These Red, White Chocolate, and Blue Sundaes are the best way to celebrate our country’s independence. Ice cream layered with red cherries, blueberries, and chunks of white chocolate; these are a real crowd pleaser! Enjoy this perfect patriotic dessert for your 4th of July party.
When I was little, I would get so excited waiting for the fireworks – I swear, that night it seemed to take forever for the sky to become dark enough to see the show. It was one of the few times I was allowed to stay up beyond my bedtime which made it even more special for a little girl with strict parents.
There are a ton of elaborate red, white, and blue desserts on the Internet and Pinterest that are beautiful and no doubt delicious. But most of them are really complicated to make and I seldom have the time to do that and the rest of our meal. In my opinion, the simplest recipes are often the best. I wanted something fun and patriotic without a lot of fuss. These red, white chocolate, and blue sundaes are picture perfect and couldn’t be easier to make.
Go for a high-quality vanilla ice cream, add some homemade or store-bought raspberry, cherry, or strawberry sauce, white chocolate chips, fresh cherries and blueberries, all layered in a clear glass for the perfect holiday treat. The combination of fresh fruits and ice cream is always a winner. When you add a sauce and chunks of white chocolate, it sails into the stratosphere. I love the beautiful layers of color and this is a great way to get your kids to eat fresh fruit!
If you can’t find fresh cherries, feel free to use raspberries or strawberries instead. Leave the raspberries whole but hull and slice the strawberries. Both will be just as delicious in these ice cream sundaes!
Layers of blueberries, cherries, and white chocolate for a lovely surprise bite
The white chocolate adds a delightful crunchy texture that is unexpected when you bite into a scoop of soft ice cream. Having some pieces hidden in the middle of the sundae makes for a delightful surprise.
I found these great serving dishes that are designed to look like waffle cones, which are made of clear glass to let the colored layers of your sundaes show through. They definitely make for a fun presentation! And if you are using tall glasses like these, make sure you have long-handled spoons to go with them to keep your hands clean as you dig down to the bottom for the last few bites.
As you know, I usually make everything myself from scratch – the flavor is better and I can control the quality of ingredients. Whipped cream is one thing I always make myself. Making your own lets you control all the ingredients and quantities and the vanilla really shines.
A dash of vanilla paste or pure extract plus some powdered sugar added to fresh heavy cream and whipped on high in your stand mixer gives you a topping people will want to eat by the spoonful. Trust me, somehow I always seem to wind up with too much and by golly, one way or another, it disappears, LOL. Vanilla paste gives you the beautiful dots of pure vanilla flavor in every bite!
I have watched firework shows with friends at the beach, at Lake Tahoe, high over the San Francisco skyline, in the vineyards of Napa Valley, and from the top of a friend’s roof where we could see four different shows happening at the same time. What was your most memorable Fourth?
Enjoy these beautiful and delicious red, white chocolate, and blue sundaes. Everyone will ooh and ahh when you bring them out! Have a fabulous holiday!
What is the best ice cream scoop?
I have two favorites, a traditional scoop and a spring-loaded scoop with a sweep arm. The first one I use only for ice cream, the second I use for many projects like portioning cookie dough, cupcake batter, making scoops of rice or mashed potatoes, etc.
Pro Tip:
When you are using tall glasses like the ones in the photos, it is helpful to have long-handled spoons to reach all the goodness at the bottom.
Key Ingredients for this Recipe
- Vanilla ice cream
- Raspberry syrup
- Fresh blueberries
- Fresh cherries (or raspberries or strawberries)
- White chocolate
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla paste
Kitchen Tools I Used to Make This Recipe
Other Recipes Perfect for your 4th of July Parties:
Gluten-Free Tips:
The fruit and whipped cream are naturally gluten-free. Keep an eye on the ingredients in store-bought ice cream and syrups.
Red, White Chocolate, and Blue Sundaes
Enjoy this perfect patriotic dessert for your 4th of July party. These Red, White Chocolate, and Blue Ice Cream Sundaes are the best way to celebrate our country’s Independence. Layered with red cherries, blueberries, and chunks of white chocolate, these are a real crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- Raspberry or strawberry sauce
- High quality vanilla ice cream
- Fresh ripe blueberries
- Fresh ripe pitted cherries, strawberries, or raspberries
- White chocolate chips, or chopped chunks
- Lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream, preferably homemade
- Maraschino cherries or more fresh cherries for garnish
Instructions
- Spoon a little of the sauce into the bottom of your serving dish. Top with 1 or 2 small scoops of ice cream. Add a few blueberries, cherries, and white chocolate chips. Add another scoop of ice cream, more raspberry sauce, blueberries, cherries, and white chocolate chips. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry (or another fresh cherry) on top. If you have kids in the crowd, you can add sprinkles for more fun. Repeat for as many servings as you need.
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS: You can prepare the fruits ahead of time and hold them separately, covered, in the refrigerator. You can scoop the ice cream into balls and freeze them on a parchment-covered baking sheet to make assembly fast and easy.
- When you are ready to serve set up an assembly line. Ladle the sauce, add the ice cream and the fruit and white chocolate chips. You can finish the sundaes with the whipped cream, and garnishes. You’ll have these on the table in no time!
Notes
Ingredient amounts will depend on how many sundaes you are serving and the size of your serving dishes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 682Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 4gSugar: 89gProtein: 8g
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Veronica @ Big Blue House
What a perfect way to use up those extra cherries and blueberries from the garden! Thanks for sharing!!
Jane Bonacci
Thanks Veronica, this is a delicious way to use fresh fruits. And if you have a bunch of extra cherries, check my post on Thursday July 2nd (tomorrow) – I am sharing a salad with pickled cherries. 🙂