Old Fashioned Pudding, Ice Cream, and Frozen Dessert Recipes

These old fashioned pudding, ice cream, and frozen dessert recipes make the delicious desserts that were once served at family suppers, Sunday dinners, church socials, and lazy summer afternoons for generations. They were made with simple, honest ingredients: fresh cream, eggs collected from the hen house, seasonal fruit from the orchard, and just enough sugar to sweeten.

Why Old Fashioned Puddings and Ice Creams Still Matter

There's something especially comforting about a bowl of warm, homemade rice pudding or a dish of homemade strawberry ice cream that no store-bought equivalent can replicate. If you've ever tasted a pudding made from scratch, one that's been slowly stirred on the stove top the way Grandma did it, you already know the difference.

Today, old fashioned puddings and classic ice cream desserts are enjoying a well-deserved revival. According to Southern Living, vintage and retro dessert recipes are among the most sought-after comfort foods heading into 2026, with home bakers returning to the butter-stained recipe cards and community cookbooks of decades past.^1 And the numbers back it up. The global ice cream and frozen dessert market is valued at an estimated USD 159.9 billion in 2026, projected to reach USD 329.8 billion by 2036.^2

But this page isn't about industry facts. It's about the real thing: the puddings, custards, ice creams, and frozen treats that taste like home.

About The Recipes

I've collected and preserved Grandma's favorite recipes exactly as they were written in handwritten notebooks, recipe scrapbooks, and out-of-print cookbooks that had sat on a dusty basement shelf for decades. Many recipes you'll find in this collection date back to the early 1900s and beyond, and they've never been "modernized" or rewritten for convenience.

This collection is your starting point. Below, you'll find an itemized look at the three categories of old fashioned puddings, ice creams, and frozen desserts in our collection, along with a bit of the fascinating history behind each one. Think of this page as the door to a much larger recipe archive. Click through to explore the additional collections whenever a category catches your eye.

Grandma's Old Fashioned Pudding and Sauce Recipes

Our pudding collection is one of the larger categories of this entire archive, and for good reason as puddings were the everyday dessert in most homes for well over a century.

You'll find recipes for bread puddings, chocolate puddings, rice puddings, tapioca puddings, banana cream puddings, coconut puddings, baked and boiled custards, lemon puddings, cornmeal puddings, fruit puddings, sponge puddings, and even a few "forgotten" puddings that have nearly vanished from modern cookbooks.

You'll also find all the comfort foods that once graced Grandma's table, including classic English trifles, blackberry cobblers, strawberry shortcakes, cherry desserts, apple crisps, and old fashioned Jello desserts.

And no pudding is complete without a proper sauce. The collection includes recipes for caramel sauce, custard sauce, and other classic toppings that can turn a simple pudding into a dessert that's truly special.

One recipe that always gets attention is the Southern Butter Roll. It's a rich, buttery pastry dessert from the Old South that most people have never heard of. Another favorite is the Cajun Tarte a la Bouille, a custard-filled cake with deep Louisiana roots. These are the kinds of heritage recipes you simply won't find on most modern recipe sites.

Grandma's Favorite Old Fashioned Ice Cream Recipes

Grandma's secret to making the best ice cream was never really a secret at all. She used fresh heavy cream, real eggs, plump juicy fruit, and just enough sugar to sweeten. No additives and no preservatives, just all-natural ingredients for all-natural flavors. Not only are these homemade ice creams much better for you, but they are far more flavorful than any you could buy today. Why eat artificial flavors when the pure, natural flavors of fresh fruit tastes best?

And you have loads of fresh flavors to choose from. The collection includes recipes for chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, peach, pineapple, lemon, cherry, banana, coconut cream, caramel, pistachio, coffee, green tea, and even unusual Victorian-era flavors like brown bread ice cream, violet ice cream, and spice ice cream to name a few.

There's also a fascinating recipe for Hokey Pokey ice cream, the penny treat sold by Italian street vendors in the 1800s, and the historical Thomas Jefferson vanilla ice cream recipe mentioned above.

You'll find easy step-by-step instructions on how to make homemade ice cream using either a machine or simply in your refrigerator freezer. There are even educational, fun methods for kids, including making tasty ice cream in a plastic bag or in a coffee can.

