14 Best Ice Cream Shops in Boston

Natural Fruttiberri is a Boston ice cream shop focused on fresh, small-batch treats and unusually expressive flavors. The menu moves beyond standard scoops with combinations such as saffron and rose, pomegranate, cardamom, coconut, and date, balancing floral, tart, creamy, and gently sweet notes.

Delini Gelato brings handcrafted Italian gelato and a polished dessert experience to Boston. Flavors are made from scratch with natural, high-quality ingredients, producing a silky texture and a menu that balances familiar favorites with distinctive combinations. Strawberry, coconut, caramelized banana, and chocolate are among the memorable choices.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream serves dense, smooth ice cream alongside a substantial vegan range, with flavors that move between familiar classics and creative combinations. Strawberry matcha and affogato are standout examples of the menu’s more distinctive direction, while the texture is notably creamy and less sweet than many conventional ice creams.

Lazy Bear Creamery is a Boston neighborhood ice cream shop built around homemade flavors, generous portions, and a playful setting. The menu ranges from vanilla and chocolate chip to adventurous creations such as Rain Forest Crunch, Lazy Forger, and Salty Sloth, with flavors rotating regularly so repeat visits can bring something new.

The Scoop N Scootery brings an imaginative dessert focus to Boston with generous sundaes, rich ice cream, fresh cones and toppings, and homemade whipped cream. Its brownie core sundae and cookie-dough creations suit anyone who enjoys bold combinations, plentiful toppings and an unapologetically indulgent finish.

Toscanini’s brings a distinctly creative approach to ice cream, pairing a creamy gelato-like base with adventurous flavors such as mango sticky rice, Burnt Caramel, Kulfi and the signature B3 cake. The range rewards curious eaters who enjoy moving beyond standard chocolate and vanilla while still offering familiar comfort.

Cabot’s combines an old-fashioned ice cream parlor atmosphere with a full restaurant menu, making it easy to turn dessert into a complete outing. Its generous premium ice cream portions, frozen-yogurt creations and elaborate sundaes— including the S’more Sundae—are the main draw, with breakfast, lunch and dinner available alongside them.

Slush King gives Boston a refreshing alternative to the usual scoop shop, specializing in homemade Italian slush, artisanal gelato and premium soft serve. The signature gelati layer slush with soft serve, while flavors such as strawberry, pomegranate, passion fruit, mango and lemon keep the menu bright and fruit-forward.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream brings a bright, contemporary scoop-shop feel to Boston, with a rotating lineup of creative flavors and clearly labeled vegan choices. Rich options such as Honeycomb, brown sugar cookie dough and seasonal combinations sit alongside dairy-free selections, giving mixed groups plenty to explore.

In Harvard Square, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is an inviting stop for rich, creamy scoops, seasonal flavors and a generous selection of vegan ice cream. Pistachio, strawberry, mango sticky rice, Honeycomb and affogato are among the combinations that make the menu appealing to both traditional and adventurous palates.

Amorino Gelato turns a Newbury Street dessert stop into a small visual ritual: its Italian gelato is shaped into a flower, with no fixed limit on the number of flavors in one serving. Rich chocolate, coffee, stracciatella and amarena are popular directions, while sorbets, macarons, affogato and specialty coffee broaden the choice.

J.P. Licks is a familiar Boston ice cream stop with an extensive selection of creamy homemade flavors, hard yogurt and coffee. The range includes rich chocolate, coffee creations, cake-batter combinations and other rotating choices, so deciding what to order is part of the visit.

Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream is known for balancing familiar scoops with distinctive flavors, including salted caramel, sorghum ginger snap, ginger molasses, pistachio and Dutch Treat. Its menu also includes dairy-free sorbets and spice creams, giving adventurous dessert seekers plenty to investigate beyond standard flavors.

J.P. Licks offers a flexible dessert stop in Boston, with homemade ice cream, hard yogurt, coffee and a wide choice of classic and less traditional flavors. Salted caramel, cookie and cake batter, black raspberry and seasonal sherbets are among the options that keep a quick visit from feeling routine.