and Lavender, Chocolate Chili, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salted Caramel Blondie, Chocolate and Raspberry, and more.
Salt & Straw
Since opening at Disney Springs in 2022, the Portland based, family run ice cream company Salt & Straw has amassed a huge following here in Orlando.
The Disney Spring's scoop shop has a pretty unique menu features 12 regular classic flavors as well as a rotating monthly menu that is always evolving offering seasonal specials that taste amazing,
The time-tested regular flavors include double-fold vanilla and chocolate brownie. You’ll also find experimental options like strawberry cilantro lime cheesecake and black olive brittle with goat cheese. Salt & Straw frequently partners with regional businesses to come up with new flavors. Oh and they and they even make their own fresh waffle cones in the scoop shop!
Sampaguita
One of the best ice cream spots in Orlando is Sampaguita.
Sampaguita is an exploration of the richness of Filipino culture, family traditions, and self-identity. Their goal is to create fun and fanciful flavors with profound meaning and nuance.
Located in the Mills 50 district at 1233 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Sampaguita specialize in a variety of ice creams, milk shakes, donuts, and other desserts that feature south Asian ingredients including ube, coconut, jasmine tea, and kalamansi nectar, and many more.
The shop even makes their own vegan sprinkles!
The Soda Fountain
With its classic egg creams, floats, and sundaes, the Soda Fountain is the perfect place to relive your childhood with locally made ice cream, delicious sundaes and shakes.
The Soda Fountain has two Orlando locations, one in the Conway neighborhood and the other in College Park. Ice cream connoisseurs of all ages flock there for fun flavors like coconut, toffee, and cherry. The 21+ crowd can partake in options like a mocha Kahlúa milkshake or a Guinness float.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Chain scoop shop, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams build ice creams completely from scratch, at Jeni’s, you’ll find flavors inspired by art, history, pop culture, and beyond, flavours that simply don’t exist anywhere else.
Flavours including butterscotch popcorn, brambleberry crunch, everything bagel, boston cream pie, coffee and cream, and more! Jenny's is located in Winter Park at Orlando Ave.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
No list of Orlando scoop shops would be complete without Beaches & Cream located at the Boardwalk at Walt Disney World!
Recall fond memories and make new ones as you sip on flavored sodas, malted milkshakes and more while listening to oldies on the classic jukebox.
Slide into a beach ball-bedecked booth and peruse a menu of fountain favorites, sweet surprises and all your childhood favorites plus some showstoppers, like the Snickers Sundae and the No Way José—a delectable creation with ice cream, peanut butter and hot fudge.
For the ultimate experience, get a load of the Kitchen Sink: 8 scoops of ice cream smothered in every topping you can imagine!
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Jeremiah's Italian Ice serves up tasty frozen treats with a smile! The menu hosts refreshing Italian Ice (available in over 40 flavors), rich & creamy soft ice cream, and the Jeremiah's Gelati - the perfect layering of any flavor Italian Ice with soft ice cream!
Find Jeremiah's at tons of locations throughout the Orlando area!
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
Celebrate a noteworthy occasion, or any fun day, with specialty sundaes or premium chocolate-inspired gifts at Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop in Disney Springs.
This is a very popular spot, and it can get quite crowded. Be prepared for lines, but it's worth it, enjoy Hand Scooped Ice Cream Cones, Sundaes, Shakes, Malts and Coffee Specialties all featuring Ghirardelli chocolate.
Charlie's Bakery & Creamery
Orlando’s most historic bakery, Charlie’s Bakery & Creamery on Curry Ford Rd, Orlando, offers the most delicious in-house, super-premium ice creams.
Charlie's features 24 rotating flavors to choose from, including 6 non-dairy options. They offer ice cream by the scoop, the pint, in a brownie sandwich, or in an ice cream pie!.
Bacio Ice Cream Shop
Head to Bacio Ice Cream Shop on Lee Vista Blvd. for sundaes, milkshakes, and waffles. Try exciting flavors including banana and cookies, black walnut, chocolate and marshmallow, scooper hero, honey roasted peanut butter, oatmeal crave, and more!
They also offer gluten-free options too.
Vivoli il Gelato
Vivoli il Gelato is considered to be one of the oldest gelaterías in Florence, Italy, Vivoli’s original location began scooping out its homemade ice cream in 1930. Generations later, they’re continuing the tradition at Disney Springs—and dreaming up exciting new frozen concoctions for Guests to enjoy.
Aside from the classic gelato cone or cup, you’ll find sorbetto, assorted beverages and bakery items—plus, amazing gelato-based sundaes, shakes and floats made from seasonal ingredients.
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