Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float Recipe

Looking for a creative twist on the classic root beer float? A Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float is a perfect remix, with creamy vanilla ice cream and chilled Dr. Pepper soda poured over it.

best Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float

An ice cream float is such a great dessert since it’s an easy recipe, and everybody loves them!

When I, Rebecca, make Dr. Pepper Vanilla Floats for my kids, they think it’s the best treat ever.

And I’m happy because there’s so little work and mess involved when serving soda floats!

Dr. Pepper is a Coca-Cola product, and for a few years, they made a flavor called Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float.

And though it was a limited edition and isn’t available anymore, you can definitely get a similar flavor by using regular Dr. Pepper in an ice cream float!

This is a fun twist on the classic root beer float recipe and salted caramel pretzel float.

ingredients used to make Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float by sugar and cloth

Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float Ingredients

Vanilla bean ice cream — Store-bought or make your own homemade no-churn ice cream

Chilled Dr. Pepper

Whipped cream — Store-bought, or see our easy recipe below

two glasses of Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float

How to Make a Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float

1 — Place 2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream into a 12-ounce glass.

scooping the vanilla ice cream for the Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float

2 — Pour the chilled Dr. Pepper over the scoops of ice cream.

It will create quite a lot of foam, so you may need to let it settle before adding all of the soda.

Pouring the chilled Dr. Pepper over the scoops of ice cream to create the float

3 — Add the whipped cream topping, then serve with a straw or spoon.

Topping the Float

Once you’ve poured the Dr. Pepper soda over the ice cream, you’ll want to top your float with fluffy whipped cream.

You can use the premade kind that comes in a can (it’s sometimes called dairy whipped topping), or you can easily make your own whipped cream!

How to make the homemade whipped cream:

With a hand mixer, beat 1 cup of whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until it is thick, fluffy, and holds its shape on a spoon.

Spoon it over the top of the floats, or pipe it on with a piping bag and star tip.

 photo of the dr. pepper vanilla float recipe using cherry flavored soda

Dr. Pepper Float Flavors and Variations

— Dr. Pepper is far from a plain soft drink since it has 23 flavors, including almond, vanilla, blackberry, apricot, and a lot more.

But if you want an added little punch of flavor, Dr. Pepper Cherry goes very well with vanilla ice cream and makes for a great vanilla float!

— You can use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla if you prefer it! Or make a boozy version with Bailey’s ice cream.

a photo of different types of Dr. Pepper in can

Do I Need to Chill Dr. Pepper?

You can use room temperature soda for the Dr. Pepper Vanilla Floats, but there are a couple of reasons that chilled is better.

First, cold soda will make the ice cream melt more slowly.

Second, it creates little pockets of Dr. Pepper and ice cream that have frozen together into delicious, creamy icey bits.

photo of the dr. pepper vanilla float recipe being topped off

Recipe Notes and Tips

— Chilling your glasses before filling them can help keep your float cold longer.

— When you first pour the soda over the ice cream, you’ll see a huge head of foam at the top of your Dr. Pepper float. This is caused by the carbonation in the soda, as well as Dr. Pepper releasing air bubbles from the ice cream.

The fat in the ice cream strengthens the bubbles, so they expand more and don’t dissolve as quickly as the bubbles in soda usually do.

More Frozen Treats

top view of the float | Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float recipe
best Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float

Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float Recipe

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote
Looking for a creative twist on the classic root beer float? A Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float is a perfect remix, with creamy vanilla ice cream and chilled Dr. Pepper soda poured over it.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Desserts

Equipment

  • Tall glass
  • Ice cream scoop
  • Hand mixer optional if you want to make your own whipped cream

Ingredients

For the Dr. Pepper vanilla float:

  • 3 scoop vanilla bean ice cream
  • 8 oz Dr. Pepper chilled
  • Whipped cream Store-bought, or see our easy recipe

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 834IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 1
Calories: 510kcal

Notes

Chill your glass before filling them to help keep the float cold longer.
 

Instructions

To make the Dr. Pepper vanilla float:

  • Place 2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream into a 12 oz. glass.
  • Pour the chilled Dr. Pepper over the scoops of ice cream. It will create quite a lot of foam, so you may need to let it settle before adding all of the soda.
  • Add whipped cream topping, then serve with a straw or spoon.

To make the whipped cream:

  • With a hand mixer, beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until it is thick, fluffy, and holds its shape on a spoon.
KEYWORD: dr. pepper vanilla float recipe

Don’t forget to share your Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? You can find them all right here with a few cocktails to go along with them.

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