Calling all ice cream lovers because Long Beach has some of the ice cream delights. We’ve put together a list of the best ice cream in Long Beach so you can satisfy your cravings. We’re featuring places that have classic ice cream flavors and also inventive flavors as well. These dessert shops are perfect to visit after brunch or dinner when you’re craving something sweet. Let’s get into this list!
Best Ice Cream Long Beach
1. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
Nothing beats creamy and delicious homemade ice cream. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream makes their ice cream fresh daily with good ingredients in small batches. It’s so popular you’ll likely have to wait in a bit of a long line. It’s also a local favorite.
Handel’s started in 1945 and now has over 70+ locations in almost a dozen states.
They have over 40 different flavors to choose from. I was overwhelmed when I first saw the menu but the top choices to go for are the banana cream pie, coffee chocolate chip, and anything with oreo cookies..
And if you’re like me and you don’t know what ice cream flavor to choose, go for the four scoop sampler so you choose four small scoops.
Don’t expect this place to have a lot of seating though. You order from a window like the old-fashioned way. It has a nice old school appeal that I personally love.
2. Long Beach Creamery
Another homemade ice cream so of course, it’s at the top of this list of best ice cream in Long Beach.
Long Beach Creamery is the ultimate place to go for unique flavors. They’re most famous ones are burnt caramel, cashew fennel chip, and whiskey vanilla.
I’d say their ice cream is geared more towards adults because of its incredibly rich flavors and even have booze in some of their flavors. But they’re also kid-friendly and have flavors kids love like s’mores and chocolate ice cream flavors.
And if you like ice cream that is not overwhelmingly sweet, this is the perfect place for you!
They’re quite generous with samples so go ahead and try before you buy. If you want, they’ll let you sample literally everything. They have great staff and they’re all super friendly and helpful which makes them one of the best local favorites.
3. After’s Ice Cream
Afters Ice Cream is one of the most popular ice cream shops in Southern California. There’s over 25+ locations just in SoCal.
The texture of all their ice cream is not too soft so it won’t melt right away. They also give pretty big portions for each scoop of ice cream.
My personal favorites from After’s is cookie monster, ube brownie, and jasmine milk tea. They also have vegan options for the chocolate chip cookie flavor.
And if you’re feeling an extra strong sweet tooth, get your ice cream inside a milky bun (basically a donut).
4. Hug Life Ice Cream
If you’re vegan, Hug Life Ice Cream will be your new favorite spot because they have only plant-based, non-diary ice cream. Even their milkshakes and pastries are vegan. This ice cream spot is also great if you’re lactose-intolerant.
Instead of milk, they use a mixture of either organic coconut & soy milk, coconut & almond milk, or coconut & oat milk.
When you come here, try their Banana Boy, Matcha Monster, Reese’s pieces, mint chip, and Earl Grey flavors. Super rich, flavorful, and comes pretty close to dairy-based ice creams.
They also open up quite late so definitely go to Hug Life if you have that late night craving for sweets.
5. Somi Somi
Somi Somi is the perfect spot for getting soft serve ice cream. They serve soft serve in a Korean dessert call “Ah-Boong” which is a fish-shaped waffle cone. You can also get your soft serve in a cup if you prefer that.
Each soft serve in the fish waffle cone comes with your choice of toppings like sprinkles, biscoff crumble, fruity pebbles, and even a small macaron.
The inside of the fish waffle cone has filling and you can choose from nutella or custard. As for the soft serve flavors, try their ube or matcha. You can even get a swirl so you get two flavors in one.
Each one is quite big and very filling so ordering one is more than enough for two people.
6. Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt On The Boardwalk
If you happen to be at the Long Beach boardwalk, go to this place for ice cream. They serve both dairy-free frozen yogurt and over a dozen flavors of ice creams.
I’d say only come here if you’re already in the area since there are some better options for ice cream in Long Beach. Or if you’re in the mood for ice cream with some really amazing view of the Marina and shoreline. Their flavors aren’t super rich in flavor but are enough to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
On the outside, they have a really cute pink exterior that fits right in with the theme of the area.
