Churning Points

Like many native Austinites my age, I have a vivid childhood memory of eating Amy’s Mexican Vanilla with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups smashed into the cup while playing on the Arboretum’s concrete cows. It’s an indelible snapshot – and probably the reason ice cream remains my favorite dessert to this day. Watching employees throw scoops behind their backs like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, Austin’s scoop-shop scene felt like a playground.

Like the city itself, Austin’s frozen dessert scene has matured. Today, neighborhoods are packed with distinct options, turning what was once a simple summer indulgence into a mix of styles, techniques, and philosophies. 

To uncover what keeps Austin’s sweet tooth spinning, we talked with the people behind some of the city’s biggest frozen dessert brands. From Amy’s high-fat indulgence to Lick’s farm-driven approach, Dolce Neve’s meticulous gelato-making, and Zed’s made-to-order fruit swirls, each proves there’s more than one way to make a great scoop.

Credit: TikiCam Photography Amy’s Ice Creams Locations: 17 in Austin, 1 in Houston, 1 in San Antonio Years in Business: 42 Style: Super-premium American ice cream Butterfat: 14% Signature: Hand-folded mix-ins and theatrical scooping

Culinary director and production manager Erin Stanley describes a typical day at Amy’s centralized production facility as the scent of fresh waffle cones, brownies, and scratch-made cakes mixing with the steady hum of churns. For 17 years, Stanley has helped bridge Amy’s roots on the Drag with the 19-store company it is today.

Despite its footprint, Amy’s remains committed to small-batch production. “We have five makers and four machines,” Stanley says. “Every batch is just seven gallons. It lets us stay creative, run wild with trends like ube or hot honey, and keep absolute control over the product.”

That control helps maintain Amy’s signature texture. No mix-ins pass through the machines. Every cookie crumble, fruit chunk, and chocolate chip is folded in by hand.

The cult-favorite Mexican Vanilla accounts for more than a third of annual sales, making it the undisputed workhorse of the operation. Alongside staples like Belgian Chocolate and Sweet Cream, the rotating menu gives the team room to experiment with seasonal specials and trend-driven flavors that can move from idea to scoop counter relatively quickly.

Guided by founder Amy Simmons’ philosophy, “I’d rather have 100 years than 100 stores,” the company continues to resist automation. Instead, it leans into neighborhood personality and treats customers like regulars.

If a regular misses a retired flavor, Amy’s will often bring it back. “A guy reached out about a 1980s Houston flavor he couldn’t quite name,” Stanley recalls. “We dug through the archives, figured out it was Buttered Waffles, and made it happen.”

Credit: Ale Gutierrez Lick Honest Ice Creams Locations: 3 in Austin, 3 in San Antonio, 2 in Houston, 1 in College Station Years in Business: 15 Style: Farm-driven ice cream Butterfat: 12% Signature: Seasonal Texas ingredients

While Amy’s focuses on preserving beloved classics, Lick built its business around the idea that ingredients should dictate the menu. The concept was dreamed up by partners Anthony Sobotik and Chad Palmatier, who moved to Austin to execute a vision born from their own small-town agricultural roots.

“I grew up in Hallettsville, where my grandma sold produce at the farmers’ market,” Sobotik says. “Years later, visiting Chad’s family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I was mind-blown by the direct connection between the creameries and the local dairies. We realized no one was doing that in Texas.”

Today, Lick operates a centralized kitchen in Cedar Park, producing about 700 gallons a week for stores and grocery accounts. It’s a long way from the three-gallon freezer tucked behind the original South Lamar location, but the process remains intensely hands-on. Staff still roast beets, steep herbs, and bake inclusions from scratch.

The company maintains a strict ingredient list: no artificial stabilizers, eggs, high-fructose corn syrup, seed oils, or palm oils. Milk comes from Volleman’s Family Farm in Gustine, Texas, and seasonal produce continues to shape the menu. That means the weather often dictates what ends up in the churn. Depending on the season, that might mean strawberries, peaches, citrus, herbs, or vegetables sourced from Texas farms. If a drought or hailstorm roughs up a peach crop, Sobotik rolls with the punches.

“We don’t need pretty food,” he says. “Bruised peaches are great for us.”

That flexibility has helped define the brand’s flavor lineup over the years. Alongside staples like Hill Country Honey & Vanilla Bean and Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil & Sea Salt, Lick has built a reputation for flavors like Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint and Goat Cheese, Thyme & Honey – creations that blur the line between dessert and a chef’s tasting menu.

Not every experiment survives, though. Sobotik laughs about a Tomato Basil flavor that tasted too much like pasta sauce and a Mole flavor that proved too intense for most customers.

