What are the best dessert shops in Raleigh?

If it's been a while since you've tried a new local dessert spot, you're missing out on some of the most decadent, inventive and aesthetic treats available anywhere in the world.

From muffins to macarons, the best sweets in Raleigh are waiting for you at your local dessert shops. We've curated this list of some of the sweetest and best-kept secrets in the City of Oaks! After visiting these unique spots, you'll never crave a boring old ice cream cone again!

Read on to discover our picks for Raleigh's best and most original desserts.

If you're visiting Raleigh at the height of summer, you'll be craving something sweet to cool you down! Eating ice cream is a necessity on a hot day. Don't settle for boring soft-serve when you can explore the best gourmet scoop shops in the region.

You know your ice cream is fresh when the cow lives in the neighborhood! FRESH Local Ice Cream offers locally sourced ice cream, made in-store daily, and the flavors are out of this world! Even their chocolate and vanilla have a touch of gourmet, but you'll love specialty flavors like Banana Pudding, Midnight Brownie Crunch, and White Mint Chip.

This ice cream is made fresh at N.C. State! With a variety of flavors, there is something that will suit whatever mood you are in. The shop is located on a real working dairy farm!

Take the Kids: Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery offers curbside pickup of its famous ice cream

Award-winning Raleigh ice cream shop opens fourth location

Have you heard about rolled ice cream? This sweet trend originated in South East Asian, but it has made its way to Raleigh, and it's as creative as it is delicious! We suggest ordering your favorite flavor in a Waffle Taco for the most aesthetic (and delicious) frozen treat in town!

Craving something specific? The staff rolls each flavor to order, so you can dream up an original combination, with up to three mix-ins included!

Address: 137 East Davie Street, Raleigh, NC 27601

Can't decide between picking up a scoop of delicious ice cream or a locally-made work of art? You'll love the artfully assembled gelato from Amorino Raleigh, topped with a perfect French macaron. The flavor combinations are out of this world, like Marscapone and Fig and Citrus and Verbena.

It's hard to resist taking a lick before you can snap a beautiful photo of your one-of-a-kind gelato creation!

Genuine culinary experiences do more than wake up your taste buds — they're a full-body sensory adventure! Visit the following spots for unique sweets you won't find anywhere else in Raleigh (or on earth)!

Have you ever taken a crisp bite of a homemade animal cracker or sampled a delicate spoonful of lavender-infused creme brûlée? You'll find that, among other dessert adventures, at this hip dessert spot on Martin Street. It's an exciting place to grab a sweet treat after dinner, with a menu full of inventive desserts, boozy coffee drinks, and the prettiest cupcakes in town.

You can grab a boring donut anywhere, but Sola Coffee is the only spot serving gourmet mini donuts in flavors like Cardamom and Birthday Cake. They make each batch to order, so they're always about as fresh as you can get. Who says you can't enjoy a life-changing dessert at breakfast time?

Their down-to-earth, eclectic offerings will surprise you with a new delightful selection every visit!

Pigging out in these iconic dessert shops is one of our favorite things to do in Raleigh! Whether you're craving a thick slice of cake or a delicate taste of homemade gelato, you'll find it in one of Raleigh's incredible, creative businesses. We're proud to be the home of some of the best desserts in North Carolina, so we hope you'll try them all!