Tomatoes Are The Unexpected Ice Cream Topping To Try This Summer

Vanilla ice cream is perfectly fine on its own ... but why not experiment with a drizzle of high-quality olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt? If you're open to that as a topping, consider trying soy sauce on vanilla ice cream next time. And if we've persuaded you to go in the direction of uncommon ice cream toppings, we have another suggestion: tomatoes.

If your mind goes to "absolutely not," hear us out — tomatoes are a fruit, after all. They can be crisp, a little sweet, and acidic, a perfect contrast to sweet and creamy ice cream. Chowhound spoke exclusively to Executive Pastry Chef Yoonjung Oh of Hive Hospitality to understand why exactly this strange combo works. Oh explained, "Tomato has natural sweetness, acidity, and umami — qualities that make it surprisingly compatible with dairy. When treated like a fruit, especially roasted or reduced, tomato develops rich, jammy flavors that pair well with herbs, spices, and even dessert elements like honey or basil."

The key here is playing up the sweet and fruit-like features in tomatoes to make them work as an eccentric ice cream topping. This pairing taps into the same idea behind sweet and savory flavor combos like strawberries and goat cheese, or melon and prosciutto. Normally, tomatoes get blended with salt, pepper, garlic, and basil for sauces or served in a vegetable-forward salad with a vinegar dressing, so they are generally categorized as savory. However, with the backdrop of vanilla ice cream, the fruity undertones of tomatoes are enhanced, and this can be amplified further by sugaring the tomatoes. So how does tomato ice cream actually taste? According to Oh, "It's more savory-sweet than purely sweet, but incredibly interesting."

If you feel a spontaneous craving for tomatoes and ice cream, the easiest and quickest way to get a taste is by adding fresh, chopped tomato on top of a scoop of vanilla. For tomatoes with more natural sweetness and less acidity, go for cherry, plum, or heirloom varieties; ripe, in-season tomatoes will have the best flavor. If the tomatoes you have on hand are not the sweetest, feel free to sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.

Another sweet tomato option is using tomato jam; this can be purchased or made by simmering tomatoes with sugar and lemon. This option is easy to spoon over ice cream, and it's more approachable than chunks of tomato, as the texture is similar to a thick fruit preserve. To move more in the savory direction, roasted or caramelized tomatoes can add more umami and a jammy, rich texture. Want more savory-sweet inspiration? Chef Yoonjung Oh shared that she likes a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to finish off this unlikely pairing.

She also stated that cheese flavors could work well — think along the lines of ice cream bases made of ricotta, goat cheese, mascarpone, or cream cheese, the tangy cheeses that mesh well with sweet flavors. These flavors are going to be super tricky to find in a grocery store, so homemade ice cream will be your best bet (and you can make ice cream without a machine). Tomatoes can also be blended directly into the ice cream base for a cohesive flavor throughout and a vibrant color. If creamy isn't your thing, or a dairy-free dessert is needed, tomatoes function surprisingly well in a light and acidic sorbet topped with fresh mint or basil.