For real ice cream aficionados, ice cream has no season. Heck, a good ice cream can make youforget all about winter. And there’s basically no crazy ice cream combo you wouldn’t at least give a try, amiright? You say YES, PLEASE! to ice cream in all its incarnations, from ice cream cakes to ice cream sandwiches to ice cream sodas. While no-churn ice cream recipes can make for an easy DIY, the very best at-home hack is a really great sauce. Here are 18 ice cream sauce recipes that take even plain ol’ vanilla to the next level.
Homemade Nutella
Ahhh, chocolate and hazelnuts — that winning combo. This homemade sauce has all the wholesome flavor you crave, without the hydrogenated oils and refined sugars of store-bought brands. (via Naked Cuisine)
Homemade Magic Shell
Remember when you were a kid how awed you were by the mystery of magic shell, the sauce that hardened up the minute it hit the ice cream? Well you can bring back all the magic, equipped with just your microwave and two ingredients. (via Live Well Bake Often)
Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce
Oh, em, gee — red wine + hot fudge = your two fave decadent treats in one. Pour a gusher of this sauce over your next two scoops and you’ll be in ice cream nirvana. (via The Crumby Cupcake)
Salted Date Caramel Sauce
This one’s for the Paleo peeps in the house! This delectable salted caramel sauce is sweetened naturally with medjool dates. Served over your fave coconut milk ice cream, it’s perfectly Paleo. (via Brewing Happiness)
Maple-Praline Sauce
If you HEART authentic Southern-style praline sauce, prepare to meet your next go-to ice cream topping. If you look up the word “decadent” in an illustrated dictionary, it’s bound to look something like this. (via Martha Stewart)
Brownie Sundaes With Salted Raspberry Caramel Sauce
Everyone’s fave salted caramel sauce just got a serious upgrade. Raspberries make a perfect sweet-tart contrast, especially when poured over a rich chocolate brownie a la mode. Ooh la la! (via Blush and Ivy)
Spreadable Cinnamon Apple Caramel
Apples and caramel have long been a perfect pairing in the culinary world. Spoon some of this over ice cream and it’s sublime, but it’s also great to spread on pancakes, toast and butter cookies. (via Little Sugar Snaps)
Fresh Strawberry Sauce
This simple sauce calls for just four ingredients — including the freshest strawberries you can find. Top your sundae, or mix it into yogurt or overnight oats and it’s all good. (via Pumpkin ‘nSpice)
Coffee Salted Caramel Sauce
Sometimes the simplest pleasures *are* the best. A scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of this coffee salted caramel sauce and a spoon — and suddenly all’s right with your world. (via Country Cleaver)
Grilled Cherries in Spiced Butter Rum Sauce
This sauce sounds so exotic, but it’s easy peasy to make. Bring this baby out for dessert when there’s a palate at the table you want to impress. (via Vintage Kitty)
Bailey’s Hot Fudge Sauce
There’s nothing more sinfully delicious than ice cream with hot fudge sauce — unless it’s same PLUS Irish cream. This sauce is utterly swoon-worthy. (via Cake ‘n Knife)
The Best and Easiest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
This caramel sauce is SOOOO creamy, buttery, rich, smooth and thick that you can stand a spoon in it. But fair warning: Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never settle for store-bought again. (via Averie Cooks)
Easy Chocolate Syrup
This chocolate syrup is easy to make and keeps for weeks in the fridge. Long after the ice cream party has ended, you can use it to make hot cocoa or chocolate milk or even drizzle a bit of mocha java in your morning Joe. (via Goodie Godmother)
Gingerbread-Caramel Sauce
Can you believe everyone’s fave holiday cookie flavor can be captured in an irresistible sundae sauce? Serve this over vanilla ice cream with some candied ginger sprinkles. (via Martha Stewart)
Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
If you could only choose one, would you rather eat the Fluff or the ice cream? Well, luckily, you don’t have to choose! (via Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking)
Marshmallow Hot Fudge Sauce
Sundaes are perfect anytime, but they make a fun and playful dessert to serve after fancy dinner gatherings. This is one dessert that brings out the kid in everyone. (via Baked Bree)
Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Hot Fudge
If there’s any more delicious combo in the world than peanut butter and chocolate, we haven’t heard of it. Like the old Reese’s jingle goes: two great tastes that go great together. (via Two Peas & Their Pod)
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping
This peanut butter sauce is freakin’ fantastic. Let’s face it — it’s liquified sweet peanut butter that you pour over ice cream, so what’s NOT to love. (via Crazy for Crust)
Sally Jones
Sally Jones is a writer and editor living in New York City. She has worked at many websites including iVillage, Ladies Home Journal, More, Parenting, Cosmopolitan, The Knot and YourTango, in jobs ranging from editor to COO. Renovation and interior design are her
hobbies. She has renovated every home she's lived in, including the rentals, and like... whoa, who does that? You can catch her at her blog Renov8or.
