Best Ice Cream in Utah

I love ice cream so much. So. Much. If you ask me if I want ice cream, the answer is yes. Let's go now. Even in winter. Here's what you can get in Utah, kinda in order of preference (it's hard).

Made-In-Utah Ice Cream

  1. Leatherby's (Taylorsville, Orem, Draper) Above is a picture of the wonderful Gretchen's Golden Nugget. This place has huge portions of rich ice cream smothered in the best hot fudge and caramel there are, which is really the key to their greatness. 
  2. Creamworx (Highland) My first visit blew me away with great cream, flavors, and mix-ins. Return visit didn't let me down!
  3. Blacksmith Ice Cream (Bountiful) Great cream due to unique freezing/churning process and high quality mix-ins.
  4. Hatch Family Chocolates (SLC) - The candy I had was nothing special, but one of the ice creams flavors (PB Cookie Dough in Epic Chocolate) sure was.
  5. BYU Creamery (Provo) Fluffernutter. Graham Canyon. Yessir.
  6. The Twisted Cow (Provo) Great flavors and cream, Jimmerosity probably my favorite because it had the most mix-ins.
  7. Brooker's Founding Flavors (Vineyard, Provo) Creative flavor combos and mix-ins AND it's all themed to Independence-era America? Genius.
  8. Rockwell Ice Cream (Provo, South Jordan) Pretty good flavors, pretty good thick cream.
  9. Java Cow Ice Cream (Park City) Most expensive ice cream in the state, which makes sense given its location. One flavor I had was great, one was kinda bland.
  10. Rowley's Red Barn (Santaquin, Washington) Pretty good.
  11. Casper's Malt Shop (Richmond) The company famous for Fatboys makes good hard ice cream under the name Red Button Vintage Creamery (which also has a location in Provo).
  12. Milk Barn (Morgan) The only negative is skimpy on the mix-ins
  13. Thurgood Creamery (Syracuse) Skimpy mix-ins but fantastic value!
  14. JJ's Ice Cream (Delivery) Does a good job specializing in mix-in creativity.
  15. Peach City (Brigham City) Good cream and flavor, way too few mix-ins.
  16. Aggie Creamery (Logan) I seem to like it less over the years.
  17. Fort Zion (Virgin) The chocolate flavor was fantastic.
  18. Hello Sugar (South Jordan, Riverton) A donut chain from Spokane, but the Utah ones also make malted ice cream with edible glitter. Pretty okay.
  19. Charlie's Supreme Ice Cream (Logan) Nice and creamy, maybe not as flavorful as it could be.
  20. Nil's Swedish Creamery (Farr West) Not bad.
  21. Bee Knees Ice Cream (Midway) Not bad.
  22. Zion Creamery (Springdale Candy Company) A few good homemade flavors next to a selection of Russell's (which is really Farr's).
  23. Farr Better Ice Cream (multiple locations) It'll do.
  24. Snelgrove Ice Cream (St George) It's cool that this Utah staple has been resurrected, but it just didn't grab me. Kinda sparse on the mix-ins. 
  25. Color Ridge Creamery (Torrey) A lot of hipster-type flavors, airy cream, little to no mix-ins. 
  26. Big Hazy Ice Cream (Centerville) The base isn't bad but the flavor and mix-ins were weak for me.
  27. Cloud Ninth Creamery (SLC) Just didn't hit me in the flavor department.
  28. Mandarin (Bountiful) This great Chinese restaurant makes its own ice cream, and without the raspberry one it'd be much lower on this list.
  29. Broken Spur Steakhouse (Torrey) - Utilitarian ice cream for putting on pie, but not bad.
  30. Hill Billy Hand Pies (Brigham City) - Utilitarian ice cream for putting on pie, but not bad.
  31. La Bonita (Ogden) Hard to rate because it just might be a different style. I enjoyed my sundae but the ice cream was kinda icy and not creamy.
  32. Bow Tie Creamery (South Ogden) Underwhelming.
  33. Big Scoops Creamery (Roy) Can't really put my finger on it, just don't care for it.
  34. Mrs. Cavanaugh's (multiple locations) Its redeeming quality is you get a lot for a low price.
  35. Ideal Dairy (Richfield) Not rich or creamy.
  36. Cannery Creamery (North Ogden) No one in my group finished their ice cream.
  37. The Milk House (Midway) Didn't get what I ordered and didn't even finish what I got. Consistency of soft serve with slightly unpleasant mouth coating and minimal flavor.
Important note: I generally ignore places that serve other people's ice cream instead of making their own. But special mentions for The Scoop, (West Jordan) which gets a pass for offering three local companies at once (Aggie, BYU, and Rowley's), and The Creamery (Beaver) who led me to believe they made their own, but it's really Kemp's (figured it out when I saw their flavors at Gandy Dancer, a place that sold me an ice cream cone the size of a golf ball). Also, I don't like nitrogen-frozen ice cream or rolled ice cream so not featured here.




