Highest-rated ice cream shops in Tucson by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Tucson by diners
Ice cream is a treat that can be enjoyed all year round, although the volume produced during the hotter months signals otherwise. The majority of ice cream and other frozen desserts in the U.S. are made between March and August, with July being the busiest month of all, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Many Americans have memories of their pastel green mint chocolate chip scoop dripping down their waffle cone at the height of summer or cooling down with their sprinkle-covered chocolate and vanilla soft-serve twist. Ice cream tends to scream nostalgia, but the range of available flavors has evolved since the days when the dessert was mainly limited to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Of course, that doesn't mean those aren't still top-tier choices. According to a May 2024 survey of 2,200 American adults by the International Dairy Foods Association and Morning Consult, the top 10 ice cream flavors today are still the three classics (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, in that order) followed by butter pecan, cookie dough, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, rocky road, and peanut butter or peanut butter cup.
Nowadays, many ice cream shops offer fresh combinations and ingredients you may never have imagined could be made into ice cream, concoctions like black sesame cookies and cream or honey lavender. Some ice cream shops boast flavors with even more unheard-of ingredients and combinations, like the savory tarragon olive oil or pineapple with pink peppercorns.
Ice cream creators have also expanded into rethinking frozen yogurt, soft serve, and vegan options. Dairy-free folks no longer have to order the only sorbet on the menu. There are nondairy milk ice creams made from plant-based milks like oat or almond and other plant-based products like avocado or sunflower butter.
And then there are the toppings, one of the best parts about getting a scoop at your local shop. Pour on the condensed milk or dulce de leche. Sprinkle bits of honeycomb or your favorite childhood cereal.
Ice cream shops everywhere have made it their job to serve up the smoothest, creamiest, and most crave-able options. To find out who's doing the best job of it, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated ice cream shops in the Tucson area using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 24, 2025.
Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 10 reviews were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to determine where you'll get your next cup or cone from!
#20. Dairy Queen Store
- Rating: 3.2/5 (47 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 501 North 4th Ave. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Pinkberry
- Rating: 3.3/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 3820 West River Road Ste 140 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Gema Raspados & Delights
- Rating: 3.3/5 (39 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2860 West Ina Road Ste 116 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Shaved Ice, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Paleteria Y Neveria La Michoacana
- Rating: 3.4/5 (49 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3774 South 6th Ave. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Dairy Queen Store
- Rating: 3.5/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 100 South Sarnoff Drive Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Dairy Queen Store
- Rating: 3.6/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5762 East 22nd St. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Sonoran Sno-Cones
- Rating: 3.9/5 (25 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 120 South Avenida Del Convento Ste 120 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#13. HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery
- Rating: 3.9/5 (1540 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 266 East Congress St. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: American, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bars
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Fruit Shack
- Rating: 4.0/5 (41 reviews)
- Address: 5420 East Broadway Blvd. Ste 234 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. La Michoacana The Ice Cream Spot
- Rating: 4.0/5 (38 reviews)
- Address: 3344 North Oracle Road Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Revive Fresh Bowls & Creamery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 6890 East Sunrise Drive Ste 140 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Acai Bowls
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Paleteria Y Neveria La Michoacana
- Rating: 4.3/5 (31 reviews)
- Address: 4444 East Grant Road Ste 101 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Frozen Delight
- Rating: 4.4/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1101 North Wilmot Road Ste 107 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#7. The Screamery HandCrafted Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (307 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2545 East Speedway Blvd. Ste 145 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Screamery Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (222 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 250 East Congress St. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Bella's Gelato Shoppe
- Rating: 4.5/5 (87 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2648 East Speedway Blvd. Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Purple Tree Truck
- Rating: 4.7/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.8/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 4210 North 1st Ave. Ste 4210-100 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Blue Ice Gelato
- Rating: 4.8/5 (189 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6878 East Sunrise Drive Ste 140 Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Delicias De Michoacan
- Rating: 5.0/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: 1608 South Craycroft Road Tucson, Arizona
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