Classic Frozen Ice Cream Dessert Recipes and Old-Time Parlor Treats

If you've ever dreamed of recreating the sundaes, banana splits, and frozen specials from the old fashioned ice cream parlors, this is where the fun really begins.

The frozen ice cream desserts collection brings together all the classic parlor treats that made ice cream shops the social gathering places of their day. You'll find recipes for authentic ice cream sundaes, banana splits, Baked Alaska, homemade ice cream cones, frozen "Marlows" (a nearly forgotten 1920s dessert that was a favorite of silent film star Clara Bow), deep-fried ice cream, and a full selection of homemade ice cream toppings.

Do you enjoy ice cream sandwiches? Did you know they've been around since the 1890s? Street vendors in New York City started selling them, and they quickly became a hit. Thanks to these recipes, you will be able to grab a homemade one from the freezer on a hot day.

Baked Alaska is another dessert that always impresses. It's amazing how the meringue acts as an insulator, keeping the ice cream frozen even when it's baked in the hot oven. Although it looks spectacular, it's not nearly as hard to make as most people think.

These are not just frozen desserts, they are edible nostalgia, reminding us of simpler, carefree days and sweet moments shared with loved ones. I know you'll have fun trying them.

Why Homemade Always Tastes Better

There is a reason people keep coming back to old fashioned recipes, and it goes beyond nostalgia. When you make a pudding or ice cream dessert from scratch using Grandma's recipes, you're using real ingredients: fresh cream, whole eggs, pure vanilla flavoring, ripe seasonal fruit. There are no stabilizers, no artificial flavors, no high-fructose corn syrup. You know exactly what goes into every spoonful.

The North American dessert market continues to expand, with ice cream and frozen desserts leading growth through 2029, according to industry analysis.^3 But the best part of making desserts at home is not about market trends; it's about the look on your family's face when you bring a homemade bread pudding warm to the table or hand them a homemade waffle cone of fresh-churned strawberry ice cream on a warm summer afternoon. These are the moments that matter. And these are the recipes that make them possible.

Tips for Success With Old Fashioned Pudding and Ice Cream Recipes

If you are new to baking from vintage recipes, here are a few things worth knowing:

Expect Simpler Instructions

Old fashioned recipes were written for experienced home cooks who already knew the basics. You may see instructions like "bake in a moderate oven" instead of a specific temperature, or "add flour until the dough feels right." That was normal. Grandma baked by feel and experience. If you need help translating older measurements and oven temperatures, our cooking hints and tips page has everything you need.

Use the Best Ingredients You Can Find

The single biggest difference between a good homemade dessert and a great one is the quality of your ingredients. Use real butter, fresh eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, and pure vanilla extract. If a recipe calls for fresh fruit, use fruit that's ripe and in season.

Do Not Rush the Process

The recipes for old fashioned puddings and ice creams were not designed for speed. A custard needs to be stirred slowly and patiently to turn out perfectly. An ice cream base needs to be thoroughly chilled before freezing. A bread pudding needs time to soak in the flavor. Trust the process, and the results will speak for themselves.

Egg Safety Note

Some older no-bake recipes may call for raw or uncooked eggs. To avoid any health risk, please visit our Eggs and Salmonella page for simple instructions on how to safely use raw eggs in these old fashioned recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Old Fashioned Puddings and Ice Creams

Where to Start

With so many heritage recipes to explore, it can be hard to know where to begin. Here are my suggestions depending on what you're feeling in the mood for:

If You Want Something Warm and Comforting

Start with the old fashioned pudding and sauce recipes. A classic bread pudding with caramel sauce or a creamy homemade rice pudding is the perfect antidote to a cold evening. You'll also find cobblers, crisps, custards, and trifles among all the warm, soul-satisfying desserts that Grandma was famous for.

If You Want to Make Your Own Ice Cream

Head straight to the old fashioned ice cream recipes. Whether you own a hand-crank churn, an electric ice cream maker, or just a refrigerator freezer, you'll find both a recipe and a method that works for you. Start with classic vanilla, fresh strawberry, or chocolate, and you'll never go back to store-bought.

If You Want to Recreate the Ice Cream Parlor at Home

The frozen ice cream desserts and parlor treats collection is where the fun really begins. Build your own sundae bar, try your hand at Baked Alaska, or surprise the kids with homemade ice cream sandwiches or cones. These are the recipes that turn an ordinary afternoon into a lasting memory.