Once summer hits, my favorite desserts come straight from the freezer. No oven, no hot kitchen, just something cold and creamy at the end of the day. This is my full lineup of the best easy frozen treats.
For more warm-weather sweets, see my 15 best strawberry recipes and easy rhubarb recipes.
Fruit Popsicles and Ice Pops
Real fruit and a few hours in the freezer turn into the brightest treats of the season.
1. Strawberry Popsicles
These strawberry popsicles are just 3 ingredients and fresh strawberries blended into a healthy, fruity pop.
2. Easy Watermelon Popsicles
Blended watermelon frozen on a stick, these watermelon popsicles are about as refreshing (and adorable!)as summer gets.
3. Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles
These cherry cheesecake popsicles are creamy cheesecake on a stick, with a graham crumble frozen right in.
4. Blackberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt Pops
These blackberry swirl frozen yogurt pops have a ribbon of jammy blackberry swirled through cool, tangy yogurt.
5. 3-Ingredient Yogurt Popsicles
My 3-ingredient yogurt popsicles are creamy, tangy, and need just five minutes of hands-on time before they freeze.
6. Healthy Homemade Fudgesicles
These healthy homemade fudgesicles are rich and chocolatey with only four ingredients and no refined sugar.
Lighter Frozen Yogurt and Banana Treats
These leaner treats lean on yogurt and frozen fruit for creaminess, with no heavy cream needed.
7. Frozen Yogurt Bark
This frozen yogurt bark is yogurt spread thin, topped with fruit, and frozen into snackable shards.
8. Kiwi Frozen Yogurt
This kiwi frozen yogurt blends tart kiwi and yogurt into a bright, soft-serve scoop.
9. 3-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream
My 3-ingredient banana ice cream blends frozen bananas into a soft-serve texture with no cream at all.
10. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
These chocolate peanut butter banana bites are frozen banana coins dipped in chocolate and peanut butter for a two-bite snack.
Homemade Ice Creams
11. Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
This no-churn cookies and cream ice cream is loaded with cookie pieces and stays soft straight from the freezer.
12. Pistachio Ice Cream
This pistachio ice cream uses real toasted pistachios and nothing artificial, for a deep, nutty flavor.
13. Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
For this roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream, roasting concentrates the berries while buttermilk keeps it bright, not heavy.
Frozen Sandwiches, Bars and Cakes
When you want a treat to slice or stack, these frozen layers deliver.
14. Ice Cream Sandwich Wafers
These ice cream sandwich wafers are homemade chocolate wafers built for stacking around your favorite ice cream.
15. Fudgey Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches
These fudgey mint ice cream sandwiches press cool mint ice cream between two fudgey chocolate cookies.
16. Frozen S’Mores Ice Cream Pops
These frozen s’mores ice cream pops are the campfire favorite dipped in chocolate and frozen solid, no fire needed.
17. Frozen Lemon Mousse Bars
These frozen lemon mousse bars are light, tangy lemon mousse frozen into cool, sliceable bars.
18. Strawberry Icebox Cake
This strawberry icebox cake layers cream and berries that soften into cake as they chill.
For Grown-Ups, Plus Toppings to Drizzle
A boozy pop for the adults, and two sauces to drizzle over any scoop.
19. Winesicles (Alcohol Popsicles)
These winesicles freeze wine and fruit into a grown-up popsicle for warm evenings.
20. Homemade Magic Chocolate Shell
Pour this homemade magic chocolate shell over ice cream and watch it set into a crackly shell in seconds.
21. Easy Homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce
This easy homemade chocolate fudge sauce is thick, glossy hot fudge that turns any scoop into a sundae.
Frozen Treats FAQs
Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions.
Keeping homemade ice cream creamy comes down to small ice crystals. Fat, sugar, and air all block big crystals from forming. Use enough cream, do not skimp on the sugar, and store it airtight with the surface pressed flat.
You do not need an ice cream maker for most of these treats. The no-churn ice creams use whipped cream to fold in air, and the popsicles and frozen yogurt pops just need molds and a freezer.
Homemade popsicles keep well for about two to three weeks. Store them in their molds or wrap each one once it is frozen. After that they stay safe but can pick up freezer flavors and lose their best texture.
Getting popsicles out of the mold is easiest with a quick warm-water dip. Run the outside of the mold under warm tap water for a few seconds. Then pull gently on the stick and the pop slides right out.
Many of these treats are easy to make dairy-free. The banana ice cream uses no dairy at all, and the fruit popsicles can swap in coconut milk or a non-dairy yogurt. Creamy no-churn ice creams are harder to convert.
The lighter options lean on fruit and yogurt instead of cream. Frozen yogurt bark, banana ice cream, the yogurt popsicles, and the four-ingredient fudgesicles are all good picks when you want something cooling but not too rich.
All of these treats are made ahead by design, since they need time to freeze. Make popsicles and ice cream a day or two early. Pull them out right before serving so they do not melt while guests arrive.
Rock-hard popsicles usually need a little more sugar or fat. Both lower the freezing point and keep the texture soft enough to bite. A spoonful of honey, sugar, or cream in the base makes a big difference.
