Where to Get Ice Cream in Boulder County

Is it even summer if you haven’t dug into a pint of frozen, creamy goodness or licked your way through a sweet, melting cone? Of course, ice cream’s glory extends beyond the hottest months, but it’s especially refreshing on summer afternoons and evenings, aka what I’ve dubbed “Peak Ice Cream Season.” Here, seven of Boulder County’s best ice cream shops where you can indulge in all the scoops, splits and sundaes you can slurp.

Glacier (Also sold at Cow-A-Bunga in Lafayette)

Glacier has been churning ‘creams for more than 20 years, so yeah, they’ve kind of got this while ice cream thing down. Their 1,000-plus flavors range from the traditional (their Death by Chocolate is amazing) to the not-so-traditional (their Funky Donkey is a brilliant combination of peanut butter and cookies and cream). And they make all their waffle cones and hot fudge from scratch each day, meaning you may want to go big on your ice cream creation.

Glacier: 3133 28th St., Boulder; Cow-A-Bunga: 1455

Coal Creek Dr., Lafayette; glaciericecream.com

Gelato Boy

Italian born but Boulder created, Gelato Boy is the love child of Venice native Guilia De Meo and Coloradoan Bryce Licht. Flavors like Lavender Poppy, Gooey Buttercake + Caramel and Sophie’s Neighborhood Berries & Graham (all proceeds from this flavor go to a Boulder-based nonprofit researching treatment for the ultra-rare MCTO disease) are made with less fat and sugar than regular ice cream, so you can maybe even convince yourself this is a health food. There’s not one, but two Gelato Boys on the Pearl Street Mall—one on the west end and another on the east.

1021 & 1433 Pearl St., Boulder; gelatoboy.com

Scrumptious

Some of the most generous, heaping scoops you’ll find are at this downtown Longmont sweets emporium. Besides the huge mix of retro and new candies, you’ll find a case full of homemade ice cream in flavors ranging from Strawberry Cheesecake to Gummy Bear to Green Tea Lemon. If you can’t decide, ask the friendly staff for their current favorite out of the line-up.

508 Main St., Longmont; scrumptiousco.com

MC2 Ice Cream

This Guinness World Record-holding ice cream is hiding out in an assuming deli in Broomfield’s Arista neighborhood. But what it lacks in a dedicated scoop shop it more than makes up for in variety: MC2 has 985 different ice cream flavors, all of which were created in a six-month span to earn that world record title.

From Buttered Blueberry Pancake to Chocolate Cake Doughnut to Peanut Butter Jelly Time, try them all—but maybe just not all at once—inside Arista Deli & Coffee.

8001 Arista Pl., Broomfield; mc2icecreamco.com

Sweet Cow

There are now seven Sweet Cows scooping along the Front Range (including two in Boulder and one in Longmont), but it all started in downtown Louisville in 2010. With a massive patio and even tiny cows for kids to ride on, this could be the most perfect spot in which to lick away a summer afternoon. Choose from 24 daily flavors, including 10 year-round staples (think: the not-so-basic basics of Dutch Chocolate, Strawberry and Super Delicious Vanilla) and out-of-the-carton creations like Captain Crunchberries and Caramel Latte.

637 Front St., Louisville; sweetcowicecream.com

Van Leeuwen

When New York City-based Van Leeuwen opened in Boulder in 2022, it brought Colorado the ice cream flavors we didn’t even know we needed. While quirky flavors like Mac & Cheese and Pizza grab headlines, it’s the Honeycomb and Cookies & Cream Caramel Swirl that keep us coming back for more again and again. Stop by the 29th Street shop to grab a cone and stock up on pints of their French-style frozen treats, made with double the egg yolks of typical ice cream.

1750 29th St., Boulder; vanleeuwenicecream.com

Ben & Jerry’s

For decades now on the Pearl Street Mall, Ben & Jerry’s has been answering the question of just how much Phish Food is too much Phish Food to down in a single sitting. The OGs of mixing the chocolatey, the crunchy, and the chocolate chip cookie doughy into ice cream, you probably already have their iconic flavors on the tastebud equivalent of speed dial: Half Baked, Cherry Garcia, Tonight Dough, Chunky Monkey—the cheekily named flavors just keep on coming, and we’re so glad they do.

1203 Pearl St., Boulder; benjerry.com

Read more online: travelboulder.com/ice-cream-2/

It’s all waiting for you in downtown Boulder. Welcome to your happy place!