Asheville Ice Cream, The Local Way
A Guide to the Ice Cream Shops That Made Me Fall in Love With a Scoop
This guide began with small-batch local standouts — and was later updated to include a few franchises that, while branded, are locally owned and part of the Asheville landscape.
I’ve never been a diehard ice cream person. Not a hater, just… indifferent. But something happens when you live in Asheville long enough: suddenly, you realize that ice cream isn’t just dessert here. It’s an art form. A flex. A full-on culinary experience.
This town is nationally recognized for its food scene — award-winning chefs, creative kitchens, and small-batch everything. So, of course, our ice cream is going to rise to that same level. What I didn’t expect was how personal it would feel. These aren’t just places that sell cones — they’re places that tell stories. Collaborate with farmers. Invent new flavor profiles. Show up in your family traditions. And somehow, they make even a lifelong ice cream skeptic fall in love with a scoop.
This isn’t just another list of where to grab a cone — it’s a personal guide to the spots that stood out to me, inspired by the creativity and connection I found in some of our smallest, most local scoop shops. While there are tons of great places to get ice cream in and around Asheville, this guide was shaped by what makes our independent and locally owned spots feel different: the freedom to source locally, collaborate with other small businesses, and dream up flavors you won’t find anywhere else.
Let’s start with the ones that made a believer out of me but first… (edited to say) This guide was inspired by the small ice cream shops that took things to the next level for me — the ones that made me pause mid-bite and think, “Wait… what’s in this?” From bold flavor pairings to locally sourced ingredients and community collabs, they reminded me how special dessert can be when it’s crafted with freedom and vision. And while that was the spark behind this story, I also want to celebrate a few locally owned franchises who serve up scoops with just as much care — because they’re part of our community, too.
Quick-View Icon Key
• 🍦💛 = Independently owned & operated — true local gems
• 🍦🏡 = Franchise, but locally owned, community loved & supported
🍦💛 Handpicked Independents You Can’t Miss
🍦💛 Hilltop Ice Cream
Fairview • Woodfin • WNC Farmers Market
Farm-to-cone magic, made right here in the mountains. Hilltop is known for crafting imaginative flavors with real ingredients — many grown or sourced locally — like lavender honey, cherry goat cheese, roasted strawberry, and blueberry basil. Whether you’re visiting their flagship in Fairview, catching them at the Farmers Market, or checking out their brand-new shop in Woodfin, every scoop feels like a love letter to the seasons in WNC.
They churn in small batches and rotate flavors constantly, offering everything from nostalgic favorites to creative combos you didn’t know you needed. Bonus: their color-changing spoons are a kid favorite — and a pretty sweet science lesson, too.
🍦💛 The Hop Handcrafted Ice Cream
Merrimon • West Asheville • Downtown • Creamery
A longtime Asheville favorite, The Hop is known for its creative small-batch flavors, inclusive menu (dairy-free and vegan options galore), and a community spirit that runs deep. They partner with local farms and bakers, host events like storytime and kids’ dance parties, and even offer custom celebration cakes and Yule logs during the holidays.
With core flavors like Salted Caramel and Chocolate always on hand, they rotate in seasonal creations like Lavender Vanilla and Blueberry Kale — often made in collaboration with local partners like Lee’s One Fortune Farm, French Broad Chocolates, and PennyCup Coffee. You’ll also find housemade waffle cones, ice cream flights, and a dedicated vegan creamery. Whether you’re stopping in after school or picking up a celebration cake, The Hop keeps it creative, community-driven, and joyfully inclusive.
🍦💛 Ultimate Ice Cream → The Mad Dipper
Tunnel Road • Charlotte Street
Formerly Ultimate Ice Cream, now Mad Dipper, this Asheville-born spot churns high-butterfat scoops using milk from farms within 150 miles. They are very proud of their dairy and that their milk is free of antibiotics and synthetic hormones. They run charity flavor programs, host surprise free-scoop days, and even landed features on Food Network. Cozy, local, and heartfelt.
