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You are here: Home / Recipes / Dessert / Irresistible Fruit and Ice Cream Floats

Published August 6, 2018, Updated May 5, 2019

Irresistible Fruit and Ice Cream Floats

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3 flavors of fruit and ice cream floats in glass jars

These irresistible ice cream floats combine rich vanilla ice cream with super sweet purees of fresh summer fruit, and only take 5 minutes to make. They’re so refreshing, you’ll never go back to root beer floats again!

ice cream float made with fresh fruit purees in tall glass

When it comes to summer desserts, this one is at the top of my list! There’s just nothing like the combination of super sweet fruit and rich, creamy vanilla ice cream! 

Once you’ve had it, you’ll never go back to boring coke floats and root beer floats again!

Plus, the all natural fruit purees have vitamins, minerals, some fiber, and tons of antioxidants, so they’re healthier than other ice cream floats too! 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. By making purchases through these links, you pay the same amount for products, but a small portion of the sale will be sent my way to help support the mission of Back To The Book Nutrition. Thank you!

How to Make Irresistible Fruit and Ice Cream Floats

Chop your fruit and blend until smooth. The pour over ice cream (I love serving them in these milkshake glasses!) and top with an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprig of mint if you’d like. 

photos of step by step process of making ice cream floats with fresh fruit

You can blend just about any combination of fruits you like together, and the vanilla ice cream can even be subbed out for another flavor if you really want to get creative. These are super flexible and lightening fast, coming together in just 5 minutes or so per flavor!

Tips for Making the Best Fruit and Ice Cream Floats

  • It’s best if you can chill your fruit in advance. Room temperature fruit will work, but it will cause the ice cream to melt faster. 
  • Puree the fruit blends until completely smooth. This is a cinch in my Vitamix – if you have a lower powered blender, start on low then gradually increase to high speed until the fruit mixture is silky smooth. 
  • If you’re trying out other fruits, choose those with strong flavors to contrast the creamy vanilla ice cream.
  • If you’re making multiple flavors of fruit purees at once, transfer each to a glass jar and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use. Also note that the 5 minute prep time will increase the more flavors you make. 
  • Keep your ice cream frozen until the last minute!
  • Coconut milk ice cream works well if you need a dairy free option. 

overhead shot of 3 ice cream floats, each with different fruit purees

5 from 2 votes
ice cream float made with fresh fruit purees in tall glass
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Mango Orange Ice Cream Float
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

A fruity twist on the classic ice cream float. Fresh squeezed orange juice and mango chunks  are blended together and added to rich vanilla ice cream. 

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruit, ice cream
Servings: 4
Author: Back To The Book Nutrition
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fresh mango, cut into chunks (about 3 medium mangoes) (or frozen)
  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1/2 cup water (more/less as needed)
  • vanilla ice cream
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients except ice cream in blender. Blend on low speed, then on high, until completely smooth. (You may want to start with 1/4 cup water and add more gradually as needed to get a thick liquid consistency)

  2. Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into each glass (I use 3-4 glasses depending on how big I want each float to be).

  3. Pour mango-orange puree over the ice cream in each glass, leaving room at the top of the glasses to add one extra scoop of ice cream if desired. 

Recipe Notes
  • The fruit puree can be stored in the fridge for several days. 
  • Frozen mango can be used in place of fresh and prepared orange juice in place of fresh squeezed.
  • Feel free to try other ice cream flavors - coconut would be a great flavor compliment!

 

5 from 2 votes
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Blueberry-Pineapple Ice Cream Float
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

A fruity twist on the classic ice cream float. Fresh summer blueberries and pineapples are blended together and added to rich vanilla ice cream. 

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruit, ice cream
Servings: 4
Author: Back To The Book Nutrition
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple (or canned, drained)
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • ice cream
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients except ice cream in blender. Blend on low speed, then on high, until completely smooth. Set aside.

  2. Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into each glass (I use 3-4 glasses depending on how big I want each float to be).

  3. Pour blueberry-pineapple puree over the ice cream in each glass, leaving room at the top of the glasses to add one extra scoop of ice cream if desired. 

Recipe Notes
  • The fruit puree can be stored in the fridge for several days. 
  • Frozen/canned fruit can be used in place of fresh.
  • Feel free to try other ice cream flavors - mango ice cream might be a good compliment to the blueberry-pineapple flavors!
5 from 2 votes
Print
Strawberry Watermelon Ice Cream Float
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

A fruity twist on the classic ice cream float. Fresh strawberries and watermelon are blended together and added to rich vanilla ice cream. 

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ice cream, strawberry, watermelon
Servings: 4
Author: Back To The Book Nutrition
Ingredients
  • 2 cups watermelon cubes
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, green tops removed
  • vanilla ice cream
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients except ice cream in blender. Blend on low speed, then on high, until completely smooth. 

  2. Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into each glass (I use 3-4 glasses depending on how big I want each float to be).

  3. Pour mango-orange puree over the ice cream in each glass, leaving room at the top of the glasses to add one extra scoop of ice cream if desired. 

Recipe Notes
  • The fruit puree can be stored in the fridge for several days. 
  • Frozen strawberries can be used in place of fresh.
  • Feel free to try other ice cream flavors - banana ice cream might be a good compliment to the watermelon-strawberry combo!

Here are a few other favorite summer desserts!

Blueberry Peach Tart is the perfect grain free, gluten free, and refined sugar free way to celebrate summer

Gluten Free Blueberry Peach Tart

Kids love these Double Chocolate Squash Muffins made with fresh veggies and ancient grain flour! | Back To The Book Nutrition

Double Chocolate Squash Muffins with Ancient Grain Flour

Easy chocolate hazelnut ice cream pops, dipped in dark chocolate and coated with toasted hazelnuts. Popsicle perfection! | Back To The Book Nutrition

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Pops

Filed Under: Dessert, Recipes Tagged With: blueberry, Fruit, Ice Cream, Mango, orange, Pineapple, strawberry, Summer, watermelon

Holistic Nutrition Coaching with Dena Norton, MS, RD, LD can transform your health from the inside out!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon says

    May 23, 2019 at 5:50 pm

    I love the idea of having a different type of float than root beer. These look so good! I bet kids love them.

    Reply
    • Dena @ Back To The Book Nutrition says

      May 24, 2019 at 4:51 am

      Yes, kids go nuts for these! Hope you enjoy them too!

      Reply
  2. Sally says

    May 23, 2019 at 5:56 pm

    These look amazing! Gonna have to try them this summer – I’m sure my kids will love them too! I’m a big fan of real food, and these fit the bill.

    Reply
    • Dena @ Back To The Book Nutrition says

      May 24, 2019 at 4:51 am

      Great, Sally!

      Reply
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Dena Norton, Holistic Dietitian, Nutrition Coach, and Real Food Lover Welcome! I’m Dena Norton, MS, RD, LD, a registered dietitian, mom, & holistic nutrition coach, here to help you eat well, live well, & feel better than ever! Subscribe to get holistic nutrition advice + healthy, hassle-free recipes your whole family will love! Read More →

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