7. Snow Monster Cafe
Many people know Snow Monster Cafe for their boba drinks but they also have delicious ice cream.
They specialize in ice cream macaron sandwiches. And their macarons are in the shape of their monster logo which is pretty cute.
When you’re here, try their browned butter and toffee, cookies & cream, and Columbian Coffee bean flavors. For the macaron shells, you can mix and match the bottom and the top.
While you’re here, give their drinks a try too. You can even pay a bit more and get their reusable jar that is gigantic. If you bring it back the next time, you’ll get to refill it at the price of a 24oz drink.
Some of their most popular drinks are the Thai tea, Matcha Latte, and Sunset Strawberry Lemonade. They even have the option to add cotton candy on top of their drinks.
8. The Scoop
The Scoop is the best place to go if you’re craving ice cream cookie sandwiches. The size of the ice cream sandwich are huge and is probably enough for two people.
The ice cream they serve is from Thrify’s and it’s one of my favorite affordable ice cream brands. The flavors are rich and all of their chocolate flavors are my favorite.
This ice cream shop is actually located inside Eldo, which is a bar and grill in Long Beach.
9. Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is one of the best ice cream shops in Long Beach if you like extremely creamy and soft ice cream with lots of crushed toppings.
It’s also quite fun to see them smash up your ice cream along with your toppings right in front of you. Also, portions are huge so they’re big enough to share.
The ice cream is on the sweeter side but if your taste buds love sweets, you’ll like it. Any flavor with brownie mixed in tastes great in my opinion.
If you’re feeling a bit fancy, get a waffle cone to go along with your ice cream.
10. SnoCorner
On a really hot summer day, shaved ice sounds so delicious and the perfect thing to cool you down. SnoCorner makes New Orleans style shaved ice that’s served with homemade soft-serve ice cream and condensed milk to top it off.
Because of the ice cream and condensed milk, the shaved ice becomes very milky and creamy. It’s different than Hawaiian shaved ice or Italian Ice where you taste more ice. At SnoCorner, the shaved ice is very fluffy.
SnoCorner’s store front just has an order window but the outside wall is painted with bright colored designs so it’s hard to miss.
To order, you first pick a size, then two flavors, and optional condensed milk and/or soft serve. If you add both condensed milk and soft serve, it’ll taste delicious but may be a bit too sweet for some.
11. Yogurtland
Yogurtland is always a safe choice if you’re craving for some frozen yogurt. It’s self-serve so you can just grab a cup and fill the cup with as many froyo flavors and toppings as you want.
After you finish filling up your cup, they’ll charge by weight.
On a hot day, a frozen treat from Yogurtland is more thirst-quenching than a scoop of ice cream. Plus, if you add fresh fruit to your cup, it’s even more delicious on a hot day.
As someone who doesn’t like overly sweet desserts, my favorite flavor is always the plain tart. It’s slightly tart, slightly sweet, and pairs well with all the toppings I put inside.
FAQs on The Best Long Beach Ice Cream
What’s the best ice cream in Long Beach?
The best ice cream in Long Beach is Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream for freshly made homemade ice cream. For unique flavors, the best ice cream spot is Long Beach Creamery.
What’s the best ice cream in Long beach with delivery?
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and After’s Ice Cream in Long Beach does delivery.
What’s the best vegan ice cream in Long Beach?
The best vegan ice cream in Long Beach is Hug Life Ice Cream. All their flavors are made either with coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
The Best Ice Cream In Long Beach (Post Summary)
Here’s all the best ice cream in Long Beach – give them a try! Whether you like traditional ice cream, unique flavors, shaved ice, froyo, popsicles – there’s something for everyone. You’re going to have a good time.
- Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
- Long Beach Creamery
- After’s Ice Cream
- Hug Life Ice Cream
- Somi Somi
- Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt On The Boardwalk
- Snow Monster Cafe
- The Scoop
- Coldstone Creamery
- SnoCorner
- Yogurtland
Map of Best Ice Cream In Long Beach
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