I happen to love a good sweet treat (seriously, I’m the ultimate cookie monster!), but nothing beats a delicious ice cream sundae for me. And, unless you’re making your own ice cream, you don’t need much in terms of tools or prep time. Just grab your favorite flavor, a bowl, a spoon, and one of the best ice cream scoops. 

To create my list of the best ice cream scoops, I sifted through reviews of popular options on trusted food publications and retailers like Amazon. For such a simple tool, there are a lot of options out there! I chose ones that have a good grip and a sturdy construction to make scooping easier. If you’ve been scooping with a regular old spoon, prepare to have your ice cream routine upgraded!

My Top Picks: 

1. What’s in My Kitchen: KitchenAid Classic Ice Cream Scoop – $9.99 at Amazon
2. Best Old Fashioned Ice Cream Scoop: Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop – $24.23 at Amazon
3. Best Cylindrical Ice Cream Scoop: Thrifty Old Time Ice Cream Scooper – $26.99 at Amazon
4. Best Spatula-Shaped Ice Cream Scoop: OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Spade – $14.95 at Amazon

Reviews of The Best Ice Cream Scoops

1. What’s in My Kitchen: KitchenAid Classic Ice Cream Scoop

I absolutely love using this no-frills scooper from KitchenAid because it always gets the job done. It has an ergonomic handle that’s comfortable to grip while you scoop through ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt, and the durable, rust-resistant head is great for frequent use. It’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup and, as a nice bonus, it comes in five colors (and you know I’m a big fan of KitchenAid’s stand mixer colors!).

The Specs:

• Materials: Zinc
• Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.8 x 0.1 inches
• Dishwasher-Safe?: Yes

What I Like:

• Easy to clean
• Comfortable handle
• Comes in pretty colors
• Rust-resistant
• Dishwasher-safe

What I Don’t Like:

• No release lever

What Others Are Saying:

Besides being my all-time favorite ice cream scooper, this KitchenAid pick has a near-perfect 4.8-star rating from more than 4,000 reviewers on Amazon. Serious Eats also dubbed it the most comfortable ice cream scoop.

Buy the KitchenAid Classic Ice Cream Scoop: 

2. Best Old Fashioned Ice Cream Scoop: Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop

This ice cream scoop looks exactly like what you’d expect to find in a classic ice cream parlor. Its wider, shallow design makes it easy to get perfectly rounded scoops that won’t cling. It also has a thick, sturdy handle that won’t bend, even when you’re scooping frozen-solid ice cream. 

The Specs:

• Materials: Aluminum
• Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions: 7.25 x 2 x 0.1 inches
• Dishwasher-Safe?: No

What I Like:

• Sturdy design
• Ice cream doesn’t cling
• Makes round scoops

What I Don’t Like:

• Not dishwasher-safe
• A bit pricier than other options on my list

What Others Are Saying:

Wirecutter, Food & Wine, and Serious Eats all named this ice cream scoop as their best overall pick. It also has a 4.5-star rating from more than 2,400 reviewers on Amazon.

Buy the Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop: 

3. Best Cylindrical Ice Cream Scoop: Thrifty Old Time Ice Cream Scooper

Here’s a fun one for anyone who’s team ice cream cone over cup! This pick makes cylindrical scoops that fit perfectly in and on top of a waffle cone. All you need to do is push the cylinder into the ice cream, tilt it to the side while lifting up, and squeeze the lever to release it. I recommend using it for my yummy Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream!

The Specs:

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Dimensions: 7.75 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Dishwasher-Safe?: No

What I Like:

• Makes great scoops for cones
• Easy to use
• Sturdy design

What I Don’t Like:

• Bulky construction
• May be harder to use at the bottom of a tub

What Others Are Saying:

This scooper has a 4.5-star rating from more than 5,600 reviewers on Amazon, and Food & Wine swears by it.

Buy the Thrifty Old Time Ice Cream Scooper: 

4. Best Spatula-Shaped Ice Cream Scoop: OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Spade

If you’re feeding a crowd or hosting an ice cream sundae party, this OXO ice cream scooper is a great option. Its flat, wide shape makes it easy to create large scoops that are bigger than your average, and it has a soft silicone handle that’s easy to grip, too. You’ll have bowls ready for the whole family in no time with this pick.

