Ice cream cools you off in the summer and satisfies your sweet tooth. The Des Moines metro has plenty of options. Whether you like hard pack or soft serve, frozen yogurt or gelato, here's the scoop on plenty of summertime sweet shops around Des Moines serving frozen desserts all season long. Find a list of some of the favorites in the Des Moines metro here.

Black Cat Ice Cream

Customers taste test ice cream flavors at Black Cat Ice Cream in Valley Junction on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in West Des Moines.

Black Cat Ice Cream in Valley Junction in West Des Moines serves locally produced ice cream. Visitors can sample owner Alex Carter's handmade flavors, such as red velvet and Oreo, brown butter cookie dough, and chocolate with ghost chili, rotated regularly. Ice cream is available by the scoop, pint, or in many specialty treats, including ice cream nuggets with dipping sauces.

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Location: 134 Fifth St., West Des Moines

Chocolaterie Stam

Chocolaterie Stam specializes in gelato and sorbetto made locally with fresh ingredients and milk from Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward. You'll find 50 flavors at any given time from a rotation of more than 80, like forest berry, strawberry, chocolate-pepper, jalapeno-peach, grapefruit, and Nutella. Other gourmet varieties include merlot, pistachio Milano, and Champagne.

Locations:

2814 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines; 515-282-9575
Valley West Mall, 1551 Valley West Drive, West Des Moines; 515-457-8464
739 Bass Pro Drive N.W. Suite 555, Altoona; 515-282-9575

Classic Frozen Custard

Watch custard being made while you enjoy a sweet treat on Des Moines' south side. Along with generous scoops served in sugar or waffle cones, you can order sundaes, shakes, malts, banana splits and sodas in a wide assortment of flavors that constantly rotate, including chocolate mint cookie, black raspberry, watermelon, birthday cake and New York cheesecake. One of the house favorites is the turtle sundae with hot fudge, pecans and caramel.

Location: 4000 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines.

Contact: 515-287-1194

The Creamery

A new location for the creamery. ice cream shoppe in the East Village, Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

This family-owned ice cream shop has three locations in the metro: the East Village, Polk City, and Bondurant. Look for hand-packed and soft-serve ice cream as well as frozen yogurt, Dole Whip, and slushies.

Locations:

424 E. Locust St., Des Moines; facebook.com/p/The-creameryeast-village-61571909765484/
221 W. Broadway, Polk City; facebook.com/thecreamerypolkcity
100 Main St.. Suite 103, Bondurant; facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552830797288

Dairy Zone

Dairy Zone is a neighborhood institution, serving soft serve in vanilla, chocolate, or a twist of the two in a variety of creative frozen treats. Turtle sundaes are the most popular treat, but hold out for a specialty like the Oreo Delight with twisted ice cream, hot fudge, marshmallow cream, Oreo cookies, whipped cream, and a cherry. Or try a Tornado — your choice of toppings and flavorings, blended into a cool combination.

Location: 2219 E. University Ave., Des Moines

Granny’s Sweet Freeze Shop

This tiny soft serve shop is another neighborhood favorite, with single and double vanilla cones. Order from a wide assortment of dips and toppings, or go for the flavor of the week. The menu features something for everyone, including sundaes, malts, shakes, sodas, floats, slushes and ices. Arctic Swirls are Granny's answer to a blended ice cream treat with Granny's own secret recipe combinations like apple pie, cherry bon-bon and French silk pie.

Location: 3417 Hubbell Ave., Des Moines

Heavenly Delights

You can find both hard pack and soft serve at this little ice cream shop in Grimes. Sugar cones and waffle cones can be dipped in chocolate or cherry. Or go for one of the specialty crunch shakes, blended with hard crunchy cone dip. One of the house favorites is the Black Raspberry Explosion made with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and black raspberry syrup.

Location: 105 E. First St., Grimes

Contact: 515-249-9602

Home Sweet Cone Ice Cream

Have your cake and ice cream too with birthday cake ice cream at Home Sweet Cone.

Premium ice cream is up for grabs at this popular new spot for scoops in Waukee. Flavors like salted Oreo, a sweet blend of Oreo cookies and sea salt, and coffee Heath with bits of Heath bar combined with smooth coffee ice cream, are featured on the menu. The shop's all-natural ice cream flavors are made in-store daily.

Locations:

1188 SE. University Ave., Waukee
5045 Bentley Drive, West Des Moines

LJ’s Burgers & Ice Cream

A peanut butter shake from LJ's Burgers & Ice Cream on a beautiful day.

Soft serve ice cream in vanilla, chocolate or a twist of the two can be found at LJ's in Highland Park. A full line of sundaes, blended frozen desserts called Avalanches, shakes, and malts is available. Try a classic treat such as a banana split, brownie sundae, or a parfait. Or go for a caffeinated pick-me-up with a frozen blended coffee in vanilla, caramel, or mocha flavors.

