Ice Cream Sundae Bar & Topping Ideas
Oct 24, 2022 Updated Oct 12, 2026
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Table of Contents
- 50+ Best Ice Cream Toppings for a Sundae Bar
- Best Ice Cream for Sundae Bar
- My Favorite Ice Cream Sundae Combinations
- How to Make a DIY Ice Cream Sundae Bar
- How Much Ice Cream & Toppings You Need for an Ice Cream Party
- How To Serve Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Sundae Bar Supplies
- Ice Cream Sundae Bar FAQs
- Show Me Your Ice Cream Sundae Toppings
- Ice Cream Sundae Bar Recipe
Ice cream sundaes are the universal love language–at least if you ask me. I’m usually a purist: vanilla or chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry. But when I’m making an ice cream sundae bar, I love giving everyone options!
I’ve rounded up 50+ of the best ice cream toppings, from crushed cookies and salty pretzels to unexpected gems like Nerds Clusters, plus six sundae combinations and my favorite ice cream sundae bar setup tips. Guests can stick to the classics or find a new favorite. Win-win!
Just don’t forget the ice cream! Choose flavors you love—I like to serve Tillamook or Straus—and let the toppings do the rest. If you’re looking for something a little more low-maintenance, you can try this Ice Cream Sandwich Board (just be sure to serve immediately). For a healthier option, check out my breakfast Yogurt Bar.
For other sweet treats, try my Cheesecake Toppings Board, Chocolate Dip for Fruit, S’Mores Dip, Easy Dessert Board, and Whipped Cream Cheese Dip.
50+ Best Ice Cream Toppings for a Sundae Bar
From hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles to salty pretzels and Nerds Clusters, there are so many ways to dress up a scoop! Pick your favorites from these categories—you don’t need all of them to make a great sundae bar.
Sauces, Drizzles & Creamy Toppings
- Whipped cream
- Hot fudge
- Chocolate syrup
- Caramel sauce
- Dulce de leche
- Raspberry syrup (or other fruit syrup!)
- Nutella
- Peanut butter sauce
- Marshmallow sauce
- Bourbon caramel
- Balsamic reduction
Candy & Chocolate
- Chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Rainbow sprinkles
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Peanut butter chips
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Snickers
- Swedish Fish
- Peanut M&M’s
- Gummy worms
- Gummy bears
- Heath Bar
- Butterscotch chips
- M&M’s (I love the mini ones!)
- Shaped sprinkles
- Mini marshmallows
- Lucky Charms marshmallows
- Airheads Xtremes Bites Rainbow
- Reese’s Pieces
- Peach rings
- Pop Rocks
- Caramel bits
- Ferrero Rocher
- Baci Perugino
- Nerds Gummy Clusters
Cookies & Brownies
- Crumbled brownies
- Crushed chocolate chip cookies
- Crushed Oreos
- Cheesecake bites
- Italian rainbow cookies
- Nilla Wafers
- Crumbled graham crackers
Sweet & Fruity
- Maraschino cherries
- Banana slices
- Bananas foster
- Pitted cherries
- Sliced strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Sliced peaches
Crunchy & Salty
- Fruit loops
- Pretzels
- Chopped peanuts
- Chopped pistachios
- Chopped walnuts
- Toasted coconut
- Shredded coconut
- Flaky salt (better yet olive oil & flaky salt)
Which Toppings Should You Choose?
For a simple sundae bar, I’d start with seven options: hot fudge, caramel sauce, crushed Oreos, rainbow sprinkles, strawberries, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries. You get a little chocolate, a little crunch, some fruit, and all the classic finishing touches!
Want to go bigger? Add peanut butter cups and Nerds Clusters for the candy lovers, or try pistachios, toasted coconut, and a little flaky salt. My philosophy is usually more is more—but you really don’t need every topping on this list!
Best Ice Cream for Sundae Bar
My choice for a sundae is always Tillamook Vanilla. If you ask me, vanilla is the best base for a sundae because you can take the toppings in any direction you want! I love Tillamook, which is a co-op creamery in Oregon, because they’re serious about taking care of their cows and their farmers, including paying their farmer-owners above-market prices for the milk.
I learned all this when I went on a brand trip to the creamery and got an incredible tour and curated ice cream tasting. I learned all about how we perceive ice cream flavor — taste, smell, texture, etc. If you ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend their public tour–it’s cheese-focused, but still really cool.
That said, it’s fun to have some other flavor options that lend themselves to your toppings selection–maybe just buy smaller amounts! Try:
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Cookies n’ cream
- Coffee
- Mint chocolate chip
- French vanilla
- Chocolate chip cookie dough
- Brownie batter
- Salted caramel
- Banana (you can even make dairy-free banana “nice cream”!)
