Ice cream always tastes good, no matter the weather. We’ve put together a list of the best ice cream shops in McKinney, Texas, and neighboring towns to help you enjoy these wonderful cold treats.
Cocktail Creamery
two scoops for being twice as unique by frankieleon is licensed with CC BY 2.0
Location: 214 E. Louisiana Street, McKinney
Hours: 2 p.m. to 10 p.m Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday
Cocktail Creamery serves booze-infused ice cream in almost 100 flavors from its spot inside The Pantry restaurant. The husband-and-wife team of Ted and Sharyn Lindblad focuses on making a superb product with high-quality ingredients. They add alcohol to their flavors to elevate the ice cream experience and create something new for McKinney residents and visitors. You can tell there’s care behind the Lindblad’s ice cream as the Creamery’s menu descriptions explain each flavor’s creation and tasting concepts.
Complex tastes in vanilla, chocolate, and fruit-based flavors tempt the palate with specialty concoctions like Futterbinger, a 99 Butterscotch liquor-infused ice cream with crushed Butterfinger bits. Try the Ye Olde Fashioned (bourbon-filled ice cream with candied cherries, Angostura bitters, and orange arabeschi) or the Blackberry Cobbler with blackberry brandy and pound cake cubes. The Creamery also offers flavors sans alcohol, plus tasty sorbets, shakes, and sundaes.
Miruku Creamery + Cafe
Location: 207 North Kentucky Street, McKinney
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday through Monday, noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Thursday, and noon to 9 p.m. Friday through Saturday
Named after the Japanese word for Milk, Miruku Creamery + Cafe serves seasonal ice cream selections inspired by Asian and American flavors. Using only the freshest local ingredients in its fusion ice cream, Miruku Creamery is a family-owned establishment. Choose from fresh fruits and homemade sauces to top your treat, or let Miruku make your decision when you order a sundae special. Try the affogato (matcha tea or coffee poured over Miruku Milk Ice Cream and paired with a crispy waffle chip) or the Berry Berry (it has Miruku Milk topped with cornflake crunch and a croissant waffle).
Carnival Ice Eatz n Treats
Location: 5121 Collin McKinney Parkway #200, McKinney
Hours: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday
Ice cream is just one of the temptations you’ll find at Carnival Ice Eatz n Treats. A sweet festival of flavors includes Bubble Gum, Birthday Cake, and Cotton Candy in a waffle cone. Top your ice cream with fun bits of gummy bears, sprinkles, and mini marshmallows, then drizzle on sauces like strawberry, caramel, or chocolate.
Carnival Ice also serves shaved ice in classic flavors, like Strawberry Daiquiri, Wedding Cake, and Blue Raspberry. The Carnival Signature shaved ice comes in blended flavors perfect for kids and adults. Unicorn Explosions comes with rainbow-colored flavors, “fairy dust,” sprinkles, whipped cream, and a unicorn topper. For a more adult treat, try the Tropical Vibes with pina colada flavoring and coconut pieces or the Mangonada with mango flavor, tajin, chamoy drizzle, and a Tamarindo candy straw.
Milky Treats
Location: 7000 Independence Parkway, Suite 104D, Plano
Hours: 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Milky Treats may be a little bit of a drive from McKinney, but you’re not going to find an ice cream experience like this anywhere else. If you’re willing to make the trek, your reward is a choice of 35 flavors infused with your preferred “toppings.” Another plus is your option of whether to eat your ice cream out of a homemade waffle cone or between two layers of fresh, pressed donuts.
Flavors change monthly, but you’re likely to see original concoctions like Thot Tea-Ana (Earl Grey Lavender tea with hints of honey) and Salty Toffee (a salted-caramel ice cream swirled with toffee pieces). Or try a signature swirl, Milky Treat’s famous cereal-blended ice cream matched with the perfect toppings. Go for the Astroworld (a sweet combination of Fruity Pebbles, Trix, sprinkles, and Pop Rocks candy) or Flakey Friends (Frosted Flakes, Cocoa Puffs, crushed Oreos, and coconut flakes drizzled with chocolate sauce).
Hi, Sweetie
Location: 8604 Preston Road Suite 121, Plano
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, noon to 11 p.m Friday and Saturday., and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday
The name of this sweet shop sums up the cute and creative ice cream desserts offered daily. Inspired by Thai stir-fried ice cream, Hi, Sweetie specializes in ice cream rolls mixed with tasty delights like Pocky, rainbow cereal, and fruit. Choose from Sweetie’s six base ice cream flavors (vanilla, chocolate, green tea, taro, Thai-tea, and mint), mix your own, or pick one of the ice cream shop’s signature roll creations.
Try the Green Forest with green tea ice cream, whipped cream, marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. Or try the Miss. Taro with a taro ice cream base, pretzels, sprinkles, whipped cream, and condensed milk topped with a paper umbrella. Complete any make-your-own roll with three additional toppings like mochi, chocolate wafer rolls, lychee, or tapioca pearls.
Hi, Sweetie also offers fun flowerpot desserts. Fill a pot with your choice of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or green tea ice cream, then choose one of three garden styles with unique toppings and decorations. Each of these desserts comes with a shovel spoon perfect for digging in. For another fun dessert, try Sweetie’s shaved snow ice made with condensed milk and infused with more East-meets-West flavor combinations. The Summer Cream Snow Ice comes with strawberries and mango, while the Purple Dream Snow Ice mixes taro, green bean, and mochi flavors.
Sugar Pine Creamery
Location: 6832 Coit Road, Suite 270B, Plano
Hours: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Sugar Pine Creamery offers fusion soft-serve with flavors that merge culinary tastes from the East and West. While flavors rotate every two weeks, you can taste exciting combinations like pineapple basil, mango lassi, matcha pistachio, and osmanthus white peach in traditional and dairy-free flavors. Sugar Pine also serves a selection of Boba teas in milk or fruit flavors that help to inspire their soft serve.
That’s our list of the top places to find ice cream and other cold treats in McKinney and surrounding areas. Did we forget one of your favorite cool places to grab a cone? Let us know so we can add it to our top spots.