Where to Get Free Ice Cream on National Ice Cream Day

Scoop up these deals and freebies July 17 and beyond.

July 14, 2022

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Photo by: peterbystrom/Getty

peterbystrom/Getty

While it is true, for many of us, that every day — or at the very least, every summer day — is ice cream day, there is one day on the calendar that makes it official: In the United States, National Ice Cream Day is celebrated every year on the third Sunday in July (which, by the way, is National Ice Cream Month).

This year, National Ice Cream Day falls on Sunday, July 17 — and ice cream shops and brands are sweetening the day with super-cool deals and giveaways.

Here are a few freebies and discounts you’ll definitely want to scoop up:

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Photo by: William Chua/Getty

William Chua/Getty

Ace Hardware: Declaring Saturday, July 16, to be “Some Day” — as in, “I’ll paint that room some day” — Ace Hardware and Benjamin Moore Paint are celebrating a weekend of productivity and National Ice Cream Day by giving away free ice cream in four limited-edition flavors inspired by popular Benjamin Moore paint colors: French White 1093, Mint Chocolate Chip 436, Strawberry-n-Cream 2103-70 and Cocoa Brown 2101-20. On July 16, 10 randomly chosen winners nationwide who complete a short questionnaire about Some Day projects on the Ace Hardware Instagram page will win the Benjamin Moore-inspired ice cream. On Sunday, July 17, National Ice Cream Day, folks in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles can receive the specialty ice cream by completing a questionnaire via the same Instagram page. Also on July 17, a special Ace Hardware ice cream truck will show up in a “surprise location” to give out Benjamin Moore-inspired ice cream.

Alden’s Organic: Throughout the month of July, the popular organic ice cream brand is giving away 10,000 scoops of organic ice cream (and dairy-free dessert) via seven giveaways hosted on the brand’s Instagram and Facebook. The largest of these giveaways, on National Ice Cream Day, will see 20 winners chosen to get 100 scoops of ice cream. But Alden’s National Ice Cream Month deals are not just for the lucky few; the brand is also offering all comers a $1 off coupon valid for any Alden’s Organic Ice Cream or dairy-free product during the month of July.

Baskin-Robbins: In addition to debuting a new summer-worthy, limited-time-only flavor — Oreo S’mores, featuring “Toasted Marshmallow- and Graham-flavored ice creams stacked with Oreo Cookie Pieces and Chocolate Cookie Swirls” — in honor of National Ice Cream Day, Baskin-Robbins is also offering $5 off any purchase of $15 or more from Sunday, July 17, through Saturday, July 23. Use the code BECOOLER at checkout for online orders or scan a Baskin-Robbins mobile app coupon during checkout to get the deal in the shop.

Carvel: If you stop into a Carvel shoppe on July 17, you can enjoy a BOGO (buy one, get one free) offer on a small cup or cone of any flavor of Carvel soft serve ice cream, including “Brookie,” the ice cream chain’s new, limited-time-only twist — literally — on brownie batter and chocolate chip cookie dough.

Cold Stone Creamery: Cold Stone hasn’t officially said what, precisely, it’s offering for National Ice Cream Day. But it has promised, in an Instagram post, that those who create an account and download the chain’s app will find “something sweet” in their app inbox on Sunday, July 17, to celebrate ice cream’s big day. Last year, it offered $3 off a purchase of $10 or more — so maybe this year’s deal will be similarly sweet.

Dairy Queen: Dairy Queen’s National Ice Cream Day celebration is all about the dip. Those who download the DQ App can receive $1 off any dipped cone — including the classic Chocolate Dipped Cone and the new Fruity Blast Dipped Cone (vanilla soft-serve ice cream covered in a “light-purple, fruity-cereal-flavored cone dip”) on July 17 at participating DQ locations.

DiGiorno: For National Ice Cream Day, the frozen pizza brand is turning its Croissant Crust into ice cream cones and collaborating with a Cleveland-based ice cream maker to create two savory ice cream flavors – Strawberry Tomato Basil and Parmesan Cheese – to be paired with the cone. Kits containing the cones, ice creams and a grocery card for toppings be available through an online National Ice Cream Day sweepstakes from July 7 through July 17.

Dippin’ Dots: Those who prefer their ice cream in flash-frozen-tiny-bead form will be pleased to know that Dippin’ Dots is celebrating National Ice Cream Day by offering a free mini cup of Dippin’ Dots during a two-hour window on July 17 at participating locations. Find a participating store or kiosk by clicking here and then on “Shopping Center,” but note that giveaway hours may differ by location, so be sure to call ahead to conform.

Drumstick: Because July 17 is not only National Ice Cream Day but also National Tattoo Day (who knew?), the frozen dessert brand Drumstick is offering people a chance to win free Drumstick sundae cones for a year if they share a photo of themselves rocking a real or temporary ice cream tattoo on Instagram or Twitter and tag @Drumstick with the hashtag #DrumstickInk. The sweepstakes runs through July 31; five winners will be selected at random.

The Ice Cream Shop on DoorDash: Want to celebrate National Ice Cream Day without leaving the comfort of your own home and get a deal on a cool treat, usually delivered in less than 30 minutes? When you order Unilever ice cream brands such as Breyers, Talenti, Magnum ice cream and Ben & Jerry’s from The Ice Cream Shop on DoorDash (available in most major metro areas) on July 16 and 17, you’ll get $5 off your entire order. To snag the deal, add your preferred Unilever frozen treats from The Ice Cream Shop to your DoorDash cart and use promo code ICECREAM5 at checkout.

Insomnia Cookies: Just in time for National Ice Cream Day, the late-night bakery chain has launched its own line of premium ice cream, Cookies IN Ice Cream, featuring its fresh-baked cookies, available at select locations. It will also be celebrating the holiday from Friday, July 15, through Sunday, July 17, by offering a free scoop of ice cream with any in-store purchase or local-delivery order.

Malai: Brooklyn-based South Asian ingredient ice cream company Malai is offering free toppings all day at its flagship store on July 17. But if you can’t get to one, the shop is offering a discounts on its Signature and Choose Your Own Pints collections on Goldbelly through July 17.

Salt & Straw: On National Ice Cream Day, customers can receive Salt & Straw’s brand-new Culinary Perfume as a free topping for their ice cream at all Salt & Straw scoop shops. The edible fragrance, which can also be ordered online starting on July 17, comes in three scents: A Cloud of Cocoa, A Plume of Blooms and A Swoon of Citrus. Also in honor of National Ice Cream Day, from July 14 to 18, customers who buy five pints of Salt & Straw ice cream online will receive a sixth surprise pint for free.

Serendipity Ice Cream: To mark not only National Ice Cream Month, but also co-owner Selena Gomez’s birthday, on July 22, the ice cream brand is offering 30 percent off all pints of its ice cream (including Gomez’s pink-vanilla-ice-cream-based “personal flavor,” Cookies & Cream Remix) delivered via Gopuff from July 18 through July 24. The brand is also donating one percent of all sales to Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund, which supports mental health education.

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