Ice cream sundaes usually come topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top, but this is not the only way to enjoy this popular frozen dessert. When looking for different ways to spice up your ice cream treats, consider taking a walk on the tropical side. The following ice cream sundae recipes incorporate island flavors and fruits:
Tropical Fruit Sundae
Perfect for fruit lovers, this sundae incorporates the flavors of pineapple, coconut, kiwi, and passion fruit.
Ingredients
- Vanilla ice cream
- Pineapple chunks
- Sliced kiwi
- Passion fruit
- Coconut
- Whipped cream
In a sundae dish, add one scoop of vanilla ice cream. Add pineapple chunks, kiwi slices, pieces of passion fruit, and coconut. Top with whipped cream. Optional toppings include chopped nuts and sprinkles.
Tropical Coconut Sundae
Coconut ice cream might not be the easiest ingredient to find, but you can always invest in making a completely homemade dessert. You may also substitute the coconut ice cream for Perry’s Tropical Neapolitan, which offers mango, pineapple and coconut flavors of ice cream.
Ingredients
- Coconut ice cream
- Mango sauce
- Sliced banana
- Pistachio nuts
Put a scoop of coconut ice cream in a bowl. Add mango sauce and top with slices of banana. For the finishing touch, sprinkle pistachio nuts.
Warm Tropical Banana Ice Cream Topping
When you’re looking for a tropical alternative to hot fudge, consider this island twist on a warm topping.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 ripe bananas (sliced)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 3 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the banana slices to the skillet. Stir in the vanilla extract, and cook the ingredients until the bananas turn a golden brown color. Add the coconut flakes and stir. Top with confectioners’ sugar and walnuts. Serve quickly over ice cream.
If you love pineapple, then this sundae is right up your alley.
Ingredients
- 1 fresh pineapple
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Vanilla ice cream
- Maple syrup
Prepare a fresh pineapple for slicing. Cut the fruit and trim off the rind of each ring. Remove the tough core. Place the rings to the side, and preheat your grill to medium-high.
As the grill preheats, mix the butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat the ingredients until they are evenly mixed. The sugar should completely dissolve. This will serve as your glaze.
Brush one side of the pineapple rings with the glaze. Place the rings on the grill with the glazed side down. Brush the tops of the rings with the glaze.
Close the cover of the grill and cook for about 3 minutes (or until the pineapple rings show the characteristic grill marks).
Turn over the rings, and brush with the glaze again. Grill for another 3 minutes (or until grill marks appear on the other side). Remove the pineapple from the grill.
Place one or two pineapple rings on a plate. Add one or two scoops of ice cream to the center. Drizzle with maple syrup, and serve immediately.
Banana Pineapple Sundae
This sundae will satisfy the foodie that enjoys the taste of pineapples and bananas together.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons butter
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 small bananas (firm and sliced)
- 1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
- ½ teaspoon rum extract
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream
Add brown sugar, orange juice, butter and cinnamon to a large saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Make sure to stir the contents while cooking. Add the bananas and pineapple. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the ingredients from the heat and stir in the rum extract. Top a scoop of vanilla ice cream with the cooked fruit mixture.





Popular in Southeast Asian, Indian, and Jamaican cuisine, coconut is added to cakes, cookies, and other desserts to provide a nutty sweetness and pleasant texture. Coconut is actually a fruit and not a nut – sold as juice, milk, shredded (sweetened and unsweetened) flakes, and as a whole fruit with its edible, thin brown skin. For the freshest results, it’s suggested to crack your own coconut.
screwdriver until the nut breaks into two pieces.
Add shredded coconut to your ice cream sundaes or create a vegan sweet treat with your ice cream maker called Coconut Curry Ice Cream. First, simmer two and a half 13.5-ounce cans of canned unsweetened coconut milk, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons of mild curry paste in a large heavy saucepan. Whisk often, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer to allow the flavors to blend for about 10 minutes.
Ranging from palm-flavored mini cakes with shredded coconut (khanom tan) to jasmine scented coconut pudding (tako), the majority of Thai meals end with fresh fruit or a sweet snack as dessert. Chao kuai is a grass jelly typically served with shaved ice and brown sugar, while sangkhaya fak thong combines egg and coconut served with pumpkin. In the United States, Thai desserts containing mango, coconut milk, and sticky rice are most popular, like the ones listed below:
Thai Mango Sticky Sweet Rice

