The spring and summer seasons in Texas are sweltering, but don’t sweat it. ORANGE’s Food + Drink staff put together a list of their favorite stops in Austin to grab a frozen treat. From frozen bananas and sno cones, this list will help you satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you cool all summer long.

By ORANGE Food + Drink Staff

Sweet Ritual — Nancy Huang

Start a new routine by going to Sweet Ritual for vegan and gluten-free ice cream. Be adventurous and try the Cinnamonkey Elephantastic, a treat with peanut butter, cinnamon and two candied bananas placed on top. There are 16 flavors that change every day, including vanilla, salted caramel, coffee and toasted coconut. All are made fresh daily from coconut and cashew milk, pure cane sugar, agave-sweetener and organic, non-GMO flavorings. Sweet Ritual also offers sundaes, shakes and ice-cream cookie sandwiches.

Lick — Malayna Ellis

Lick Ice Cream has a delicious selection of freshly churned ice cream made from farm-to-table products. They carry a variety of flavors that appear daily, like their  horchata, their hill country honey & vanilla bean and their caramel salt lick flavors. They also feature an array of seasonal flavors, such as the cilantro lime, the lady bird lavender crisp and the toffee dunked donut. My favorite seasonal flavor here is the sweet cream and strawberry ice cream. Packed with freshly picked strawberries from Markley Family Farms in New Braunfels, Texas that are churned into a sweet sauce and mixed with smooth sweet cream, this flavor is a refreshing alternative to your average store bought strawberry ice cream. Though I chose not to have a cone or toppings, Lick has a great variety of toppings to choose from and cones to add some crunch to your dessert.

Hollamode — Raven Cortright

Beside Chuy’s on Barton Springs Road sits this seemingly modest food truck. For vegans and non-vegans alike, Hollamode offers a unique spin on ice cream with a choice of local dairy or coconut milk. Made to order on a frozen metal slab, the milk and ingredients solidify, are rolled up and ready to eat in minutes. They use fresh ingredients while abstaining from artificial colors, flavors and binders. At the owner’s recommendation, I ordered the Thai coffee without condensed milk, and it became my favorite treat. The coconut milk mixed with tangy cardamom and coffee grounds makes this house special a refreshing dessert. Usually busy on a warm spring night, be sure to get in line well before closing time. If you happen to be the lucky last person of the night, the owner will usually ask you to keep others from joining the line in exchange for a sweet reward.  

Hay Elotes — Alejandra Martinez

Located on East 7th Street, Hay Elotes is known for their refreshing and delicious Mangonadas. A Magonada is a Mexican frozed dessert chopped up with two core ingredients: mangos and chamoy. It’s the right combination of sweet, spicy, sour and everything you could ever want in life. Hay Elotes prepares theirs Magonadas by shaving ice and mixing it with blended mango chunks. On the top of their creation they add the chamoy sauce, nicely cut strawberries and Airheads Xtremes. Put trying this tasty frozen treat on your summer bucket list.

Sno-Beach — Alyssa Arnold

Sno-Beach started way back in 1993 as one of the original food trucks in Austin serving snow cones out of a simple trailer. The finely shaved ice and syrups derived from pure sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup make it a delicious treat for a hot summer day. Although there are over 60 flavors to choose from, my absolute favorite combination is coconut with cream on top. The coconut is refreshing, while the cream makes the ice sweet and really feel like a treat. There are few things I enjoy more than grabbing a Sno-Beach snow cone on my way to hang out at Zilker Park.

Bananarchy — Sarah Donovan

One of my favorite places to grab a sweet treat is Bananarchy, a frozen banana stand. With a wide variety of dippings and toppings, it seems like the options to customize your perfect banana are endless. I always get my banana dipped in chocolate and topped with nuts and toffee. The sweet frozen banana, smooth chocolate and salty sweetness from the toppings make for a perfect combination. If you want something other than popsicles and ice cream this summer, Bananarchy is a great place to beat the Austin heat.