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50 Ways to Top Ice Cream

No more naked scoops for you!

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Lindsay Funston

In the early days of Delish, two of our editors made it their mission to come up with the best creative ice cream toppings. There were some major surprise hits and some misses (pickles, anyone?), but they narrowed it down to the top 50. Whether you’re looking for something extra special for a romantic dessert, or just want to jazz up your nightly scoop with ingredients you have in your kitchen already, we’ve got an idea for you. Check out our list of 50 ways to top ice cream—no more naked scoops for you!

Wait wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before you even think about toppings, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the best ice cream to put them on. There are two ways to go: store-bought and homemade. We’re all for homemade, of course, but there’s really something to be said for the ease and convenience of store-bought. We’ve even ranked the best 10 store-bought vanilla ice creams to make it extra easy on you. If you do want to go above and beyond and make your own, check out our best blank slate homemade ice cream recipe. Don’t have an ice cream maker? No problem. Use one of our no-churn ice cream recipes, or make your ice cream in a bag (for real!).

When testing each of these topping ideas, they went with the blank slate of vanilla ice cream to keep it fair, but we know there’s more to life than just vanilla. Feel free to swap in your favorites—you never know, you might find a new flavor combo that rivals Ben and Jerry’s.

1

Sprinkles

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

These are a classic for a reason! Hot tip: combine a mix of chocolate or rainbow sprinkles, non-pareils, and colorful sanding sugar to make your dessert look extra special, like in our unicorn bark or our confetti cookie dough ball.

2

Peanut Butter

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

You could just use peanut butter straight from the jar (chunky or smooth both welcome here), but adding a tiny bit of coconut oil to turn it into magic shell takes this topping next level.

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3

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Salty meets sweet, cold meets crunchy. Use store-bought, or make your own chocolate-covered pretzels (sprinkles or white chocolate drizzle is optional, but we highly recommend!)

4

Toasted Marshmallows

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

We went for jumbo ones, which you can easily toast over a burner on your stove, but you can also use minis and broil them in the oven. Try making your own homemade marshmallows to take this topping next level.

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5

Waffle Cone

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Even you're the type who chooses a cup, there's no reason you have to completely forgo the cone. Make your own, or crumble up store-bought.

6

Sour Watermelon

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

We're partial to sour watermelons (they're extra adorable here and in our boozy sour watermelon slushies), but go for any of your favorite sour candies.

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7

Toasted Coconut Flakes

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Crunchy, nutty coconut is always a good idea—go for shreds or big flakes like we did here, whatever works. Got lots of toasted coconut? Make toasted coconut butter—it's great spread on toast, by the spoonful, or drizzled over yogurt and ice cream.

8

Chocolate Bark

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Chocolate bark is one of our favorite versatile sweet treats, so we knew it would be perfect crumbled atop ice cream too. Try our sweet n' salty chocolate bark, our unicorn bark, or our s'mores bark for ideas.

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9

Fruit

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

You know when you find the perfect piece of fruit at the farmer's market, and it feels too precious to just eat as a snack, but is too small to bake with? Top your ice cream with it for an extra special dessert. Take inspiration from our fruit salad, and make a honey-lime dressing for it that'll take this over the top.

10

Reese's

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Is there a better dessert combo than chocolate and peanut butter? We think not, and Reese's are the OG of perfection. These peanut butter cups go amazingly with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry—chop 'em up, or use minis.

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11

Strawberry Pop-Tart

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

They're not just for on-the-go breakfast anymore! You can feel like a kid again by topping your ice cream with the best toaster pastry flavor (alright alright, frosted brown sugar is a close second). Got a very adult gluten intolerance? Make some of our gluten-free poptarts so you can indulge too.

12

Toasted Almonds

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

You could buy pre-toasted nuts, but we promise, toasting them yourself tastes SO much better. Pre-heat your oven to 350°, and pop them in for 5-10 minutes, giving them a toss halfway through. They'll keep toasting on the hot pan, so pull them earlier than you think!

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13

Pretzels

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Trust us, salty and crunchy pretzels and sweet and creamy ice cream is the PERFECT combo. Need proof? Check out our strawberry pretzel tart, cookie crack, or our trash brownies—you'll be a sweet and savory pretzel convert in no-time.

14

Oreos

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Make your own cookies n' cream ice cream by topping any flavor with Oreos. Go classic with chocolate and vanilla, extra cute with mini Oreos, or wild with your favorite seasonal cookie flavors.

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15

Rum-Soaked Raisins

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

When you make your own rum raisins, you can add as many or as few as you want. Bring 3/4 c. raisins, 3/4 c. pure maple syrup, and 3 tbsp. rum to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand until raisins are plump, at least 15 minutes. Let cool, then mix into your ice cream.

16

Nutella

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Is there anything better than Nutella? Hot tip: microwave your chocolate-hazelnut spread for a few seconds so that it's easier to drizzle.

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17

Olive Oil

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

This might sound bizarre, but trust us, it's delicious. Use your best olive oil here—something fruity and floral will pair best with sweet, creamy ice cream.

18

Strawberry Fluff

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Love marshmallow fluff? You gotta seek out the harder to find strawberry version. It's great on ice cream, ofc, but also makes a killer peanut butter fluff sandwich. Try it in our chocolate fluffernutter pie or our fluffernutter brownies too.

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19

Nilla Wafers

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

Craving an icebox cake, but don't have anything to celebrate? We get it, our recipes make a LOT of cake. Crumbling Nilla Wafers onto your ice cream is perfectly individually-sized, and just as yummy. For the true icebox experience, mix your cookies into your ice cream, and stick it back in the fridge for a bit so the cookies have time to become cake-y.

20

Mini Trix

delish-ice-cream-toppings
Lindsay Funston

We're very into the mini version of our favorite fruity cereal (they're sort of like extra crunchy and colorful nonpareil sprinkles), but the regular size works too! Enjoy them whole or try crushing them up over your ice cream.

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