As Lick expands into Whole Foods stores across the Southwest, product development remains entirely in-house. “We want people to know exactly what they’re licking,” says Sobotik. “We could be a much larger company if we compromised, but that just doesn’t interest us.”

Credit: Dolce Neve Dolce Neve Gelato Locations: 2 in Austin, 1 in Houston Years in Business: 12 Style: Traditional Italian gelato Butterfat: 6%-8% Signature: Tiny batches and low-air churning

If Lick’s philosophy begins with ingredients, Dolce Neve’s starts with technique. For co-founder Marco Silvestrini, his sister Francesca, and her then-fiancé Leo, opening Dolce Neve in 2014 was the antidote to corporate burnout.

“In 2012, I was working in consulting in New York, desperate to find a purpose,” Silvestrini recalls. “Francesca was unfulfilled in academia, so we threw everything aside, she went to culinary school in Italy to become a certified gelatiere, and we moved to Austin.”

Even by artisanal standards, Dolce Neve operates at an unusually small scale. Each flavor is made in only two-to-three-gallon batches on-site, and even on a busy summer day, a shop produces roughly 60 gallons total. “We start completely from fresh, raw components for every single flavor,” Silvestrini says.

The back-of-house functions more like a workshop than a factory. Pistachios and hazelnuts are roasted and ground into house-made pastes rather than purchased premade. Unlike traditional American ice cream, gelato contains less butterfat, incorporates less air, and relies more heavily on milk than cream. The result is a denser texture and more immediate flavor. Dolce Neve also uses locust bean flour rather than synthetic stabilizers.

“Our machinery churns at a much slower speed, incorporating very little air,” Silvestrini says.

The finished product is served slightly warmer than traditional ice cream, allowing flavors to be more pronounced. Maintaining that consistency requires constant attention. Because milk fat naturally varies throughout the year, recipes are adjusted for each dairy delivery. Dolce Neve also stores its gelato in traditional covered pozzetti tubs rather than open display cases. The old-school Italian system protects the product from light, air, and temperature fluctuations while helping preserve texture.

That attention to detail is one reason the company has largely avoided grocery distribution. “You don’t know how it will be treated once it leaves your hands,” Silvestrini says.

Instead, Dolce Neve focuses on its neighborhood shops, balancing Italian classics like pistachio, hazelnut, and stracciatella with seasonal creations and local collaborations. Crema Dolce Neve, a lemon zest-infused custard flavor, remains a customer favorite, while past specials have included a sake-fermented rice gelato made with Austin Sake Company.

Credit: Cody Dzurisin Zed’s Real Fruit Ice Cream Locations: 3, all in Austin  Years in Business: 5 Style: New Zealand-style fruit ice cream Butterfat: 10%  Signature: Blended-to-order ice cream in under 60 seconds, with fresh fruit mixed into every serving 

In contrast to the operations above, Zed’s builds every order right in front of the customer. Rather than spending days pasteurizing, aging, and hardening a finished product, the final dessert comes together in less than a minute.

The concept began as a mobile van in Portland before landing on East Austin’s Harvey Street in 2021. A year later, former oil-and-gas professionals Mack Brown (not the football coach) and TJ Brogan purchased the business after falling for both the product and the neighborhood surrounding it.

“The original owners wanted someone young to come in and grow the brand. I had never worked in the service industry, but I instantly fell in love with the product and the community-centered focus,” Brown says.

Each order starts with a premium vanilla base blended with frozen fruit such as strawberries, bananas, blackberries, raspberries, or pineapple in specialized, New Zealand-made “Little Gem” machines. Rather than sitting on top as a traditional topping, the fruit is pulverized directly into the dairy. Because the final product relies on instant mechanical emulsion, building the perfect swirl is a meticulous art. 

“It’s not frozen yogurt where you just pull a lever,” Brown says. “There’s a real learning curve.” 

Staff must master a precise circular motion beneath the funnel, building the swirl into a clean peak before it leaves the machine. Seconds later, a vibrant, highly photogenic spiral emerges from the machine. The result lands somewhere beautifully between classic soft serve and a smoothie, with colorful ribbons of real fruit woven completely throughout the finished product.  

To preserve the color and flavor of the fruit, stores use separate machines for lighter and darker fruits. Customers can customize their swirl with toppings ranging from chocolate sauce and crushed cookies to peanut butter drizzle – a twist on the more traditional New Zealand approach. 

Unlike a typical scoop shop, nearly every order is built one at a time. The made-to-order approach has helped Zed’s build a loyal following. After establishing itself on the Eastside, the company added locations in Tarrytown and Westlake in 2025.

“Our whole goal is to create a family-friendly space where people can escape day-to-day stress, laugh, and get a sweet treat,” Brown says.

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