🍦💛 Annie B’s Homemade Ice Cream
64 Long Shoals Rd, Arden
A local breakout from the former Howdy franchise, Annie B’s is pure velvet in a cone. Their chocolate-peanut-butter flavor is one of the silkiest scoops I’ve ever tasted. They hire and support folks with developmental disabilities, craft every batch thoughtfully, and serve ice cream that feels meaningful and unforgettable.
🍦💛 Sunshine Sammies
Downtown – 99 S Lexington Ave
Sunshine Sammies started as a solar-powered pushcart back in 2013, and today it’s one of Asheville’s most beloved small-batch dessert shops. Best known for their handcrafted ice cream sandwiches (yes, the cookies are made in-house too), they also serve scoops, milkshakes, and seasonal specials — all made with locally sourced ingredients. With creative flavors, nostalgic charm, and a serious commitment to quality, Sunshine Sammies is everything you want in a local treat. And their ice cream truck is the cutest!
🍦💛 AppalachCream
Downtown – Grove Arcade, 1 Page Ave, Suite 113, Asheville
Appalach Cream has been making ice cream for over 80 years, rooted in a three-generation family tradition they proudly call “grandma’s original ice cream.” Inspired by American, Italian, and Mexican flavors, every batch is made completely from scratch—no pre-made bases, no shortcuts. The result? A delicious and unique twist on a timeless treat. With both dairy and non-dairy options, Appalach Cream offers handcrafted scoops full of history, heart, and flavor.
1091 Patton Ave. Asheville, NC
Old-school charm meets cool treats at this classic walk-up window in East Asheville. Known for towering soft serve cones, dipped swirls, and banana splits that taste like summer, The Freeze is a go-to for locals craving a nostalgic treat without the frills. Affordable, fast, and family-friendly — it’s everything a neighborhood ice cream stop should be.
Best known for their artisan truffles and rich sipping chocolate, Asheville Chocolate also makes their own gelato and sorbetto in-house. Flavors lean classic and seasonal, with smooth textures and just the right balance of richness. It’s the kind of place where you can treat yourself to a scoop of espresso gelato, then linger over a handcrafted caramel or a cozy hot chocolate. A great stop if you’re downtown and craving something cool — with a little chocolate on the side (or a lot).
🍦💛 A Special Shoutout to Sugar & Snow Gelato
🍦💛 Sugar & Snow Gelato
This guide wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to one of the most resilient and values-driven ice cream makers in the region: Sugar & Snow Gelato.
Just before their third anniversary, their original scoop shop in the River Arts District was completely devastated by Hurricane Helene — floodwaters rose all the way to the roof. Most businesses wouldn’t survive that. But Sugar & Snow isn’t most businesses.
They’re rebuilding from the ground up, still crafting their small-batch gelato from organic sugar, milk and cream from small NC farms, and truly clean ingredients — no pre-made bases, no factory-farmed shortcuts. Every flavor is a love letter to Western North Carolina, and they’ve continued to collaborate with local partners to keep their gelato available even without a storefront.
You can now find their handmade gelato at:
Second Gear and Mary’s Mountain Cookies in Asheville, Sweet Cub and Baxley’s Chocolates in Sylva
Supporting them today means supporting a local business that’s been through the worst and is still showing up with joy, integrity, and some of the best gelato you’ll ever taste.
🍦💛 Pop-up Perfection
🍦💛 Sweet Cub Soft Serve
Asheville (mobile trailer – various pop-up locations)
Let’s just say it — this soft-serve trailer is freaking adorable. With its retro vibe, Pinterest-worthy aesthetic, Sweet Cub is serving serious joy-on-wheels energy. Founded by Nicole Wandtke after she left her corporate job in 2024, it’s a small-but-mighty tribute to chasing dreams (and really good soft serve). You’ll find chocolate, vanilla, swirl, and dairy-free gelato, plus whimsical creations like “ice cream nachos” and ice cream sandwiches made with Mary’s Mountain Cookies. And as if that weren’t sweet enough, she donates part of the proceeds to public-land conservation. Cutest trailer in town, full stop.
