Truth be told, there are more raspado spots in Tucson than local ice cream shops.
But the ice cream spots we do have are true treasures, boasting everything from cereal-infused scoops to funky-flavored soft serve to classic hot fudge sundaes.
Here are 23 local spots in Tucson to get a tasty scoop of ice cream, gelato or frozen yogurt. Let us know if we missed your favorite!
Dedicated ice cream and gelato shops 🍦
Pictured is pistachio almond fudge and banana cream pie gelato from Bella's Gelato.
Bella's Gelato
What started as a food truck has turned into a gelato shop housed in a former Baskin-Robbins. Tucsonans rave about Bella's Gelato, run by owner Elizabeth Sebring.
The shop offers loads of rotating flavors ranging from limoncello and cantaloupe to tiramisu and rocky road. Rotating vegan options are also available, including dairy-free versions of pistachio, cappuccino and chocolate. Don't forget the cones, which come in flavors like espresso and cookies n' cream!
The gelateria is lovingly named after Bella, a puppy who the founders adopted at an Oktoberfest event in 2010. Bella died in 2019, but the shop lives on in her honor, even hosting dog adoption events and offering pup cups to our four-legged friends.
Find Bella's Gelato at 2648 E. Speedway.
Salted caramel, pistachio, amarena cherry, peach cream pie and watermelon are ready for customers at Blue Ice Gelato.
Blue Ice Gelato
Blue Ice Gelato got its start in 2017 after Rebecca and Ronald Mann trained with an Italian gelato maker to learn how to make the creamy treat from scratch.
There are more than 50 flavors on the rotating menu, including coffee caramel pecan, cookie butter and banana cream pie. They've even perfected an avocado flavor. Keep up with their Facebook page to see what flavors are on the roster on your next visit.
Find Blue Ice Gelato at 6878 E. Sunrise Dr.
Frost co-founders Jeffrey Kaiserman, left, and Stephen Ochoa, right, flank master gelato chef and Italy native Nazario Melchionda, at their gelato shop, 2905 E. Skyline Drive.
Frost Gelato
Frost is a worldwide gem. Two University of Arizona grads started the shop in our favorite desert city — and now the business has legs as far as Kuwait.
The journey began in Rome after lifelong friends Stephen Ochoa and Jeff Kaiserman stumbled upon a gelateria. They fell in love with gelato, as one does, and couldn't stop thinking about the silky scoops upon returning to the U.S. After lots of studying, researching and learning, Frost was born.
The shop's corporate chef Nazario Melchionda has been perfecting gelato recipes for more than three decades. Frost has more than 60 rotating flavors, from dark chocolate to bubble gum.
Find Frost's three Tucson locations here.
Licks Catalina is home to rotating ice cream flavors and the option to infuse the treat with cereal. This is the Tucson Double Rainbow, with vanilla and strawberry ice cream, Lucky Charms, gummies, rainbow sprinkles and a sweet cream drizzle.
Licks Ice Cream & Coffee
Truthfully, Licks is worth the drive north to Catalina. The shop infuses all of our favorite cereals into scoops of ice cream, topped with gummy bears, marshmallow drizzles and rainbow sprinkles.
Owned by Jill Perez, Licks has seven specialty desserts and bubble waffles, but if you just want a simple no-frills scoop without cereal mixed in, that's OK too. Rotating flavors range from peach bourbon to coconut Nutella.
Find Licks in Catalina at 16130 N. Oracle Road.
From left: Sweet Sonoran Desert, Prickly Lemonade and Sweet Cream Honeycomb ice cream at The Screamery.
The Screamery
I scream, you scream, we all scream for The Screamery.
Kenny and Linda Sarnoski opened their first Screamery location in 2014, the second and third shops in 2016, later followed by locations in Marana, Phoenix and Chandler. The Screamery got its start when the Sarnoskis began a new diet centered around natural and wholesome ingredients, which they brought to the world of ice cream.
The Screamery has created at least 200 different flavors at this point, ranging from fan-favorite Sweet Cream Honeycomb to elaborate concoctions like the Cowboy Cookie with a salted caramel base, oatmeal, walnuts and chocolate chip cookies. Ice cream nachos and flights are also on the menu.
Find The Screamery's four Tucson-area locations here.
Sweet Rolls and More serves rolled ice cream with lots of filling and topping choices.
Sweet Rolls and More
This food truck puts on a bit of a show, serving up rolled ice cream right in front of your eyes — they even have a step stool outside of the truck so you can watch the magic happen. A concept originated in Thailand, rolled ice cream is created when an ice cream base is spread onto a cold plate, topped with mix-ins and then scraped into a cylinder shape.