Made-In-Utah Gelato 

I think gelato's different approach deserves a separate list.
  1. Sweetaly Gelato (SLC) Wow
  2. Dolcetti Gelato (SLC) Wow
  3. Capo Gelateria Italiana (SLC) Good
  4. Sweetest Perfection Gelateria (Lehi) Pretty good.
  5. Miss Gelato (Moab) - Pretty darn good
  6. Harmon's Grocery Store (Farmington) - Not bad
  7. Overland Pizza and Ice Creamery (Layton) Kinda weak.
  8. Bon Bon (various outlets) Had it in one theater and enjoyed it, had it at another and didn't.

Outside Chains and Franchises

  1. Cold Stone Creamery - It's great and all, but I've had it so much I'm kinda starting to not like the texture.
  2. Baskin Robbins - It's fun to hate the big guy, but a few of their flavors are great.
  3. Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Underwhelmed at first, but then they upped their mix-in game. Cookie dough/Oreo flavor is great.
  4. Bruster's Real Ice Cream - It's alright. A little weird how soft it is. Only one in Provo.

Honorable Mentions

Although I enjoy them, soft serve and milkshakes are not what really lights me up. But if it's particularly good or creative, it deserves a nod among the real ice cream.

  • Spilled Milk (check locations) Trendy soft serve blended with cereal makes a wonderful cone.
  • Dairy Keen (Heber City) I once had this right after having gelato and I almost liked this better.
  • Angie's (Logan) This diner must be included due to the popular Clean the Kitchen Sink challenge.
  • Creamies (Grocery Stores) This Utah original gets a junior-high-nostalgia mention.
  • Monkeywrench (SLC) Technically not ice cream since it's not dairy. Scoop I had was pretty good, but my friend didn't like his.
  • Menchies (multiple locations) I love using the froyo as an excuse for going to town on mix-ins and toppings.
  • Culver's (multiple locations) The best burger chain shake.
  • Mary's Cheesecakes (St George) They don't make their own cream yet, but they do mix it with their cheesecakes to great effect. It's called Slice Cream.


RIP - Gone but not forgotten

  • Leatherby's on North Temple - I miss this place so much!
  • Howdy Homemade Ice Cream in Holladay - Dr. Pepper ice cream!
  • Frosted Rock in Layton and Roy - They beat Cold Stone to Utah. Memories...
  • Squirrel Bros in SLC - Loved the name of the shop and the giant cones are still there. Pretty sure they served Snelgrove's.
  • Ben and Jerry's in SLC - But you can still get it in grocery stores.
  • The Baked Bear in Farmington and Lehi - Had this in CA to mixed reviews.
  • Last Course in SLC - I didn't like it.
  • Mora Iced Creamery - Never had it, looked like not my style.
  • Wasatch Creamery - Fantastic stuff, a very sad loss. Come back!
  • Cream'd - Hopefully only closed temporarily
  • Palette Creamery - No local ice cream in Cedar City now thanks to a ceiling caving in!

Great Ice Cream in Other Places

Just in case you're going here...