40 ice cream topping recipes

Slow-simmered strawberry-rhubarb compote with just four ingredients cooked low for hours until thick and jammy. A versatile fruit topping for yogurt, ice cream, or toast.

Flowerpot desserts layer yellow cake, ice cream, and golden meringue in clay pots with real flower stems poking through the top. A showstopping party trick that looks wild and tastes like baked Alaska.

Hot chocolate float with steaming cocoa and a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream melting on top. A 3-ingredient, 10-minute treat where hot meets cold in every sip.

Maple mocha topping made from whipped egg whites, maple syrup, instant coffee, and vanilla. A light, fluffy no-cook sauce for ice cream or angel food cake with zero fat.

Spicy fruit compote simmers dried fruit in port wine with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon, finished with fresh banana. A warming dessert or breakfast topping for yogurt, ice cream, or pancakes.

Fruit salsa sundaes scoop vanilla ice cream into crisp tortilla bowls and top with peaches, strawberries, candied ginger, and lime zest. A Tex-Mex inspired summer dessert that takes 25 minutes.

Amigdala praline is a Greek almond brittle made with blanched almonds caramelized in butter and sugar with a drop of lemon juice. Crush it over tarts and ice cream for a crunchy topping.

Stuffed summer squash halves filled with scooped squash flesh mixed with diced cheese and cream, topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked until golden. Simple, seasonal comfort food.