How to Say Ice Cream in Spanish
Ice cream in Spanish is el helado (pronounced eh-LAH-doh), a masculine noun: un helado, los helados. To order one, say Un helado de chocolate, por favor. The shop is a heladería, a cone is a cono or cucurucho, and a scoop is a bola.
Quick answer
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| ice cream | el helado |
| an ice cream | un helado |
| ice creams | los helados |
| chocolate ice cream | helado de chocolate |
| ice cream shop / parlor | la heladería |
| ice cream seller | el heladero / la heladera |
| ice cream cone | el cono (Latin America), el cucurucho (Spain, Argentina) |
| scoop | la bola |
| popsicle / ice lolly | la paleta (Mexico), el polo (Spain), el palito (Argentina) |
Gender, plural and the “de” pattern
Helado is masculine, so its adjectives are masculine: un helado delicioso, el helado está muy frío, estos helados son caseros (these ice creams are homemade). The plural just adds -s: dos helados.
Flavors use de, never an adjective in front: helado de vainilla (vanilla ice cream), helado de fresa (strawberry ice cream). Saying vainilla helado copies English word order and is wrong.
Helado is also an adjective meaning “frozen” or “ice-cold”: agua helada (ice-cold water), tengo las manos heladas (my hands are freezing). Context makes the meaning clear.
Pronunciation
Three syllables: he-LA-do. The h is silent, so it starts with an “eh” sound. The d between vowels is soft, close to the “th” in “this”. Stress the middle syllable.
Types of frozen treats
| Spanish | What it is | Where you’ll hear it |
|---|---|---|
| helado | ice cream in general, dairy or not | everywhere |
| helado suave / helado de máquina | soft-serve | Latin America / Spain |
| nieve | a water- or fruit-based frozen dessert, like sorbet; literally “snow” | Mexico |
| sorbete | sorbet; in some countries, such as Venezuela and El Salvador, it can mean ice cream in general | widely |
| paleta (helada) | ice pop on a stick; paleta de agua (fruit) or paleta de leche (creamy) | Mexico, Central America |
| polo | ice lolly on a stick | Spain |
| granizado / raspado / raspa | slush or shaved ice with syrup | Spain / Mexico / various |
| copa de helado | sundae, ice cream served in a glass | Spain, Latin America |
| batido / malteada / licuado | milkshake | Spain / Mexico / Mexico & Argentina |
Ordering ice cream
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Quisiera un helado, por favor. | I’d like an ice cream, please. |
| ¿Qué sabores tiene(n)? | What flavors do you have? |
| ¿Tiene(n) helado de mango? | Do you have mango ice cream? |
| Un cono de dos bolas, por favor. | A two-scoop cone, please. |
| Una bola de chocolate y otra de fresa. | One scoop of chocolate and one of strawberry. |
| ¿En vaso o en cono? / ¿En tarrina o en cucurucho? (Spain) | In a cup or a cone? |
| En vaso, por favor. | In a cup, please. |
| ¿Puedo probar el de pistacho? | Can I try the pistachio? |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta un helado de una bola? | How much is a one-scoop ice cream? |
| ¿Es sin lactosa? / ¿Tiene opciones veganas? | Is it lactose-free? / Do you have vegan options? |
| Una paleta de limón, por favor. | A lime ice pop, please. |
In Argentina and Uruguay, ice cream shops sell by weight: un cuarto (a quarter kilo), medio kilo, un kilo, and you choose your gustos (flavors) for the tub.
A short exchange at the counter
– Hola, ¿qué te pongo? (Hi, what can I get you?)
– Un helado de dos bolas, por favor. (A two-scoop ice cream, please.)
– ¿De qué sabores? (Which flavors?)
– Una de turrón y otra de limón. (One nougat and one lemon.)
– ¿En cucurucho o en tarrina? (Cone or cup?)
– En cucurucho. ¿Cuánto es? (Cone. How much is it?)
– Son cuatro euros. (That’s four euros.)
