2026 Guide
Small-batch gelaterias and ice-cream parlours churning local flavours: durian, gula melaka, pandan, teh tarik, kaya and cendol.
Updated October 2026 ยท 37 spots ยท 10 states
โก Quick answer
The best Ice Cream & Gelato in Malaysia for 2026 is Inside Scoop (Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur), followed by Paolo Paolo Gelato (Kuala Lumpur) and Piccoli Lotti (Petaling Jaya). 15 of 37 picks are halal or Muslim-friendly.
๐ก Pro tip: Ask for a taste of the most Malaysian flavour on the counter. It is usually the best one.
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
halal-certifiedmultiple outletsfamily friendly
Order: Durian, teh tarik, Valrhona chocolate
The homegrown scoop shop that started in Bangsar in 2013 and now has 40-plus outlets. Local hits like durian and teh tarik sit next to rich chocolate, and the halal badge makes it an easy pick for every family.
Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
multiple outletsseasonal flavours
Order: Bacio, pistachio, brown butter, lemon mascarpone
Named on every recent Tatler and SAYS gelato list. Silky Italian-style gelato with clever seasonal specials like crispy garlic chilli vanilla. Also at The Exchange TRX.
Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
local flavoursmultiple outlets
Order: Pulut tai tai, durian, chrysanthemum with cacao nibs
Small-batch gelato with a strong local streak: pulut tai tai, durian and festive specials like pineapple tart. The Damansara Kim original has grown into a six-outlet family.
Jalan Penang, George Town, Penang
heritage kopitiamdurian
Order: Homemade durian ice cream, ais kacang with durian ice cream
A century-old Penang Road kopitiam whose house-made durian ice cream is a cult classic. Get it in a scoop or crowned on ais kacang for the full old-Penang experience.
Sea Park, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
local flavours
Order: Salted gula melaka, cendol, salted egg yolk
Sea Park's local-flavour gelato champion. Salted gula melaka and cendol taste like the kampung desserts they're named after, just colder.
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
mochi gelatoaffogato
Order: Pandan salted coconut, soursop calamansi, mochi gelato
Bright fruit sorbets and local mash-ups like pandan salted coconut, plus gelato wrapped in mochi. Also has a Seri Kembangan outlet.
Sea Park, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
soft serve
Order: Roasted oolong soft serve, smoky salted caramel
One of the Klang Valley's soft-serve pioneers, known for tea flavours like roasted oolong with crunchy toppings. Still on gelato lists a decade on.
Lebuh Victoria, George Town, Penang
open lateheritage zone
Order: Chestnut, hojicha, calamansi sorbetto
A heritage-zone gelateria that shows up on both TheSmartLocal and Newswav Penang lists. Late hours suit a night walk through George Town.
Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru, Johor
heritage street
Order: Butterscotch, rocher fudge, pistachio pink salt
One of JB's longest-running artisan scoop shops, tucked into the old-town heritage street. Handmade batches and old-shophouse charm.
Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang
creative flavours
Order: House blend pistachio, sourdough, bergamot honey
Creative small-batch gelato on Chulia Street with oddball flavours like sourdough and frozen tiramisu. Its pistachio has fans across the island.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
halal-certifiedmultiple outletsfamily friendly
Order: Durian, teh tarik, Valrhona chocolate
The homegrown scoop shop that started in Bangsar in 2013 and now has 40-plus outlets. Local hits like durian and teh tarik sit next to rich chocolate, and the halal badge makes it an easy pick for every family.
Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
multiple outletsseasonal flavours
Order: Bacio, pistachio, brown butter, lemon mascarpone
Named on every recent Tatler and SAYS gelato list. Silky Italian-style gelato with clever seasonal specials like crispy garlic chilli vanilla. Also at The Exchange TRX.
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
mochi gelatoaffogato
Order: Pandan salted coconut, soursop calamansi, mochi gelato
Bright fruit sorbets and local mash-ups like pandan salted coconut, plus gelato wrapped in mochi. Also has a Seri Kembangan outlet.
