12 Flavourful Ways to Use Vanilla Ice Cream

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a scoop of plain ol’ vanilla ice cream every now and then. Sure there’s much fancier flavours out there but vanilla can be used in a wide range of desserts and coffee based beverages. Which is why I’m sharing 12 ways to jazz up vanilla ice cream with these delicious recipes.

July is actually National Ice Cream month which is just as well with all the crazy hot weather we’ve been having. Today (23rd July) just so happens to be National Vanilla Ice Cream Day so I’ve rounded up the yummiest recipes that use vanilla ice cream to show you that this flavour is anything but plain!

All recipes and images shared with permission from original blog post authors

Dalgona Ice Cream

Who remembers the Dalgona coffee craze of the lockdowns?! We were all whisking up that coffee and sugar like crazy and enjoying that fruits of our labour in our gardens. Well Dalgona ice cream takes it up and notch and completely transforms vanilla ice cream. Basically you just need to make the whipped part of a Dalgona coffee and scoop it over some vanilla ice cream. Ridiculously easy, right?!

Find the full recipe over on breagettingfit.com

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

Ice cream, fudgy brownie and the decadent black forest flavours. What more could you want in a dessert?! This might look complicated but what I love about this recipe is how easily it’s broken down so you can get the assembly of it just right. This cake consists of a rich brownie layer, kirsch infused cherry sauce, vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache and fresh cherries. There’s a lot going on but I think we can all agree this cake looks incredible.

Find the full recipe over on barleyandsage.com

Faux Fried Ice Cream

This is a great Mexican dessert and while it’s tasty on its own, it’s even better topped with chocolate, fudge or caramel sauce and whipped cream. This recipe is a little bit of cheats version on fried ice cream as it isn’t actually fried. The cereal mixture used for the coating is cooked separately then used to make the ice cream balls. That means less mess and slightly better for you then deep fat frying. Win win!

Find the full recipe over on lovefromtheoven.com

Affogato

A dessert that requires no culinary skills whatsoever? Yes please! Combining both the post-meal dessert and coffee, the Italians have got it spot on with this one. The liqueur is optional but if you do go with it a nut based or coffee based one works best. Three ingredients in a glass and you’re done. Because it is so simple it’s best to use high quality ingredients with this one so it feels decadent.

Find the full recipe over on itsnotcomplicated.com

Tropical Bananas Foster Ice Cream Sundae

A tropical twist on the classic bananas foster dessert. It still sticks to the basic principles of butter and brown sugar caramelised bananas but the toasted coconut and macadamia nuts give it a tropical flavour. Bananas foster does use rum but this can easily be left out for kids and those who don’t drink alcohol. The added ingredients with this means you’re not losing out on flavour if you don’t use alcohol.

Find the full recipe over on whatagirleats.com

Strawberry Schaum Torte

Perhaps a little less known than the other desserts on this list is the strawberry schaum torte. It’s on German origin but is a quintessential dessert in Wisconsin. Similar to a pavlova but less well known! A fluffy meringue topped with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream. Super simple to make but a delicious, fresh summer dessert everyone can enjoy.

Find the full recipe over on artofnaturalliving.com

Oreo Milkshake

A classic all-American milkshake that can be enjoyed on it’s own or alongside a big, juicy cheeseburger and fries. For an aesthetically pleasing milkshake, you’re going to want to top it with whipped cream and extra Oreo’s. It’s ridiculously simple to make but do make sure you have a good blender for this, or any milkshake for that matter!

Find the full recipe over on recipesfromapantry.com

Sizzling Brownie with Ice Cream

This is not your standard brownie with ice cream. This beauty is served on a hot cast iron sizzler plate for that added wow factor! The key with this is making sure the sizzling plates are well heated so when the chocolate sauce is added you get that hot, sizzling effect and your chocolate sauce will bubble.

Find the full recipe over on culinaryshades.com

Cake Batter and Ice Cream Crepes

The ultimate birthday breakfast. Because if you can’t eat ice cream for breakfast on your birthday, then when can you?! Ice cream stuffed crepes sound great but when those crepes are birthday cake flavoured then it really is a winning combo. Instead of whipped cream on top use buttercream icing for the ultimate birthday cake flavour.

Find the full recipe over on foodmeanderings.com

Chocolate Ganache Dipped Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

You can’t go wrong with an ice cream cookie sandwich but when said cookies are also dipped in chocolate ganache then it really take the dessert to the next level. Make your own cookies to ensure you get large, chewy cookies and this way you can experiment with different flavoured cookies too.

Find the full recipe over on divinelifestyle.com

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Milkshake

Another super simple milkshake recipe. The key is to decorate the glass to make this really stand out. Dip the rim of the glass in peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles and top the milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry for that true American diner feel. This milkshake is the perfect combination of salty and sweet!

Find the full recipe over on marleysmenu.com

Banana Split Sundae

No round-up of vanilla ice cream recipes would be complete without the classic banana split would it? And this is classic all the way, using the three traditional ice cream flavours for a banana split – vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Assemble all the ingredients in a long dish and finish with lashing of chocolate sauce.