If you’re seeking soft serve that doesn’t spike your sugar levels, D’Lites promises a low carb, low sugar and gluten-free option that doesn’t skimp on flavor. While chocolate and vanilla flavors are on standby daily, the shop updates its menu weekly, with options to look forward to like cake batter, “Baby Ruth,” and orange dreamsicle.

Traditional flavors get a Texan upgrade at this popular creamery, known for its flavors like milk chocolate ice cream made with Convict Hill oatmeal stout, and coffee made with beans from Houston’s own Amaya roasters. Dairy-free? Swing by for a scoop of the vegan chai tea coconut flavor.

Since opening in Houston in 2017, this Austin-based gelateria has been serving up more than a dozen flavors daily. While guests can count on delicious mainstays like Madagascar vanilla and its crema Dolce Neve — a custard with lemon zest, lovers of the frozen treat can also look forward to a rotation of flavors and seasonal scoops, like the perfect-for-summer watermelon sorbet and the ricotta, honey and pistachio gelato.

Not technically ice cream, but this creamy custard is good enough to hold its own amongst the ice cream. These custards, made with organic local ingredients, are churned with decadent flavors like buttermilk pie, pecan praline, peach cobbler, and dewberry. Score your own carton at Antidote Coffee or either Phoenicia location.

Who says you can’t have ice cream for breakfast? At Jeni’s, it’s encouraged. Go for a pint of the “Everything Bagel” flavor, which consists of a cream cheese ice cream, mixed with buttery streusel sesame and poppy seeds, and a hint of onion and garlic. Or start off with a scoop of the classic gooey butter cake or refreshing frosé as you wander around a bustling City Centre.

Scoops of gelato and sorbet are transformed into stunning floral creations at this European export in the River Oaks District. In even better news, the gelato at Amorino tastes as good as it looks.

Known for its crazy confections piled high with candy and infused with wacky flavors, Magnolia’s Ice Cream & More is definitely doing the most. Choose a few scoops of ice cream (vanilla is an excellent blank canvas) and add fresh fruit for a healthy vibe, or plenty of gummi worms, sour candy, and a thick drizzle of chamoy, if sugar is what you crave.

This Montrose sweet shop offers frozen treats in a variety of inventive flavors that are constantly changing, including coconut rum gelato and coconut curry cashew sorbet.

Booza’s first U.S. location here in Houston will make you rethink your definition of ice cream with its handmade, super stretchy Mediterranean version, which comes in compelling flavors like the traditional ashta, Turkish coffee, rosewater, and rainbow.

This sweet shop founded on Houston’s favorite cookie also serves excellent ice cream. The milk & cookies is an obvious choice, and dairy-free coconut milk chocolate ice cream is a quality option for folks who eschew dairy.

Switch up the standard cone and opt for a bubble waffle, with an assortment of ice cream flavors, like Thai tea, pistachio almond, and birthday cake, with a made-to-order waffle with your choice of filling, and toppings. Looking for another way to cool off? This dessert shop also features an assortment of mocktails, milk and fruit teas, and slushies.

Hank’s produces ice cream the old-fashioned way by hand and using fresh ingredients. The Houston staple showcases eighteen flavors daily, with choices rotating from a list of nearly 100 flavors. And via their website, apparently Queen Bey, "always gets banana pudding," when she's in town.

On a hot day in Houston, this Pasadena’s artful snow-cones, brightly-decorated shakes and ice cream creations will do the trick. Try the “Tropical Piñalada,” which is poured in pineapple and topped with colorful, fruit-shaped candies, or the “MangoSwim Time,” a mango sorbet topped with chamoy, fresh mangos and candy — all in a taijin-rimmed mason jar.

Cool down after strolling the Kemah boardwalk at this mom-and-pop ice cream shop, which has loads of creamy, rich, and rotating flavors, plus toppings and delicious desserts like brownies and cookies that can make. Finding it hard to choose just one flavor? Try the skateboard flight, which comes with an assortment of 12 flavors on, you guessed it — a mini skateboard.

This family-owned business will ensure you get your custard fix, with a rotation of flavors that change monthly, plus a host of indulgent sundae combinations, like the “Elvis,” custard topped with banana, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff, and a variety of combos topped with hot fudge, like the “Red Cookie” sundae, which is topped with strawberries, cookie dough, and fudge.

If spending a weekend in Galveston, Mikey’s promises some of the best ice cream on the island. Opt for a decorated sundae or some scoops of your favorite flavor in a cake, sugar, or waffle cone. Go for a sippable version with one of their hand-spun shakes, or bite into your dessert with the “home-cut” panini-pressed donut that’s stuffed with your choice of ice cream. Sharing? Opt for the $12 ultimate naughty nacho — a mound of four scoops of ice cream, with your choice of four toppings, waffle chips for scooping, whipped cream, and nuts.