The Frozen Desserts List That Makes Your Taste Buds Tingle

We’re crazy about frozen desserts. Since you’re reading this, we assume you’re with us in sharing a devoted love for all things frozen sweets, not just on summer’s steaming days but all year round. 

You can check out our story on the best frozen desserts from around the world for some delicious inspiration and more types of frozen desserts. Plus, here’s a fun fact: the average American enjoys about 22 pounds of ice cream per year, and in a single year, American ice cream companies churned enough ice cream to fill 1,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. (Now we’re daydreaming about going for a swim in some ice cream…)

There are frozen desserts for everyone and every occasion. Ice cream may be the quintessential frozen treat, but it’s just the start of a long, yummy list of chilly ways to satisfy a sweet tooth. Read on for a glossary of popular frozen desserts to try and fall in love with.

Frozen Custard

Frozen custard is a dairy-based frozen dessert, popular on boardwalks and burger joints (and for very good reason). It’s pretty similar to soft-serve ice cream, but it has less air whipped into it during freezing, which creates a uniquely rich, creamy texture, as do the added egg yolks that are a part of the recipe. It is usually kept at a (very slightly) warmer temperature than ice cream.

Frozen Yogurt

Unlike ice cream, frozen yogurt is made with cultured (not fresh) milk. The bacterial cultures impart a distinctive tangy flavor and a thick, creamy texture. Fro-yo became super popular in the 1990s when low-fat everything was in vogue, as it has less fat content than ice cream, although the fat and sugar contents vary widely from brand to brand. Many fro-yo stores let customers mix their own flavors and choose from a lineup of toppings from fruit and candy to cereal and decadent sauces, which can be fun (or overwhelming, depending on your mood.)

Frozen Fruit Crumble

The perfect thing to do with frozen summer fruit is to bake it into a crisp, crumble, or pie. Don’t feel like baking a thing? Belgian Boys’ Limited-Edition Red Berry Crumble brings the perfect touch of Americana to all your summer celebrations: It's a red berry puree with just the right balance of sour and sweet, topped with a decadent biscuit topping. It comes ready in a glass ramekin—just heat and serve!

Gelato

Italy’s beloved answer to ice cream. Gelato is usually denser than ice cream, as less air is whipped into it during the freezing process. Traditional gelato contains less milk fat and no egg yolk, which gives it a smooth, thick texture and bright flavor. Frozen Italian dessert lovers, rejoice!

Granita

Made mostly with sugar and water, granitas originated in Sicily and often are served as a palate cleanser. Large ice crystals that are allowed to form during freezing give this dessert a wonderfully satisfying crunch. The coarse texture is what sets a granita apart from sorbet or Italian Ice.

Huckabuck

Originating in New Orleans, a huckabuck consists of a paper cup filled with some sort of sweet liquid like Kool-Aid, and frozen. They are enjoyed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and in many neighborhoods around central and southern Louisiana. Also known as a frozen cup or a cold cup, it’s a refreshing summertime treat.

Ice Cream

To get technical, what makes ice cream ice cream is that it’s a frozen dairy dessert with between 10 percent and 16 percent butterfat. All that fat and a generous amount of air whipped in during freezing make for its famous creamy decadence. Now…to decide on a flavor! And cup or cone?

Ice Pop

An ice pop is a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is frozen while at rest, so it becomes a solid block of ice on a popsicle stick, the perfect handle.

Italian Ice

Although Italian Ice contains no dairy, it is made using a similar process to ice cream. Flavored, sweetened water is agitated to create very fine ice crystals, which yield a soft, smooth delicacy.  The freezing method and resulting silky texture are what sets Italian ice apart from its more rustic counterparts—granita and slush.

Lava Cake

Belgian Boys’ Dark Chocolate Lava Cake starts out frozen, and then becomes molten with just a short blitz in the microwave. It’s a restaurant-quality dessert in a glass ramekin, made with the Non-GMO, premium ingredients standard in Belgian Boys products and ready to be savored from the comfort of your own home.

Milkshake

A milkshake is a crave-able concoction made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fresh fruit into a thick, sweet, delicious treat.

Parfait

The French word "parfait" means "perfect,” and this dessert is pretty much that. Parfait is a frozen dessert made from a base of egg yolks, sugar, and whipped cream, and it can be flavored with ingredients such as fruit, nuts, or coffee.

Semifreddo

Semifreddo means "half-cold" or "half frozen" in Italian, and even though it's technically frozen, the dessert stays soft and creamy because, unlike ice cream, semifreddo isn't churned. Instead of being scooped, semifreddo is molded and sliced, usually in a metal loaf pan.

Sherbet

Generally, sherbet contains only a small amount of milkfat– less than 3 percent, so it has an icier texture than ice cream. Made with mostly fruit or fruit juices, the refreshing dessert comes from the Arabic word šarba, which literally means a drink.

Slush

Also called a slushy or slushee, this frozen beverage is made with flavored ice and a drink, commonly soda, sort of like a granita in drinkable form. The original carbonated slushy machine was invented by Omar Knedlik in 1958, then the owner of a Dairy Queen franchise. Slushes can be either carbonated or still, and they’re the perfect cold treat for a car ride or a stroll.

Soft Ice

Soft serve, also known as soft ice, is similar to ice cream, but softer and less dense as a result of air being introduced during churning. This refreshing treat can often be found in ice cream trucks, amusement parks, and on boardwalks. It makes a visually pleasing twist that begs to be devoured before it all melts!

Sorbet

Sorbet is made by freezing fruit puree or juice with water and sugar to create a smooth and icy texture. Sorbets are a simple combination of just fruit, water, and sugar…that's it! Because they are dairy-free and fat-free, sorbet is a popular choice for those with alternative diets.

More Frozen Desserts to Put on Your List

Now that you’re an expert on delicious, easy frozen desserts, it’s time to make the most of them. Enjoy them in cups and cones, as a refreshing pick-up on the go and after a meal, and…well, all summer long and beyond.

Another favorite way to savor these treats is atop Belgian Boys’ Original Crêpes and Bite-Sized Pancakes. Get yours now!