Going to college at Chapman University in Orange, CA introduced me to all kinds of desserts that didn’t exist in the Seattle area back in 2015. After living in Los Angeles for the past couple years, I can tell you that LA does have a lot of great sweets (check out my blog post on Trendy LA Desserts), but if you want to find something truly unique and Insta-worthy with free parking, definitely make the drive down the freeway to Orange County. Here, you’ll find a ton of great spots hidden in the most unassuming strip malls!
In no particular order, here are 12 awesome desserts you need to try in the Orange County.
1. Eiswelt Gelato – @eisweltgelato
Location: Westminster
I think this photo says it all. Eiswelt Gelato makes the cutest gelato creations! These masterpieces are made right in front of you and they are almost too precious to eat! Their gelato is creamy and delicious, and they will even do multiple animals if you order multiple scoops! If there’s a line out the door, it’s definitely worth the wait!
2. Confetti Italian Ice & Custard – @confettiiice
Location: Costa Mesa
I’ve only been here once and took the wrong freeway exit like 3 times, but I’d do it all again! At Confetti Italian Ice, you make your own “parfait” and can choose from dozens of flavors of ice cream, soft serve, AND Italian ice!! They have a Dole Whip soft serve that I’m dying to go back and try! Truly an incredible experience. It’s a family-run business and I just remember the people at the counter being extremely nice.
3. Afters Ice Cream – @aftersicecream
Locations: Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Irvine, Orange, Tustin, Newport Beach + all over SoCal
This place is on another level…donut ice cream sandwiches. They have their delicious “milky buns” donuts and they put ice cream in between. If you want to share it, which I personally have to because it’s just too much, they’ll cut it in half for you. This is one of the first dessert places I took my family to in Orange County because there’s nothing like it where I’m from. There’s fun flavors from Cookie Butter to Acai Blueberry and if you’re not feeling the sandwich, you can just order the ice cream in a cup or a cone, don’t forget the toppings! Either way, you can’t go wrong.
4. Dad’s Donut & Bakery Shop – @dadsdonut
Location: Newport Beach
This little shack is located on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. For some reason, frozen bananas are the treat to have there and several shops sell them, but Dad’s is the best. It’s a blue building with a banana sign that says Dad’s Original, you can’t miss it. They also serve cookies, ice cream, chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, and other confections.
5. Dough & Arrow – @doughandarrow
Location: Costa Mesa
Eating raw egg freaks me out, but that’s ok because there are no eggs in Dough & Arrow’s edible cookie dough! The flavors rotate, and you can get it in a cup or a cone. You can also buy regular baked cookies with flavors like Ceral Killer and Ube Toasted Coconut or fun lattes like Guava Blush or Lavender Cold Brew, which come in cool reusable bottles. They also sell take and bake cookie dough if you want to make them fresh at home!
6. Cauldron Ice Cream – @cauldronicecream
Locations: Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Irvine
Nothing beats ice cream and waffles. If you’re sick of normal ice cream cones, check out Cauldron’s puffle cone. Their ice cream flavors are delicious and they’ll even scoop your ice cream into a rose!
7. Sidecar Doughnuts – @sidecardoughnuts
Locations: Costa Mesa + Santa Monica
Doughnut shops in Southern California are like Starbucks in Seattle – they’re on every block! But Sidecar is different. These doughnuts aren’t like those dry yeasty ones from Safeway, and they’re not the light airy kind from Krispy Kreme. They’re cakey, but not dense, and they’re very soft! They’re sweet, but not too sweet. You really have to try one to understand. All of them are absolutely delicious and no matter the time of day, you will probably wait in line. They even have gluten-free and vegan doughnuts flavors that change all the time. The one pictured above is the Huckleberry gluten-free one, so good and I’m not even gluten-free!! The original location is the Costa Mesa shop, which has more classic vibes, while the Santa Monica location is bright and aesthetic. Neither are very big, but there’s limited seating outside.
8. Somi Somi – @somisomiicecream
Locations: Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine + LA County
I’ve been to both Irvine locations, and there were lines at both, but they don’t take too long. Somi Somi is a Korean dessert place, and I love their Ah-Boong, which is their ice cream in their fish-shaped waffle cone. The waffle is made on the spot, and it’s crispy, soft and not too sweet, and you choose your filling (Nutella, custard, taro and others) and soft serve flavor. Most of their soft serves are these beautiful swirls that come in flavors like milk & ube, oreo & coffee, chocolate & strawberry, milk tea & black sesame, and so many more! You can also just order the soft serve or just get taiyaki (the fish-shaped waffle).
9. Frostbites Frozen Delights – @frostbitesfrozendelights
Locations: Cypress + LA County
Frostbites has Italian ice, ice cream, and frozen custard. You can mix and match, or just get one type of dessert. These are colorful and slushy and have so many flavors to choose from! They also have crepes!
10. Hug Life – @huglifeicecream
Locations: Garden Grove, Orange
We all have that signature ~vegan~ friend. Luckily there’s Hug Life, an all-vegan ice cream shop! You can get ice cream and toppings, ice cream floats, ice cream sandwiches, even dairy-free milkshakes! I truly am not a fan of “healthy” ice cream, but this ice cream actually tastes good and creamy, so grab your plant-based pals and hit up Hug Life!
11. Snow Monster – @snowmonsteroc
Locations: Anaheim, Westminster + LA County
Eat dessert, be a monster. Snow Monster is a little cafe that serves boba, macarons, and macaron sandwiches! I went to the Westminster location when I was a freshman, in college and it was one of the first trendy desserts I had, so it has a special place in my heart.
12. Rollin Creamery – @rollincreamery
Location: Westminster
I’m sad I didn’t get a photo of my ice cream with the Rollin with the Homies sign, but just know it’s there! This Strawberry Cheesecake rolled ice cream was my first rolled ice cream experience and it was certainly unforgettable. There are sooo many flavors from Mango Chamoy to Fudge Brownie, you can even choose to customize your own creation. They also make ice cream tacos so you can celebrate Taco Tuesday with dessert as well.
Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for my Orange County dessert bucket list!
Pin it!