Dairy-Free Ice Cream Options
Don’t worry, there are plenty of delicious non-dairy options out there, too! Take a gander through your local freezer section and keep your eye out for these brands:
- Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Pints
- Talenti Dairy-Free Gelato & Sorbetto
- Breyer’s Non-Dairy Desserts
- Oatly Frozen Dessert
- SO Delicious Frozen Desserts
You can also make vegan ice cream at home!
My Favorite Ice Cream Sundae Combinations
As I said, I almost always go for the classic toppings:
Classic Hot Fudge Sundae
- vanilla ice cream
- Chocolate fudge sauce
- rainbow sprinkles
- whipped cream
- maraschino cherry
When I’m feeling adventurous, these are my favorite combos:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae
- Chocolate ice cream
- Peanut butter sauce
- Peanut butter cups
- Reese’s Pieces
- Chopped peanuts
- Whipped cream
Strawberry Shortcake Sundae
- Vanilla ice cream
- Strawberries
- Strawberry sauce
- Nilla Wafers
- Whipped Cream
- Freeze-dried strawberries
Salted Caramel Pretzel Sundae
- Vanilla Ice cream
- Caramel or salted caramel sauce
- Pretzels
- Caramel bits
- Flaky salt (if you use salted caramel sauce, you might not need the salt!)
- Whipped cream
Cookies & Cream Sundae
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Chocolate fudge sauce
- Crumbled Oreos
- Whipped Cream
- Maraschino cherry
Banana Split
- Banana
- Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream
- Chocolate fudge sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Strawberry sauce
- Chopped walnuts
- Whipped cream
- Maraschino cherries
How to Make a DIY Ice Cream Sundae Bar
- Add the hot fudge, whipped cream, mini gummy bears, Maraschino cherries, M&M’s, chocolate sprinkles, and rainbow sprinkles to individuals bowl. Arrange them in the center of the board.
- Add the banana slices to a bowl and place on the board. Add the chocolate chips, Nerds Gummy Clusters, and Oreos to individual bowls and add around the edge of the board.
- Add Reese’s Minis, Rainbow Belts, and Swedish Fish.
- Add the gummy worms and fresh cherries.
- Arrange the cookies, licorice bites, and Snickers around the bananas.
- Add the waffle cones, sugar cones, and waffle cone bowls. Serve ice cream on the side.
Pro tips:
- Let the ice cream thaw for 5 to 10 minutes before serving to make scooping easier
- For super fast serving, pre-scoop the ice cream into lined muffin tins and freeze before the party. Transfer to cones or bowls when ready to serve.
- Get all the candies and cookies set up before you serve! They can sit out for a while as they’re shelf-stable
- Ice cream is usually naturally gluten-free, so you can easily make this board gluten-free! Serve gluten-free candies (check packaging!) and gluten-free cones.
How Much Ice Cream & Toppings You Need for an Ice Cream Party
Generally speaking, each guest will eat about 1½ cups of ice cream! That means for 12 people you’d need about 1¼ gallons (or 9 pints) and for 20 people you’d need 2 gallons (or 15 pints).
When it comes to toppings, it varies based on the size of the topping and crowd pleasers! I like to think more is more, so I serve a lot of topping options! You really only need 5 to 7 solid options if you really know what your guests like. In terms of how much to serve, for a board of this size (serves 12 to 18 people), I used ½ cup of the smaller-size toppings (like sprinkles) and 1 cup for the bigger ones (like fruit).
How To Serve Ice Cream
As you know, ice cream can’t be left out of the freezer for too long! If your ice cream is super frozen, let it thaw a bit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving (if you just bought it, it might be soft enough already!). Feel free to set up your shelf-stable toppings in advance, but don’t slice your fruit or put out the whipped cream until just before you’re ready to serve.
Once the ice cream has thawed a bit and the fruit is cut, serve immediately! Make sure all your guests are ready to go so you can serve them all at once. I find it’s best to let folks serve themselves–if you pre-serve the ice cream, it might get too soft!
Once everyone has made their sundaes, put the ice cream back in the freezer–you can always serve more from the freezer as needed. The toppings can stay out as long as you want, but the fruit and whipped cream may not last too long, especially if this is an outside party!
Save any leftover sweets, toppings, and ice cream for a part 2!
Ice Cream Sundae Bar Supplies
For an excellent ice cream bar, you need excellent utensils!
