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Sundae Bar Idea: Ice Cream Nachos

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Allow me to introduce you to Ice Cream Nachos! With a variety of toppings, fresh fruit and delicious ice cream and non-dairy frozen desserts, Ice Cream Nachos are a fun family dessert idea.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Boy holding an ice cream sundae.

Ice cream is one of our favorite summer desserts. But we like to set up our sundae bar a little bit differently.

Let me show you how easy it is to set up this fun dessert nachos station for your next family night or party.

It’s time to make Ice Cream Nachos

Nothing makes me happier in life than crispy, cheesy nachos. (Except for my children and husband, of course).

I love that you can layer flavors and textures to create a delicious dish that is soul-satisfying.

Ice Cream Nachos are the same just in dessert form.

With a variety of textures and crunch and yummy sundae toppings, this fun dessert idea is easy for each family member to customize.

While you can make these dessert nachos on one big plate, family-style, I like to let each person make their own.

This works not only for my son with food allergies but also for my other son and I who prefer non-dairy frozen desserts to traditional ice cream.

This fun sundae bar idea means we can all have our dessert just the way we want it.

Plan your grocery list

Ingredients for making an ice cream sundae laying out on a cutting board with a grocery receipt.

While Albertsons still offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ options for your convenience, I have started doing my own shopping again.

I like to see what they have in-store and look for new things to add to our meal plan, which includes dessert. What can I say, I have a major sweet tooth.

To make Ice Cream Nachos you need a few things. You need something that acts like a chip, ice cream (or non-dairy version), toppings and sauces.

We like Open Nature®’s non-dairy frozen dessert. They have options like sorbet and products made with almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, and coconut milk.

They don’t have artificial colors or flavors and have cleaner ingredients which is fantastic.

Plus the Scandal-less light ice cream from Open Nature is lower in calories and fat and higher in protein. It’s a “better for you” ice cream option.

It’s guilt-free indulgence. Which I love especially since I just started working out but I still like to treat myself.

Signature SELECT™ and Open Nature items are exclusive to Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in my area. Head there to pick up everything you need for your Ice Cream Nachos!

Not near Orange County? You can also find these exclusive treats at your ACME, Jewel-Osco, Randall’s, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star market, Tom Thumb or Vons stores.

Before you shop, take a quick look in your cupboards to see if you have items that would be delicious.

I already had chocolate chips from my last trip to Albertsons to pick up items for my Family Snack Board.

Ingredients

I had a few ideas of what I wanted for our Ice Cream Nacho Sundaes but as I was shopping I found even more tasty ideas.

For the crunchy “nacho” base

  • Cinnamon Graham Crackers
  • Brownie Chips
  • Churro Bites
A variety of ice cream laying on a cutting board next to a bottle of chocolate sauce and bowl of nuts.

For the ice cream

  • Signature SELECT™ Unicorn Cotton Candy
  • Open Nature Almond Milk Chocolate Fudge Brownie
  • Open Nature Cashew Milk Cookie Dough
  • Open Nature Scandal-less Low-Calorie Light Vanilla

Signature SELECT offers high-quality ice cream at a value which is great when you are buying multiple items to fill out your sundae bar.

My son and I were shocked with how many amazing flavor varieties were available for non-dairy ice creams.

Usually, we only have a few options to choose from but we were excited to see so many tasty-sounding flavors! It was hard to just pick 2!

The Scandal-less products have 60-80% less calories than regular ice creams, 40-50% less fat and between 240-370 calories per pint.

You can also make your own ice cream like this easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream with Condensed Milk.

Small bowls holding ice cream sundae toppings on a table.

Sauces

  • Chocolate Sauce
  • Caramel Sauce

Toppings

  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Chopped Macadamia Nuts
  • Whipped Cream
  • Maraschino Cherries
  • Spinkles

How to set up an Ice Cream Nacho Sundae Bar

A bowl holding an ice cream nachos sundae with ice cream containers in the background.

Ice Cream Nachos are not usually a spur-of-the-moment dessert so you should have a little time to plan ahead.

If you are hosting a party, you can set up your sundae bar area ahead of time and just bring out the ice cream last minute.

I cut up the fresh fruit ahead of time so that setup doesn’t take long when we’re ready to make them.

Since my older son is allergic to certain types of nuts, I typically won’t set out anything he can’t be around.

I also make sure I set the bowl of nuts away from the rest of the topping bowls in case people get a little messy.

To make these sundaes feel extra special, I like to use fun plastic bowls and ice cream spoons.

Non-dairy and dairy ice cream freezes differently so make a mental note of how the containers feel when you bring them home from the store.

You may need to set out the non-dairy ice cream a few minutes early to help it soften.

Directions for Ice Cream Nachos

A man adding ice cream to a dish holding graham crackers and brownie brittle for a sundae.

Add a layer of crunchy, scoopable items to the bottom of the dish.

Add a variety of ice cream.

I have to admit I was nervous about the pink and blue Cotton Candy flavored ice cream.

I don’t love things that are overly sweet. But this tasted EXACTLY like cotton candy. Yes, it’s sweet, but it almost tasted like burnt sugar and I LOVED it.

Plus it has colorful sprinkles mixed in which just makes you smile.

I scooped some up on a brownie chip and the flavor combination was pure magic.

The Almond Milk Chocolate Fudge Brownie was rich with a dark chocolate flavor. It had a silky texture with a little bit of crunch from chocolate chips.

My youngest son loved this flavor.

I didn’t think the Cashew Milk Cookie Dough flavor tasted like traditional cookie dough ice cream but it was still tasty.

Instead of big chunks of cookie dough, the frozen dessert was flavored like cookie dough.

I fell in love with the Scandal-less Vanilla. It was creamy and the vanilla flavor was out of this world. I’m not usually a vanilla fan, but this was good!

A hand adding mini chocolate chips to their ice cream nachos sundae.

Top with whatever toppings catch your fancy.

An ice cream sundae bar on a table.

Finish with whipped cream and cherries.

I love that each family member can make their own. We all have very different taste preferences when it comes to dessert.

So Ice Cream Nachos are perfect for us.

Ice Cream Nachos are a fun summer dessert idea! Next time your family wants ice cream sundaes, make these instead!

Ice cream nachos on a table next to different flavors of ice cream.

Ice Cream Nachos

Ice Cream Nachos are a fun play on a traditional sundae bar! With a variety of ice cream (including non-dairy varieties) fresh fruit, sauces and toppings these dessert nachos will make your whole family smile. It's the perfect cool summer treat.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 127kcal

Ingredients

  • Ice Cream a variety of flavors including non-dairy and protein rich options
  • Cinnamon Graham Crackers and other crunchy things for the base
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • Caramel Sauce
  • Fresh Strawberries chopped
  • Sprinkles
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Maraschino Cherries
  • Whipped Cream
  • Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Instructions

  • If not serving family-style, pass out individual bowls to each family member and let each of them build their own Ice Cream Nachos.
  • Create a base with graham crackers evenly in the bottle of the dish.
  • Add your favorite Open Nature Ice Cream.
  • Drizzle on chocolate sauce and/or caramel sauce if desired.
  • Add chopped fresh strawberries.
  • Add whipped cream.
  • Top with sprinkles, nuts and chocolate chips.
  • Garnish with maraschino cherries and serve!

Notes

Eat immediately!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g
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