Highest-rated ice cream shops in Des Moines by diners

Nothing makes people quite as happy as a trip to the ice cream shop. Thankfully, there are endless options offering enough goods to tantalize anyone's palate. Across the U.S., nearly 17,800 ice cream shops serve up tasty treats to satisfy Americans' cravings.

While most of us would agree that there's no such thing as bad ice cream, there are still elements that keep customers coming back to one ice cream shop over another. A sense of newness and surprise are two big draws. Shop owners aim to please by using quality ingredients to experiment with new mashups—consider the rising trend of ice cream combined with pie. Some put unique spins on global treats, like Japanese mochi and Italian gelato. Others create giant Instagram-ready concoctions that become the highlight of social media.

Consumers have learned that smaller scoop shops may be more adaptive to real-time reactions, which means embracing new concepts, such as delicious dairy-free options. They can also ditch chemicals and give plant-based food coloring a try to see how it resonates with their customers.

But where artisanal shops really shine is in their ability to push the envelope to create amazing new flavors and limited-edition offerings that have customers eager to not miss out on what's next.

Seasonal ice creams feature fresh ingredients and flavors that evoke a particular time of year. Partnerships with local businesses can result in crave-able combinations highlighting local specialties. Many local shops also dabble with exotic flavors—savory ice cream, anyone?

To find out who's scooping up the best options, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated ice cream shops in the Des Moines 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 20 reviews and within a 10-kilometer radius of Des Moines were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included.

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#18. Happy Joe's

- Rating: 2.7/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8056 Douglas Ave. Urbandale, Iowa
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 18

#17. LJ's Burgers & Ice Cream

- Rating: 3.3/5 (44 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3702 2nd Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 18

#16. Smokey Row Coffee

- Rating: 3.5/5 (259 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1910 Cottage Grove Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 18

#15. Smokey Row Coffee - Ankeny

- Rating: 3.6/5 (26 reviews)
- Address: 1530 Southwest Vintage Pkwy Ankeny, Iowa
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee Roasteries
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 18

#14. Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

- Rating: 3.7/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4650 86th St. Urbandale, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Do-It-Yourself Food
- Read more on Yelp

6 / 18

#13. 8 Degrees Ice Cream & Boba

- Rating: 4.0/5 (62 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1315 31st St. Ste A Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 18

#12. Kava DSM

- Rating: 4.0/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 300 West Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy Ste 140 Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 18

#11. Paleteria La Michoacana

- Rating: 4.2/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1552 East Grand Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Mexican, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 18

#10. Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe

- Rating: 4.2/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5915 Merle Hay Road Johnston, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 18

#9. Classic Frozen Custard

- Rating: 4.3/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4000 Southeast 14th St. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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11 / 18

#8. Snookies Malt Shop

- Rating: 4.3/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1810 Beaver Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

12 / 18

#7. Black Cat Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.3/5 (64 reviews)
- Address: 2511 Cottage Grove Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

13 / 18

#6. The Outside Scoop

- Rating: 4.4/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 2410 Southwest White Birch Drive Ankeny, Iowa
- Categories: Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 18

#5. Dairy Zone

- Rating: 4.5/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2219 East University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 18

#4. Granny's Sweet Freeze Shoppe

- Rating: 4.7/5 (50 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3417 Hubbell Ave. Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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16 / 18

#3. Over the Top

- Rating: 4.8/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 955 Northeast 56th St. Pleasant Hill, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 18

#2. El Michoacano

- Rating: 4.8/5 (56 reviews)
- Address: 2922 Merle Hay Road Des Moines, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

18 / 18

#1. Monarca Gourmet Paletas

- Rating: 4.9/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9901 University Ave. Ste 150 Clive, Iowa
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp