The Best Ice Cream Sundae Bar Ideas for Your Next Event

It may not surprise you to learn that a whopping 96% of Americans eat ice cream. If you’re thinking about adding a sundae bar to your next event, you’re making a great choice.

While there may be a lot more to a great event than just the snacks that are available, they do make a difference. Providing food or dessert of some kind won’t go unappreciated and will help your event have an even greater impact.

But what should you consider when planning an ice cream sundae bar and what should you include? Here are the best ice cream sundae bar ideas you need to remember for your next event.

Scoop Your Ice Cream in Advance

When creating a sundae bar, you should consider pre-scooping your ice cream.

It can be helpful to pre-scoop your ice cream and place the scoops on a tray in the freezer. Then, you can wait until you’re ready to serve them to take them back out. Another alternative is to go ahead and put the scoops directly into the bowls that guests will use.

Scooping ice cream can be a bit of a hassle when things are busy at your sundae bar. By scooping ice cream in advance, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort.

Choose Your Bowls Wisely

You should also think carefully about how you’ll serve your ice cream to guests and what containers you’ll have available. Bowls or cups will typically be the best choices.

When providing bowls, think carefully about the sizes you provide. Ensure that the bowl or cup you provide isn’t so big that it will overwhelm your guests but also that it’s big enough for the amount of ice cream and toppings that a guest would like to have.

In addition to providing bowls or cups, you should also consider providing at least one type of ice cream cone. Many people prefer to eat their ice cream in a cone.

Stick to the Core Flavors

If you want to have a great sundae bar at your event, you need to make sure that you have a good base to start with. Think carefully about the ice cream flavors that you choose to provide. As far as flavors go, it’s typically best to stick to the typical favorites such as vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry.

While providing more ice cream flavor options may be appreciated, remember that you don’t have to overdo it. The toppings will be the focal point of a sundae bar, so just make sure you get some high-quality ice cream that guests will love.

Include a Variety of Toppings

There are endless types of toppings that you can get for your sundae bar, but there are a few essentials you’ll want to consider having available.

First of all, no ice cream sundae is complete without some sauces to choose from such as chocolate sauce or caramel sauce. Having some fruit available such as blueberries, strawberries and bananas is also a great idea since many people love to put fruit on their sundaes.

In addition to this, it’s a good idea to include nuts of some kind This could include almonds, pecans, or peanuts. Other great additions include cookie chunks, brownie chunks, and chocolate chips.

Avoid Overwhelm Guests With Choices

Keep in mind that while you may want to give your guests plenty of options, you should avoid overwhelming them. Providing too many choices can actually be frustrating for them and they may have a hard time deciding which ice cream flavors or toppings to choose.

You might want to limit yourself when deciding what you’ll include. It could be a good idea to stick to 4 sauces or less, for example, or to keep only 5 toppings or less around.

Keeping things simple can help make things easier to manage and can be better for your guests as well.

Label Your Toppings

If you want to offer a great experience at your sundae bar, you should label your ingredients and toppings.

Some people may be uncertain about what a topping is if it’s not clearly labeled. In addition to this, some people will have allergies. When it comes to chopped nut toppings, for example, you’ll want to make sure that guests can easily tell what they’re looking at.

You may also want to keep other dietary restrictions in mind as well. Consider letting guests know other specific information about ingredients such as whether certain toppings contain gluten or dairy.

Go Beyond Ice Cream

If you want to make your ice cream bar even more interesting, you might want to consider including other types of ice cream and frozen treats as well.

Offering additional frozen products such as frozen yogurt, gelato, or sorbet can be a great way to expand your sundae bar and make it more interesting. Each of these frozen treats also tends to be a bit healthier than ice cream as well and will have fewer calories, sugar, and fat.

Consider adding one or several of these options to your sundae bar if you want your guests to have more options or if you want to provide healthier choices.

Remember the Whipped Cream

In addition to other toppings, don’t forget that one of the best things to pair with an ice cream sundae is whipped cream. You might want to keep some whipped cream around for guests who want to add a little something extra to their sundaes.

Even better, consider making your own whipped cream if you want your sundae bar to be amazing. Whipped cream is easy to make but can make a big difference in your sundae bar.

Consider Hiring Professionals

If you want to make sure that your event is a success, you might want to get professional help.

Looking for an ice cream catering service can be useful and can help ensure that your guests are impressed and satisfied. Consider hiring a company such as Ice Cream Occasions to provide ice cream cart rental or ice cream sundae bar services for your next event.

Creating the Perfect Sundae Bar With These Tips

If you want to create the perfect sundae bar for your next event, be sure to consider all of the ideas and tips listed above. Including great toppings, labeling your ingredients, and keeping things simple can help your sundae bar be a success.

Need more tips for your next event? Read over our blog now to find more useful advice.