🍦💛 Found Ice Cream
Pop-ups & farmers markets around Asheville
Wild Appalachia. Found Ice Cream is a small-batch, locally owned treasure that infuses wilderness into every scoop. Born from a love of foraging wild plants and mushrooms, they craft hyper-local flavors like pawpaw, spicebush, chanterelle, and sassafras—rotating two new offerings each month. You can catch them at Asheville-area farmers markets or private events, and you won’t find a more inventive connection to our Appalachian roots. It’s wild ice cream at its most thoughtful and delicious.
Spotlight: Dolly’s Dairy Bar – Pisgah Forest / Brevard
If your adventures bring you near the Davidson River — tubing, hiking, or camping — make a pit stop at Dolly’s. This roadside icon has been a camp and local staple for generations, serving flavors tied to summer camps and creating sundaes that taste like pure summertime nostalgia. Worth every minute of the drive.
🍦🏡Franchise Favorites with Local Love
🍦🏡Whit’s Frozen Custard
Asheville locations - Merrimon Ave and Hendersonville Rd, Black Mountain
Part of a small chain, but our locations are locally owned. Whit’s is all about rich, creamy frozen custard made fresh daily — thicker than ice cream and smooth as velvet. You can keep it simple with a scoop, or go all in with sundaes, banana splits, hand-spun shakes, and signature “Whitsers” loaded with mix-ins like peanut butter cups, brownie bites, and cookie dough. Weekly flavor specials like Buckeye Madness or Key Lime Pie keep things fun, and their take-home pints and custard pies make it easy to bring dessert to the whole crew.
🍦🏡Pelican’s SnoBalls & Ice Cream
Asheville & Black Mountain
Pelican’s serves up fluffy New Orleans–style shaved ice in over 100 flavors — from bold picks like Tigers Blood, Sour Grape, and Dill Pickle to sweet classics like Cotton Candy, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Blue Raspberry. You can build your own combo, add soft serve in the middle, or go all in with a Pelican Favorite like Rainbow or Unicorn. They also offer milkshakes, hand-dipped Hershey’s ice cream, and pup cups for furry sidekicks. It’s a bright, affordable stop that’s become a family favorite for good reason — fun, fast, and full of flavor.
🍦🏡 The Dolly Llama – Arden
If you like your dessert with flair, The Dolly Llama delivers. Known for over-the-top waffle & ice cream creations, this downtown spot offers bubble waffles, OG Liege waffles, scoops, swirls, and toppings galore — all stacked into towering treats you’ll definitely want to photograph before diving in. Think birthday cake ice cream in a waffle cone taco with Nutella drizzle and cookie crumbs. It’s maximalist dessert energy with a dose of llama-themed whimsy.
🍦🏡 Kilwins – Asheville • Black Mountain • Hendersonville
Kilwins brings old-fashioned charm and handcrafted indulgence to the heart of the mountains. Known for their rich, super-premium ice cream, homemade fudge, caramel apples, and chocolate-dipped everything, it’s the kind of place that smells like vacation the moment you walk in.
🍦🏡 Jeremiah’s Italian Ice – Merrimon Ave
Bright, bold, and refreshingly different, Jeremiah’s serves up smooth Italian ice, creamy soft serve, and their signature Jelati — a layered combo of both. With over 40 rotating flavors like Mango, Cotton Candy, Scoop Froggy Frog, and Birthday Cake, you can mix and match to build your own frozen masterpiece. Their Asheville shop has a walk-up window, drive-thru, patio seating, and pup cups, making it a fun and easy stop for families or late-night treat runs. It’s sweet, colorful, and endlessly customizable.