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See 5 recipes Download free cookbookBlack Cherry Root Beer Floats
Cherry Root Beer Floats
A quick black cherry sauce swirls through vanilla ice cream and cold root beer for a vivid, fruit-forward float served in tall sundae glasses.
Prep Time:15 minCook Time:10 minTotal Time:25 minServings:4Difficulty:Easy
This variation keeps the defining contrast of a root beer float—spiced soda and creamy vanilla ice cream—then adds a dark cherry ribbon that tastes at home with root beer's vanilla and wintergreen notes. The ruby sauce also makes every glass look different as it runs around the scoops.
Frozen dark sweet cherries make the sauce convenient and consistent, while lemon juice keeps it lively rather than jammy. Crushing only part of the fruit creates a pourable syrup with enough whole cherry pieces to find between bites of ice cream.
Tall fluted sundae glasses show off the cherry streaks and rising root beer foam. Chilling the glasses and soda first slows melting, and adding the soda in two pours gives the foam time to settle without losing the dramatic float effect.
Assemble these just before serving. The cherry sauce can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated, which turns the final step into a fast scoop, pour, and garnish for a summer celebration.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories:510 kcal
Protein:6 g
Carbs:91 g
Fat:14 g
Directions
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1
Combine the frozen cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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2
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cherries release their juice and the liquid becomes lightly syrupy.
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3
Crush about half of the cherries against the side of the pan, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
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4
Transfer the cherry sauce to a shallow bowl and cool until no longer warm; refrigerate briefly if needed so it will not melt the ice cream.
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5
Spoon 2 tablespoons of cherry sauce down the inside of each chilled tall sundae glass.
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6
Add 2 generous scoops of vanilla ice cream to each glass, layering another spoonful of cherry sauce between the scoops.
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7
Slowly pour about 3/4 cup of root beer into each glass, pause while the foam settles, then add enough of the remaining root beer to fill.
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8
Top each float with whipped cream, a spoonful of cherry sauce, and a fresh cherry, then serve immediately with a straw and long spoon.
Ingredients
- Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries:2 cups
- Granulated Sugar:3 tablespoons
- Fresh Lemon Juice:1 tablespoon
- Water:2 tablespoons
- Vanilla Extract:1/2 teaspoon
- Vanilla Ice Cream:1 quart
- Root Beer, Well Chilled:4 cups
- Whipped Cream:1 cup
- Fresh Cherries with Stems:4
Tips & Notes
- Cool the cherry sauce completely before assembling the floats so the ice cream stays firm.
- Pour the root beer down the side of each glass in stages to control the foam.
- Refrigerate leftover cherry sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
