Frozen Dessert Recipes to Help You Chill Out

Lemon Verbena Ice Cream Pie

Almost too stunning to eat (but not quite!), this ice cream dessert is crowned with edible flowers and built on a warm-spiced gingerbread-shortbread crust. In between, scoop in a lovely homemade ice cream scented with brightly-flavored lemon verbena. Once you try just one bite, you'll declare that no spring or summer gathering would be complete without this.

Confetti Cake and Ice Cream Pops

The iconic duo of cake and ice cream is reinvented as portable pops in this frozen dessert recipe from cookbook authors Paul Arguin and Chris Taylor. The party-on-a-stick features confetti cake layers with swirls of mango and raspberry sorbets. The best part? This layering method works with any combo of cake and ice cream you want.

Peach Pie Shake

Pie oh my! All you need to blend up this quintessential summer dessert is a slice of peach pie (even yesterday's leftovers will do), frozen peaches, and vanilla ice cream. Finish the cold peach dessert with a splash of milk to marry everything together and prepare to enjoy a sip of summer vibes.

Grown Up S'mores Torte

Translate the ooey-gooey goodness of the campfire favorite into a modern, gourmet-looking yet easy-to-prep torte. Dulce de leche and coffee ice cream paired with marshmallow creme update the classic s'mores recipe flavor combo. Don't skip the final broiling step for nicely toasted marshmallows atop this tempting frozen dessert recipe!

Ice Cream Sandwich "Tiramisu"

This frozen dessert recipe has the flavors of the fancy coffee dessert you know with the help of store-bought ice cream. Classic tiramisu is reimagined as a super-easy icebox cake using ice cream sandwiches (in place of ladyfingers), chocolate wafer cookies, and a simple coffee-flavored mascarpone cream filling.

Fried Ice Cream Truffles

The fried ice cream sundaes we enjoyed at Mexican restaurants as kids inspired these perfectly poppable snacks. To make the experience even more fun at home, finish off with caramel, fudge, and cinnamon whipped cream for dipping.

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate-peanut butter cups are good. But you know what's even better? An ice cream pie that features the same flavors, just reimagined in a tasty slice-shaped package. Its creamy whipped peanut butter filling and chocolate cookie-crumb crust make for a melt-in-your-mouth frozen dessert recipe.

Pistachio Gelato Brownie Bars

Thin brownies surround velvety pistachio gelato in this rich frozen dessert recipe. The trick to perfectly tidy layers? Dividing the batter and baking it in two pans (rather than halving it after baking) creates delightfully crisp edges.

Coffee Cone Affogato

Finish off the remaining half of your pint in these pint-size coffee shop-inspired drinks. A mini scoop of vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso make a dream duo inside the chocolate-coated edible cups. If you're serving this easy cold dessert after dinner or close to bedtime, we recommend choosing decaf over regular brewed coffee.

Neapolitan Pops

These pretty ice cream dessert pops are the perfect ending to a summer meal. You get a trio of flavors: vanilla, chocolate (two layers, by way of ice cream and the cookie crust), and strawberry in every bite. And since this cold dessert comes served on a stick, you can enjoy it almost anywhere. No bowl or spoon required.

Cornbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Soft and sweet with a hint of nuttiness, these cutout cookies make a tasty match for summery berry ice cream fillings. Use cookie cutters to form any shape you like. Make these frozen desserts up to 2 weeks in advance of your summer party for easy prep.

Shortcut Pumpkin Ice Cream

When you're longing for fall comfort food but don't want to turn on the oven to make a pumpkin pie, you can still enjoy the season's signature flavor with this easy frozen dessert recipe. Simply combine purchased vanilla ice cream with canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for a taste of fall even if it's during the hot summer months.

Polka-Dot Neapolitan Pie

Classic neapolitan ice cream takes on a new look in a pie with a crunchy sugar cone crust and peekaboo pattern of strawberry and chocolate polka dots. Toasted strawberry meringue crowns the confection.

Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake with Mascarpone Ice Cream

Tiramisu is already one of our all-time favorite Italian dessert picks. But once we dreamed up the idea of upping the ante with creamy, decadent mascarpone ice cream, the espresso-infused treat becomes downright irresistible. To make prep for this frozen dessert recipe low-fuss, we call for starting with boxed cake mix.

Chocolate-Peanut Ice Cream Cake

Savor a scoop of both chocolate and vanilla! With a cookie crust, two layers of ice cream, and crunchy chocolate-covered peanuts throughout, this ice cream cake is everything you could ever want in a dessert. Melt together fudge sauce and creamy peanut butter for a wildly tasty topping.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches

What's better than surprising your loved ones with a box of chocolates? Surprising them with a batch of ice cream sandwiches inspired by the flavor that always has everyone fighting for the last bite: chocolate-covered cherry. Opt for store-bought cherry ice cream so you can focus on the mocha-flavored cookies and two-ingredient Magic Shell coating for this easy cold dessert recipe.

