The Best Ice Cream Toppings

Soft-serve ice cream is undeniably one of the most delicious desserts on the planet. Whether you get vanilla, chocolate, or any other flavor, the treat is perfect on its own. However, adding toppings to soft serve is one way to take it to the next level. In this article, we’re going to go over the most popular ice cream toppings so that you can give your customers what they really want so they keep returning for more.

SPRINKLES

The most classic of them all is, of course, sprinkles! Rainbow, chocolate, tricolored, stars, confetti – the list goes on! Sprinkles are a great way to make soft serve more visually appealing and picturesque, and it also provides a new consistency by giving customers a little something to crunch on.

HOT FUDGE

Mmmm, hot fudge – we can taste it by just thinking about it! Is there anything better than cold, creamy soft serve being combined with warm and melty hot fudge?! We’ve even seen our customers put hot fudge in the middle of a soft serve cone instead of drizzling it on top. This is a pleasant way to keep the dessert a little less messy and reward your customers with a little surprise in the center!

SYRUPS / SAUCES

Similar to hot fudge, chocolate syrup and caramel sauce are also great options for ice cream toppings. The way they drip down the cold soft serve and provide a broader flavor palette – they really are a great complement to any ice cream flavor.

MARASCHINO CHERRIES / FRUIT

Just like the famous quote, a cherry on top makes everything better! For those customers who would prefer something sweet and fruity, a maraschino cherry is the perfect option to put on top of an ice cream sundae. Soft serve itself may look a little plain, so a cherry adds a nice decorative touch. If your customers don’t like cherries, they can choose other fruits such as chopped-up strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, etc.

WHIPPED CREAM

One of the tastiest ice cream toppings of all, soft serves fluffier cousin, is whipped cream. Whipped cream is a great option to make soft serve taste even creamier, and the whipped topping isn’t as bad for you as you may think! Two tablespoons of Reddi Whip contain only 15 calories and less than 1g of sugar. This really won’t make much of a difference calorie-wise to your cup or cone of soft serve!

CRUSHED NUTS

Another great option for those customers who want to experience different textures while enjoying soft serve is crushed nuts. This can be done using a wide range of nuts including but not limited to, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. Nuts also offer a wide range of nutrients to consumers, such as protein, vitamin E, fiber, and other “healthy fats”.

GUMMY CANDIES

Popular amongst younger kids but still loved by older generations are sweet candies like gummy worms and gummy bears! Not only are the gummy candies fun to eat and chew, but they’re also eye-catching. This is another great way to introduce different textures and flavors to soft serve. Instead of sweet hot fudge, some consumers may prefer sour and tangy gummy worms!

CEREAL

One of our favorite options because of its simplicity is cereal! This topping couldn’t get any easier. Simply purchase your favorite cereal and treat it like sprinkles. No cutting or refrigeration needed! Some super popular cereals that dessert shops use as ice cream toppings are Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, Coco Pebbles, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

CRUSHED COOKIES

For our customers who don’t want to choose between a cookie or soft serve for dessert, now they can have both! We personally love the idea of dispensing thick and creamy soft serve into a cone and rolling it around in crushed-up cookies. One of our customers that does an amazing job at this is Hampton Chocolate Factory in Tampa, FL. You can find their IG here for some insane ice cream inspiration. (Warning: Clicking that link may cause an extreme sweet tooth!)

In conclusion, there are a lot of treats that you can use as ice cream toppings. We’ve even seen bacon and chips used before! The beauty is in the eye of the soft serve holder in this case, so make sure you have a wide range of toppings available for your customers so that they leave as satisfied as possible. Enjoy!