Craving a polished scoop near Oro Valley, you will find locally run spots serving house made ice cream and gelato with seasonal flavors, classics, and a few playful surprises. Shaded patios, generous portions, sensible prices, and options for varied dietary needs make these destinations ideal for lingering after errands or an evening out.
Let’s get to it.
Licks Ice Cream & Coffee
Cereal in your ice cream? Licks Ice Cream & Coffee makes it work, with Lucky Charms or Honey Nut Cheerios folded into sundaes and shakes that turn nostalgia into dessert.
Up along Oracle Road near Catalina, an easy hop from Oro Valley, this locally run spot churns its own ice cream, including vegan versions. It then spins it into bubble waffles a la mode, floats, malts, and iced coffee blends.
The flavor board rotates often. Expect classics beside creative limited runs such as honey-lavender, peach-bourbon, coconut-Nutella, and prickly lemonade. Samples are offered, so committing to a scoop or two is painless.
Prices land comfortably in the affordable lane, with standard scoops and build-your-own options, plus pints to take home. Portions are generous. Gluten-free cones are available, and toppings range from gummies to hot fudge to specialty drizzles.
Small indoor seating keeps it cozy, while a shaded, pet-friendly patio makes it easy to linger.
Choose Licks for playful, house-made treats and a little whimsy. Skip it if you want a minimalist gelato temple with solemn espresso.
Bella’s Gelato Shoppe & Food Truck
Gelato with a Tucson accent, thanks to monthly flavors like prickly pear or pumpkin-caramel gingersnap. It is all house-made, and the texture lands in that sweet spot between lush and light.
Beyond cups and waffle cones, the menu wanders happily into affogatos, gelato milkshakes, sorbettinos, and old-school root beer floats. Espresso is real, not an afterthought. There are house-baked cookies, brownies, and biscotti, plus occasional collaborations with Tucson Chocolate Factory for deep, bean-to-bar notes. Custom gelato cakes are a nice touch for celebrations.
Value is solid. A small runs about $5.75 and still lets you mix two or three flavors. Pints travel well at $15. There are at least ten dairy-free sorbettos most days and a couple no-sugar-added choices, helpful for mixed dietary needs. Kids get board games, dogs get Pup Cups, and adults get a quiet corner indoors or a breezy table outside.
Prefer treats closer to home or planning a gathering? Bella’s food truck brings the full gelateria experience to neighborhoods and events, and it can handle crowds. For an easy ice cream stop near Oro Valley, the Speedway corridor shop keeps it friendly, local, and consistently delicious.
Blue Ice Gelato
Serious technique meets easygoing scoops at Blue Ice Gelato. Owner-operated since 2017, with Italian training and on-site pasteurization, this cozy shop treats gelato like a craft, not a commodity.
Expect 15 or more flavors rotating through the case. Classics like pistachio, gianduia, and deep chocolate sit beside playful specials such as banana cream pie, cookie butter, lemon zest, and the occasional chocolate jalapeño. Staff happily walk you through samples until you land on the one that speaks to you. Portions are generous, so a small goes a long way.
Coffee people are covered, too, with espresso, cappuccinos, and affogatos that turn a scoop into dessert theater. Dairy-free and vegan sorbettos keep everyone in the party. The vibe is relaxed and family friendly, with a few tables inside and patio seating that suits warm Tucson evenings.
Pricing sits comfortably in the local middle, and the value shows in both flavor and texture. Pints and occasional gelato pies make easy take-home treats, and pickup is available via Grubhub or by phone. It even earned a nod on Yelp’s Top 100 for 2025. Near Oro Valley, it is an easy detour for gelato made the right way.
Delicias de Michoacan Ice Cream Shop
Spicy, sweet, and surprisingly affordable. Delicias de Michoacán delivers the full paleteria experience on Tucson’s east side, a smart detour from Oro Valley when a simple scoop will not do.
House-made nieves and paletas lead the case, joined by raspados, milkshakes, and aguas frescas. Classic and regional flavors rotate with the seasons, so tamarindo, mango, pistachio, corn, and horchata share space with fresh fruit specials. The fruit-forward options taste bright rather than syrupy.
Signature treats shine. The mangonada nails that chili-lime-chamoy balance, and stuffed paletas tuck in creamy, flan-like centers. Toppings are part of the joy, with lechera, fresh fruit, tajÃn, and a little heat if you want it. Cups, cones, paletas to go, even a shake or raspado for the road.
Inside, the vibe is casual and family friendly with simple booths and an easy strip-center parking lot. Prices stay kind, portions run generous, and the family-run recipes show careful, traditional Michoacán methods. Dairy-free fruit paletas help mixed-diet groups, with occasional lighter-sugar options noted. If value and variety both matter, this spot earns a place on the shortlist.