The Specs:

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Dimensions: 9.1 x 2.75 x 0.04 inches
• Dishwasher-Safe?: Yes

What I Like:

• Makes larger scoops
• Easy to clean
• Comfortable, grippy handle

What I Don’t Like:

• Too large to use in pints
• On the heavier side

What Others Are Saying:

Reviewed named it the best overall ice cream scooper, Wirecutter dubbed it their runner-up, and Food & Wine found that it has the best grip out of all the ones they looked at. It also has a 4.8-star rating from more than 3,000 reviewers on Amazon.

Buy the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Spade: 

Other Ice Cream Scoops to Consider

Gorilla Grip Heavy Duty Ice Cream Scoop

This scooper has an ergonomic handle that makes spooning ice cream more comfortable on your wrist and hand. Its head also has a unique shape that moves smoothly through ice cream and gives consistent scoops. It’s a solid option, but some reviewers say it’s a little too heavy at seven ounces. The Gorilla Grip Heavy Duty Ice Cream Scoop is available at Amazon for $10.94.

OXO Good Grips Classic Ice Cream Scoop

This OXO option has a release lever that sweeps the ice cream right off the scoop. It’s worth mentioning since it’s one of the few with that perk, but it’s not in my top picks because some reviewers say it doesn’t always push the ice cream out as it’s designed to. The OXO Good Grips Classic Ice Cream Scoop is available at Amazon for $14.99.

Why You Can Trust Me

Hi! I’m Maria, the founder of Two Peas and Their Pod, and I’m a total sucker for ice cream. I love it so much that I’ve even been known to infuse it into my french toast. And as an ice cream connoisseur (I can call myself that, right?), a durable ice cream scooper is an absolute must-have in my kitchen. 

I only want to recommend the very best products to you, so I take my research seriously even with a small, single-purpose item like this. To create my list of the best ice cream scoops, I relied on the options that I’ve already tried (along with the ones that I love). From there, I took to customer ratings, reviews, and other reliable food sites to find other popular and highly rated options. 

Everything to Know Before Buying an Ice Cream Scoop

What to Consider Before Buying an Ice Cream Scoop

There are a few things you should factor in before making your purchase:

Design: First, consider whether you want a classic design or if you want something with a lever that’ll release the ice cream into a bowl. If you want a lever, that narrows down your options. And if you want a cylindrical one, that narrows things down even more. Options with levers can be finicky and sometimes a little harder to clean, but the ones that work well make the spooning process even faster because the ice cream won’t cling to the scoop. 

Size: The size of the scoop’s bowl is what matters most here. Smaller scoops are nice if you like the look of petite, perfectly round scoops or if you’re often serving up your ice cream in cones. Larger, wider scoops have the advantage of grabbing more ice cream at a time, which can get the job done faster — it’s ideal if you’re splitting the tub with your family and trying to scoop several bowls before it melts.

Material: All ice cream scoops are made of metal and should be sturdy enough to slide through ice cream, so the material more comes into play with how you clean it. Plus, not all metals are dishwasher-safe, so make sure you read the care instructions before you add it to your cart, should that be an important factor for you.

How Many Scoops of Ice Cream Is In a Gallon?

It’s not an exact science since “scoop” isn’t a term of measurement, but a gallon of ice cream has about 32 scoops in it. 

How Do You Scoop Ice Cream?

Scooping ice cream can be a serious arm workout! Ultimately, it’s easy: Hold the handle firmly and, starting at the edge of the tub, sink the scoop into the ice cream and glide it through the frozen treat until it forms a round ball. The scoops with release levers are usually meant to dig into the ice cream and act as a mold for it so you don’t need to worry about shaping it into a ball.

Once you have your ice cream in the scoop, place it in your bowl or on your cone (this is when you use the lever, if it has one) and enjoy! 

How Big Is an Ice Cream Scoop? 

Most of the scoops on this list weigh approximately 6 or 7 ounces and are about 8 or 9 inches in length. Don’t worry — it won’t take up much room in your utensil drawer!

Who Invented the Ice Cream Scoop? 

The ice cream scoop was invented by businessman Alfred L. Cralle in 1897, according to History.com. 

The Best Ice Cream Recipes

The only thing that could make that first spoonful of ice cream more satisfying is knowing you made it! I have plenty of recipes to get you started:

• Two-Ingredient Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• Avocado Ice Cream
• No-Churn Biscoff Ice Cream
• No Churn Salted Caramel Toffee Pretzel Ice Cream
• Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
• No Churn Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

Prices were accurate at time of publication.