Thanks for joining us for this discussion about the best places to buy ice cream, cakes, and cookies in Asheville. There are numerous dessert shops selling sweets around town and you will be learning about the top options as this blog progresses.
The best ice cream shops in your area will kick things off. Those that love vanilla, chocolate, gelato, frozen yogurt, malts, ice cream cakes, and other frozen delights have numerous options to choose from.
Contents
Bakeries where you can buy cakes, cookies, pastries, and all kinds of sweet treats will be up next. After that we will focus on donut shops, where to buy cupcakes, candy stores, and chocolate and fudge shops near you.
Then we will pivot to healthy dessert options like Asheville gluten free bakeries and smoothie shops. Restaurants that are known for their must have desserts in your area will round us out.
A map that has all the various venues we are mentioning throughout the post pinned on it will be shared at the end. And the curious types can find all of our other local dessert guides for the Southeast at that link.
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
The best Asheville ice cream shops or some healthier frozen yogurt can be found at:
- Sunshine Sammies at 99 S Lexington Ave
- Hops Ice Cream Café at 640 Merrimon Ave #103
- Whit’s Frozen Custard at 565 Merrimon Ave
- Ultimate Ice Cream at 195 Charlotte St
- Yolo Frozen Yogurt at 505 Merrimon Ave
- The Sweet Escape at 27 Schenck Pkwy #130
- Rita’s at 5 Regent Park Blvd #108
Sunshine Sammies is known for its all-natural ice cream and cookie creations in your area. They provide a number of food choices for your next event if you need catering.
The Hop proudly delivers a creative selection of handcrafted dairy ice cream as well as vegan ice cream and sorbet made entirely from scratch. Sundaes, banana splits, floats, and a variety of other delicious delicacies are also available.
With over 400 diverse flavors Ultimate Ice Cream uses high quality ingredients and organic fruits and vegetables. Yolo Frozen Yogurt offers premium self-serve frozen yogurt, tarts, and sorbets that are all produced from scratch using locally sourced ingredients including farm-to-house milk. They have 10 weekly rotating varieties and over 40 fresh ingredients to pick fro, including everyone’s favorite Chocolate Lab peanut butter balls.
You can also get mountain shaved ice in a variety of flavors and there are always vegan and sugar-free options available. The Sweet Escape has 15 rotating self-service flavors and over 60 ingredients to produce a delicious homemade shake or artisan hot chocolate.
Bakeries In Your Area
Great cakes, cookies, pastries, and more are available at these great bakeries:
- Short Street Cakes at 225 Haywood Rd
- West End Bakery at 757 Haywood Rd
- City Bakery at 88 Charlotte St
- AVL Cake Lady at 34 New Leicester Hwy #C
- Karen Donatelli Bakery & Cake Designs at 1000 Hendersonville Rd #A
Many of West End Bakery’s breads are 100 percent whole grain and prepared with organic flour. They also sell wheat-free breads in a variety of flavors.
City Bakery is a family-owned business that specializes in classic French breads that was started in 1999. They work hard to provide the tastiest sandwiches, salads, and soups in town. 7 days a week, artisan breads, scratch-made pastries, cakes and sweets, as well as a delicious breakfast menu, are offered.
Karen Donatelli Cake Designs has been specializing in stunning, delectable bespoke and specialty sweets for almost two decades. A bakery display featuring croissants, brioche cakes, and pastries is available every day.
Local Donut Shops
Stop by one of these donut shops on your way to work:
- Vortex Doughnuts at 32 Banks Ave #106
- Hole Doughnuts at 168 Haywood Rd
- Duck Donuts at 182 Merrimon Ave
Vortex Doughnuts is a modern creative shop that serves gourmet coffee and donuts in a variety of flavors including vegan alternatives. Hole Doughnuts is a popular spot for freshly fried donuts near you.
Duck Donuts offers a variety of coffees, donut sundaes, and donut breakfast sandwiches in addition to the standard fair and can cater your next event.
