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Root Beer Float Ice Cream

August 4, 2026

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This Root Beer Float Ice Cream is one of my favorite childhood treats, turned into a scoopable ice cream. It’s a super easy recipe – just a few ingredients, barely any effort, and an absolutely delicious result.

Two little stacked red and white bowls with a couple of scoops of root beer float ice cream and a gold spoon.

This was originally published in 2015, as a root beer float. I’ve updated it to the ice cream recipes and added new photos. (If you’d like the drink recipe, email me for it anytime.)

My grandfather made the best root beer float ever. It wasn’t just the vanilla and coffee ice cream, or the A&W root beer he insisted on, though those were the only three ingredients he’d allow.

It was the ceremony of it. The chilled glasses, the frantic mashing and stirring with a tall silver spoon, the careful walk down the hall with the tray so nothing would spill.

It’s always been one of my favorite food memories, and I decided to turn it into something I could scoop straight from the freezer: Root Beer Float Ice Cream, with just a hint of coffee swirled through. It’s creamy, it’s nostalgic, and it captures everything I loved about those nights at my grandparents’ house.

Valentina and Grandpa — *Me and my grandfather, a couple years before my first Root Beer Float.*

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for root beer float coffee ice cream including bottle of A&W, bowl of cream, bowl of sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and ground coffee.

root beer – This is the star ingredient, so use one you love drinking. My grandfather was loyal to A&W, and I am too. It has a smooth, creamy sweetness that works beautifully here. Any good-quality root beer will do, though the more pronounced the root beer flavor, the more it comes through in the finished ice cream.
whipping cream – Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) is what gives this ice cream its rich, scoopable texture.
sweetened condensed milk – This both adds sweetness and keeps the ice cream soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer, even without an ice cream maker.
instant coffee or espresso powder – Just a touch, to nod to my grandfather’s coffee-and-root-beer combination.
pure vanilla extract – The vanilla adds warmth to the final flavor. I use Nielsen-Massey.
salt – Just a pinch to brighten the flavors.

How to Make my Root Beer Float Ice Cream with Coffee

– The first step is to “flatten” the root beer. We want to remove the carbonation. To do this, pour it into a bowl and leave it out for at least 3 hours before you start.

Recipe Tip: Don’t skip the step of removing the carbonation from the root beer. Flattening the soda helps prevent trapped bubbles and ice crystals.

– Pour the whipping cream and vanilla into a blender and blend just to thicken slightly. This should take just a couple of seconds.

Whipping cream with a splash of vanilla in a blender.

– Then add the sweetened condensed milk, flattened root beer, coffee, and a pinch of salt. Blend for a few seconds to mix. It will look very bubbly, which is okay. (Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer and a large bowl, following the same steps.)

Blender with cream, coffee grounds, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk.

– Pour the mixture into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight.

– Freeze according to your ice cream machine’s directions. Keep it in the freezer and scoop when you’re ready to serve.

Root beer float ice cream in ice cream maker.

* ICE CREAM MAKER TIPS * 1) Always read the manual for your ice cream machine before you begin. Most ice cream machine bowls take at least 12 hours to completely freeze completely. Put your bowl in the freezer the night before you want to make the ice cream. (I keep it in the freezer at all times during the summer so it’s at the ready.) 2) If you want to double the recipe, you’ll likely have to do this in two batches, unless you have a particularly large ice cream machine. An average-sized machine usually holds 1½ quarts.

Variations

Skip the coffee. Leave out the instant coffee for a pure Root Beer Float Ice Cream. It’ll taste even more like the classic combination of root beer and vanilla.
Make it a float again. Scoop this ice cream into a chilled glass and pour a little extra root beer over the top for an ice cream float made with the ice cream itself.
Add mix-ins – A handful of mini chocolate chips or crushed chocolate-covered coffee beans. They can be folded in at the end.
No-Churn (No Ice Cream Machine) – While I use an ice cream maker for the creamiest texture, this can be made no-churn too. Whip the cream to soft peaks before folding in the other ingredients, then freeze.

Storing Homemade Ice Cream

These airtight containers are generally the best option for storing ice cream.
You can also reuse plastic pint gelato containers with screw-on lids.
Cake and loaf pans are also a great option. If you go this route, press a piece of plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper directly onto the surface of the ice cream, then wrap the whole thing with plastic wrap.
The ice cream will be at its best within the first month of freezing, though it’ll keep for a few months or so.

I hope you love my Root Beer Float Ice Cream with Coffee as much as I do! I’m certain my grandfather would approve. 🙂