Location: 3702 Second Ave., Des Moines

Contact: 515-288-8430

El Michoacáno Ice Cream & Mexican Food

Cool off with some Mexican ice cream in strawberry, coconut, pistachio and vanilla flavors or go for a native Mexican flavor such as mamey, guayaba, or nuez. Sorbets come in lime, watermelon, melon, and mango. Try some esquimales (popsicles) coated with coconut, chopped nuts, or sprinkles. Aguas frescas can be found here along with malts and shakes.

Location: 2922 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines

Molly’s Frozen

Molly's in the East Village offers a line of homemade ice creams in classic flavors. Order a build-your-own ice cream sandwich or cupcake sandwich with ice cream and the frosting of your choice.

Location: 322 E. Court Ave., Suite 105, Des Moines

Monarca Paletas

Head over to Clive or Waukee for paletas, a Mexican frozen popsicle made using fresh fruit juices, condensed milk, and flavors such as chocolate and pistachio. Monarca lets you choose your flavor — with options ranging from pineapple mint to banana filled with Nutella to strawberry cheesecake — followed by a dipping in white, dark, or hazelnut chocolate or cookie butter followed by various toppings and drizzles.

Locations:

9901 University Ave., Suite 150, Clive
2856 Grand Prairie Pkwy., Suite 100, Waukee

The Outside Scoop

Since 2010, this ice cream shop in Indianola has been serving scoops of homemade hard-pack ice cream in 75 flavors. Two ice cream trucks help to share that variety throughout the metro. Order from 24 rotating flavors in its shop, including a dairy-free option. Dutch letter, goat cheese, roasted cherry, and salted caramel are just a few of the options, and the homemade waffle cones draw a crowd from miles around. Sundaes, shakes, malts, and blended frozen treats called Storms help to mix things up.

Locations:

2410 S.W. White Birch Drive, Suite 100, Ankeny; 515-444-8234
602 N. Jefferson Way, Indianola; 515-444-7864

Over The Top

Take a trip to Pleasant Hill to cool off with some hard pack ice cream in cups and cones in a full roundup of regular flavors such as Knee Deep in Chocolate with brownies and a fudge swirl, lemon cheesecake crumble, or cotton candy. Or go for a dairy-free or vegan option like watermelon sorbet. Order sundaes, shakes, and floats as well.

Location: 955 N.E. 56th St., Pleasant Hill

Paleteria La Michoacana

This Mexican ice cream shop specializing in hard-packed ice creams, or cremas, and sorbets, or aguas, is a hidden surprise in the Capitol East neighborhood. Cremas range from the familiar — like caramel, banana, strawberry, and vanilla — to the unique, like mamey, a fruit from Cuba and Central America. Try the rompope, a crema made with an eggnog-like drink. Aguas come in various fruit flavors like pineapple, lime, and mango with chile.

Location: 1552 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines.

Contact: 515-265-0696

Snookie’s Malt Shop

This Beaverdale favorite has been serving soft serve since 1986. And it's used in all sorts of Snookie's creations such as cones, cups, dips, shakes and malts. For a fun treat for the kids, get a peanut butter-dipped cone with animal crackers. Snookie's even serves a cone for dogs.

Location: 1810 Beaver Ave., Des Moines

Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream

This ice cream craze from Thailand swooped into the metro by way of an ice cream truck. First, choose the size and the ice cream flavor. Then select mixers that include candy bars, cookie dough and marshmallows. A mixer swirls the freezes the ice cream that's rolled with a spatula. Treats start at $4.

Location: 303 S.W. School St., Ankeny

Uptown Dairy

Ice cream lovers in Ankeny had to Uptown Dairy, serving Cedar Crest Ice Cream out of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Founder Aaron Scibona offers 57 ice cream flavors: 32 in the dipping cabinet for scooping alongside 25 additional pints to go. The menu includes seasonal selections that swap in and out.

Location: 617 S.W. Third St., Ankeny

Van Dee’s Ice Cream Shoppe

This Merle Hay landmark serves soft serve sugar and waffle cones in vanilla, chocolate, or twist flavors. Super sundaes come in eight varieties such as the fudgy-nutty turtle and the crunchy salted nut roll sundaes. Classic specialties such as peanut parfaits, banana splits, and hot fudge sundaes make the menu, too. Drink your ice cream with malts, shakes, sodas, and freezes in flavors including cherry, chocolate, and caramel. Note: Cash or check only.

Location: 5915 Merle Hay Road, Johnston

Waukee Ice Cream Shoppe

This ice cream shop in Waukee serves a rotation of Kemp's 40 ever-changing flavors of hard pack ice cream and 30 flavors of soft serve in German chocolate to grape. Banana splits, sundaes, floats, and blended frozen treats called Blitzes are all found here, as well as Dole Whip. Drive-thru, patio seating, and indoor seating available.

Location: 530 Walnut St., Waukee

(This article was updated to remove an ice cream shop that closed.)

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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dreamy Des Moines ice cream shops to cool off in on a hot summer day