When it’s hot in Edmonton, it’s so hot. Edmonton summers are gloriously hot (thunderstorms aside). There’s blue skies and sunshine, with lots of heat, which makes for perfect patio weather AND an excuse for some sweet, cold treats!

There’s lots of options for cold desserts to help you cool down during our hot Edmonton summers. Here are just a few of my recommendations (many of which are highly Instagrammable – which is an added bonus!)

For this post I’ve collaborated with local photographer Adrien Veczan for some pretty slick (or should I say “cool” lol) shots of some of the treats!

10 Cold Treats to Beat the Heat in Edmonton 
(in no particular order)

1. Rolled Ice Cream at Scoop N Roll

Vanilla, Nutella and rushed Ferrero Rocher-mixed ice cream with sprinkles from Scoop N Roll. Photo Credit: Adrien Veczan Photography.

Watching the team at Scoop N Roll make your ice cream is almost as fun as eating it! Rolled ice cream is super popular in Asia, and in recent years started popping up in Canada. Sweet Tooth in Calgary is fantastic, and here in Edmonton – our first rolled ice cream company Scoop N Roll is a huge hit. With two locations (north and south) and potentially a storefront coming to Griesbach, this cold treat is worth the wait because… there will be a wait! Line-ups and Scoop N Roll go hand-in-hand but the stellar service and great end product makes the wait A-OK. My only feedback: hope they add more fun toppings (thinking of that Instagram opportunity…) 

2. Waffle Ice Cream Cone at 80 Flavours

A summer staple for us! We often frequent 80 Flavours Ice Cream to try and beat the heat. I like getting Cookies N Cream or Bubblegum (in waffle cones, obviously) and Mike likes Cookie Dough, but I’ve also been informed that their southside location is now serving up Green Tea and Black Sesame flavour too. Delish! 

3. Strawberry or Mango Bingsu at Hanjan Cafe 

Strawberry Bingsu Korean Hanjan Cafe. Photo Credit: Adrien Veczan Photography.

Of all the desserts I’m recommending on this list today, I’d say the Strawberry Bingsu (Korean shaved ice/condensed milk) dessert from new-ish Korean restaurant Hanjan Cafe is my favourite! This sweet dessert is just as tasty as it is beautiful. The creamy condensed milk to shaved ice ratio is also better than bingsus I’ve had elsewhere. It is an absolute must-order. These Korean shaved ice desserts are popular in Asia but (like many food trends) hitting Edmonton late but hard. You can also find bingsu options at places like Snowy Dessert, Seorak, and Dream Tea House!  

4. Frozen Yogurt at Tutti Frutti

 
My favourite type of yogurt – frozen! Froyo was my go-to cold summer treat the last few years (when there wasn’t as many dessert spots in the city). I get the tart yogurt with fruit toppings (generally strawberry and kiwi) and you can’t forget the popping boba! These little pearls filled with fruit juice that pop as you bite into them are froyo essentials. 

5. Milkshakes from Re:Grub 

Krusty the Shake from Re:Grub! Photo Credit: Adrien Veczan Photography.

I loved trying these sweet, funky, totally Instagrammable milkshakes from Re:Grub when we went to Calgary last year and now I’m thrilled I can have them here in Edmonton! Re:Grub just opened on Whyte Avenue, serving up burgers, fries and “Instantly Instagrammable” (as they call it) shakes! Other milkshake honourable mentions: the ones from Urban Diner and the Downtown Diner in Fort Saskatchewan! (Check out Adrien Veczan’s photo of the milkshake here!)

6. Grass Jelly from Blackball

I’m not a huge fan of these Taiwanese bean/jelly and gelatinous desserts but my mom is crazy for them and so are Edmontonians visiting Blackball judging by the crowds I’ve seen there, so I wanted to include this on the list. Blackball is a Taiwanese dessert place that’s packed (with line-ups out the door) even on weekday nights (at least the two times I stopped in). The best item (from my perspective) is the black grass jelly and its associated juices. It’s very refreshing and I think goes down the smoothest. This place also has crushed ice desserts and bubble tea options you can try too but the jellies and rice balls are definitely what they’re getting known for. 

