The Best Ice Cream Float Recipes
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 to help you cool down. 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 Flavors
I’m 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’s approximately 5, 683,295 flavors of ice cream waiting at your grocery store. Have a ball experimenting!
Soda Flavors
Same here. There are so many flavors of soda 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!
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.
Classsic 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.
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 and add ginger ale or sprite. Delightful and light and oh so refreshing. Mine in this picture has Baskin-Robbins rainbow sherbet. There are SO many 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!
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.
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.
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!
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 floats. I found a great post on doing just that here on Olivia’s Cuisine blog.
Favorite Ice Cream Float Supplies:
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something from those links, I may make a small commission. See our full Disclosure and Disclaimer Policy here.
- Vintage Style Soda Glass Set
- Tulip Sundae Cups
- Ice Cream Scooper Set – Multiple Size Pack
- Long Handle Spoons
- Paper Straws
Wrap Up – The Best Ice Cream Float Recipes
There you have it! I’ve shared all my favorite and best ice cream float recipes! Now, all you need to do is go to the store and get creative! 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. Just keep shuffling, my friends!
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!