Everyone loves an ice cream sundae so why not set up a DIY Ice Cream Sundae Bar for your next party or event? An ice cream party is one of the easiest parties to pull off. You just need a variety of toppings and ice cream (and a sweet tooth, doesn’t hurt!)
What Goes On A Sundae Bar?
The options are almost endless! The challenge is in providing your guests a smorgasbord that is wide-ranging enough to cater to all tastes. You’ll need toppings that are savory, sweet, crunchy, soft, colorful… the list goes on. Here, then, are the most popular items you should have for your sundae bar.
- Ice Cream
- Toppings
- Small Candies
- Sprinkles
- Chopped Nuts
- Miniature Marshmallows
- Whipped Topping
- Maraschino Cherries
Ice cream – I like to include a few different flavors of ice cream. The classic flavors of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla are always a safe bet.
Toppings – Chocolate, strawberry, pineapple, caramel and marshmallow toppings are some of my favorites. You could even include some of the toppings that create a hard shell on the ice cream.
Small Candies – Children especially love having a variety of candy to put on top of their ice cream. Think M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, chopped-up candy bars, gummie bears and licorice. I recall taking my niece to one of those ice cream shops where you pay based on the weight of your ice cream creation. She went nuts with the candy toppings and it was reflected at the register. For that, I could have put together an ice cream sundae bar for her AND her friends.
Sprinkles – As far as I’m concerned, no party is complete without sprinkles. LOTS OF SPRINKLES. Include a fun variety of sprinkles on your ice cream sundae bar. I still don’t know what sprinkles taste like (or if they even have a taste!) but they look pretty and make the sundae-making process so much fun.
Nuts – A variety of chopped nuts is great too, especially if some parents will be in attendance. You could even go all out and add some sugared pecans or walnuts.
Miniature Marshmallows – Most of my favorite ice cream varieties have miniature marshmallows or a marshmallow swirl. This topping is a must for me.
Whipped Topping – When you think you have enough whipped topping, buy more. The kids always go a little overboard with a mountain of whipped cream.
Maraschino Cherries – Because, no ice cream sundae is complete without a cherry on top.
How Much Topping Should I Buy?
That’s a tough question, as it depends on who you’re making the sundae bar for. Kids, though small, will make a mess, so some of your toppings will end up on the table and not the ice cream. Their eyes are also bigger than their stomachs so expect a lot of leftovers.
- Chocolate sauce: 1-2 ounces per person
- Caramel sauce: 1-2 ounces per person
- Whipped cream: 2-3 ounces per person
- Chopped nuts: 2-3 ounces per person
- Crushed cookies or candy: 2-3 ounces per person
How To Prep For An Ice Cream Bar
Start with a tablecloth that can easily be cleaned. Ice Cream Sundae Bars can get a little messy, but that’s part of what makes them so fun. You’ll also need disposable silver and disposable bowls or cups. These polka-dot paper ice cream cups found on Amazon are very festive.
I also recommend having a separate ice cream scoop for each flavor of ice cream you’ll be serving.
A few days before the party, head to your grocery store and stock up on ice cream, toppings, whipped cream, candy, nuts, and cherries. I raided my pantry for sprinkles, but if you need to, pick some of those up, too.
The day before the party, chop up candy bars, nuts, cookies, and get all of your other ice cream toppings ready. I placed them in small jars with tight-fitting lids to keep everything fresh. A link to half-size mason jars like mine is located in the FAQs section further down.
RELATED: Summer’s Best Banana Pudding Recipe
Short canning jars are perfect for sundae toppings. All you have to do is add a colorful plastic spoon for serving. Plus, storing the toppings in the same containers they’ll be served in saves you a step.
You can never have too many sprinkles, cookies and candy toppings! Doesn’t this look like a fun ice cream party?
Don’t forget to have plenty of napkins and wet wipes handy. The ultimate ice cream sundae bar is sure to get a little messy.
Ice cream parties bring smiles.
This DIY Ice Cream Sundae Bar was a huge success, and it was so easy to put together. It was the ultimate summer party!
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FAQs
I have had a lot of people ask about the galvanized tray and buckets that I used, so here is my Amazon affiliate link for the set that I purchased. It is actually a planter set that I decided to use for entertaining, instead of the garden. I use this set A LOT. I also used 4 oz wide-mouth mason jars for the candy toppings and sprinkles.
A couple of options: Set up your sundae bar in the kitchen (or any room where there is a freezer) and attend to it, grabbing whichever flavor each guest requires. When they are done using it, put it back in the freezer. This, admittedly, is a high-maintenance option. A better one (and easier if you plan on setting this up outside) is to grab a cooler and fill it with ice. You can place the buckets of ice cream inside, making sure you put the cooler lid back on whenever it’s not in use.
You definitely adapt the ice cream sundae bar to make it healthier. For starters, you could provide sorbet or frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Or you could go one step further if you’re expecting guests with dietary restrictions and provide ice cream made from soy, almond, or coconut milk. As for toppings, lean heavily on fruit (pineapple chunks, berries, etc), nuts, and seeds (e.g., chia and flax).
How To Store Ice Cream Sundae Bars
As I’ve mentioned, the containers that you put the toppings in can be easily sealed with a lid and kept in the fridge or cupboard, depending on what it is. All the Smucker’s toppings just need their lids put on and can then go back in the fridge. And the ice cream goes back in the freezer. The only thing you’ll really need to worry about is cleaning up the table cloth because there WILL be a mess!
If you liked this recipe, check out these others:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
Rainbow Sprinkle White Cake Mix Cookies
Pistachio Pudding (Watergate Salad)
ICE CREAM SUNDAE BAR
Ingredients
- Ice Cream
- Toppings
- Small Candies
- Sprinkles
- Chopped Nuts
- Miniature Marshmallows
- Whipped Topping
- Maraschino Cherries
Instructions
- Start with a tablecloth that can easily be cleaned. Ice Cream Sundae Bars can get a little messy, but that’s part of what makes them so fun. You’ll also need disposable silver and disposable bowls or cups. These polka dot paper ice cream cups found on Amazon are very festive.
- I also recommend having a separate ice cream scoop for each flavor of ice cream you’ll be serving.
- A few days before the party, head to your grocery store and stock up on ice cream, toppings, whipped cream, candy, nuts, and cherries. I raided my pantry for sprinkles, but if you need to pick some of those up too.
- The day before the party chop up candy bars, nuts, cookies, and get all of your other ice cream toppings ready. I placed them in small jars with tight fitting lids to keep everything fresh. A link to half-size mason jars like mine is located near the top of this page.
- Short canning jars are perfect for sundae toppings. All you have to do is add a colorful plastic spoon for serving. Plus, storing the toppings in the same containers they’ll be served in saves you a step.
- You can never have too many sprinkles, cookies and candy toppings!
- Don’t forget to have plenty of napkins and wet wipes handy. The ultimate ice cream sundae bar is sure to get a little messy.
You might also enjoy this Hot Dog Bar for your next grilling party!
that looks so good. I want to make one at my house.
This is an amazing idea for summer fun.
What a great and fun idea! I think I will do this for dessert for Mother’s Day.
I love this idea! So perfect for the warmer months coming up! All those toppings look fantastic!
This is a great idea. It would be perfect for summer get togethers!
I would love this for my daughter’s next birthday party! so much fun.