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A dish holds what looks like a sundae, topped with fresh strawberries and bready-croutons. A woman’s hand holds a container of cream over it and pours.
Korean bingsoo with strawberries and cheese. Find it at Sul & Beans in Frisco.
Sul & Beans

6 Iced Asian Desserts to Try Around Dallas

Try a Filipino halo-halo, Korean bingsoo, Taiwanese bao bing, and more

by Didi Paterno

There are pockets of icy relief from the inescapable Texas summer heat, beyond the comfort of AC and whatever’s in the freezer for a sweet treat. Dive into the diverse selection of icy Asian desserts available all around the Metroplex. The good news is you have all summer long to try these treats.

Filipino halo-halo at Tea Town

2731 W. 15th Street, Plano

Two milkshakes in tall, clear plastic glasses sit on a table. One on the left is layered with beans and topped with sprinkles of puffed rice flakes. On the right is layered with coconut jellies and topped with ube ice cream.
Halo-halo milkshakes topped with a sprinkle of “pinipig” on the left and ube ice cream on the right.
Tea Town

The traditional halo-halo, literally translated as “mix-mix,” gets a twist with the halo-halo milkshake at Tea Town. It comes with sweet pandan and coconut jellies, red beans, and a large scoop of ube ice cream with a sprinkle of “pinipig” (puffed rice flakes). Halo-halo’s less popular slushy cousin, the mais con yelo (a vanilla milkshake base with sweet creamed corn topped with vanilla ice cream and corn flakes) is also a chilled treat worth sampling.

Korean bingsoo at Sul & Beans

9292 Warren Parkway, Suite 260, Frisco

What looks like a sundae dish of ice cream is covered with chocolate flakes and chunks of chocolate, with a bit of whipped cream.
Chocolate bingsoo finds the sweet treat topped with chocolate shavings and chocolate-covered rice cake.
Sul & Beans
A bingsoo (shaved ice) dish is served with red beans and rice cake squares on a tray.
Original bingsoo pairs sweetened red beans and rice cake squares on a top of shaved ice, and sweetened with condensed milk.
Sul & Beans

The base of every bingsoo at this spot starts with a base of powdery shaved ice. From there, add toppings such as the original version with sweetened red beans and chewy rice cake squares. The injeolmi is another traditional Korean flavor with konggaru, or roasted soy bean powder. And then there’s strawberry cheese, in which the ice is topped with a crown of sliced strawberries, cubes of cheesecake, and bright strawberry syrup. That’s a great option for those who are craving a fruity pucker. Condensed milk to sweeten the sul is served on the side.

Taiwanese bao bing at Meet Fresh

2001 Coit Road #137B, Plano

A tall serving of shaved ice is served with sweetened beans, brown sugar boba, and topped with a scoop of pudding.
A taro volcano bao bing from Meet Fresh in Plano.
Meet Fresh

Be amazed by the height of the mountain of shaved ice in a bowl of bao bing lined with trimmings that include sweet beans, mashed taro, nuts, creamy pudding, glutinous rice balls, and fruits. Meet Fresh, which is founded in the Feng Yuan district in Taichung, Taiwan, brings this Taiwanese shaved ice dessert to Texas. Try the brown sugar boba shaved ice, which features a pile of frosty snow draped in milk tea sauce, brown sugar boba, and sweet red beans topped with a scoop of ice cream and a caramel pudding.

South Asian Falooda at Ked’s Ice Cream

2625 W. Pioneer Parkway #207, Grand Prairie

A Falooda, which looks like a thick milkshake, is served in a plastic glass with a spoon to eat it.
Falooda combines clotted cream and vermicelli noodles for a hearty and sweet treat.
Didi Paterno

The falooda, an iced dessert native to Iran, India, and Pakistan, is a must-try. Falooda is a layered and textured iced dessert of house made malai (a style of clotted cream), vermicelli rice noodles, basil seeds, sweet flavored syrups, ice cream or kulfi (a traditional South Asian ice cream), and nuts. Bestsellers are the Shahi and Punjabi faloodas. Faloodas with flavor profiles more familiar to Western palattes, like mango and chocolate, are also on the menu.

Vietnamese Chè at Bambu Dessert Drinks

2625 W. Pioneer Parkway #207, Grand Prairie

Chè, a Vietnamese sweet beverage, is served dairy-free and looks like a Slurpee with tapioca, jellies, and fruits.
Hot days need an icy treat like chè. This one includes taipica, jellies, and fruit.
Bambu
Chè with strawberry and kiwi, plus jellies, and a topping of coconut milk ice.
And chè comes with all sorts of ingredient combinations.
Bambu

Chè, the Vietnamese term for sweet beverages, soups, and puddings. Try the dairy-free option at this spot, made using both coconut water and coconut milk. It’s mixed with a choice of 15 combinations of layers of colors and textures from jellies, sweetened beans, fruits, taro, red tapioca, and more. Each cup is finished with a scoop of shaved ice.

Asian soft serve ice cream flavors at Sugar Pine Creamery

6832 Coit Road #270B, Plano

A small soft serve ice cream in a red cone is topped with a cookie.
A scoop of mango sticky rice ice cream from Sugar Pine Creamery.
Sugar Pine Creamery

Asian soft serve ice cream flavors are a fixture on this Plano shop’s rotating bi-weekly menu. Sugar Pine Creamery owner Lilis Pramasurja’s palate is driven by seasonal produce and the gamut of Asian fruits, teas, herbs, and dessert recipes. Some flavors in the rotation include pandan, chrysanthemum tea, persimmon, lychee, dates, miso, green tea, and black sesame. Ask Pramasurja for her favorite topping recommendations, which often include roasted sesame seeds with black sesame or Pocky sticks, to finish off the creamy soft serve.

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Sugar Pine Creamery

6832 Coit Road, , TX 75023 (469) 298-8864 Visit Website
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