Sweet Rolls offers a vanilla base with unlimited toppings (or fillings in this case) like Mazapan, M&Ms, Fruity Pebbles, brownies, Oreos and fresh fruits. Vegan options are also available!
Sweet Rolls is often parked at Comida Park in the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, 4100 S. Palo Verde Road, from around 6-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The swap meet charges $2 admission (cash only) those days.
Spots that have more than ice cream 🍨
Two new gelato flavors debut at Noodies each week.
The following spots aren't full-blown ice cream shops, but have tasty scoops nonetheless.
- Beaut Burger — Vegan burger spot Beaut Burger, 267 S. Avenida del Convento in the MSA Annex, also has vegan chocolate and vanilla soft serve on the menu.
- Bobazona — This small boba chain from Phoenix offers 15 flavors of gelato and four sorbets. Flavors range from ube to cookies n' cream. Find the Tucson location at 8140 S. Houghton Road.
- Ceres — Pasta alongside gelato is a dream come true. Ceres, 77 W. Washington St., offers two rotating flavors of gelato every week.
- Daddyburger — Head to The Boxyard, 238 N. Fourth Ave., for smashed burgers and fries alongside gelato in flavors like dark chocolate and banana dulce de leche.
- Decibel Coffee Works — Although most known for their coffee, Decibel, 267 S. Avenida del Convento in the MSA Annex, has some of the best chocolate chip cookies and ice cream in town.
- Hub Ice Cream — Hub closed its ice creamery in 2023, but the restaurant at 266 E. Congress St. is still churning scoops like oatmeal cookie dough and bourbon almond brittle.
- La Michoacana Ice Cream Spot and La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop — Raspados and paletas are all over the menu here, but they also have ice cream in flavors like cucumber with chile, cotton candy and tres leches. Find the Ice Cream Spot at 3344 N. Oracle Road and the Ice Cream Shop at 1105 S. Craycroft Road.
- Little Anthony's Diner — This '50s-style eatery at 7010 E. Broadway has a long list of diner favorites, in addition to classic sundaes and banana splits. We can't forget about the Big Bopper Milkshakes, which are topped with extravagant items like a whole slice of cake, and the gigantic Wipeout Sundaes.
- Monsoon Chocolate — It should come as no surprise that Monsoon Chocolate makes the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had. Get it at the shop's cafe, 3630 E. Fort Lowell Road.
- Noodies — The sister of Ceres, you can find two rotating flavors of soft-serve gelato at this pastaria, 1730 E. Speedway. Their cheesecake flavor is my favorite.
- Okashi — Headed by home baker Dean Blair, Okashi serves up scoops with Japanese techniques and flavors like black sesame and soba.
- Paleteria y Neveria La Michoacana — There are lots of paleta flavors here, plus antojitos like coctel de elote and Tosti-Locos. You can get classic banana splits and scoops of ice cream in flavors like Oreo or Gansito. Three locations: 3774 S. Sixth Ave., 8501 E. Broadway, 4444 E. Grant Road.
- Unitea — Get boba tea alongside gelato sandwiched into a bubble waffle at this shop, 1710 E. Speedway. Flavors include taro, salted caramel, matcha, mung bean and Thai tea.
- Viro's Real Italian Bakery — Home to pasta and pizza, it only makes sense that Viro's, 8301 E. 22nd St., also serves up gelato. We've heard good things about the pistachio!
Pro tip: Some raspado shops may also offer scoops of ice cream.
Where to get frozen yogurt 🍧
The peanut butter/chocolate frozen yogurt combo in a waffle cone cup is a fan favorite at Frozen Delight, 1101 N. Wilmot Road.
This one's for all you fro-yo fans.
- Chill on Sunrise, previously known as Sundaze Yogurt — The menu here includes eight rotating fro-yo flavors, plus Thrifty Ice Cream, smoothies, shakes and even pup cups. Find the shop at 4777 E. Sunrise Dr.
- Froyo Fresh — Get frozen yogurt and rolled ice cream with lots and lots of topping choices at this west-side shop, 8245 N. Silverbell Road.
- Frozen Delight — This shop, 1101 N. Wilmot Road, has been around long before the fro-yo craze of the early 2010s. The shop offers frozen yogurt in flavors like blueberry cheesecake and peanut butter. Also on the menu: boba tea and Thrifty Ice Cream.
