9 Unique Nebraska Ice Cream Shops You’ll Want To Seek Out
Who screams for ice cream? Hand scooped. Soft serve. Homemade. It’s all so delicious. And worth a road trip around Nebraska to enjoy unique and tasty frozen treats. Buckle in and maybe undo a belt notch or two and find out why Nebraska ice cream is for everyone.
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UPDATED: This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated with more stops in May 2025 and an update on one ice cream parlor closing. I hope to update this list after visiting more Nebraska ice cream shops this summer!
Ted and Wally’s
Location: Two locations in Omaha – the Old Market and Benson
Housed in former gas stations, Ted and Wally’s creates more than 3,000 flavors in their antique ice and rock salt ice cream maker. With flavors that change daily, order your homemade hand-scooped ice cream treats in a cone, cup, sundae, or as a malt.
Using ultra-premium 20 percent butterfat gives Ted and Wally’s ice cream that special taste that has made it one of the most-popular ice cream shops in Nebraska. On a warm summer day, it’s common to find people willing to stand in line for half an hour, waiting for the amazing ice cream, such as vanilla bean.
e-Creamery
Location: 5001 Underwood Ave., Omaha
Located in the Dundee neighborhood, e-Creamery’s ice cream parlor offers handmade ice cream and gelato. Created as an online delivery service, e-Creamery creates unique flavors that they believe fits its name, such as special flavors for Warren Buffett, each College World Series team, and other special events or people. You can even create your own flavor and give it a name.
The fun part of visiting the ice cream parlor is ordering a cone or cup and walking along Dundee’s classic neighborhood, taking in the sights, such as the large KFAB radio sign or the marker commemorating the time a Japanese bomb landed in Dundee during World War II.
Coneflower Creamery
Location: 3921 Farnam St., Omaha; 1241 Millwork Ave., Omaha; and coming soon, a third location in Olde Towne Elkhorn, Neb.
A farm-to-cone ice cream shop, Coneflower Creamery uses locally-sourced fresh resources to create impressive seasonal flavors as well as classics, such as vanilla bean and cookies and cream. Try their handmade butter brickle ice cream, which pays tribute to the flavor invented at the nearby Blackstone Hotel. Coneflower also offers vegan ice cream.
Coneflower Creamery offers ice cream cones, cups, and ice cream sandwiches using locally-sourced ingredients. The Blackstone location is in a small space, so take your order to go and enjoy the treat and some people watching as you stroll along Farnam Street.
Related post: Must-try ice cream shops in Omaha
Graley’s Creamery & Confection
Location: 147 N. Washington St., Papillion, Neb.
Graley’s Creamery & Confection in downtown Papillion has an old-timey vibe to it that lends to a unique atmosphere to the ice cream shop. Stools line the counter where you place your order.
Every so often, the shop tries a new Victorian ice cream flavor, so it makes sense to visit more than once. If you can’t decide on what to order, no problem. Graley’s offers ice cream flights of seven mini scoops.
Dairy Chef
Location: 3223 N. 204th St., Elkhorn, Neb.
I’m pretty sure that when Dairy Chef opens for the season each spring, a line forms and never goes away. It’s that popular of an ice cream shop! I’m partial to Dairy Chef’s ice cream sandwiches, but a lot of people love their giant cones (fittingly, called Towers). They’re ridiculously large.
UNL Dairy Store
Location: 114 Food Industry Complex, Lincoln, Neb.
Open since 1917, the UNL Dairy Store originally supplied dairy products for students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Its transitioned into a popular daily stop for locals and visitors, staffed by university food science students and offering handmade ice cream. The store also sells cheese.
Enjoy a cone at the store or take your treat to go and stroll around the complex area, taking in the sights of classic college buildings and the beauty of the tree-lined streets.
(402) Creamery
Location: 7101 Kentwell Lane, Lincoln, Neb.; 330 S. 21st St., Suite 101, Lincoln, Neb.; and 570 Fallbrook Blvd., Suite 103, Lincoln, Neb.
(402) Creamery makes small-batch ice cream much like my favorite ice cream shops in Omaha. The flavors are inventive, and the ice cream itself is luxuriously creamy. They have a couple of locations in Lincoln. I’ve been to the Village Gardens location, which was a nice place to stroll around after your ice cream treat.
Keller Pharmacy
Location: 101 West 3rd St, Ponca, Neb.
Keller Pharmacy is one of the state’s few remaining soda fountains, located in the town’s pharmacy. We had to stop there during a little getaway to Ponca State Park. There’s not much to the ice cream side of the pharmacy, but it’s well worth seeking out for the nostalgic feel to it all. Plus, their soft serve ice cream sundaes are super indulgent!
Potter Sundry
Location: 324 Chestnut St., Potter, Neb.
Home of the Tin Roof Sundae, Potter Sundry has been offering treats since 1916. Named for its tin ceiling, the sundae includes overflowing vanilla and chocolate ice cream scoops with chocolate and marshmallow sauce and nuts.
Potter Sundry also offers shakes, malts, and ice cream cups. You can also order breakfast and lunch at the Sundry.
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From Omaha to Western Nebraska offers a variety of unique ice cream shops. Whether you enjoy handmade ice cream or a malt from a soda jerk, Nebraska has it all. Grab a spoon, pull up a seat, and enjoy a treat.
