If you’ve never had Cantaloupe and Ice Cream, you may be missing out on one of the best desserts of summer! This special dessert is so simple, and when it’s hot outside, everybody just loves it!
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Warm weather begs for recipes with beautiful fruit. Fresh melons are one of my favorite things to pick up at the grocery store or Farmer’s Market. Next time you see them, pick up a couple and try this dessert recipe.
I love and adore melon flavored ice cream, but don’t always feel like dragging out the ice cream maker. This dessert will save you a trip to the ice cream shop, so pick up some ripe, extra melons next time you see them, and put together a little Cantaloupe and Ice Cream!
Here’s some good reasons to try it:
- Melons are really flavorful and abundant in warmer months, it’s the perfect time to eat them. Keep an eye out for mini cantaloupes, too.
- Cantaloupe comes with its own perfect bowl built-in, just for ice cream! The perfect summer treat!
- You can use ice cream or any non-dairy ice cream or “nice cream” out there, and vanilla is best
- This is an easy dessert with very little cooking involved, but it’s kind of a show-stopper too. Bring out a big tray of these and pass around some extra caramel sauce!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What could be better than a juicy ripe melon filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a silky, homemade caramel sauce? For the full, printable recipe and instructions, please scroll down below.
- Cantaloupe: Beautiful, golden color with a rich, juicy taste.
- Ice Cream: Vanilla works the best flavor-wise, and non-dairy versions are great too. The smooth texture is so good with the melon, use a high quality brand for best results.
- Basil: Totally optional, but the herbaceous punch adds a pleasant and slightly savory quality.
- Honey & Sugar: A drizzle of honey to sweeten the homemade caramel sauce.
- Heavy Cream, Butter, Salt, Vanilla Extract: An easy caramel sauce recipe with lots of flavor, it tastes creamy and luxurious on the melons.
Tips for Choosing a Good Melon
A few things I’ve learned when picking out a melon:
- Use all your senses – sight, smell, touch and sound. For watermelon, a hollow sound is good.
- Seek a filled-out, rounded melon, with no bruises or soft parts.
- The heavier the fruit, the juicier it is.
- Fun Fact! The sweetest melon is a Honeydew. Cantaloupes are also called Muskmelons, and are by far the most popular variety.
- A musky aroma and skin that’s easy to depress lightly with your finger are signals that your melon is ripe and ready to eat.
- Often you can ask to taste the melon first, especially at a farmer’s market. This is great, because you can try before you buy.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds and discard them.
- Scoop in a generous cup of vanilla ice cream.
- Spoon a couple of tablespoons of caramel sauce on top of the melons.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
Tips to Make Caramel Sauce
Homemade caramel sauce may seem intimidating, but it’s totally do-able, and doesn’t take long. It’s basically three easy steps, four if you count the cooling time:
- Cook the honey, water and sugar in a nonstick saucepan and bring it to the boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved
- Stir the mixture while it cooks, until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes
- Add in the cream, butter, salt and vanilla and whisk it all together (carefully, it can splatter!)
- Cool for 10-15 minutes until it sets, then enjoy!
Expert Tips and Serving Ideas
- No time to make homemade caramel sauce? Buy a good quality store-bought variety like this one (not sponsored). Just spoon it into a heatproof bowl and microwave for ten seconds or so to loosen and warm it slightly, which will make it easier to pour.
- Serve this easy dessert on a big platter already assembled with the ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Offer extra caramel sauce on the side.
- This also looks great served in individual bowls with a spoon.
- TIP! Slice a small piece off the bottom of the melon, this will allow it to sit level on whatever serving dish you choose.
- Add some whipped cream, if you like!
- This is wonderful dessert after a dinner of Summer Pasta.
- Also highly recommended good after a light dinner of Blackberry Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts. So good!
- You might also like these Roasted Grape Hazelnut Breakfast Bowls, Dark Cherry Smoothies, and this really delicious and fancy-looking Ice Cream Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache, so give these a try sometime too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Any seasonal melon will work and be delicious! Try some honeydew melon!