The Screamery (Houghton Location)
Start with the flight. Six petite scoops tell the whole story at The Screamery’s Houghton spot, Firesky Lavender next to Ooey Gooey Buttercake, then Sweet Cream Honeycomb for good measure. Variety without commitment, and a smart way to land on a pint for the freezer.
They make everything from scratch, pasteurizing and infusing flavors on site using hormone-free, grass-fed milk and cream. That house process gives the classics a clean finish while letting big mix-ins, like cookie chunks and toffee, really shine.
Beyond scoops, the menu reads like a choose-your-own celebration. Milkshakes, floats, affogato, specialty sundaes, and even Ice Cream Nachos share space with rotating dairy-free sorbets and an oat-milk Fudgesicle-style flavor. Warm waffle cones, hot fudge, honey butterscotch, and wet walnuts keep it pleasantly old-school.
The room is casual and family friendly, with space to linger, and pup cups make the dog happy. Prices sit above the big chains, yet the craftsmanship and portions feel fair, especially if you split a Farmhouse platter or bring home pints. If you find yourself on Tucson’s Houghton corridor and value quality and choice, this one earns the detour from Oro Valley.
HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery
At HUB, dessert doesn’t wait its turn. Dinner is lovely, yet the house-made, award-winning ice cream is the curtain call everyone talks about.
Scoops arrive creamy and generous, in cups or waffle cones, with sundaes and plated desserts for the lingerers. Flavors rotate between classics and playful profiles like Bourbon Almond Brittle or Oatmeal Cookie Dough, plus seasonal surprises. Mix-ins are intentional, more pastry chef than candy aisle.
The vibe suits a mixed crowd. Downtown Tucson brings energy from the Congress Street patio to the garden seating, and the rooftop Playground adds a little nightlife with DJs and monthly happenings. Families fit right in, dogs are welcome on the patio, and parking is painless with valet, self-park, or AC Hotel garage validation.
Value is a sweet spot here, since portions are big and prices land in the casual-dining range. It works for date night, a multigenerational outing, or a quick dessert stop after an arts event. Dessert to-go is common, and pints pop up seasonally. For a one-stop dinner plus serious ice cream, HUB makes the decision easy.
The Screamery (Speedway Location)
Decisions get easier when the menu offers a six-scoop flight. The Screamery’s Speedway shop turns choice into pure fun, letting the undecided sample widely without regret.
Flavors swing from playful to polished: Sweet Cream Honeycomb with handmade honeycomb, Coffee Toffee, Ooey Gooey Buttercake, Cowboy Cookie, plus the floral lift of Firesky Lavender from a local farm. Seasonals rotate often, including salty sweet mashups and the occasional bourbon kissed batch. It is small batch and made from scratch, with premium dairy and no synthetic stabilizers.
Dairy free guests are not sidelined. Bright sorbets and a creamy oat milk Fudgesicle join the lineup, and posted allergen details keep ordering simple.
Cones are pressed fresh. Toppings range from hot fudge and honey butterscotch to wet walnuts, while sundaes showcase house-made mix-ins. Prefer a sip? Shakes, floats, and affogatos please the coffee crowd.
Prices sit midrange for artisan ice cream, portions lean generous, and shareables like the Farmhouse platter or playful ice cream nachos make this a crowd pleaser. The room reads modern and family friendly, with easy parking along the Speedway corridor and pints ready for the freezer. Playful, polished, and easy to love.
The Screamery (Congress Location)
Real honeycomb in your scoop? That detail signals that The Screamery on Congress takes its craft seriously while keeping the vibe fun and downtown casual.
They pasteurize their own base, work small batches, and skip chemical stabilizers, relying on grass-fed dairy and local honey for a creamy, clean finish.
The board rotates, yet favorites show up often: Sweet Cream Honeycomb, Ooey Gooey Buttercake, Rough at Sea, Cowboy Cookie, even Bees Knees for the honey and lavender crowd. Expect salty ribbons, cookie and candy mashups, and mix-ins you actually notice.
Cones and cups, yes, plus a six-scoop flight around eight dollars, milkshakes around seven, floats and affogato, sundaes, a banana split, even ice cream nachos. Big crew, the Farmhouse platter sits in the mid twenties, and pints or quarts make take-home easy.
Compact inside with a lively patio and that Congress buzz. Family-friendly, yet decidedly grown-up in flavor and sourcing. There are sorbets and a couple oat-milk dairy-free choices, with some gluten-friendly labels. If you want quality without pretense or sticker shock, this spot earns a place on your sweet-tooth shortlist.
