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Updated July 2026
How about a make-your-own-sundae ice cream and/or sorbet bar for get-togethers. It’s fun and pretty easy to pull off.
The biggest challenge is how to keep the ice cream cold on a buffet table. We use a punch bowl filled with ice, and nestle the pints or quarts into the ice.
The ice also serves as a surface for the ice cream scoops. Easy, peasy.
Below:
> How to select the ice cream.
> Lots of toppings.
> Sauces and whipped cream.
> Serverware: dishes, spoons
> Beverage pairings.
> Alcoholic beverage pairings.
Elsewhere On The Nibble:
> The history of ice cream.
> The history of ice cream—longer version.
> The history of the ice cream sundae.
> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.
> The year’s 50+ ice cream holidays.
> America’s favorite ice cream flavors.
1. SELECT THE ICE CREAM
Unless you have a particular theme in mind (e.g., chocolate flavors, berry flavors, pink [e.g. black raspberry, cherry vanilla, raspberry swirl, strawberry, strawberry cheesecake]), consider starting with the most popular flavors.
America’s favorite flavors are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and butter pecan. You can choose those, or vary the selection.
For a group of 8, we recommend four pints of ice cream and/or frozen yogurt. If your group includes people who avoid dairy, make one or two of them plant-based or sorbet.
Easy Decisions
Chocolate ice cream/yogurt
Vanilla ice cream/yogurt
Mango or raspberry sorbet
Vanilla dairy-free ice cream
Optional: fancy flavors
Other Options
The next four most popular flavors on the list are cookie dough, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate chip.
If you don’t want to add more pints, you can approximate this second flavor group with toppings of cookie dough balls, Oreo pieces, mint baking chips, and chocolate chips.
The best way to keep the ice cream cold is to place them in 9-inch square metal baking pans that have been kept in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, place the pints on the counter for 5 minutes to soften. Then, grab the frozen pan from the freezer and add the pints, surrounded with ice cubes.
If you skip the tub of ice, the ice cream will last about 15 minutes before it gets too melty. If you want to extend the sundae bar for a longer time, have backup pints in the freezer.
2. SELECT THE DRY TOPPINGS
Easy Decisions
Candies: M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, toffee bits
Chocolate chips
Chopped nuts
Sliced strawberries
Kids’ choices: gummies, confetti, glitter, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, Teddy Grahams
For a more elaborate offering, consider brownie cubes, crushed almond nougat or peanut brittle, crushed waffle cones, mini meringues, and toffee shards.
Fancier Options
If your crowd has a sophisticated palate, consider:
Brandied cherries
Chocolate: 70% dark chocolate shavings, shards of smoked sea salt chocolate, roasted cacao nibs
Crystallized ginger cubes
Fruit purées with liqueur
Macerated strawberries with basil, thyme or orange liqueur
Salted Marcona almonds
Shredded coconut, plain or toasted
Toasted black sesame seeds or a black/white mix
Honeycomb toffee shards
[8] Sophisticated toppings: crystallized ginger, macerated strawberries and basil, salted Marcona almonds, salted chocolate, coconut (photo © The Nibble).
3. SAUCES/WET TOPPINGS
Easy Decisions
Butterscotch or salted caramel sauce
Chocolate/fudge sauce
Raspberry or strawberry sauce/purée (especially if you serve sorbet)
Whipped cream (fun: Reddi-Whip chocolate whipped cream)
Note that corn syrup-based sauces like butterscotch, caramel, and hot fudge often require warming to be pourable. Unless you can keep them warm, it’s better to buy pourable squeeze bottles.
Plus, squeeze bottles are also much neater! Ghirardelli makes the best (photo #5).
Fancier Options
Arbequina EVOO or other fruity olive oil (see the *footnote)
Balsamic glaze
Espresso or Bourbon reductions
Salted miso caramel
Scotch whisky
4. SERVERWARE
You may need to borrow some extra ice cream scoops, or use serving spoons.
We like to use festive paper plates and napkins along with compostable spoons, but you can use whatever dishes you have: bowls, mason jars, wine glasses, etc. Plastic or paper party bowls are another option.
As you can see in photo #1, our dish of choice is an edible waffle bowl, presented atop a festive, heavy-duty paper plate and colorful napkins. We’ve also taken to using reusable (and compostable) bamboo spoons.
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[1] The most fun dessert: make your own sundae (photo © The Nibble).
[2] Bowls are the neatest way to present the toppings (photo © Nana’s Company).