7. Gelato from Block 1912 

Blueberry and mint chocolate chip gelato from Block 1912. Photo Credit: Adrien Veczan Photography.

There’s so many flavours of Gelato at Block 1912 you’ll have a hard time deciding which to try! Block 1912 offers a bunch of desserts beyond gelato but these sweet treats are what they’re most known for. Have some while taking in live music, or grab it to go walk + people watch on Whyte, which is a stellar thing to do in the summer time! 

8. Fruit Popsicles from Les Fruitpop 

My preferred sweet treat is generally fruit-related. That’s why the Fruit Pops from Les Fruitpop are right up my alley! These beautiful, ice cold popsicles at the Fruitpop stand in Bonnie Doon Mall look like they’d be perfect to help beat the heat. The Berry Rush (strawberry base with blueberry and raspberry) as well as the Pineapple (with kiwi, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry) are on my list to try – unfortunately when I went for this blog post research, their machine had broken so no popsicles for me. :-( There’s also Famous for Pops (Cafe Bel Air) you could try too! 

9. Dole Whip at Yeh! Frozen Yogurt & Cafe (WEM)

Just when you thought you’d have to go to Disneyland or Disneyworld to get your pineapple Dole whip fix, Mike’s sharp eyes caught that the Yeh! Frozen Yogurt & Cafe stand outside the main food court in West Edmonton Mall was selling this soft serve pineapple ice cream complete with Dole branding and all! (so, I assume it’s legit. Like, at K-Days it’s just called ‘Pineapple Whip’ and that’s still delicious, so. You should expect high quality with the Dole brand lol) 

10. Sorbetto from Uccellino

Seasonal, housemade sorbetto from Uccellino! Photo Credit: Adrien Veczan Photography.

One of my absolute favourite restaurants in Edmonton, I come to Uccellino for a few very specific dishes: their tomato mint chili ricotta crostini, their pastas (like, all of them!) their patatas (fried potatoes) and charred romaine, AND their sorbetto. Using seasonal fruits, Uccellino’s sorbetto is usually quite tart and always quite delicious. A perfect treat and end to a perfect meal. You can just come here to cool down with the sorbetto, but even when I tried to do that, I threw in an appetizer and pasta too – it’s really hard not to, it’s so good… lol 

Honourable Mention:

Watermelon Bingsoo from Dream Tea House (Whyte Avenue) 

As I mentioned, bingsu/bingsoo/patbingsu (Korean shaved ice) feels like it’s eveeerywhere in Edmonton now. One of the places that sells a good variety of them is Dream Tea House and at the Whyte Avenue location specifically, they’ve got this Watermelon Bingsoo that’s SUPER cute – using fresh watermelon scoops on top of an actual watermelon! They also have ones with whimsical cotton candy sticking out of them. They’re definitely not as tasty as Hanjan’s bingsu but it is refreshing and quite something to look at (considering we eat with our eyes!) 

I know I didn’t include allllll of the great cold treat options in Edmonton. I’m told ice cream from PA Peterson is fantastic, and if you’re looking for local options that you can keep at home – Pinocchio Ice Cream is a good pick. There’s also apparently a tasty sorbet topped with macaron at the new Fan Fan Patisserie too. I also wish Duchess Bake Shop had some colder treats because you know it would be phenomenal based on how good their existing treats are, lol.

Also a related read: Blogger La Petite Watson’s list of 5 made-in-Edmonton ice creams you can find in Old Strathcona!

If you liked this post – share it! Pin it! Use this image:

Best Cold Treats to Beat the Heat in Edmonton!

And tell me – what are your favourite treats to help beat the heat? What have I missed? 

Have you tried what I’m recommending? Tell me in the comments (or on social media!)