story by AISHA DAVIS
“The legacy, the real legacy, I want it to be ice cream. I really do.”
In a conversation about her legacy, you’d think Tyra Banks would say something about modeling, America’s Next Top Model, or her trailblazing career. But Tyra is all about the ice cream—hot ice cream.
This isn’t just another celeb slapping their name on a product. Tyra and ice cream go way back:
“During Mama’s hard working years, every Friday night after homework and dinner, we’d have girls night at the Häagen Dazs ice cream shop in Hollywood!” she wrote on her website. “While licking our chocolate (her fave) and coffee (my fave) ice creams in her white Honda Accord, in her cray-cray-in a-good-way style, she’d school me on her laser-focused one-more-bedroom goals and more. We’d laugh, cry and DREAM our biggest, most outrageous CREATIVE DREAMS… together. “
Fast forward to today, and Tyra is still chasing those dreams.
What is Hot Ice Cream?
Contrary to what it’s name may suggest, hot ice cream isn’t the same thing as fried ice cream. In fact, it’s actually pretty different.
According to SMiZE & DREAM, Tyra’s ice cream brand, “It’s the liquid version of your favorite ice cream scoop—a culinary contradiction that shouldn’t make sense, but somehow, deliciously does.”
Translation: it’s a dessert engineered to mimic ice cream’s mouthfeel, but at warm temps.
If you’re wondering how this is any different from straight up melted ice cream, it all comes down to texture. “At first, we tried just heating standard ice cream bases,” Banks explained in the official press release. “But they turned sticky, gloopy, or too thin. The breakthrough came when we found the perfect viscosity — not too thick, not too thin — where hot ice cream still felt as dreamy as cold ice cream.”
Hot Ice Cream vs. Hot Chocolate
To those who’ve tried it, Tyra’s hot ice cream often gets compared to hot chocolate and crème anglaise. However, Tyra has repeatedly stressed that neither quite hits the mark. Unlike crème anglaise, hot ice cream contains no eggs, and unlike hot chocolate, it’s far thicker and richer.
“I’ve spent years studying how ice cream behaves, how it churns, how it melts, how it releases flavor—and Hot Mama [hot ice cream] flips that entire idea,” Tyra explained in the SMiZE & DREAM press release.
How to Make Hot Ice Cream at Home
According to the SMiZE & DREAM website, Tyra first dreamed up the foundation for hot ice cream while experimenting in her own kitchen. What started as a late-night curiosity quickly turned into a year-long journey of “meticulous research and development,” eventually leading to a full-blown culinary breakthrough.
Today, the recipe remains a closely guarded secret, served exclusively at the SMiZE & DREAM flagship in Australia and at limited-time NYC pop-ups through February 2026.
“No — we’re not giving up the recipe or the secrets,” Tyra clarified on Instagram. “Do you know how many peeps are tracking us trying to figure this out and put it on their menu DM and email slides like: ‘C’mon Tyra. You can tell ME.’ So yeah… the mystery continues.”
So while we won’t be spilling the exact formula, we do have a copycat version you can make at home—perfect for anyone who missed the NYC pop-ups or doesn’t have a plane ticket to Australia booked. Check it out ahead.
SMiZE Style Hot Ice Cream Recipe
Tyra keeps the actual recipe under lock-and-key, but this reverse-engineered version is based on Tyra’s descriptions as well as taste-testing of the real thing. The trick is building a custard-style base with stabilizers and fat ratios that hold up to heat—giving you that ice-cream-like viscosity Tyra keeps talking about.
- Cream Base
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1½ tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt - Flavor Base (Hot Mama / Cookies & Cream Energy)
4 oz high-quality white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp cookie butter or browned butter
½ tsp vanilla extract - Topping (Very Important for the Vibes)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream (served cold)
Cookie crumbles, chocolate shavings, flaky salt, or caramel drizzle
Directions
- Prepare the Slurry: Whisk ¼ cup milk with cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the Cream Base: Combine remaining milk, cream, sugars, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until steaming, not boiling.
- Thicken the Mixture: Whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
Cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until thick, glossy, and smooth (~3–5 min). - Add Flavorings: Remove from heat. Stir in white chocolate, cookie/browned butter, and vanilla. Whisk until silky.
- Rest and Serve: Let cool 5–8 min to reach warm, spoonable temperature. Serve with chilled whipped cream and optional toppings.
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