23 Fancy Ice Cream Sundaes That Put Store-Bought Chocolate Syrup to Shame
Ice cream sundaes: They’re nostalgic, customizable, extravagant and shareable (although we wouldn’t blame you for keeping one all to yourself). So why limit your indulgence to an annual banana split from your favorite scoop shop? We’ve rounded up 23 ice cream sundae recipes below, so you can enjoy them at home on the reg. Whether you’re all about hot fudge, grilled fruit or homemade caramel, there’s sure to be a treat here that’ll hit the spot.
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1. Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
We know *exactly* what to do with your farmers market cherry haul. Cook them with sugar and water on the stovetop, mash them to extract all their juices and strain them to create a vibrant syrup.
2. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Repurpose those freeze-dried strawberries that you forgot about in the pantry to create this lightning-fast ice cream topper. You can make 12 sundaes’ worth in 10 minutes flat.
3. Cheater’s Bananas Foster
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Nothing spices up a plain bowl of vanilla like buttery, brown sugar-y caramelized bananas. Peaches, plums, raspberries, mango and apples could all take over for banana, in case they aren’t your thing.
4. Ice Cream Sundae with Pineapple Caramel
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
Canned pineapple juice + sugar + butter = the most spectacular, unexpected caramel you’ll ever make. To sweeten the pot even further, we finish the ice cream (vanilla or coconut are ideal) with toasted coconut flakes for crunch.
5. The Kitchen Sink Sundae from Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
Round up all the hungry friends you have and every spoon in your kitchen for this behemoth. Not only does it boast eight scoops of ice cream, but it’s also topped with an astounding 23 toppings, including cupcakes, cookies, candy bars and peanut butter sauce.
6. Grilled Nectarine Sundaes
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
The nectarines are brushed with honey and brown sugar, then popped on the grill until charred. Even better, there are puddles of decadent Nutella where the pits once were.
7. Crispy Croissant Sundaes with Red Wine Hot Fudge
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Three of our favorite things in one bowl: breakfast, dessert and vino. The croissants are toasted in butter before being nestled between scoops of vanilla ice cream.
8. Salted Caramel Chocolate-Covered Potato Chip Sundaes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
If you don’t make a second batch of chocolate-drizzled kettle chips just for munching, you’re doing it wrong. The peanut butter hot fudge adds an extra layer of salt to the sweet treat.
9. S’mores Sundaes
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
This dessert tastes like peak summer. Roast the marshmallows in foil on a hot grill to minimize mess and serve the sundaes in martini glasses for a grown-up spin on s’mores.
10. Salted Caramel Apple Sundae
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Use a firm, tart-sweet type of apple, like Honeycrisp, that can hold its own against the heat without turning to mush. Drive the autumnal theme home by finishing each sundae with a dollop of apple butter.
11. Brownie Sundae
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Start with store-bought brownies or make your own. (If you go the homemade or boxed mix route, stuff them with Oreos, cookie dough bites or nuts to surprise the kids.)
12. Coffee Salted Caramel Sauce
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
A few scoops of instant espresso add nuance, pleasant bitterness and much appreciated caffeine to this sundae staple. As for ice cream flavors, it tastes heavenly on chocolate, vanilla, dulce de leche, coffee and everything in between.
13. Grilled Banana Ice Cream Sundae
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Bring on the cinnamon for these smoky, caramelized bananas. Feel free to substitute blueberries or raspberries for strawberries, or to use caramel or peanut butter sauce in place of chocolate syrup.
14. Coffee Ice Cream Hot Fudge Sundae Pie with a Macaroon Crust
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
The chewy, five-ingredient macaroon crust is a total gamechanger, although you can save time by using a store-bought graham cracker, pie or Oreo crust.
15. Easy Fried Ice Cream
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
You don’t need a flash freezer or deep fryer to pull this beloved novelty dessert off. All it takes is cornflakes, a skillet and a baking sheet.
16. Mini Chocolate Stout Brownie Sundae Floats with Burnt Irish Caramel and Hot Fudge
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Let us break this down for you: There’s Irish whiskey in the caramel, Guinness in the brownie batter and Irish cream in the hot fudge and coconut whipped cream. Any questions?
17. Grilled Pineapple Doughnut Sundaes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
The key to the pineapple’s flavor is soaking it in a gooey sauce made with brown sugar, rum and orange juice. Give the doughnut sammies a tropical vibe by using coconut or mango ice cream in place of vanilla.
18. Red, White and Blueberry Sundae
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
To quote Paulette Bonafonté, “you look like the Fourth of July!” Think vanilla, strawberry and blueberry ice creams doused in marshmallow sauce, candy melts and fresh fruit syrups. In case you thought it couldn’t get more seasonal, the sundae is served in a hulled-out watermelon.
19. Grilled Peach Salted Peanut Butter Caramel Sundae
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Charred summer peaches > bowls. You can riff on these however you’d like, but we’re partial to this sweet-and-salty combination starring 5-minute vegan salted peanut butter caramel.
20. Caramel Brownie Ice Cream Sundae
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Complete with rocky road ice cream, chocolate-covered almonds and chocolate curls. Add an additional layer of chopped strawberries for a hint of freshness.
21. Balsamic Stone Fruit Sundae
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
A mix of stone fruits is chopped and tossed in sugar and balsamic vinegar before being roasted to jammy perfection. Take your pick of peaches, nectarines, plums or cherries (or go ahead and use them all).
22. Apple Pie Sundaes
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: vegan, dairy free, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Coconut oil, coconut sugar and plant-based ice cream make this dairy-free sundae possible. We’ll take extra candied maple-cinnamon pecans on ours, please.
23. Banana Split
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
This classic sundae hits us right in the childhood. All the O.G. fixings are there, from the diced pineapple to the chopped peanuts to the maraschino cherries. It’s pure nostalgia, and a must-make before summer ends.
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Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