Desa ParkCity, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
lakesidefamily friendly
Order: Avocado gula melaka, lavender honey, salted calamansi
Inventive gelato by the Desa ParkCity lake. Avocado with gula melaka and salted calamansi lean local, and it pairs well with a lakeside stroll.
Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
natural ingredientsgelato cakes
Order: Pistachio, couverture chocolate, gelato cakes
Clean-label gelato with no added colours or artificial flavouring: real vanilla, whole pistachios and tea leaves. Also bakes gelato cakes for celebrations.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
local flavoursmultiple outlets
Order: Pulut tai tai, durian, chrysanthemum with cacao nibs
Small-batch gelato with a strong local streak: pulut tai tai, durian and festive specials like pineapple tart. The Damansara Kim original has grown into a six-outlet family.
Sea Park, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
local flavours
Order: Salted gula melaka, cendol, salted egg yolk
Sea Park's local-flavour gelato champion. Salted gula melaka and cendol taste like the kampung desserts they're named after, just colder.
Sea Park, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
soft serve
Order: Roasted oolong soft serve, smoky salted caramel
One of the Klang Valley's soft-serve pioneers, known for tea flavours like roasted oolong with crunchy toppings. Still on gelato lists a decade on.
Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
local flavours
Order: Pulut hitam, Tie Guan Yin, roasted hazelnut
Uptown's small-batch ice cream bar. Pulut hitam and pink guava keep it local, and the Tie Guan Yin is for tea lovers.
after-dinner spot
Order: Honey milk, white peach oolong, sea salt sakura
A pastel SS2 scoop shop with delicate flavours like white peach oolong and honey milk. A popular stop after SS2 dinner.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Jalan Penang, George Town, Penang
heritage kopitiamdurian
Order: Homemade durian ice cream, ais kacang with durian ice cream
A century-old Penang Road kopitiam whose house-made durian ice cream is a cult classic. Get it in a scoop or crowned on ais kacang for the full old-Penang experience.
Lebuh Victoria, George Town, Penang
open lateheritage zone
Order: Chestnut, hojicha, calamansi sorbetto
A heritage-zone gelateria that shows up on both TheSmartLocal and Newswav Penang lists. Late hours suit a night walk through George Town.
Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang
creative flavours
Order: House blend pistachio, sourdough, bergamot honey
Creative small-batch gelato on Chulia Street with oddball flavours like sourdough and frozen tiramisu. Its pistachio has fans across the island.
Jalan Hutton, George Town, Penang
local flavoursgelato cakes
Order: Cempedak, calamansi soursop, coriander lemon
A huge rotating case of gelato with very Penang flavours like cempedak and calamansi soursop. Also makes gelato cakes with Salon Du Pain.
Lebuh Armenian, George Town, Penang
takeawayheritage zone
Order: Milk Himalayan sea salt soft serve
A tiny Armenian Street counter doing premium soft serve with rotating seasonal flavours. 4.6 stars on 1,500-plus reviews, which is a lot of cones.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru, Johor
heritage street
Order: Butterscotch, rocher fudge, pistachio pink salt
One of JB's longest-running artisan scoop shops, tucked into the old-town heritage street. Handmade batches and old-shophouse charm.
Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Bahru, Johor
waffles
Order: Sicilian pistachio, 70% Belgian dark chocolate, mochi waffle
Old-town JB gelato with serious pistachio and dark chocolate, plus mochi waffles to share. Makes a good break between heritage-street walks.
durian flavoursome alcohol-based flavours
Order: Mao Shan Wang durian ice cream
The Singapore craft ice-cream name's JB kiosk, rated 4.7 on Google. Its Mao Shan Wang durian scoop is the local-flavour star, alongside tiramisu and Kyoto matcha.
Hutan Bandar, Johor Bahru, Johor
park views
Order: Homemade ice cream with chocolate syrup and pretzel
A small homemade ice-cream stop overlooking the Hutan Bandar city forest. Good for an evening scoop after a park walk.
