An ice cream scooper includes a shank having a handle on one end and a scooper member on the other end, and a flexible panel attached to the scooper member and engageable with an ice cream ball scooped and received in the scooper member. An actuator is pivotally attached to the scooper member, and includes an arm engageable with the flexible panel, to move and actuate the flexible panel relative to the scooper member, and to disengage the ice cream ball from the scooper member. The arm includes a protrusion engaged into a slot of the panel, to solidly attach the arm to the panel. The scooper member includes a passage to slidably receive the hand grip of the actuator.