Ice cream and summer go hand in hand. My husband mentioned wanting to have an ice cream bar outside so the kids could pick their toppings. At this point, you know how much my kids and I love making charcuterie boards together, so I thought, “Why not combine the two?” Enter: Ice cream charcuterie boards. The perfect and sweetest addition to your summer nights.
Getting Your Ice Cream Charcuterie Boards Prepped
My first thought was, “How am I going to keep the ice cream cold outside?” To help with this issue I found a smaller board to go on top of the tray I like to use for all my charcuterie needs. On this tray I put my ice cream containers and placed ice cubes all around them. Of course the ice cubes will eventually melt, but they’ll get the job done for the time you’ll need them!
When deciding what type of ice cream to use, I thought it would be great to have multiple smaller containers of ice cream choices versus just one big tub. For this purpose, the pint-sized Ben and Jerry’s containers were the perfect choice! I wanted a variety of flavors, so I chose chocolate chip cookie dough, thick mint, strawberry cheesecake, and gimme s’more! Plain flavors like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry would be great too, since you’re already going to have a ton of toppings to choose from!
To fit into the space I needed, I scooped half of the pints into smaller plastic containers. Those were the containers I put onto my charcuterie board and kept on ice.
The Best Ice Cream Charcuterie Board Toppings
The best part about making an ice cream charcuterie board is that you get to fill it with majority toppings. Yummy, sugar-filled toppings! There are so many different types of sweet and salty toppings to choose from.
Ice Cream Toppings on my Charcuterie Board
- A variety of sprinkles
- Marshmallows
- M&Ms
- Reese’s pieces
- Maraschino cherries
- Brownies
- Oreos
- Gummy bears and worms
- Ice cream cones
- Caramel and chocolate syrup
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate chips
- A selection of fruit including strawberries and blueberries
Other Topping Options
- Pretzels
- A variety of nuts
- Graham crackers
- Shell syrups
- Hot fudge
- Jam
- Brittle
- Potato chips
- Bananas
- Cookies
Decorating Your Ice Cream Charcuterie Board
For a typical charcuterie board I usually just place my food items directly onto the board. Since there are many smaller items going on this type of charcuterie board, I thought it might be best to have a number of cups to hold the toppings in. For the sprinkles, maraschino cherries, M&Ms, and Reese’s pieces, I went to my local dollar store to find small containers to put them in.
While I was there, I found plastic squirt bottles that I thought would be perfect for the caramel and chocolate syrup toppings! Such a cute and simple way to incorporate these toppings with your charcuterie board instead of keeping them in their bulky jars.
Of course you’ll need cute napkins and serving spoons to really make your board pop. The dollar store had all of this and more.
Creating a fun, family night doesn’t need to break the bank. It doesn’t even need to take a ton of effort either. These charcuterie boards are a great way to add some extra fun for the whole family–right in your own backyard!
