Ice cream is easy. Toppings are everything.

Some toppings are classics for a reason, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Start with hot fudge — and I mean warm, glossy, pourable hot fudge, not the cold stuff straight from the fridge that seizes into a stiff, sad puddle the second it touches ice cream. Give it a gentle warm-up in a small saucepan, or 20-second bursts in the microwave, until it ribbons off a spoon.

Caramel sauce is the other heavyweight in my book. I always look for one with a visible thread of sea salt running through it, because the salt cuts the sweetness and keeps you from hitting sundae fatigue three bites in (yes, that's a real thing, and yes, it's happened to me at more than one party). Whipped cream should be fresh, not the canned stuff that collapses into soup within the hour. If you're prepping ahead, a spoonful of mascarpone or a pinch of cornstarch whipped in will help it actually hold its shape.

Then there's the finishing trio: rainbow sprinkles for crunch and color, maraschino cherries (stem-on, obviously — that's half the charm), and toasted chopped walnuts or pecans for a warm, slightly bitter note that balances all that sugar. Quick tip that changed things for me: toast the nuts in a dry pan for about five minutes before using them. Raw walnuts taste kind of flat next to warm fudge, but toasted ones actually compete with the sauce instead of getting lost under it.

This is my favorite category to play around in, because it's where a sundae bar goes from "nice" to "wait, what did you just put on that?" A few flakes of good sea salt over dark chocolate ice cream isn't a gimmick — salt sharpens chocolate the exact same way it does in a batch of brownies, and once you try it you'll wonder why you didn't sooner. A thin drizzle of good, fruity olive oil over vanilla with fresh strawberries does something similar, adding a grassy, peppery edge that plain vanilla usually just doesn't have.

Crispy bacon bits, chopped fine, work with maple or butter pecan ice cream in that same smoky-sweet way bacon works on pancakes — trust me on this one even if it sounds strange on paper. Boba pearls bring a chewy pop of texture that feels genuinely fun rather than novelty-for-the-sake-of-novelty, especially over a milk tea or taro-flavored base. And popping candy, the kind that actually crackles on your tongue, turns a birthday sundae into something kids (and honestly plenty of adults) remember for weeks.

Fruit toppings pull double duty. They cut the richness of the ice cream, and honestly, they just make the whole sundae look prettier — like something you'd photograph before eating (we've all done it). Fresh berries — raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries — are the simplest route, and they need almost nothing done to them beyond a rinse.

Fruit compotes go a step further. A ten-minute simmer of berries with a splash of lemon juice and a spoonful of sugar turns into a glossy, jammy sauce that beats anything from a jar, in my opinion, by a mile. Sliced banana brings a soft, mellow sweetness that pairs really nicely with chocolate or peanut butter toppings, and fresh mango has this tropical brightness that works better than you'd expect with coconut or pistachio ice cream.

If I had to pick the one thing most home sundaes are missing, it's texture. Without it, you're basically eating flavored slush by the third spoonful — no offense to slush, but that's not what we're going for here. Crushed cookies are the easiest fix. Oreos, gingersnaps, shortbread, all of it works, but crush them coarsely, not into dust, so you still get an actual bite.

Toffee bits melt into these little pools of buttery sweetness the moment they hit warm ice cream, which is exactly the point. Waffle cone pieces, broken into shards rather than crumbs, give you a bakery-fresh crunch that holds up even after a few minutes of sitting around. And if you want something genuinely craveable, try pretzel-chocolate bark: crushed salted pretzels set into a thin layer of melted dark chocolate, then broken into jagged pieces. Over a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, it's one of those combos that tastes way more complicated than it actually is — it takes maybe ten minutes to throw together. Candied nuts, pecans or almonds tossed in a quick sugar-cinnamon glaze and baked until they caramelize, round things out with a little shine and spice.

Hosting a sundae bar for a group takes a bit more planning than scooping one bowl at a time, but it's really not complicated once you've done it once. Set toppings out in small individual bowls rather than one giant shared dish — it keeps things tidier and lets people actually see what's on offer instead of digging through a mess. Label each bowl, especially anything with nuts or dairy, so guests with allergies can serve themselves confidently instead of having to ask around mid-party.

For warm sauces, a small slow cooker set to low (or a warming tray, if you have one) keeps hot fudge and caramel pourable for hours without anyone babysitting a saucepan the whole time. If you're accommodating dietary needs, keep a few swaps ready: coconut-milk or oat-milk ice cream instead of dairy, gluten-free cookie crumbles instead of the regular kind, and double-check that your sprinkles and candy toppings are nut-free if that's a concern for your guests. None of this has to be some separate "special" station off to the side — just label things clearly and set them out with everything else.