Flavors (sabores)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| vainilla | vanilla |
| chocolate | chocolate |
| fresa (frutilla in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) | strawberry |
| limón | lemon / lime |
| mango | mango |
| coco | coconut |
| nata (Spain) / crema | cream, plain cream flavor |
| dulce de leche | milk caramel |
| café | coffee |
| pistacho | pistachio |
| avellana | hazelnut |
| turrón | nougat (Spain) |
| menta con chispas de chocolate | mint chocolate chip |
| galleta | cookie / cookies and cream |
| queso | cheese (a popular Mexican nieve flavor) |
| chicle | bubblegum |
Describing ice cream
- Este helado está riquísimo. – This ice cream is delicious.
- Es muy cremoso. – It’s very creamy.
- Se está derritiendo. – It’s melting.
- Está demasiado dulce para mí. – It’s too sweet for me.
- Es helado artesanal / casero. – It’s artisan / homemade ice cream.
- Me encanta el helado de chocolate. – I love chocolate ice cream.
- ¿Vamos por un helado? (Latin America) / ¿Vamos a tomar un helado? (Spain) – Shall we go get an ice cream?
Notice the verb: Spanish speakers usually toman or comen un helado. Both are fine.
Toppings and extras
- la cobertura de chocolate – chocolate coating / sauce
- las chispas de chocolate (Latin America), los fideos de colores (Spain) – sprinkles
- la nata montada (Spain), la crema batida (Latin America) – whipped cream
- el sirope / el jarabe – syrup
- la cereza – cherry
- la cuchara / la cucharita – spoon / little spoon
- la servilleta – napkin
Talking about ice cream you like
Spanish uses gustar and encantar, where the ice cream is the grammatical subject. That is why the verb changes for singular and plural:
- Me gusta el helado. – I like ice cream.
- Me gustan los helados de frutas. – I like fruit ice creams.
- A mi hija le encanta el helado de fresa. – My daughter loves strawberry ice cream.
- No me gusta el helado de café. – I don’t like coffee ice cream.
- ¿Cuál es tu sabor favorito? – What’s your favorite flavor?
- Mi sabor favorito es el de pistacho. – My favorite flavor is pistachio.
In the last sentence, el de pistacho means “the pistachio one”: Spanish drops helado and keeps el de, just as English says “the pistachio one”.
Making ice cream at home
- hacer helado casero – to make homemade ice cream
- la heladera / la máquina de helados – ice cream maker (in Argentina and Uruguay heladera also means fridge)
- el congelador – freezer
- congelar – to freeze; derretirse – to melt
- la leche, la nata / la crema, el azúcar, las yemas – milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks
- Mete el helado en el congelador cuatro horas. – Put the ice cream in the freezer for four hours.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| la helado | el helado | helado is masculine |
| hielo crema | helado | a word-for-word translation; hielo is plain ice |
| chocolate helado | helado de chocolate | flavor goes after, with de |
| un helado deliciosa | un helado delicioso | masculine agreement |
| pronouncing the h: “heh-lah-do” | “eh-LAH-doh” | Spanish h is silent |
Practice
- Translate: I’d like a strawberry ice cream, please.
- Fill in: El helado está muy ___ (rico / rica).
- Fill in: ¿Me da dos ___ de vainilla? (bola / bolas)
- Which word would a Spaniard use for a popsicle: paleta or polo?
- Translate: Do you have lactose-free ice cream?
- Fill in: A mis hijos les ___ los helados de chocolate. (encanta / encantan)
- Translate: My favorite flavor is the coconut one.
Answers: 1. Quisiera un helado de fresa, por favor. 2. rico 3. bolas 4. polo 5. ¿Tiene(n) helado sin lactosa? 6. encantan (los helados is plural) 7. Mi sabor favorito es el de coco.
Quick answers
Is helado masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el helado, un helado, los helados.
What is the difference between helado and nieve?
In Mexico, helado usually has milk or cream and nieve is water- or fruit-based, like sorbet. Elsewhere nieve just means snow.
How do you say “ice cream cone” in Spanish?
Un cono de helado in most of Latin America, un cucurucho in Spain and Argentina. Barquillo is also heard for the wafer itself.
How do you say “ice cream truck” or “ice cream man”?
El camión de los helados or el carrito de helados (a cart), and el heladero for the person selling.
How do you say “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream”?
It’s an English pun with no Spanish equivalent. A natural line instead: ¡A todos nos encanta el helado! (We all love ice cream!)
Related: water in Spanish, cold in Spanish and masculine vs feminine nouns.
