How to Make a Sundae Bar

Last Updated: May 20, 2021 Tested

An ice cream sundae bar is an easy way to have friends and family come over and create their own delicious ice cream treat. This wikiHow will show you how to make an awesome sundae bar in a few simple steps that you can make to celebrate any special occasion.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:
Setting Up the Sundae Bar

1
Put out sundae glasses or bowls on the table. You should have enough sundae glasses or bowls for everyone who will be at the sundae bar. It is recommended that you also set out a few extra, just in case you need them, though this is optional. You can also use the extras to hold ice cream sauces or whipped cream if you want.
2
Choose an ice cream scooper to scoop your ice cream. You don't want to end up bending a spoon to get the ice cream out of the container, so use an ice cream scooper to scoop the ice cream. If you want perfect scoops of ice cream, before you scoop, run warm water over the ice cream scoop to warm it up.
3
Provide spoons. You should have a lot of them, one for everyone coming to your sundae bar, plus a few more for scooping toppings, ice cream sauces, and whipped topping. Try to plan out how many spoons you will use to actually eat the ice cream, plus how many you will need for the toppings. Add it up, and that is around how many spoons you should have.
4
Set out napkins. When eating an ice cream sundae bar, especially with little kids, it can get pretty messy, so you should have plenty of napkins to wipe off your face and hands. If you are going for a certain theme for sundae bar, you use colored party napkins to match your theme.
5
Take out the toppings. You can use a muffin tin as an easy way to put out all your toppings because you can put a different topping in each section of the muffin tin. Though you don't need to have 12 toppings to choose from, a muffin tin can be great for holding several types of toppings. Alternatively, you could use bowls or other containers to hold the toppings.
6
Bring out the ice cream. Take out the ice cream and set it on the table, making sure it is soft enough to scoop but not melt. Place it near the beginning of the bar so your guests can easily place it in their bowls first.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:
Making a Sundae

1
Choose your ice cream flavors. The most important thing you need for your sundae bar is the ice cream. After all, what's an ice cream sundae without ice cream? While you really only need one flavor of ice cream, it is best to have multiple to choose from.
- A few popular ice cream flavors include chocolate, vanilla, mint chip, cookie dough, strawberry, peanut butter, and cookies and cream. Neapolitan ice cream is also good because you get three flavors in one.
2
Add your toppings. It's always good to have an assortment of toppings at a sundae bar, so try to have a wide variety of toppings. Some topping ideas are sprinkles, marshmallows, crushed cookie bits, chocolate chips, cherries and other assorted fruits, crushed candy, finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, and small candies. Have your toppings in a muffin tin or bowl, and use spoons to scoop the toppings onto your ice cream.
3
Use different ice cream sauces. Ice cream sauces are tasty sugary sauces, and they are part of what makes an ice cream sundae an ice cream sundae. Some sauce ideas are chocolate sauce, marshmallow sauce, strawberry sauce, caramel sauce, and hot fudge. Have these set out in a bowl or mug with a spoon to put it on your sundae, or use the original containers they were in to pour on top.
4
Provide whipped cream or whipped topping. If you are using whipped cream in a can, then just put the can on the table near the other ice cream sauces and use it to put the whipped cream on your sundae. If you are using a homemade whipped cream or whipped topping, have it placed in a bowl on table with a spoon for scooping it out.