The Best Ice Cream Float Recipes
Summertime desserts are the best desserts, most especially ice cream treats and ice cream floats. We’ve come up with the best ice cream float recipes and combinations for you all to try all summer long!
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We are in the thick of the summer here in Tennessee. It’s SO hot and it’s SOOOOOO humid. Sometimes you need a nice, cool, refreshing dessert treat during the warmer months to help you cool down on a hot summer day. I’ve long been a big fan of ice cream floats, but this summer, I’ve taken to experimenting with the different flavor combinations. I’ve come up with some of what I think are the best Ice cream float recipes and I’m sharing all the combinations with you!
Ice Cream Soda vs. Ice Cream Float vs. Egg Cream
So, that’s a lot of ice cream desserts! What’s what and how do you make them? Let’s dive in and find out!
Ice Cream Float
An ice cream float is what we are talking about here in this article. It’s a couple of scoops of ice cream added to a flavored soda.
Ice Cream Soda
An ice cream soda is a little different. It’s made with scoops of ice cream and plain soda water, and then a flavored syrup is added. It would allow for a TON of flavor combinations without keeping a ton of inventory. They seem to be the consistency more of a milkshake once you’ve mixed your ingredients all together. I’ve never had an official ice cream soda, so I’m not sure if I’m missing out or not!
Egg Cream
An egg cream is totally different than either an ice cream float or an ice cream soda. And here’s a fun fact – it contains neither eggs nor cream. HA! It’s made with milk, seltzer, and syrup, usually chocolate syrup. I’m pretty sure this not for me. But here’s a recipe if it’s your thing!
Ice Cream Flavors
I’m a bit of a purist in the ice cream flavor department. I like vanilla ice cream in my ice cream floats. I’m not a big fan of any kind of chunks in ice cream, so vanilla is almost always my go-to choice. It’s also simple and goes great with SO many sodas. But also, I just love a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream.
BUT, don’t listen to me! Be your own person and experiment! The sky is the limit. There are approximately 5, 683,295 flavors of ice cream waiting at your grocery store. Have a ball experimenting with your favorite ice cream flavors and your favorite brand of ice cream! The different flavors absolutely blow my mind these days. You pick whatever scoops of ice cream you want and that makes your heart smile.
Soda Flavors
Same here. There are so many flavors of soda and carbonated drinks now. You could really get creative for your ice cream floats here! There are all kinds of classic traditional flavors and fruity flavors! Fanta has any kind of fruit flavor you’d want: pineapple, grape, strawberry, orange, and lemon, just to name a few choices for a Fanta ice cream float! The soda will give the float a foamy head. If that’s not your favorite part of the float, give it a few and it’ll deflate.
Diet Soda
Feel free to use Diet Coke or any diet soda in your recipe if you like. I kind of figure if I’m sticking ice cream in it, there’s little point in using the diet soda, but hey, whatever works and will be delicious! The sweet ice cream and the diet soda may strike the right balance for you.
Glasses
So, what kind of glasses should you use for your ice cream float? Literally, any kind will do, or you can even use a bowl! It’s more pretty in a tall glass, but it’s not always about visual appeal! I love them served in mason jars also!
Ice Cream Float Recipe Combinations
Truly, you could come up with endless combinations. To get the ball rolling on your imagination, here are several of mine!
Classic – Root Beer Float
I don’t do root beer, so this isn’t a classic for me. However, it is beloved by many people. If you are one of the many people, get yourself a root beer and some vanilla ice cream and you’ll have the traditional root beer float, which I think is the all-time classic ice cream float. Just not for me, LOL!
Classic Coca-Cola Float
This classic is the first in my heart and really, just can’t be beaten. A good old Coca-Cola Classic and vanilla ice cream. That’s my childhood summer in a glass right there. It’s still as delicious today as it was sitting by the swimming pool when I was 9 and it was one of my childhood favorites. Like cherries? Make it cherry soda for a cherry coke float! (Don’t forget to top it with a maraschino cherry!)
PS – How great are these glasses? Take you right back to your childhood too? Did you know you can still get them? Yeah, ya can! You can find them here for sale.