- Ice Cream Scoops: I like to have one for each tub of ice cream to prevent cross-contamination (especially for dairy- and/or gluten-free guests!), but if you don’t have more than one scooper, a big, sturdy spoon will do!
- Ice Cream Chiller: If you’re having a small affair, you can buy one or two of these chillers so you can keep the ice cream out longer while the bar is served.
- Bowls: Since these are sundaes and not your regular scoop of ice cream, you’ll need bowls that are on the bigger side! You can go traditional with a footed sundae glass, or you can go the easy route and serve paper, plastic, or waffle cone bowls!
- Spoons: Make sure you have plenty of small spoons! They should be sturdy enough to get through semi-frozen ice cream, so if you don’t want to use metal, try a sturdy wooden spoon!
- Labels: I love to use cards to identify any allergens, like nuts, gluten, dairy, chocolate, etc! This is especially important if you don’t know all of your guests dietary needs. Be sure to keep the allergens (especially gluten and nuts) separate from the rest of the toppings to prevent cross-contamination!
Ice Cream Sundae Bar FAQs
The top 10 most popular ice cream toppings are hot fudge, whipped cream, caramel sauce, nuts, sprinkles, cherries, brownie bits, crushed cookies, peanut butter, and fruit
I like to serve 5 to 7 toppings, but my philosophy is always: more is more! Choose a mix of sauces, crunchy toppings, fruit, and finishing touches so guests can build different combinations.
My favorite way to keep ice cream cold for a party is to make an ice bath! Fill a large bowl or cooler with crushed ice, then mix in rock salt (or kosher salt). Nestle the ice cream into the ice so it’s mostly submerged.
You can set up your sundae bar ahead of time, but only the shelf-stable toppings! Fruit shouldn’t be cut too far in advance or it will get mushy and the ice cream and perishables (like whipped cream) should stay in the freezer or fridge until right before serving.
The best way to serve ice cream to a large group is to have multiple large containers of the same ice cream flavors so multiple guests can be scooping ice cream at once and no one will have to wait for the smaller, special flavor.
To keep ice cream from melting at an outdoor party, you’ll need to make a salted ice bath in a well-insulated cooler with a lid. This way, when the lid is closed, it acts as a freezer. Regardless, the ice cream will probably melt eventually, especially if it’s warm outside, so be quick about serving and once people seem to be done, take the ice cream back to the freezer!
Try your best to avoid putting juicy produce next to dry goodies, like cookies, or more sensitive candies that might soak up the moisture.
Show Me Your Ice Cream Sundae Toppings
I hope this post inspires you to serve this sweet ice cream sundae bar. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the beautiful snacks and treats you create from my tips. If you make something inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttooproudtomeg so I can see and share!
And, If you liked this recipe, please rate and review.
Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Ingredients
Base
- Waffle cones
- Waffle cone bowls
- Sugar cones
- Ice cream of your choosing I used vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip
Toppings
- Hot fudge sauce
- Whipped cream
- Mini gummy bears
- Maraschino cherries
- M&Ms
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Rainbow sprinkles
- Sliced bananas
- Mini chocolate chips
- Crumbled Oreos
- Nerds Gummy Clusters
- Reese’s Minis
- Sour Fruity Mini Rainbow Belt Bites
- Swedish Fish
- Gummy Worms
- Fresh cherries
- Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Red Licorice Bites
- Snickers halved
Instructions
- Add the hot fudge, whipped cream, mini gummy bears, Maraschino cherries, M&M's, chocolate sprinkles, and rainbow sprinkles to individual bowls. Arrange them in the center of the board.
- Add the banana slices to a bowl and place on the board. Add the chocolate chips, Nerds Gummy Clusters, and Oreos to individual bowls and add around the edge of the board.
- Add the Reese's Minis, Rainbow Belts, and Swedish Fish in separate sections to one open section of the board. Add the gummy worms and fresh cherries between the toppings bowls. Arrange the cookies, licorice bites, and Snickers around the bowl of bananas.
- Add the waffle cones, sugar cones, and waffle cone bowls to any empty spaces. Serve ice cream on the side.
- Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
Love your ice cream toppings board! Always looking for a new way to serve dessert. Not only does it look yummy, but it’s very colorful and inviting to dive right into!
This is such a cute idea! Can’t wait to try it out the next time my grandkids – young and old – come to visit me this summer!
This was absolutely AMAZING 🤩!!! I loved trying this with my boyfriend on date night!! We tried every single topping on our sundaes. We are definitely sharing this with our friends when we invite them over!!
To know more flavours in ice creams check out the Sonic Icecream Menu
Can’t wait to try this one! Perfect for Summer.