The Spicy Condiment That Works Surprisingly Well On Ice Cream

Sriracha and ice cream. If you're like most sweet lovers, your first thought when you think of, say, an ice cream flavor, probably doesn't include a big helping of the spicy red stuff. But, done right, the sweet-and-spicy sriracha and ice cream combo may be just the thing to revitalize your taste buds as well as introduce you to recipes that straddle the line between dinner and dessert.

Let's get the big question out of the way. Most ice cream recipes that call for sriracha don't require you to drizzle a bunch of it over your ice cream as if it were chocolate syrup; though a sriracha and chocolate ganache is a thing — and a darn good one, too. Ditto for adding some of the red hot stuff to the strawberry or raspberry preserves you spoon over the top of a sundae.

This isn't to say that sriracha doesn't enter into the world of unexpected ice cream ingredients as actual sriracha-flavored ice cream. It does. But it's much more subtle than you might be inclined to think, given the circumstances. Usually, these sriracha-infused recipes only call for a tablespoon or two of sriracha, not cups and cups of it. The result is a sweet ice cream that has just enough of a spicy nip to make things very, very interesting.

For those who'd like the 411 on sriracha, it's a condiment that hails out of Thailand as a version of chili sauce. But while it originated there, it has since jumped from shore to shore until its globetrotting brought it to the U.S. In keeping with the culinary boundary-pushing that is sometimes associated with the American way of eating, some truly brave ice-cream-loving souls have discovered that a little sriracha, along with maybe some Thai basil, makes the best spicy ice cream, particularly if you pair the sriracha and basil with lime ice cream. Given that lime plays such a ginormous role in Thai food, this combo offers up a fun way to mash up American and Thai cuisine in such a delish way.

But just because sriracha comes from Thailand doesn't mean that you need to stick to Thai-inspired ice cream recipes. Although vanilla ice cream is often a go-to choice for spicy ice cream fans, it's not the only sriracha cone in town. Tasty sriracha ice cream combos include classics like maple syrup ice cream, grilled pineapple and honey, and even Earl Grey tea. 

And of course, no list would be complete without the king of ice cream flavors, chocolate. The pairing of chocolate ice cream and sriracha is a bit reminiscent of the bold flavors of a Mexican mocha, particularly if you take things one step further and add in a few scoops of coffee-flavored ice cream as well. Finish this sweet-and-spicy ice cream off with some sprinkles of cinnamon, chocolate shavings, and a dash of cayenne pepper to really get the fiesta started. Olé!