[3] Things can get messy if you use a muffin tin. Not just the tabletop, but people spooning up toppings from one well can easily—if inadverently—spill some into the neighboring well (photo © The Nibble).
[4] Waffle bowls add fun and crunch. Here’s how to make your own waffle bowls from Taste Of Home.
[5] Girardelli makes the best pourable dessert sauces (photo © The Nibble).
[6] The Inspired Room knows how set up a backyard sundae bar. They pre-pack the ice cream into hinged jars and keep them cold in a tub of ice. For neatness, the sauces go into syrup dispensers. Check out their article on the topic (photo © The Inspired Room).
[7] This top-rated ice cream scoop is just under $10, and comes in 18 colors, enough to match most any ice cream flavor (photo © Spring Chef | Amazon).
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5. BEVERAGE PAIRINGS
Cream/vanilla soda. Our favorite, Boylan’s, comes in regular and sugar-free.
Ginger beer. A more sophisticated, spicier, less-sweet version of ginger ale. Include a lime wedge.
Iced coffee or espresso. Always popular and a good complement.
Nonalcoholic spritz. A bitter-orange or botanical NA aperitif topped with sparkling water is a sophisticated, not-too-sweet option.
Sparkling tea. Earl Grey, hibiscus (herbal), or jasmine sparkling teas are elegant and work well with fruit, chocolate, and nut toppings.
Sparkling water with citrus and herbs. Make a pitcher of lemon-basil, grapefruit-rosemary, or orange-mint. They’re special without competing with dessert.
Strawberry-basil sparkling lemonade. A great pairing with berries and fruit sauces. Here’s a recipe.
[9] All of these spirits can pair with ice cream sundaes. Details follow (photo © The Nibble).
6. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE PAIRINGS
Aperol spritz. Bright, bittersweet, and refreshing alongside fruit-forward combinations, especially strawberry-basil.
Bourbon-and-soda. Pairs nicely with pecans, salted chocolate, and caramel without adding sweetness.
Demi-sec or sec Champagne. Its acidity and bubbles cut through rich ice cream; especially good with berries, basil, dark chocolate, and coconut.
Cream liqueur. Baileys, Carolan’s, Disarrono, etc.
Espresso Martini. Best with chocolate, coffee, or Oreo-leaning sundae.
Lambrusco. A sweet-ish Amabile or Dolce Lambrusco is lovely with chocolate-heavy or berry-focused sundaes.
Moscato d’Asti. Lightly sparkling, low-alcohol, and peachy; pair with strawberries, vanilla, ginger, and almonds.
Prosecco, Extra Dry or Dry. In the world of Prosecco, Extra Dry is actually sweeter than Brut, and Dry is even sweeter. These wines have the fruity, floral notes (peach, melon) that complement vanilla and fruit toppings.
Sherry. amontillado or oloroso sherry. A nutty, caramel-like match for pecans, chocolate, salted caramel, and toasted coconut.
Tawny Port. Elegant alongside chocolate, caramel, nuts, and ginger.
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*The fruitiest Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO)—especially for a sophisticated ice cream topping—are made from specific olive cultivars known for their delicate or medium fruitiness. Also look for the term “Late Harvest.” Olives harvested later in the season are riper and produce a mellower, sweeter, and much fruitier oil compared to “Early Harvest” oils, which are more intense, grassy, and peppery. The following olive varieties are considered the fruitiest:
Arbequina (Spain): This is the quintessential fruity olive oil, very mild with little to no peppery finish. It often has distinct notes of green apple, banana, and almond. Because of its buttery sweetness, it is the top choice for drizzling over vanilla ice cream.
Hojiblanca (Spain): Its very broad flavor profile includes notes of tomato, apple, and avocado. It starts sweet and fruity on the palate before finishing with a very mild, pleasant bitterness.
Koroneiki (Greece): While it can have a bit of a peppery kick, a high-quality Koroneiki is deeply fruity with an aroma that evokes fresh green herbs and citrus.
Nocellara del Belice (Sicily, Italy): This variety is famous for its bright green flavor—tasting like buttery green olives with a very fresh, fruity, and slightly citrusy aroma.
Picudo (Spain): Known for being very aromatic and sweet, this variety often tastes like exotic fruits, apple, and almond. It’s much softer than its more common Spanish cousin, Picual (Picual is one of our favorite EVOOs for salads and drizzling).
Taggiasca (Liguria, Italy): This oil is extremely delicate, sweet, and fruity with a strong almond finish. It’s light and not overpowering (and can be more expensive).
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