27 Delicious Frozen Dessert Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated June 12, 2020
Whether it’s rich homemade ice cream, a fruity granita, or cooling paletas, frozen desserts are the ultimate warm weather treat. In this roundup you’ll find all sorts of recipes, from a five-ingredient soft serve that comes together in minutes to salted watermelon ice cream. With over 20 to choose from, you’re bound to find a new favorite.
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Peaches and Cream 
Ice Cream Cake


Con Poulos
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In a riff on traditional ice cream cake, Laura Rege spreads the tender cake layers with ice cream, then uses even more ice cream (instead of actual frosting) to frost the cake.

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Nectarine-Buttermilk Pops

© CON POULOS
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Refreshing and delicious, these nectarine-buttermilk pops are all you need during hot summer months.

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Ice Cream, Sorbet and Froyo Terrine

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Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio, says the secret to a perfect layered terrine is the "clash of color and texture."

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Frozen Hazelnut Mousse Cakes with Armagnac

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This sophisticated dessert was inspired by a recipe from Lindsey Shere, founding pastry chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California.

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Frozen Creme Caramel

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To make her creme caramel more refreshing, chef Amanda Hallowell serves it partially frozen, like a semifreddo.

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Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

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These ice cream sandwiches can be frozen for up to one week.

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Frozen Maple-Mousse Pie with Candied Cranberries

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Kathleen Callahan makes delicious desserts like this frozen pie topped with slow-simmered cranberries.

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Mint Ice Cream

Frances Janisch
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This exceptionally creamy ice cream relies on two unexpected ingredients: corn starch (to help thicken it) and cream cheese (to make it scoopable).

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Vanilla Ice Cream

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This super simple ice cream calls for half-and-half, sugar, egg yolks, and a vanilla bean.

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Riesling-Pear Pops

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These Riesling-spiked ice pops can be frozen for up to a week in advance.

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Vanilla Semifreddo and Orange Sorbet Terrine

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Reminiscent of a Creamsicle, this creamy, tangy terrine can be made with a shortcut: store-bought orange sorbet.

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Caramelized Banana Split with Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce

Con Poulos
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This Caramelized Banana Split with Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce is an elegant riff on the classic sundae, and it feeds a crowd. Making a quick caramel to pour over the bananas creates a delicious crunchy coating that shatters as you dig into the sundae. The espresso in the hot fudge highlights the bittersweet notes in the cocoa, making this one grown-up dessert.

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Pineapple-Coconut Soft Serve

Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer
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With just five ingredients, this fluffy, effortless dessert comes together in minutes with a flavor reminiscent of a tiki cocktail. For an adult version, swap 1/4 cup of the coconut cream for the same amount of your favorite rum.

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Olive Oil Ice Cream

Victor Protasio
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One of Portland, Oregon–based ice cream shop Salt & Straw’s classic flavors, this Olive Oil Ice Cream is a perfect beginner batch to whip up.

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Strawberry Sorbet

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With only two ingredients (berries and sugar), Jon Snyder’s vivid sorbet explodes with fresh fruit flavor. This super-simple recipe calls for the ripest strawberries and requires an ice cream maker.

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Strawberries-and-Cream Gelato Cake

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As stunning as it is delicious, this creamy strawberry-and-sour-cream gelato cake from Jon Snyder is the perfect centerpiece for summer celebrations.

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Mango-Cashew Kulfi Pops

Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
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Canned mango pulp works better in these frozen ice pops than fresh mangoes because of its concentrated flavor, which helps cut through the rich cashews and sweetened condensed milk.

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Black Cherry–Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer
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Homemade chocolate cookies encase store-bought black cherry ice cream for the ultimate ice cream sandwiches.

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Rosewater-and-Saffron Ice Cream (Bastani Irani)


© Con Poulos
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This fragrant ice cream is redolent with flavor. It’s traditionally served between two thin wafers to make ice cream sandwiches, but it’s equally delicious on its own.

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Matcha Mochi Ice Cream Sandwiches

John Kernick
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Pastry chef Jen Yee makes these fun and pretty sandwiches with a simple Japanese dough that combines sweet glutinous rice flour, sugar, water and matcha powder.

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Pineapple Paletas with Chiles

© Abby Hocking
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In Mexico, sweet fruit and spicy chiles go hand in hand. These beautiful paletas (Mexican ice pops) from La Newyorkina’s Fany Gerson are studded with diced pineapple and sliced chiles as a nod to the traditional Mexican snack of mango dusted with chili powder.

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Salted Watermelon Ice Cream

Jen Causey
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Nothing screams summer like slices of salted ripe watermelon, and this simple ice cream takes it to the next level.

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Condensed-Milk Ice Cream with Black Sesame Polvoron

Eva Kolenko
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At LASA in Los Angeles, chef Chad Valencia makes his own version of ice cream by folding condensed milk into whipped cream—no churning required. A gently toasted black sesame crumble adds texture and a welcome nuttiness.

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Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream Sandwiches

Eva Kolenko
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Top Chef winner Kristen Kish designed this dessert to honor both of her grandmothers, one known for her apple pie and the other for her snickerdoodles. Kish folds spiced apple pie filling into vanilla ice cream, then sandwiches it between chewy snickerdoodle cookies.

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Creamy Avocado Paletas

© Abby Hocking
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These tangy, luxurious paletas from La Newyorkina’s Fany Gerson are completely dairy-free: avocado and coconut milk give them a super velvety texture.

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Fresh Mint Stracciatella Semifreddo

Greg DuPree
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Fistfuls of fresh mint are steeped in the custard base of this Mint Stracciatella Semifreddo; a slow simmer releases the herb’s oils into the base without leeching any color.

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Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto

Victor Protasio
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Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson pairs a subtly tangy berry granita with honey-sweetened pesto in this refreshing summer dessert. Choose the sweetest, juiciest berries for the most flavorful granita.

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