Ice Cream Tacos

Tacos need not be savory to be sensational. Inspired by a popular supermarket freezer find, these tacos center around a sweet ice cream "taco" filling. Wrap a waffle bowl in a damp paper towel and microwave for 15 seconds so you can shape it into a shell. Then, instead of lettuce, cheese, and sour cream, garnish your ice cream dessert tacos with candies, sprinkles, and a cherry.

Soda Fountain Ice Cream Pie

This ice cream pie tastes like a shake-and-malt mash-up, plus a strawberry ice cream cone to boot. Use this easy frozen dessert recipe to one-up your local ice cream parlor. The frozen pie features malted milk balls and fresh strawberries, plus crushed ice cream cones for the crunchy crust. A drizzle of hot fudge tops things off in the richest way possible.

Lemon Bar Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

No need to decide between ice cream, cookies, or candy. This sweet-tart frozen dessert item sneaks all three into each bite! Lemon curd-swirled vanilla ice cream is stuffed between homemade sugar cookie squares, then surrounded by crushed lemon candies in this mouth-puckeringly perfect treat.

Blackberry-Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Pistachio Shortbread

With a hint of tang from lemon sorbet and plenty of richness via vanilla ice cream, the berry-laced filling for these shortbread sandwiches will please fans of sweet and tart treats. Imagine how refreshing it would be to bite into one of these frozen fruit dessert bars on a sweltering summer day! Then stop imagining and start assembling.

Coffee-Mallow Torte

Go nuts over our frozen chocolate-marshmallow torte topped with pecans and showered in silky caramel. The rich coffee-fudge layer and crumbly cookie crust featured in this frozen dessert recipe will be the talk of your next get-together. Just look at that caramel drizzle …

Chocolate-Marshmallow Ice Cream Sandwiches

Give leftover candy bars new life in these semi-homemade frozen dessert sandwiches. Chocolate cake mix makes the cookies oh-so-easy to bake up, while Twix-infused ice cream and marshmallow creme team up for the dreamy filling.

Dulce de Leche Sundae Cups

Inspired by caramel-dunked churros, these Mexican sundaes are ideal for a build-your-own frozen dessert bash. Bake the cinnamon-sugar tortillas in muffin tins to create edible bowls in advance. Come party time, each reveler can fill his or her own with a scoop of ice cream, dessert syrup, and berries.

Coffee Shake Shots

Combine after-dinner coffee and dessert in one sippable, caffeinated treat. A pint of coffee ice cream transforms into a cheerful happy hour option when you blend it with milk and coffee liqueur, then serve in chocolate syrup-drizzled shot glasses. Finish the cold dessert recipe with chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans so guests have a clue about the buzzy ingredients to come.

Pick-Your-Cereal Milkshakes

Whether you're Team Cocoa Puffs or Team Cinnamon Toast Crunch (or both!), you can customize your quick-fix ice cream shake to feature your favorite breakfast cereal(s). A pint of vanilla ice cream, a cup of milk, and a cup of cereal are all you need to end your meal with a frozen dessert recipe inspired by one of the sweetest ways to start the day.

Grilled Donut Ice Cream Sandwich

Give cookies the night off and sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between grilled donut halves instead. A shower of chocolate sauce takes this five-minute frozen dessert recipe to the next level of decadence.

Test Kitchen Tip: Brush the cut-side of each donut half with a bit of melted butter for extra richness and to avoid sticking on the grill.

Butterscotch Crunch Squares

Creamy, crunchy, and cool all at once, these oat-crust bars showcase many layers of summer dessert deliciousness. Choose butter brickle, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream and top with a sugary, crumbly nut mixture. If you're really feeling like a "treat yourself" moment (and who isn't?!), drizzle this frozen dessert recipe with caramel ice cream topping before serving.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

This mint ice cream showstopper is perfect for any season! Dig out those peppermint sticks from the holidays and put them to great use in this summer ice cream cake that's beyond refreshing on a hot day.

Test Kitchen Tip: Prepare this easy cold dessert up to a week ahead of time and store in your freezer until ready to serve.

Grilled Blackberries and Ice Cream

Grilled berries? Yes, it's possible, and, yes, they're amazing! Thread them on skewers like you might if you were dunking fruit in chocolate fondue. But instead of coating with chocolate, char over flames for 3 minutes to caramelize the natural sugars, then spoon over any flavor of ice cream to complete this easy cold dessert recipe. (We're partial to vanilla, cheesecake, or chocolate for this.)

Peppermint-Fudge Pie

Why reserve peppermint for winter holidays alone? Its uber-refreshing, naturally cool flavor is perfect for taming the heat. Layers of peppermint ice cream and homemade fudge sauce are topped with fluffy meringue then baked to golden brown for a nod to summery s'mores.