Looking for the perfect summer dessert? Ice Cream Parfaits are fun, tasty, super easy no bake desserts the whole family will love!
Whether you’re hosting a warm weather gathering or looking for a way to bring some sunshine indoors during colder months, these Ice Cream Parfaits are a delicious treat!
Jump to:
🌟 Why this recipe works
An ice cream parfait is a refreshing and fun way to celebrate the day, soothe weary souls after a hard day, and simply take a moment to be present and enjoy the deliciousness of life. In short, it’s a great go-to dessert for almost any occasion.
They’re great desserts for so many reasons!
- Easy: they’re super simple to put together and don’t require any fancy presentation.
- Simple ingredients: it’s easy to make an ice cream parfait using what you already have in your fridge and freezer. All ingredients are simple and easy to find at any local grocery store.
- Fast: when you need a snack and you need one fast, this is it! You can whip an ice cream parfait together in about 5 mintutes!
- Special treat: sure you could just eat ice cream from the container, but making a parfait feels super luxurious and special.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Ice Cream layer- Use your favorite homemade or store-bought ice cream to build the ultimate dessert. It can be as basic as plain vanilla ice cream, it can be dairy-free, or it can be a fully loaded new and interesting ice cream combo. Your choice!
Crunchy layer – You need a layer of crunch to balance the creamy ice cream. Use your favorite granola to add a delicious layer of crunch to every bite! Or you can add a cookie layer with Biscoff cookies, graham crackers, or Oreo cookies.
Toppings – One of the best things about making this ice cream treat is the toppings! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- mini chocolate chips
- sliced almonds
- chopped peanuts or cashews
- chia seeds
- fresh blueberries
- fresh strawberries
- banana slices
- fresh raspberries
- chocolate syrup / chocolate sauce
- salted caramel sauce
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- Place a scoop or two of ice cream into a parfait glass or small bowl.
- Top with a crunch layer — here I use granola.
- Top with another layer of ice cream. Then sprinkle on some toppings.
- Finish it off with a final layer of chocolate syrup, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Nope! The classic and original French parfait consists of creating a custard by boiling cream, whole egg or egg yolks, sugar, and syrup together. This American version is much faster but has similar results!
The best way to store an ice cream parfait is through your mouth and into your belly. In other words: it’s a dessert best eaten immediately. If you intend to eat it later in the day, you can create the layers of the parfait without the final toppings, cover the top with plastic wrap, and freeze for a few hours. Just allow it to soften a bit at room temperature, just for a minute or two, before topping and eating.
🍽 Serving ideas
I’ve already listed some fun topping ideas above in the Ingredient Notes. For serving, consider setting up an Ice Cream Parfait Bar. Simply place out ice cream pints, bowls with various toppings, bottles of pourable syrups, ice cream scoops and spoons, and let everyone make their own dessert!
This ice cream is also delicious scooped over pound cake or angel food cake.
I’d also serve it with cookies:
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with chocolate ice cream
- Butterscotch Cookies with a vanilla parfait
- Lucky Charms Cookies with strawberry ice cream
- Cinnamon Spritz Cookies with tiramisu ice cream parfaits
- Oreo Truffles with Oreo ice cream parfaits (okay, truffles aren’t technically a cookie, but these would be a delicious pairing!)
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Ice cream scoop
- Parfait glasses (that link takes you to the ones shown here), ice cream sundae glasses, or these cute aqua latte bowls
- Small spoons for toppings
More dessert recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Ice Cream Parfait
Ingredients
- 1 pint ice cream
- 1 cup granola
Optional toppings
- mini chocolate chips
- sliced almonds
- chocolate syrup
- chopped pretzels
- sprinkles
- blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Place 1-2 scoops of ice cream in each bowl.
- Top with a small handful of granola.
- Place 1-2 more scoops of ice cream on top.
- Top with your choice of additional toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