Sherbet Float
A cousin of the ice cream float, this one is a popular treat in my family. You pick your favorite kind of sherbet (Mine is orange-flavored sherbet!) and add ginger ale or sprite, or any lemon-lime soda. Delightful and light and oh so refreshing. Mine in this picture has Baskin-Robbins rainbow sherbet. There are SO many flavors (Hello tropical fruits and flavors!) and combinations of sherbert these days, go have a ball!
This is also great and light if you’ve been sick with a sore throat. I can’t say for 100% certain, but an orange sherbet float was known to make strep throat nearly instantly better in my childhood days!
Champagne addition
If you are having a gathering with adults, you could really punch it up a notch for dessert and do a scoop of sherbet with champagne or prosecco. YUM! Like, lemon sorbet and champagne? Or how about lemon sorbet in an apple cider or hard cider? What a delicious combination. YUMMMMMMMM!
Current Favorite Float
I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to discover Cherry Dr. Pepper yet. If you have not, put that soda on this week’s grocery list. It tastes just like regular Dr. Pepper… but even better. (By the way, regular plain old dr. pepper floats are also scrumptious!)
So, I saw an opportunity… Cherry Dr. Pepper with vanilla Ice cream and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh is it amazing. It’s my current favorite go-to recipe. Vanilla Coke is also really, really good!
Orange soda with vanilla ice cream
Here’s another classic flavor combination! Hello, cream-cycle in a glass! Orange-flavored soda with vanilla ice cream. YUM! The orange soda would also work so well with any kind of sherbet!
Coffee or Mocha Float
Up next, your caffeine fix!! Vanilla ice cream with coffee or mocha poured over? YASSSSS, please! So delicious! You can get those at the coffee shop all blended up like a milkshake (Frappuccino) if you are on the go. And they are delicious! And you get a little caffeine boost too! That’s a win-win! Also, it should be said that a scoop of chocolate ice cream is absolutely amazing in coffee. Add on some chocolate syrup for extra oomph and pizazz!
Fruity Floats
Don’t be afraid to get creative! Use all kinds of different soda and scoop of ice cream combinations! Sure, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is amazing, but don’t forget all the yummy fruity flavors too! Don’t forget about fruit-flavored soft drinks too! The flavor combinations are endless… like strawberry ice cream with vanilla soda. Or creamy vanilla ice cream with pineapple soda. Or coconut ice cream and almost anything!
Entertaining with Ice Cream Floats
How easy and FUN would it be to have an ice cream float bar for dessert for a dinner party? Just put out all the ingredients and watch adults turn into little kids again making their own floats. I found a great post on doing just that here on Olivia’s Cuisine blog. This would be perfect for your next special occasion!
Favorite Ice Cream Float Supplies:
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Alright, now, what kind of equipment do we need to make this classic American treat?
- Vintage Style Soda Glass Set
- Tulip Sundae Cups
- Ice Cream Scooper Set – Multiple Size Pack
- Long Handle Spoons
- Paper Straws
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure! Add anything you’d like, it’s your dessert! I’m sure if you got an ice cream float out at a restaurant you would definitely get whipped cream!
Absolutely! This dessert would be delicious with juice if soda isn’t your thing! Just get a juice that you approve of and add whatever ice cream fits the flavor profile you are looking for! I’m thinking grape juice or orange juice would be amazing with vanilla ice cream!
I would avoid anything with big chunks of candy or anything like that. But just about any flavor of ice cream could be paired with some kind of ice cream and be delicious.
Wrap-Up – The Best Ice Cream Float Recipes
There you have it! I’ve shared all my favorite combinations and best ice cream float recipes! Now, all you need to do is go to the store and get creative on the next really hot days! Any flavor of soda will work! Most flavors of ice cream would work too! Grab a favorite glass and your ice cream scoop and get to work! I have to go now. I need ice cream. Until next time… Just keep shuffling, my friends!
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You had me at Ice Cream! Seriously. I absolutely love your float ideas and I might just have to try a crazy soda combination and see how it turns out. Yum!
YES!!!!! I’ll come over. It’ll be a short drive from TN. :o)
Those Coke glasses are super cute! One of my favorite floats is the Red Cream Soda with vanilla ice cream. Kings Island sells those- but we make ours at home because mom’s not paying $9.00 for a small glass, LOL.
$9! NO WAY! Those are SO, SO, SO good! But for $9, you could have 10 of them at home!
This looks like a fantastic idea for the next family birthday!
They are a ton of fun and so yummy! Thanks for reading, my 2nd Mama!