Nothing says refreshing on a hot day like an ice-cold root beer float! Between the bubbly root beer, creamy vanilla ice cream, and foam topping off each spoonful of flavor, this delicious treat is a favorite for kids and adults alike.

A Root Beer Float in a glass topped with whipped cream and a cherry, with a black and gold striped straw. A&W root beer bottles and cans, plus a jar of straws, are visible in the background. — Three small scoops of French vanilla ice cream, one 7.5-ounce mini can of A&W, and a clean tilt.

Read Before You Start

The root beer you use makes a bigger difference than you’d think.

A&W and Sioux City both taste pretty smooth on their own, a little sweet, almost vanilla-ish if you sip them straight. Dad’s and Barq’s have more of a bite, kind of spicy and sharp.

… If I’m using French vanilla ice cream, which is already on the sweeter side, I go with one of the sharper root beers so the whole glass doesn’t end up tasting like one big sugar bomb.

… If I’m using a plain grocery-store vanilla, A&W works better. The sweeter root beer fills in what the basic vanilla doesn’t bring on its own. It’s a similar flavor profile you see in my root beer float pie.

Ingredient Notes

Root Beer Float raw ingredients that are labeled

When it’s too hot for a float and I want something I can pull straight from the freezer, I make my root beer popsicles instead.
If I’m making floats for adults only, I skip this version and go straight to my alcoholic root beer float instead.

Don’t Miss This Step

Tilt the glass way over to the side, like you’re pouring a beer, and let the root beer run down the inside of the glass instead of dumping it right on top of the ice cream.

If the soda lands on the ice cream, the cold surface makes it foam up like crazy and half the can ends up on the counter before you’ve finished pouring. Going down the side slides the soda underneath the ice cream instead, so the foam stays in the glass where you want it.

If the foam still climbs too fast, stop pouring for about 10 seconds and let it settle, then finish. What you want at the end is a thick band of foam sitting on top inside the glass, kind of like the head on a draft beer. That’s how you know you got the pour right.

A Root Beer Float in a tall glass topped with whipped cream and a cherry, with a striped straw. A&W Root Beer cans and bottles, striped straws in a glass, and maraschino cherries are in the background.

If you’re planning a party, you’ll find plenty of easy drink options on my no-alcohol drinks page.

I first published this root beer float recipe in 2023 and have updated it since, with notes from recipe testing on the pour technique, and small tweaks to make it work with any brand of root beer.

Root Beer Float

5 from 1 vote

Rich fizzy root beer topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream – what's not to love about this root beer float?

Prep Time 2

Total Time 2

Servings

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Ingredients

Float

3 small scoops French vanilla ice cream
7.5 ounces mini can of A&W root beer, cold

Optional Garnish

1 squirt extra creamy whipped topping
Maraschino cherry
Chocolate sauce drizzled on the insides of the cup before adding the other ingredients, optional

Instructions

In a 12-ounce (old-fashioned soda fountain style) glass, add the three scoops of French vanilla ice cream. I used a 1½ inch-sized cookie scoop for this. Note that if you tend to scoop large scoops, then only 2 scoops are needed.
While tilting the glass on its side, slowly pour the A&W root beer into the glass over the ice cream. Go slow to allow the fizz to dissipate as you pour.
Place your glass upright and top with a garnish of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

Notes

I love keeping a 6-pack of mini soda cans in my refrigerator as they are great for single-serving cocktails or specialty drinks like this one. Alternatively, you can just measure out 1 cup of root beer from a 2-liter bottle for this easy recipe.
A frosted beer mug works great as well. For extra frosty root beer floats, place the glass in the freezer for 15 minutes before making the drink.
You can add a chocolate sauce drizzle to the inside of your glass if you want an over-the-top root beer float. Just tilt your glass to the side at a slight angle and slowly drizzle the chocolate sauce as you turn your glass to get all the sides. I like to use a traditional Hershey’s chocolate syrup for this.
If you find that your root beer is giving off a lot of excess foam, you can use the back (straight side) of a butter knife and scrape off the excess foam from the top of the glass into the sink. You may have to do this a couple of times. This will ensure that your root beer float is not full of carbonated soda foam.