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 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!
How To Make The Ultimate Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Ingredients
- 2 quarts Ice Cream
Toppings
- 1 cup Small Candies
- 0.5 cups Sprinkles
- 1 cup Chopped Nuts
- 1 cup Miniature Marshmallows
- 2 cups Whipped Topping
- 16 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 in the FAQs section further down.
- 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.
Where did you get the metal tray/ planter / holder that you put the smuckers jars in? I love it!
Hi Dolly, I just added the Amazon link for the set we purchased. It is at the bottom of the post.
I love the idea of using canning jars to serve the toppings! What size did you use? Should I look for small (as in small-medium-large), or a certain ounce. Looking forward to having an ice cream bar for a ladies game night.
For the toppings like sprinkles and nuts, I used the little 4 ounce jars. Ladies game night sounds like fun!
I do not have time to do this for the Memorial Day weekend, but I would love to have this for the 4th of July! My kids would love it, and all the other family members would have a blast with a Sundae bar!
What a delicious assortment of toppings! My grandsons would go crazy for this!! What a fun party idea!
This is a wonderful idea, perfect for low-key events, fun pool parties, and just any day!
THis sundae bar is a great summer fun idea.
This sundae bar is a fun idea and looks so yummy. My grandsons are coming over this weekend. I will have to do this for them.
Smuckers Toppings like Hot Fudge, and Caramel, Marshmallow would be a hit in my house. I love this sundae bar and want one!
I love anything ice cream, haha! This is such a cool idea 🙂
I didn’t realize Smuckers had so many different topping options. I’m interested in marshmellow