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  5. 14 Ice Cream Float Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer

14 Ice Cream Float Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer

Andrea Beck headshot
By Andrea Beck Updated April 12, 2022
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Rootin’ Vodka Float
Credit: Peter Krumhardt

Hot summer days call for a few scoops of ice cream with a generous pour of cold, fizzy soda on top. Don't limit your ice cream float ideas to just vanilla and root beer, though. These ice cream floats combine all kinds of summer favorites, including popular ice cream flavors, sorbet, and even green tea!

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Sparkling Rosé Blueberry Floats

Sparkling Rose Blueberry Floats
Credit: Andy Lyons
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These pretty floats will impress guests at your barbecue while also cooling them down. Refreshing blueberry granita and creamy coconut gelato pair with sparkling rosé to create these showstopper floats. The rosé version of these ice cream floats is for adults-only, but if you want to replace the wine, you can easily sub in club soda.

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Green Tea Float

Green Tea Floats
Credit: Carson Downing
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Chilled green tea and matcha ice cream add up to a doubly green, doubly delicious ice cream float. A generous pour of ginger ale adds plenty of bubbles (and makes this dessert even more refreshing). And the best part? You only need those three ingredients to make this stunning float!

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Fruity Floats

Lightened-Up Soda Floats
Credit: Matthew Clark
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Choose your refreshing sorbet, choose your favorite fruit juice, and you're well on your way to making a delicious summery float. Use a few ice cream float ideas to get you started, such as cherries and cream or raspberry-limeade. Add a straw and fruit slice for a grand presentation.

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Champagne Float

Champagne-Sorbet Float
Credit: Hannah Bigot
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Pour yourself a glass of bubbly, and this time add a little extra sweetness! A far cry from a traditional root beer float, this grown-up ice cream float features lemon sorbet and raspberries with champagne poured on top. It's definitely a classier version of a classic float, but it's just as tasty. To make each glass even more elegant, garnish with a lemon twist before you start sipping.

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Black Cow

Black Cow
Credit: Matthew Clark
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This is the classic soda shop float from childhood that you've been craving! Start with a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup, then add a little root beer and mix the two before adding vanilla ice cream. And naturally, this root beer ice cream float isn't complete unless there's a cherry on top.

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Ginger Beer Shandy Floats

Ginger Beer Shandy Floats
Credit: Jessica Merchant
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Put a twist on a summery lemon shandy by turning it into a beer ice cream float! In place of lemonade, ginger beer makes this float super fizzy, while the addition of fruity wheat beer makes it great for sipping poolside or while soaking up the sun. Big scoops of vanilla ice cream turn this drink into a float that will make any adult feel like a kid again.

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Hot Chocolate-Stout Float

Hot Chocolate Stout Float Dessert with sauce pan
Credit: Andy Lyons
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No worries, this ice cream float is much chillier than the name implies. The recipe gets its hot chocolate name from an easy fudge sauce, which is heated with chocolate stout before making the float. Scoop vanilla ice cream into your glass, then pour on the fudge sauce and chocolate stout. Top with edible rose petals if you're really feeling fancy.

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Ginger-and-Mint Lime Floats

Ginger-and-Mint Lime Floats
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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Fresh ginger, lime juice, and club soda make this float fruity and fizzy. Using lime sorbet, instead of traditional ice cream, ensures that this drink is extra refreshing. And tossing a few sprigs of fresh mint into this ice cream float doesn't hurt, either.

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Sparkling Grapefruit Sorbet Fruits

Sparkling Grapefruit Sorbet Floats
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Make this float for the 21+ crowd with Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine), or make it kid-friendly with sparkling cider. Both are delicious with the combo of grapefruit sorbet and vanilla ice cream. Finish this pretty ice cream float with a curl of grapefruit peel as a garnish.

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Vanilla-Chocolate Float

Vanilla-chocolate float
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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This so-easy ice cream float combination is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth in a matter of minutes. Think of it like a clever twist on a root beer float! Chocolate ice cream and cream soda create an irresistible treat the whole family will enjoy.

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Caramel Apple Float

Caramel Apple Float
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Caramel apples are definitely more than just an autumn treat. In fact, you can transform them into a refreshing summer dessert with this super-easy ice cream float recipe! By combining dulce de leche ice cream and green apple soda, you can make a float that tastes just like a caramel apple. (Adding a drizzle of caramel sauce helps, too.)

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Fizzy Mint-Chocolate Soda

Fizzy Mint-Chocolate Soda
Credit: Colleen Duffley
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Who doesn't love mint and chocolate? This fast float uses mint chocolate chip ice cream, crème de menthe, chocolate syrup, and cream soda to transform the classic dessert combo into a delicious summer treat. If you want to make this ice cream float look a little fancier, add chocolate curls or shaved chocolate on top.

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Rootin' Vodka Float

Rootin’ Vodka Float
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
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This grown-up float is a twist on the classic vanilla milkshake. Just combine vanilla ice cream with root beer-flavor vodka and club soda. It offers the same flavors as a root beer float, but this float idea is a little more mature (and made for a party!).

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Grape-Raspberry Float

Grape-Raspberry Float
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Grape soda fans: This is the float for you! When you pour grape soda over raspberry sorbet, the result is a delicious and refreshing soda float that just screams summer. Dress up your glass and add a little freshness to this ice cream float by garnishing with a skewer of yummy raspberries.

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    1 of 14 Sparkling Rosé Blueberry Floats
    2 of 14 Green Tea Float
    3 of 14 Fruity Floats
    4 of 14 Champagne Float
    5 of 14 Black Cow
    6 of 14 Ginger Beer Shandy Floats
    7 of 14 Hot Chocolate-Stout Float
    8 of 14 Ginger-and-Mint Lime Floats
    9 of 14 Sparkling Grapefruit Sorbet Fruits
    10 of 14 Vanilla-Chocolate Float
    11 of 14 Caramel Apple Float
    12 of 14 Fizzy Mint-Chocolate Soda
    13 of 14 Rootin' Vodka Float
    14 of 14 Grape-Raspberry Float

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    14 Ice Cream Float Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer
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