You can prep the melons by removing the seeds, covering them securely and storing in the refrigerator. I prep the ice cream by scooping out how much I plan to use per serving and lining them up on a small baking sheet or pan that’s been lined with parchment paper. Cover, and freeze and pull them out when your ready to assemble!
You can make the caramel sauce 4-5 days ahead, just store in an airtight container (I use a Ball canning jar) and keep it in the refrigerator.
More Recipes to Try:
- Muffin Tin Caramel Apple Pies: Small and satisfying and absolutely delicious!
- Nectarine Toast with Honey Goat Cheese Juicy and delicious!
- Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Rose Rhubarb Comforting and special, this one’s a keeper.
- Roasted Nectarines with Caramel Sauce So pretty, so simple, SO delicious.
- Crab Omelette Recipe: An indulgent, delicious brunch!
If you’ve tried Cantaloupe and Ice Cream, or any recipe on Studio Delicious, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
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Cantaloupe and Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized Cantaloupes
- 4 ½ cups Vanilla ice cream
- 3 tbsp Basil leaves, fresh
- FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Water
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (pure)
Instructions
- Cut each melon in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop a generous cup of vanilla ice cream into the center of each melon half.Spoon 2 about tablespoons (or more if you like) of caramel sauce over the melon and ice cream.Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
- TO MAKE THE CARAMEL SAUCE
- Combine the honey, water and sugar in a medium-sized nonstick saucepan, and stir with a wooden spoon on medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved.Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Cook and stir until it's deep golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.Remove pan from the heat and quickly whisk in the cream, butter, salt and vanilla (careful, it may splatter a little) until combined. Cool the caramel for 10-15 minutes before serving, keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep in a sealed container, refrigerated for up to a month.
Notes
- No time to make homemade caramel sauce? Buy a good quality store-bought variety like this Just spoon it into a heatproof bowl and microwave for ten seconds or so to loosen and warm it slightly, which will make it easier to pour.
- Serve this easy dessert on a big platter already assembled with the ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Offer extra caramel sauce on the side.
- This also looks great served in individual bowls with a spoon.
- TIP! Slice a small piece off the bottom of the melon, this will allow it to sit level on whatever serving dish you choose.
Nutrition
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
This recipe was posted August 2019, and updated with new text June, 2024.
I’ve never thought of serving melon with ice cream, but it sounds amazing, especially with the caramel sauce. A perfect, fresh summer dessert!
What a fun dessert to celebrate the end of summer! My kids go back to school next week and this will be a fun surprise waiting for them when they get home.
My entire family absolutely loved this. My kids were so excited to eat out of the melons too!
I’m so glad you liked it! thanks!
What a great way to serve ice cream. It all sounds amazing.
This was such and indulgent, yet light, treat! I love desserts that use in season fruit. The homemade caramel sauce was so silky smooth too!
We love having all of these things seperate never thought to put them together. Yum!
I totally love this dessert, it’s delicious, it’s easy to make and so refreshing perfect to eat on this summer heat. So yum!
I am drooling. What an amazing combination of the Caramel Sauce, Ice Cream and freshness of the Melon. Delicious and best Summer treat.
melon ice cream with caramel sauce looks delicious. Perfect for the summer heat and kids will be super thrilled to see this unique ice cream.
I am just loving this dessert. The melon and ice cream is so refreshing together and topped with the caramel sauce, fabulous.
Sounds like a quick to put together ice cream recipe to me. Loving the flavor of caramel and melon together!
Cantaloupes are my favourite melons and we eat a lot of them in summer. This is such a great summer dessert idea. I’d make it today if I had all the ingredients, but definitely going to make it this week! YUM!
Yay, hope you like it!
Wow, this is truly a different way of eating melon! I adore it and have had it in sweet and savory dishes, and drinks also, but never thought of mixing it with caramel!
melon is my all time fav! and pairing it with icecream and caramel sounds delish