Taman Nusa Sentral, Iskandar Puteri, Johor
alcoholic flavours
Order: White peach oolong, Red Label with French chocolate
Small-batch scoops in Nusa Sentral with grown-up flavours, including a few alcohol-spiked ones like Gimlet. Pastries on the side.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
retrofamily friendly
Order: Banana split with ice-cream waffles
A retro, 90s-style parlour that Ipoh families have kept busy for years. Big sundaes and waffle combos at prices that feel stuck in a better decade, with 1,600-plus reviews behind it.
vintagesince 1991
Order: Classic sundaes and milkshakes
Scooping since 1991, this vintage lounge is the Ipoh Garden East nostalgia stop: proper old-school sundaes, shakes and snacks in a room that hasn't changed much, which is the point.
concubine lanewaffles
Order: House gelato and sorbet; Parmesan-vanilla gelato with maple syrup
A French-trained chef's gelato and waffle shop around the corner from Concubine Lane. The savoury-sweet Parmesan gelato is the conversation piece; the fruit sorbets are the refresher after a heritage walk.
mall-adjacentwaffles
Order: Local-flavour scoops with waffles
The Ipoh outpost of the KL craft ice-cream brand, popular with the De Garden crowd for its rotating flavours and waffle pairings (4.4 stars, 750-plus reviews).
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Sarawak Plaza, Kuching, Sarawak
local flavours
Order: Gula apong soft serve
Soft serve made with Sarawak's nipah palm sugar, gula apong; a must-try local flavour.
Tabuan Tranquility, Kuching, Sarawak
rotating flavours
Order: Daily-changing ice cream flavours
Kuching's best-known ice cream cafรฉ; flavours rotate daily and the Basque cheesecake is famous too.
Taman Desa Wira, Kuching, Sarawak
budgetold-school
Order: Ice cream sandwich
A long-running cheap and cheerful Kuching ice cream maker, famous for its bread-wrapped ice cream.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Jalan Tengku Petra Semerak, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
soft serve
Order: Soft serve ice cream
KB's favourite soft-serve cafรฉ.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
roadside stallnear Klebang Beach
Order: Coconut shake topped with vanilla ice cream
Melaka's most famous ice-cream-topped drink: a blended coconut shake crowned with vanilla ice cream. More than 12,000 Google reviews.
homemade
Order: Homemade coconut ice cream
A beachy little shop near Jonker Walk making its own coconut ice cream and coconut blends. 4.6 from about 400 reviews.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Suria Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
soft servedairy-free options
Order: Matcha soft serve and dairy-free sorbets
A mall dessert bar known for matcha soft serve and shaved ice.
gelato
Order: Handmade gelato
A small gelato shop with a near-perfect rating; KK's best-reviewed scoop.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, Kedah
local flavoursbeach strip
Order: Langkawi durian gelato (in season)
A small creamery on the Cenang strip making its own gelato from local ingredients, including Langkawi durian in season. 4.7 stars.
Jalan Kuala Kedah, Alor Setar, Kedah
local flavourgula apong
Order: Gula apong (nipa palm sugar) ice cream
A Kedah-born brand whose gula apong ice cream tastes like the northern coast. The only one of its Alor Setar outlets still showing as open.
โ ๏ธ Last confirmed before 2025 โ check it is open before you go.
No spots match this halal filter here. Switch to All to see everything.
The best Ice Cream & Gelato in Malaysia for 2026 is Inside Scoop (Kuala Lumpur), followed by Paolo Paolo Gelato (Kuala Lumpur) and Piccoli Lotti (Petaling Jaya).
Small-batch gelaterias and ice-cream parlours churning local flavours: durian, gula melaka, pandan, teh tarik, kaya and cendol.
It depends on the place. 15 of our 37 Ice Cream & Gelato picks are halal or Muslim-friendly and 22 are non-halal. Use the halal filter at the top of the page.
Inside Scoop (Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur) is our top Ice Cream & Gelato pick in Kuala Lumpur.
Piccoli Lotti (Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya) is our top Ice Cream & Gelato pick in Selangor.
Kek Seng Coffee Shop (Jalan Penang, George Town) is our top Ice Cream & Gelato pick in Penang.
The Ice-Cream Project (Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru) is our top Ice Cream & Gelato pick in Johor.
Ask for a taste of the most Malaysian flavour on the counter. It is usually the best one.