Where To Buy Cupcakes
We highly recommend these cupcake shops around town:
- a La CupCakes at 24 Sardis Rd
- Smallcakes at 33 Town Square Blvd U130
- Amy’s Bakery at 1400 Cold Stream Ct #302
Every week a La CupCakes delivers 12 or more gourmet cupcake varieties along with small cupcakes to go with them. and every day there will be 6 or more gluten free cupcakes available. Sugar-free, dairy-free, and vegan cupcakes can be ordered with a 48-hour lead time. They also offer beautiful custom cake creations for all types of special occasions.
Smallcakes has over 250 different gourmet cupcake varieties and bakes 14 different types every day. They also have ice cream which comes in up to 13 different luscious flavors.
Amy’s Bakery specializes in cookies, cakes for birthdays and weddings, as well as cupcakes and cheesecakes. Organic, gluten-free, and vegan options are among the specialty options available.
Short Street Cakes is another great place to get great cupcakes near you.
Candy Stores Near You
Rocket Fizz at 21 Battery Park Avenue #102 is a candy store with a large assortment of bottled sodas in flavors like s’mores and mud pie.
Chocolate & Fudge Shops
When you want to buy homemade chocolate or fudge visit one of these shops:
- The Chocolate Fetish at 36 Haywood St
- Asheville Chocolate at 25 Broadway St
- French Broad Chocolate Lounge at 10 S Pack Square
The Chocolate Fetish is a posh candy shop managed by a husband-and-wife pair who create artisan chocolate treats. They’ve won a slew of prizes including six years as America’s Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners from the International Chocolate Salon and Taste TV.
Asheville Chocolate serves freshly produced gelato and artisan chocolates with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
Gluten Free Bakeries
Eat More Bakery at 547 Elk Park Drive #605 is a gluten-free bakery that specializes in breads and sweets such as sandwich loaves, buns, bagels, biscuits, cookies, and other sweet delicacies. You can also find gluten free sweet treats at places like La CupCakes, Amy’s Bakery, and Vortex Doughnuts.
Smoothies
For a tasty yet healthy choice consider these smoothie shops:
- Planet Smoothie at 3 S Tunnel Rd
- Mountain Juicery at 1863 Hendersonville Rd #132
- Clean Juice at 28 Schenck Pkwy #160
- Elements Real Food at 233 S Liberty St
- Cafe & Juice Bar at 643 Haywood Rd
Local Restaurants With Great Desserts
Must have desserts near you can also be found at these restaurants:
- Andaaz at 28 Hendersonville Rd
- Asheville Proper at 1 Page Ave #151
- Posana at 1 Biltmore Ave
- Jargon at 715 Haywood Rd
- Chestnut at 48 Biltmore Ave
Andaaz is a stylish restaurant that serves Indian cuisine such as tandoori, curries, and seafood, as well as wine and artisan cocktails. They are also known to make some really tasty desserts including their Ras Malai and Gulab Jamun.
Asheville Proper is a relaxed restaurant that serves seafood and wood-fired meat dishes, as well as beverages and a large wine list. S’mores, vanilla rum panna cotta, chocolate torte, maple walnut cake, ice cream, and homemade sorbet are just a few of the great local desserts on offer.
Posana Restaurant serves contemporary American food in a stylish setting with a patio. Popular desserts include spiced pumpkin creme brûlée, chocolate orange flourless torte, and baba au rhum cake.
You might also want to read our posts on:
Enjoy Ice Cream, Cookies, & Cakes In Asheville
That is all we’ve got for now but visit us again because we plan to update this post often. After reading about all these local shops to buy ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, cakes, pastries, other bakery items, cupcakes, donuts, chocolate, fudge, candy, gluten free baked goods, smoothies, and even restaurants with can’t miss desserts in your area you should be ready to find your next sweet indulgence.
Don’t be afraid to let us know if any shops have closed down or if we posted anything that is incorrect in the comments. Now have fun eating your ice cream, cookies, and cakes in Asheville.